Lessie Foster, 8, looks at manga at the Salem Public Library’s first day open to the public on Tuesday, July 6, 2021 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) It wasn’t quite a sold-out concert or the midnight premiere of a new Star Wars blockbuster. But the reopening of the Salem Public Library drew[Read More…]
Tag: LIFE IN SALEM
Cautious optimism in Salem as Oregon lifts pandemic restrictions
Signs on the door of The Book Bin in downtown Salem note continued mask-wearing is appreciated as Oregon lifted pandemic restrictions on June 30, 2021 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) As of Wednesday, residents of Salem and the rest of Oregon have a green light to host parties, pack into bars and[Read More…]
COLUMN: Fledgling season arrives as Salem birds nest, raise young
A Cassin’s vireo in a nest at Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge near Dallas, Oregon (Courtesy/Tim Johnson) This is the season when many of our local birds are nesting and raising their young. Few species nest in winter, mostly large hunters like great horned owls and red-tailed hawks. Right now[Read More…]
Wooden arches raised, bringing Riverfront Park amphitheater one step closer to completion
A heavy lift crane hoists a giant arch made of Pacific Yellow Cedar into place Monday at the site of the $4 million Gerry Frank | Salem Rotary Amphitheater in Riverfront Park on Feb. 8. Construction workers from Western Wood Structures and Dalke Construction are putting the structure into place[Read More…]
At St. Francis Shelter, an Internet upgrade helps bridge the digital divide
Kim Lemman, executive director of St. Francis Shelter, speaks in the shelter’s library room, where families got online before the Covid pandemic (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) In late 2019, staff at St. Francis Shelter had just finished renovating their library – a space for the 20 formerly homeless Salem families who[Read More…]
Salem librarians stay busy with curbside service, zombie escape rooms, craft demonstrations
Senior library assistant Armando Trujillo wheels the Salem Public Library’s curbside pickup cart outside for patrons on Aug. 26 (Courtesy/Salem Public Library) A wire shelf loaded with plastic bags in a parking lot lacks some of the charm of the Salem Public Library’s usual shelves of books. But for months,[Read More…]
PHOTOS: One month in, take a look at construction for the Riverfront amphitheater
Work continues on the Gerry Frank / Salem Rotary Club Amphitheater at Salem’s Riverfront Park on Aug. 4, 2020 (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) The city of Salem is one month in to site work for the future home of the Gerry Frank Salem Rotary Amphitheater, a new performing arts and event[Read More…]
Roll call of Salem history reflected in Pioneer Cemetery
Elisabeth Walton Potter, historian of Salem Pioneer Cemetery, shares the background of tombstones at the cemetery. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) There’s a pleasant and safe way during these COVID-19 times to learn about Salem and the state’s early history without having to get close to anyone, open a book or attend[Read More…]