Whether you want to catch a movie, sip local brews or race zucchini, you’ll find something to do this weekend in Salem.
Here’s your guide to events for the weekend of Aug. 18 to 20.
Sip beer for a good cause
Salem on Tap Brewfest returns Friday, Aug. 18, and Saturday, Aug. 19, at the Salem Convention Center, 200 Commercial St. S.E. The event is a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of Salem Marion & Polk Counties.
Sample beer and cider from 27 craft breweries and cideries. Food trucks will also be available, and the schedule includes yoga and beer classes, as well as art projects to enjoy for an extra fee.
Day passes are $20 in advance, or $25 at the door. Passes include four taste tokens. Weekend passes are also available. Designated drivers can enter at a reduced price. Learn more and get tickets online.
Race zucchini
If you’re sick of eating zucchini, Center 50+ has a better option: stick wheels on it.
The Center 50+ zucchini racetrack will be at the Salem Saturday Market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. this weekend. Come make and decorate a zucchini car and see how well it rolls. Volunteers with Friends of Center 50+ will collect donations to support programs.
The market is located at 865 Marion St. N.E.
Health and safety
Need to get up-to-date on shots or dental care? Lancaster Family Health Center is hosting a free health fair Friday, Aug. 18, from 2-6 p.m. The clinic is located at 255 Lancaster Dr. N.E.
The event includes free health, dental and nutrition information, as well as free food, drink and activities including face painting, pony rides, bubbles and a sidewalk chalk area. Learn more on the clinic website.
On Saturday, Aug. 19, Salem police are hosting a bike rodeo for kids at Geer Community Park, 241 Geer Dr. N.E. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Kids can learn about bike safety and practice riding skills. Bring a bike and helmet if you have one.
Fun at the theater
Three local plays, free screenings of “Barbie” and tours of the Elsinore are all available this weekend.
Free movies
Northern Lights Theatre Pub will have free screenings of “Barbie,” “Blue Beetle” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” as part of a special event put on by streaming service Pluto TV. Tickets are first-come, first-served, with a list of showtimes and more information available on the theater’s Facebook page. The theater is at 3893 Commercial St. S.E.
Tour the Elsinore
A Saturday morning tour will take participants behind the scenes at the Elsinore Theatre in downtown Salem, 170 High St. S.E. Learn about the theater’s history, its construction and view the stained glass and storytelling murals. The tour finishes with a demonstration of the Mighty Wurlitzer, the largest theater organ in the Pacific Northwest.
The tour begins Saturday, Aug, 19, at 10 a.m. Tickets are $15 and can be bought online.
Theatre 33
Willamette University’s Theatre 33, a new play development company, puts on a pop-up production of “A Tale of Two” by Angela Gyurko.
“Leila and Sarai confront each other’s expectations of life, activism, and the college application process as they stand side-by-side each morning at the entrance to their high school, attempting to recruit new members for their high school clubs,” the description says. “This engaging tale of the next generation of leaders explores what it means to be a success, what it means to be a friend, and what it means to be the one responsible for ‘fixing’ the structures of power.”
Shows run Saturday, Aug. 19, and Sunday, Aug. 20, at 2 p.m. in Rogers Rehearsal Hall at Willamette University.
The theater’s production of “The Names” by playwright Paul Lewis is also continuing.
“Martina Visconti, a Jewish opera star, decides to remain in German-occupied Milan during World War II in hopes of protecting her impetuous younger sister Giulia, who has joined the Resistance. Meanwhile, an American GI in an embattled infantry unit south of Rome dreams of reaching Milan so that he can finally meet his operatic idol,” the play description reads. “A story of the bonds of love stretched to their very limits and the heart-wrenching choice one sister must make in a world that is falling into unfathomable darkness.”
Shows run Thursday, Aug. 17, through Saturday, Aug. 19, with shows at 7 p.m. Shows are at Putnam Studio at Pelton Theatre on the university campus, 900 State St.
Tickets for both productions are free with a $15 suggested donation and can be reserved in advance online.
Pentacle Theatre
The Pentacle Theatre production, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” adapted from the book of the same name, continues this weekend.
Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and a 2 p.m. matinee Sundays. The Pentacle Theatre is located at 324 52nd Ave. N.W.
Tickets range from $17 to $37, and are available online, by calling 503-485-4300 or at the box office starting 45 minutes before the show. Frontline healthcare workers, students and Oregon Trail Card holders can get half priced tickets by providing information at checkout.
The circus
Venados Circus continues its run in Keizer, with shows at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17, and Friday, Aug. 18. The circus has multiple shows Saturday and Sunday.
The “Broadway-style circus” brings 90 minutes of animal-free entertainment including acrobats, jugglers, magicians and more. Shows are at Volcanoes Stadium, 6700 Field Of Dreams Way N.E. Tickets start at $17.60 for kids and $28.60 for adults. View a full schedule and buy tickets online here.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
