Salem’s event calendar this weekend includes chances to feed an alpaca, see a local play or watch pickleballers compete for money and glory.
Here’s a guide to Salem’s events from Thursday, March 7, through Sunday, March 10.
Animals
All dog breeds will have a chance to compete for a ribbon at the Oregon State Fair and Expo Center this weekend. The Silver Falls Kennel Club All Breed Show will be Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 6:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.
The show will be in the Jackman-Long, Columbia Hall Buildings at 2330 17th St. N.E. Parking is $5 per vehicle.
On Saturday, Briarwood Acres is hosting an open barn with a family-friendly event to get up close to their alpacas and llamas. The event includes a craft station to make hanging bird nests, hot cocoa and a chance to feed the animals.
The event is free to attend, craft kits are $15 and cups of food for the alpacas and llamas are $5 for the first cup and half-off for refills. The farm is at 4150 Briarwood St. N.W.
Plays
North Salem High School’s production of “Tuck Everlasting” opens on Thursday, telling the beloved story of a girl’s adventure after meeting a family with eternal youth.
There will be 7 p.m. shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. There will also be 7 p.m. shows on March 15 and 16, with a 2 p.m. matinee on the 16th. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students. North Salem High School is at 765 14th St. N.E.
“The Prom” will continue shows at the Pentacle Theatre this weekend. In the musical, four Broadway stars desperate for good publicity decide to support a small town high schooler’s effort to take her girlfriend to the prom, fighting against pressure from local parents.
Thursday, Friday and Saturday’s shows are at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday’s is at 2 p.m. Tickets range from $22 to $50. Students and Oregon Trail Card holders are eligible for a 50% discount. The theater is located at 324 52nd Ave N.W.
Corban University is putting on a production of “Sleeping Beauty, Briar Rose” with 7:30 p.m. shows on Friday and Saturday. The story is based on the Charles Perrault and Brothers Grimm version of the tale. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students, seniors and staff, and $8 for children under 10. There will also be shows March 15-17.
Community dance
The 2nd Friday Céilí will be on March 8, with live music and Celtic dancing. Doors open at 7 p.m. with a 7:15 p.m. dance lesson and an 8 p.m. dance.
Admission is $10 for general, $8 for members and $5 for students. Families get in for $30. The dance will be at the VFW Hall, 630 Hood St. N.E. See the Céilí of the Valley website for more information.
Poetry Out Loud
Two students from the Oregon School for the Deaf are competing in a state poetry recitation championship on Saturday.
The Poetry Out Loud State Contest takes place Saturday from 1-4 p.m. in the Loucks Auditorium at Salem Public Library, 585 Liberty St. S.E. Former Oregon Poet Laureate Kim Stafford will present. The event is free and open to the public.
Concerts
Lindy and Greg Pendzick will join the Empress Quartet to perform Broadway classics on Thursday at Salem’s Historic Grand Theatre, 187 High St. N.E. Complete with music, costumes and makeup, “Broadway Our Way” celebrates multiple beloved musicals. Tickets are $25, doors are at 7 p.m. for an 8 p.m. show.
Confluence LGBT Chorus will perform hits from Motown on Friday at Salem First Congregational United Church of Christ. Admission is $20, but no one is turned away for lack of funds. The show starts at 7:30 p.m., at 700 Marion St. N.E. Music includes songs by The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and more.
On Friday, March 8, The Dueling Hobbits will play an interactive comedy show featuring “pretty much any artist or song the audience wants to hear.” The show is all-ages, and starts at 8 p.m. at Salem’s Historic Grand. Tickets are $25.
On Saturday Nevermind and Plush, Nirvana and Stone Temple Pilots tribute bands, will rock out at Salem’s Historic Grand. Doors are at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30 in advance and $25 the day of the show.
On Friday, the Oregon Symphony will perform with violinist James Ehnes. The program features Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony and a Brahms violin concerto. It’s at the Smith Auditorium at Willamette University, 270 Winter St. S.E., before heading up to shows in Portland. Tickets start at $25, and the show starts at 7:30 p.m.
Oregon pianist Jeffrey Kahane and his son Gabriel Kahane will perform their first joint recital in a decade as part of Willamette University’s Grace Goudy Distinguished Artists Series. The event is Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Willamette University’s Rogers Music Center. Tickets are $25 general, $5 for seniors, free for students.
Salem Folk Fusion band Mbrascatu is taking the Infinity Room stage on Saturday, along with performances by Spokane singer Scott Ryan Ingersoll and Eugene performer So Hum.
The concert is for people over age 21. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door.
Comedy
Dry Bar Comedy LIVE! is coming to the Elsinore Theatre on Saturday. The show features clean “comedy for everyone” from Tyler Boeh, Alaina Hirschi, Rodney Norman and Seth Tippetts. Tickets start at $25. The Elsinore is located downtown at 170 High St. S.E.
Sports
The 2024 Willamette Valley Open Pickleball Tournament starts Thursday with competitions every day through Sunday. Amateur and pro players in their teens through 70s will compete for gold and prize money. Registration is closed, but hosts Travel Salem invite anyone to cheer on participants.
The tournament will be at the Illahe Hills Country Club, 3376 Country Club Rd. S.
An Alice and Wonderland-themed junior roller derby bout on Saturday, March 9, will allow the audience to buy “enchantments” to change up the game. Tickets are $10 or free for children under 5, and doors open at 4 p.m. The bout is at 1335 Madison St. N.E.
Art
See what’s on display at Salem’s galleries here:
Coming up
She’s Speaking LIVE: A Concert Celebrating Women Songwriters, will showcase Oregon artists at Salem’s Historic Grand on Friday, March 15, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25.
McKay High School’s orchestra is holding a fundraiser concert Thursday, March 21, at 7 p.m. with Marilyn de Oliveira and Trevor Fitzpatrick of the Oregon Symphony. The performance features Vivaldi’s Double Cello Concerto and is in Willamette University’s Smith Auditorium. Tickets are $25 general admission, $5 for students.
Chemeketa Community College presents Ukrainian world music quartet DakhaBrakha on Friday, March 22, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 for students, $20 for seniors and $30 or adults.
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-704-0355.
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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.
