Where to go for free Salem events in June
With sunny days ahead, there are plenty of ways to get outside this summer without spending a dime.
Here are the June events and activities in Salem which don’t require any money to enjoy the full itinerary. See our full June events calendar here for paid events.
Free events in June
On Juneteenth, the Willamette Heritage Center will host a community history walk through downtown Salem to share the history of Black Salem residents who lived through emancipation. The walk will be hosted by the Willamette Heritage Center in partnership with Oregon Black Pioneers and Just Walk Salem Keizer. It will follow the footsteps of Rev. Daniel Jones, who was born in 1830, and his family who founded a church in Salem.
The 2.4-mile history walk will start and end at the heritage center, 1313 Mill St. S.E. It will be all day on Wednesday, June 19, and there are options to start at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. The center recommends registering to secure a first-come, first-served spot. There will also be free maps available to pick up at the center or download online for self-guided tours.
The Salem-Keizer NAACP is also planning a Juneteenth block party on Northeast Cottage Street, just north of the Micah building at 680 State St. according to spokeswoman Melanie Zermer.
The event is scheduled for 1-3 p.m. There will be food, music and a guest speaker, Johnny Lake. “Dr. Lake’s work focuses on the influence of diversity, race and culture on student academic achievement & business performance,” Zermer said. More information about the event is available online.
Make Music Day will return on Friday, June 21, to bring nearly 200 bands to over 50 venues in Salem. They’ll play from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., turning downtown Salem into a community stage.
Venues are concentrated downtown but include locations around the city, from Minto Island Growers and the Beehive Station Food Pod in south Salem to the Kroc Center and several breweries. Learn more below:
On Saturday, June 22, The Salem Leadership Foundation’s west Salem team is hosting a Super Saturday event with over 20 vendor and resource tables featuring fun activities. The event is from 10 a.m. to noon, and there will be free hot dogs, cotton candy, face painting, music, games and more. There will also be Kona Ice from 11 a.m. to noon. It will be in the Kingwood Bible Church parking lot, 1125 Elm St. N.W.
Also on Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Marion County Master Gardeners will do a lesson on composting, including traditional composting, the bokashi method which ferments meat and dairy scraps and vermicomposting using worms and microorganisms. There’s also a chance to win a book or worm composting kit. It will be at the Marion Demonstration Garden, 3180 Center St. N.E. Register online.
Cultural passes, activities at the Salem Public Library
The Salem Public Library library offers passes to museums, state parks and gardens in Salem and surrounding cities.
They can be checked out for a week, and are first-come, first-served and can’t be reserved in advance. Passes include entrance to the Hallie Ford Museum of Art in Salem, The Oregon Garden in Silverton and Pittock Mansion in Portland. See the full list of passes and check availability on the library’s website.
The public library’s “library of things” also offers potential for free summer fun. Items available for checkout include an outdoor movie projector, camping supplies, gardening tools, cornhole and other lawn games and even kayaks. See the full list of items on the library’s website.
Both the “library of things” items and cultural passes must be picked up at the main branch, 585 Liberty St S.E.
The library also hosts free gatherings, activities and performances. See the library events calendar here.
Salem parks
As of last week, splash pads are open for use in several Salem parks. The self-operating spray fountains are a popular family destination on hot summer days. Spray fountains at River Road Park and Riverfront Park will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, and fountains at Englewood Park, Fairmount Park, Northgate Park, Wes Bennett Park and West Salem Park will operate from noon to 8 p.m. daily. See the city’s Facebook post for addresses.
There will be four outdoor movies at The Gerry Frank | Salem Rotary Amphitheater, 200 Water St. N.E., in Salem’s Riverfront Park. Each will start around sunset and have captioning on a separate screen. See the lineup below:
Free art shows
Several Salem art galleries offer free admission.
Salem on the Edge, a gallery located downtown at 156 Liberty St. N.E., hosts local artists. This month, they’re showing work by still life painter Sarah Ciampa. The gallery’s hours are: Wednesday-Thursday 11 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., Sunday 12 – 4 p.m.; closed last Sunday of the month.
The Elsinore Framing & Fine Art Gallery, which hosts work from the Salem nonprofit Artists in Action, is open Monday-Friday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. It is located at 444 Ferry St. S.E.
Salem Art Association, located at 600 Mission St. S.E., has shows this month celebrating Salem tattoo artists and showcasing the work of 25 local artists. The museum is open Wednesday-Sunday from 12 – 4 p.m.
The World Beat Gallery, located at 390 Liberty St. S.E., has an exhibit featuring stories of the Ukrainian people, coinciding with the 2024 World Beat Festival scheduled for June 28-30. The gallery is open Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Saturday by appointment.
On Tuesdays, admission is free to Willamette University’s Hallie Ford Museum of Art. This month, the museum is showing work by Salem artist Gary Westford and Seattle mixed-media artist Dennis Evans. The museum is at 700 State St., and on Tuesdays it is open from noon to 5 p.m.
Read more about the art shows below:
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251
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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.
