It may not be the busiest weekend of events in Salem. But there are few excuses to be bored with roller derby, the return of a local harvest festival and an international skateboarding competition. Here’s your guide to events for Friday, Sept. 29, through Sunday, Oct. 1.
Watch a roller derby bout
Cherry City Roller Derby’s 8 Wheel Assassins will compete on Saturday, Sept. 30 against the Willamette Kidney Thieves.
Food and beverages will be available at the family-friendly event. It’s held at Cherry City Roller Derby, 1335 Madison St. N.E.
Presale tickets are available for $12 until Sept. 30 at noon, then $15 at the door and $16 with a credit card. Children 5 and under get in free.
Doors open at 6 p.m. and the bout begins at 7 p.m.
Event volunteers are always needed and get free admission, according to the venue’s website. People who want to help can contact [email protected].
Catch a musical
Salem’s Pentacle Theatre will begin a three-week run performing the musical comedy “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” on Friday, Sept. 29.
The production, directed by Loriann Schmidt, will run through Saturday, Oct. 21. It’s based on the book by Robert L. Freedman and music by Steven Lutvak.
It follows Monty Navarro, who discovers he’s ninth in line for an earldom and decides to jump the line for inheritance by killing his relatives.
“Despite the high body count, this delightful show will lift the hearts of all those who’ve been pining for what sometimes seems a lost art form: musicals that match streams of memorable melody with fizzily witty turns of phrase,” according to an event listing quoting The New York Times. “Bloodlust hasn’t sung so sweetly, or provided so much theatrical fun, since Sweeney Todd first wielded his razor with gusto many a long year ago.”
Friday and Saturday shows will be at 7:30 p.m., with Sunday shows at 2 p.m. The event runs around two hours.
The theater is located at 324 52nd Ave. N.W.
Tickets range from $17 to $45, with more information available online. Check out our preview below:
Harvest festival
Bauman’s Harvest Festival returns on Thursday, Sept. 28, with mazes, obstacle courses, rides, farm animals and other family fun.
The festival runs through Oct. 29 at 12989 Howell Prairie Rd. N.E. in Gervais.
The event is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with admission closing at 4 p.m. It’s closed on Mondays.
Tickets are $15 for admission to 15 festival activities or $30 for 30 activities.
Acoustic fusion
“One concert stage. Acoustic instruments. Microphones. Electronic sound machines. And lots of things unfamiliar,” an event listing said for Mutual Landscapes on Friday, Sept. 29 at Willamette University. Music faculty members David Collins, James Miley and Ryan Biesack will “fuse live electronics and instrumental performance into an expansive and unconventional experience.”
There are two shows at 7:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at Rogers Rehearsal Hall at the Rogers Music Building.
Tickets range from $9 to $15. More information is available on the university’s website.
Free repairs
Bring your small appliances, clothing, textiles and jewelry to the Salem Public Library for free repairs Saturday afternoon for a Repair Fair.
“Fix-pert” volunteers from Marion Country’s Waste Reduction will be there to walk participants through re-shaping, sewing and fixing what’s brought in. Participants are expected to stick around to learn how to repair the items, and help with the repair.
There will also be tool sharpening available, excluding knives.
The free fair will be in the Anderson Rooms at the Salem Public Library, 585 Liberty St. S.E. from 1-4 p.m.
Sign ups are available online. They aren’t required, but will reduce wait time. For more information, contact Salem Public Library at [email protected] or 503-588-6315.
Slalom skateboarding
More than 80 racers from around the world will race down Soap Box Derby Hill in Bush’s Pasture Park this weekend, competing in the 2023 World Championships of Slalom Skateboarding.
Skaters will launch down an 8-foot-tall ramp onto the track, and weave around cones. The event is sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee-recognized governing body, World Skate.
Spectating is free, and races will be held Friday, Sept. 29, and Saturday, Sept. 30, from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 1, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Bush’s Pasture Park is located at 890 Mission St. S.E.
Several Oregon racers will participate, alongside pros from 14 countries including Norway, Canada, Latvia, and Brazil.
Read more in our event preview below, which includes a conversation with Silverton racer Lari Rupp.
Art shows in Salem
With September coming to a close, it’s the last weekend for some art exhibitions showing in Salem. Check out our list of local shows below:
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053. Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-704-0355.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
