This week in Salem, learn about the sun and night sky at Chemeketa Community College’s planetarium, enjoy Celtic harp music or rock out at a blues or country concert to celebrate Veterans Day.
Here’s the lineup of Salem events for the week from Thursday, Nov. 7, to Wednesday, Nov. 13. Browse all of Salem Reporter’s events coverage here.
*Starred events are free to attend, although they may include ticketed components or a suggested donation.
Veterans Day celebrations
Saturday, Nov. 9: Enjoy a blues and rock concert to celebrate veterans and help support local programs for them. VETcare, a housing program for veterans, is throwing a benefit concert called VETFEST with a lineup of artists including Ty Curtis and the Ty Curtis Band, Johnny Wheels & The Swamp Donkeys and David Welch from Guitars for Vets.
The concert starts at 4 p.m., and is at the Salem Armory, 2310 17th St. N.E. The proceeds will go towards supporting VETcare’s programs, which offer housing, recovery and employment services. Tickets are $25 for the general public, $20 for veterans or active duty.
Monday, Nov. 11: At 11 a.m., gather at Capitol State Park to honor Oregon veterans with a wreath laying, color guard, a singing of the national anthem and a playing of “Taps.” The Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs is hosting the event at the park on Court St. N.E. in front of the capitol building’s main entrance. Dignitaries and special guests will also speak at the event. Information is available online.
A Veterans Day luncheon by Center 50+ will honor those who served with music and a lunch of ham, potatoes, cake and more. Tickets are free for veterans and $5 for guests. The luncheon starts at noon. Call 503-588-6303 to RSVP.
Celebrate Veterans Day with a lineup of country music artists. The Salute to Our Veterans show brings country stars Darryl Worley, William Michael Morgan, and the Joey James Band to the Salem Armory, 2310 17th St. N.E. The concert starts at 5:30 p.m. and ends at 9:30 p.m. Tickets start at $33.85 for general admission.
A local nonprofit for veterans is hosting a night of food and live and silent auctioning to help support services to reduce veteran suicides. Stay Alive Veterans, an organization fighting for veterans’ mental health, is having its fourth annual dinner and auction which raises money for its therapy and recreation programs. The event is from 5:30-8 p.m. at the Salem Convention Center, 200 Commercial St. S.E. Tickets are $60, a full table is $600. Veterans get in free.
Live music, comedy, improv and other entertainment
Infinity Room, 210 Liberty St. S.E. #150
Friday, Nov. 8: Former “Saturday Night Live” featured player Luke Null performs two musical comedy shows starting at 7 and 9:30 p.m. First show is all-ages, but the material will not be clean. Later show 21+ only. Tickets $15 presale, $20 at the door.
Tuesday, Nov. 12: Improv students from Willamette University present “Lgungavy,” an evening of hilarious material made up on the spot! “Lgungevy” features students from Professor Chuck Williamson’s Colloquium Class. Show at Infinity Room at 7 p.m. Tickets $5.
Grand Theatre, 187 High St. N.E.
Friday, Nov. 8: Salem rock band Birth of Happiness will perform at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6 p.m. Tickets are $15 presale and $20 the day of the show.
Saturday, Nov. 9: Descartes a Kant, a group of six musicians from Mexico, will perform a theatrical show filled with cabaret, theater and punk, metal and pop music. Led by female voices, the group is a budding figure in the Mexican underground music scene. Doors open at 7 p.m. for an 8 p.m. show. Tickets are $15.
Sunday, Nov. 10: Legends of the Celtic Harp, a trio of renowned Celtic musicians, will bring myths, stories and music to Salem. Their songs will take the audience through the history of the harp instrument and music. Doors open at 5 p.m. for a 6 p.m. show. Tickets are $25.
Elsinore Theatre, 170 High St. S.E.
Friday, Nov. 8: Taken By The Sky, a Portland-based Fleetwood Mac tribute, will play at 7:30 p.m., doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets start at $25.
Saturday, Nov. 9: Reggae singer and songwriter J Boog will perform. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. show. Tickets start at $29.
Wednesday, Nov. 13: Ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro will return to perform “Holidays in Hawai’i.” Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. show. Tickets start at $39.
Other venues
*Friday, Nov. 8: A SamaZama Koto/Cello Duo performance at Salem Public Library’s Loucks Auditorium, 585 Liberty St. S.E., will blend traditional and contemporary Japanese music with tango, jazz, blues and western classical music. Masumi Timson will play the koto and Joseph Harchanko will play the cello. The free concert is first-come, first-seated, and starts at 6 p.m.
Live theater and cinema
Salem Cinema, 1127 Broadway St. N.E.
Sunday, Nov. 10 & Monday, Nov. 11: A 2015 filming of National Theatre Live’s production of Hamlet, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, will show. Sunday’s show is at noon, and Monday’s is at 6 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance or $18 the day of the show.
*Tuesday, Nov. 12: A Church at the Park event will show the work of photographer Diane Beals followed by a screening of the film “No Place to Grow Old,” which focuses on senior homelessness in Portland. The event is free, and starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be reserved online.
Classes, workshops and lectures
Friday, Nov. 8, 15, 22: Chemeketa Community College’s Planetarium hosts “The Sun, Our Living Star” Fridays at 7:30 p.m. All shows include a brief introduction that explores the night time sky over Salem during this season of the year. Tickets $5 for adults, $4 for children. Cash only, no ATM in the building. Chemeketa’s planetarium is located in Building 2, Room 171 on the Salem campus. Tickets sold starting 15 minutes before showtime, no late admissions. More information here.
Friday, Nov. 8, 14, 21-Dec. 5, 12: Make a cutting board and small sofa table by taking Woodworking 101 with “Supervisor Joe” at Center 50+. The course includes an orientation day from 12:30-3:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov, 8 to learn about the tools used in woodworking. The classes will be from 12:30-3:30 p.m. on Nov. 14 and 21, and Dec. 5 and 12. To sign up for the course, register online. There is a $35 fee.
*Monday, Nov. 11: Spend an evening learning about cultural landscapes around Oregon with Laurie Matthews, a landscape architecture professor at the University of Oregon. Matthews’ lecture is part of the Lord & Schryver Conservancy’s annual lecture program. The conservancy, a landscape preservation nonprofit, is hosting the event in the Dye Room at the Willamette Heritage Center, 1313 Mill St. N.E. There will be refreshments at 6 p.m. and the lecture starts at 7 p.m. There’s a suggested donation of $10 that can be given at the door. Reserve tickets by emailing [email protected].
Tuesday, Nov. 12: Join Lydia Kiesling, author of “Mobility” and “The Golden State” for a writing workshop focused on how description drives stories. Held at Chemeketa Community College, 4000 Lancaster Dr. N.E. and starts at 6 p.m. Tickets $27.99 for students, $54.46 for general admission.
*A free class about hummingbirds’ specialized biology will answer questions about why their feathers sparkle and more. It will be taught by Marilyn Ellis, Oregon Master Naturalist and Certified Interpretive Guide. It will be from 2-3:30 p.m. in Anderson Room A&B at the Salem Public Library main branch.
*Wednesday, Nov. 13: Caregiving expert and author Kari Berit is Salem Health’s speaker for is Community Health Impact lecture series. The lecture will be one hour focused on how caregivers can manage the workload while taking care of their emotional wellbeing. Berit’s Salem lecture will start at 7 p.m. in the Chemeketa Community College auditorium, 4000 Lancaster Dr. N.E. Building 6. Free tickets can be reserved online.
Wednesday, Nov. 13-Dec. 18: It’s time to bring some tropical island sound this holiday season. Center 50+ hosts holiday music ukulele lessons Wednesdays through Dec. 18. A single class costs $48 for residents and $57 for non-Salem residents, and two classes cost $72 for residents and $84.40 for non-Salem residents. Intermediate note reader classes run from 9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. and intermediate strummer classes run from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Registration for the class can be done at the Connection Center at Center 50+.
Markets and shopping
Sunday, Nov. 10: Get a start on holiday shopping at a Channukkah and craft bazaar where local vendors will sell handmade seasonal items for gift giving. Each vendor will donate an item to be a prize at the door. The bazaar is organized by Temple Beth Sholom, 1274 Cunningham Ln. S., which is where the event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Information is available on Facebook.
Every Saturday from Oct. 12-March 15 is the Indoor Winter Market at Wavra Farms. The farm’s greenhouses host the weekly marketplace, which has over 40 rotating vendors. Wavra Farms is located at 7882 Jordan St. S.E. Salem Reporter reported on the market’s opening last year.
Every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. is the Salem Public Market at 1240 Rural Avenue S.E.
Art and museum exhibitions
Check out what Salem art galleries and museums are showing in November here.
Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: [email protected].
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Madeleine Moore is working as a reporter at Salem Reporter through the University of Oregon’s Charles Snowden internship program. She came to Salem after graduating from the University of Oregon in June 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
