Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and several local events are scheduled to honor the civil rights leader.
With a winter storm expected to hit Salem this weekend, a number other events scheduled for this weekend have been canceled. All events listed here are still scheduled as of noon Friday. Salem Reporter will update if we learn of any cancellations or changes.
Donate blood
The Salem-Keizer NAACP and the American Red Cross are partnering to hold a blood drive on Monday, Jan. 15.
People can schedule appointments at the Salem Donor Center, 1860 Hawthorne Ave. N.E. Schedule online here.
“Sickle cell disease disproportionately affects African-Americans. People with sickle cell need blood transfusions to maintain good health. Salem-Keizer NAACP president RJ Hampton is encouraging the community to participate in the blood drive to help all hospital patients have the blood they need by donating on this special day,” the organization said in a statement.
Celebrate King’s legacy
Salem organizations Be Blac and Equity Splash have teamed up for a celebration at McKay High School on Monday, Jan. 15, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The school is located at 2440 Lancaster Drive N.E.
The theme is “It Starts With Me: Shifting a Culture.” The event features speakers, games, food, music and poetry, according to a flier.
Lecture at Chemeketa
Taylor Marrow III, a history instructor and diversity/equity officer at Chemeketa Community College, will deliver a speech at the Student Center on the college’s Salem campus on Wednesday, Jan. 17.
The student center is in building 2, room 179. Chemeketa is located at 4000 Lancaster Dr. N.E.
The event is from 1-3 p.m. and will also be streamed on Zoom here. The event is organized in partnership with the Salem-Keizer NAACP.
Music and theater
The Pentacle Theatre’s production of “Brighton Beach Memories” opens Friday, Jan. 12, at 7:30 p.m. and runs through Saturday, Feb. 3.
“Dreaming of baseball and girls, Eugene must cope with the mundane existence of his family life in Brooklyn: formidable mother, overworked father, and his worldly older brother Stanley. Throw into the mix his widowed Aunt Blanche and her two young (but rapidly aging) daughters and you have a recipe for hilarity served up Simon-style,” the play description reads.
The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.
Pentacle Theatre is located at 324 52nd Ave. N.W. Tickets range from $20 to $45, and are available online or by calling 503-485-4300. Students and Oregon Trail Card holders are eligible for a 50% discount. The theater said any weather cancellations will be announced on its website, and ticket holders will be able to have tickets exchanged or refunded.
The Oregon Symphony in Salem performs Rachmoninoff’s Second Symphony Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Willamette University’s Smith Auditorium, 270 Winter St. S.E. “In a program celebrating the legacy of great pianist-composers, Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony unfurls a tapestry of heartfelt melodies and lush romanticism that will make spirits soar,” the event description says.
Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased online here. The program also includes a Hadyn piano concerto and “Over” by composer Conrad Tao.
Infinity Room
Infinity Room, located at 210 Liberty St. S.E., is closing Friday and postponing its show due to the weather.
There will be a free artist reception and Q&A with Dan Peters, on Saturday whose work is displayed at the venue. The reception is from 2 – 4 p.m., and light snacks are included. The event will be livestreamed. For more information, see the event page.
Saturday evening’s planned comedy show, Slay ‘Em: A comedy showcase of local killers, is still scheduled for 8 p.m. with doors at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 online in advance, and $20 at the door. The event is open to all ages, but “material will not necessarily be clean.”
Monday, there will be a drop-in improv class for anyone over 16, with no experience needed. The first class is free, and after that it’s $5 a person at the door or online.
Roller derby and skating
Cherry City Roller Derby’s junior team, the Cherry Blossoms, host the Resolution Breakers tournament Saturday and Sunday, featuring three other junior roller derby teams from the West Coast. Games run all weekend at the Madhouse, 1335 Madison St. N.E. Tickets are $25 for a weekend pass or $15 per day at the door. For more information or advance tickets, see the event page.
The Kroc Center hosts an open skate Saturday, Jan. 13, with Travelin Wheelz. Two sessions, from 3-5 p.m. and 5:30-7:30 p.m. You do not need to be a Kroc member to skate. Admission $10 or $15 with skate rental. Learn more and buy advance tickets here. The Kroc Center is located at 1865 Bill Frey Dr.
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.
