Traffic Alert: Street Closure Planned For One-Day Event Near Capitol Mall May 30 (Photo) - 05/27/26

• Road closures and lane restrictions are expected surrounding the Capitol Mall
• Drivers should use extra caution in response to increased pedestrian traffic in the area
• The permitted event is scheduled from 2-4 p.m. May 30

Salem, Ore. — The City of Salem is alerting the public about street closures related to a planned one-day event on Saturday, May 30, 2026, near the Oregon State Capitol Mall. Permitted street closures for the event will include portions of Center Street NE between Cottage Street NE and Capitol Street NE from 2-4 p.m. on May 30.

Drivers should expect increased pedestrian traffic and some delays. Temporary signage indicating road closures and lane restrictions will be in place. Drivers are asked to plan accordingly and seek alternate routes during the listed event times. Please drive safely and watch for an increase in pedestrians in the area.

Closure Details

• Date: Saturday, May 30, 2026
• Time: 2-4 p.m.
• Affected Streets: Center Street NE, Chemeketa Street NE, Court Street NE, Cottage Street NE, Capitol Street NE, and Winter St NE, all in the vicinity of the Oregon State Capitol and Capitol Mall
• Details: Full or partial street closures will be in effect in the area bordered by Center, Cottage, Court and Capitol streets northeast. This will accommodate the permitted activities and ensure the safety of all participants and visitors.
   

The City of Salem appreciates your cooperation and patience during this event and is committed to ensuring the safety and accessibility for all residents and visitors.

Geer Community Park: Improved Fields Open Soon (Photo) - 05/27/26

Salem, Ore. – Geer Community Park is about to become a hub of even more activity with the opening of upgraded soccer and baseball fields. Visitors can look forward to the sound of bats cracking and the “thwack” of boots connecting with soccer balls.

Why It’s Important

These enhancements are important because they provide safer, more enjoyable spaces for recreation while addressing the needs of the community. The new features aim to improve accessibility, sustainability and usability of Geer Community Park. The 2022 Safety and Livability Bond, approved by Salem voters, helped fund the upgrades. By investing in these updates, Salem is taking meaningful steps to ensure the park serves as a welcoming space for all residents.

Baseball Fields Reopen May 30

The newly reconstructed baseball fields will open for reserved use on May 30. These fields feature artificial turf infields, allowing for baseball, softball and kickball games, and a longer play season with fewer rainouts.

Salem is helping lead the way with innovative materials, using an artificial turf infill system with crushed olive pits instead of crumb rubber. Crumb rubber, commonly made from grinding up used tires, has been the subject of ongoing study because it can contain trace amounts of potentially harmful chemicals. As a result, there is ongoing debate about the potential environmental and human health impacts of its use in synthetic turf systems.

Soccer Fields Reopen June 6

Geer Park’s soccer fields will reopen on June 6 with a more flexible design. The fields can now be used as two separate areas or one large play space, thanks to a uniform grade and improved drainage system. Previously, uneven terrain and poor drainage limited their use.

The upgraded fields include a modern irrigation system and sand trench drainage, ensuring better durability and usability.

These updates reflect Salem’s commitment to creating safe, accessible and sustainable recreational spaces for the community.

McKay Park Soccer Fields Close June 1 for Reconstruction

As Geer Park’s fields reopen, McKay Park’s soccer fields will close for reconstruction starting June 1. Persistent field management issues caused by a shallow stormwater pipe have made the fields difficult to maintain. Reconstruction will address these problems, ensuring better playability in the future.

Picnic Pavilion and Plaza

Aside from field reconstruction, the McKay Park project will also add a new picnic pavilion and plaza with water and electrical hookups designed to support mobile food vendors. This will allow the park to host permitted community events in the future that may include a food truck.

Two Portland Loos

The project will also replace the existing portable chemical toilets with two permanent public restroom facilities. The City is installing single-stall prefabricated stainless-steel units known as the Portland Loo, a durable design originally developed by the City of Portland and manufactured in Oregon.

These facilities are designed for durability, ease of maintenance, and long-term public use in parks and other public spaces. Their open-air design provides a balanced approach that supports both user privacy and public safety through natural visibility and passive surveillance.

During this time, soccer activities will move to the newly upgraded fields at Geer Park.

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Correction: Find Your Brand Of Summer Fun In Salem - 05/26/26

Salem, Ore. -- Capital Pride, June 13, Pride Parade and Block Party. Parade starts at noon at the Capitol Building and ends at the Block Party on Liberty Street. Our apologies for the error.

CORRECTION: Find Your Brand Of Summer Fun In Salem - 05/26/26

Salem, Ore. – The correct date for Salem Service Day is Thursday, June 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Riverfront Park.

Find Your Brand Of Summer Fun In Salem (Photo) - 05/22/26

• Use our summer activity list to plan your best Salem summer yet!
• Take a run, make some music, or explore art and nature with these local options

Salem, Ore. – Imagine your perfect summer. Art? Live music? Entertainment? Sports? Games? Water fun? Arts and Crafts? Festivals? Something for the whole family? A little bit of everything? Salem has it covered!

Check out our list of just a few fun things Salem has to offer.

1. City Celebrations

• Salem Service Day, Thursday, July 11, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Riverfront Park. Enjoy games, activities, booths, free hotdogs and demonstrations of City services.
• National Night Out, Tuesday, August 4, brings neighbors together to celebrate the spirit of police-community partnerships with more than 75 block parties across the city each year.

2. Family Fun

• Movies in the Park, Fridays, July 10, July 24, August 7 and August 21 at Riverfront Park’s Gerry Frank | Salem Rotary Amphitheater. From Superman to Zootopia 1, walk-in instead of drive-in. Movies start around sunset. Bring a blanket or low-back chair. Captions are shown on a separate screen.
• Salem’s Riverfront Carousel 25^th Birthday Celebration, Saturday, June 6, $1 rides all day, birthday card making, a complimentary birthday cupcake; free activities from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
• Salem Community Markets, check out the farmers and makers at the Salem Farmer’s Market, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., March-October at 865 Marion Street SE. Also check out other weekday mini farmers markets.

3. Live Music

• Make Music Salem, Sunday, June 21, a city-wide celebration of music in Salem.
• Concerts in the Park, Friday, July 31, and Friday August 28, Gerry Frank | Salem Rotary Amphitheater. Enjoy music and nature together.
• Punx in the Park, Saturday, September 5, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., a free youth-oriented punk rock concert and resource fair at Riverfront Park’s amphitheater. A fun way to access youth-focused community resources.
• Boot Scoot and Brew Music Festival, Saturday, September 12, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., at the Gerry Frank | Salem Rotary Amphitheater. All-day music event with food, beverages, bounce house, line dancing, vendors – and don’t forget the zucchini races!

4. It’s Festival Season!

• Capital Pride events start June 7 culminating in the Capital Pride Festival and Capital Pride Concert on Sunday, June 21.
• World Beat Festival, June 26-28. This year, the event is celebrating the cultures of Pacific Islanders from Samoa to Chuuk to Hawaii.
• 2026 4^th of July Spectacular, Saturday, July 4, 3-11 p.m., Oregon State Fairgrounds. Enjoy fair-style fun and a free 20-minute fireworks spectacular that starts at 10 p.m.
• Englewood Forest Festival, Saturday, August 8, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., at Englewood Park. Enjoy live music, local artists, food vendors, local resources and connecting with neighbors all in the shaded woodland of Salem’s first city park!
• 77^th Annual Salem Art Fair & Festival, Friday, September 11-Sunday, September 13, at Bush’s Pasture Park. Enjoy paintings, sculptures and music under the trees in this juried art event.

5. Something for All Ages in the Recreation Guide

• Summer Parks Program, ages 5-12, weekly camps start June 22, Monday-Thursday, in four neighborhood parks including Englewood, Hoodview, Sumpter and Sunnyslope. Each week features a different theme starting with Spirit Week, Minecraft/Roblox, Disney, International Week, and more. You may be eligible for a 50 percent fee waiver.
• Adult Pickleball, ages 18 and older, offering beginning-intermediate and intermediate-advanced sections. A pickleball youth camp is also available for ages 9-12.
• Sports Camps, starting June 22, tennis, basketball, soccer, futsal in various age brackets.
• Explore more in the 2026 Recreation Guide.

6. The Great Outdoors

• Fishing Derby, all ages, Saturday, May 30 and Saturday, November 14, 8-11 a.m. Join the Recreation staff and Park Ranger Mike at Walter Wirth Lake, inside Cascades Gateway Park for a morning of fishing. Poles and bait will be available.
• The Great Marble Hunt, Sunday, September 13 in downtown Salem, a full-day scavenger hunt for one-of-a-kind, handmade marbles hidden throughout the city.

7. Athletes in Action

• STRIDE 5K/10K Run/Walk Events continue the morning of June 13 at Riverfront and Minto-Brown Parks, and at different parks through September.
• Ironman 70.3 Oregon, Sunday, July 19, brings top triathletes to the trails, roads and waters of Salem. The Salem event boasts one of the fastest swims on the circuit. Registration is closed, but this is an event audiences can enjoy, too. And volunteers make this event run!
• Hoopla XXVII, July 21-26. This exciting 3-on-3 basketball tourney thousands of teams and more than 50,000 spectators to downtown Salem.
• USA Softball Girls’ 10B/16A/16B Fastpitch Western National Championships, July 27-August 2. Watch some of the top fastpitch softball teams in the country go head-to-head at Wallace Marine Park.

8. Take a Stroll Into Salem’s Past

• Historic Downtown Walking Tour, explore the past at your own pace with a tour through the Salem downtown Historic District. Download the interpretive brochure to read about the origins of the buildings on the tour.
• Open Gardens at Gaiety Hollow, Wednesday, May to September, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and designated Saturdays, discover the outdoor legacy of landscape architects Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver, the first women in the Pacific Northwest to open and operate their own landscape architecture firm. They designed more than 200 landscapes and gardens in the region between 1929 and 1969.
• Deepwood Estate, Deepwood is a Victorian historic house designed in the Queen Anne style and situated in a five-acre public park with formal gardens, nature trails, a greenhouse and the original carriage house. Stroll the gardens, enjoy a special event, or visit the museum home.
• Learn more about Salem’s vibrant history.

9. Find Adventure at the Salem Public Library

• Discover a new hobby through the Library of Things. From sewing to rock collecting to musical instruments, and more, you can try a hobby before investing in equipment.
• Check out a cultural pass to a variety of local and nearby attractions.
• Explorer Kits are designed to help elementary-aged children and their families explore the natural world, parks and various personal interests. Each backpack includes books, field guides and hands-on activities to support exploration.
• The Summer Reading Challenge kicks off with a special event on Friday, June 12, from 2-4 p.m. in the Children’s Corner. The event will feature fun festivities including crafts, games, circs arts and more.

10. Get to Know Salem’s Public Art

• Follow Salem’s Self-Guided Art Tour or challenge yourself with the Public Art Treasure Hunt and find art in the most unusual places.

Are you inspired yet? Discover even more ideas from throughout the mid-Willamette Valley at the Travel Salem website.

Rescheduled: Minto Island Road SW Closed For Utility Replacement On May 5 (Photo) - 05/04/26

TRAFFIC ALERT

The Minto Island Road Closure was rescheduled by PGE until Tuesday, May 5.

Date & Time: Tuesday, May 5, 2026; 6 a.m. – 6 p.m.
 

Location: Minto Island Rd SW in Minto-Brown Island Park (road will be closed beyond Parking Lot 1, no vehicle access to Parking Lots 2 & 3)
 

Road Closure: PGE will replace a utility service pole in Minto-Brown Island Park that will require closure of Minto Island Road SW beyond Parking Lot 1. While Parking Lot 1 will be accessible to vehicle parking, Parking Lots 2 & 3 will be inaccessible to all vehicle traffic for the duration of the work.
 

Additional vehicle parking for Minto-Brown Island Park will be available at Parking Lot 4 on Homestead Road as well as Riverfront Park.
 

CAUTION: Pedestrians and cyclists should use caution when traveling the area near construction.  For public safety, please follow signage and utility crew instructions.

For additional information, please contact the City of Salem at 503-588-6211 or service@cityofsalem.net.
 

Continue to monitor the Current Road Conditions Map on the City of Salem website to receive up-to-date information on scheduled or emergency road closures in Salem. https://public-construction-salem.hub.arcgis.com/

Salem Residents Invited To Share Experiences In Annual Community Belonging Survey (Photo) - 05/04/26

Salem, Ore. – The City of Salem’s Human Rights Commission, in partnership with Western Oregon University, has launched its annual Community Belonging Survey and encourages all community members to participate.
 

The survey, open now through May 12, 2026, asks Salem community members about their experiences with discrimination and sense of belonging, as well as perceptions of welcoming. 

“Everyone deserves the opportunity to be heard, especially when it comes to decisions that shape their community,” said Robert Marshall, chair of the Salem Human Rights Commission. “This survey helps ensure that people across Salem, including those whose voices are often underrepresented, can share their experiences concerning belonging to and in this community.”

Since 2020, the commission has partnered with graduate students in Western Oregon University’s Organizational Leadership program to collect and analyze this data. The findings are an additional tool to help the city better understand community needs and guide recommendations to Salem’s City Council.

About the Survey

The survey is anonymous and takes approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. It is open to anyone who lives in or regularly spends time in Salem and is available in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Chuukese and Marshallese. Targeted outreach is conducted to ensure participation from communities that are often underrepresented in traditional surveys, including individuals experiencing homelessness.

Community participation is essential to ensure that the results reflect the full diversity of Salem’s population. We are especially interested in hearing from communities whose voices are often underrepresented in traditional surveys.

Take the survey here: bit.ly/hrcbelonging

For more information about the City of Salem’s Human Rights Commission and its work, please visit https://www.cityofsalem.net/government/boards-commissions/salem-human-rights-commission

Street Closures Planned For May 1 Event Near Capitol Mall (Photo) - 04/30/26

Salem, Ore. — Street closures are planned related to a one-day event Friday, May 1, near the Oregon State Capitol Mall. Permitted street closures for the event will include portions of State Street NE and Center Street NE between Cottage Street NE and 12th Street NE, and Church Street NE between Center and State streets. The closures will be in effect from 12:30-3 p.m.

Expect increased pedestrian traffic and some delays. Temporary signage indicating road closures and lane restrictions will be in place. Drivers are asked to plan accordingly and seek alternate routes during the listed event times. Please drive safely and watch for an increase in pedestrians in the area.

Closure Details

• Date: Friday, May 1, 2026
• Time: 12:30-3 p.m.
• Affected Streets: Center Street NE, Chemeketa Street NE, Court Street NE, State Street NE, Cottage Street NE, Capitol Street NE, Church Street NE, 12th Street NE and Waverly Street NE, all in the vicinity of the Oregon State Capitol and Capitol Mall
• Details: Full or partial street closures will be in effect in the area bordered by Center, Cottage, State, Waverly and Capitol streets northeast; this will accommodate the permitted activities and ensure the safety of all participants and visitors

The City of Salem appreciates your cooperation and patience during this event and is committed to ensuring the safety and accessibility for all residents and visitors.

City Of Salem Recognizes National Fentanyl Awareness Day And Announces New Prevent, Treat, Enforce Toolkit (Photo) - 04/29/26

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 

City of Salem Recognizes National Fentanyl Awareness Day and Announces New Prevent, Treat, Enforce Toolkit
 

Salem, Ore – The City of Salem is proud to join communities across the nation in recognizing National Fentanyl Awareness Day on April 29, 2026. This day serves as a critical reminder of the devastating impact illicit fentanyl has on individuals, families and communities and underscores the importance of collective action to address this crisis.
 

The City recently launched an engagement to identify potential partners and gaps through the Prevent, Treat, Enforce Toolkit, a comprehensive resource designed to strengthen the community’s response to substance use in Salem, including the fentanyl crisis.
 

“Fentanyl has touched the lives of so many in our community, and we must act with urgency and compassion to address this growing crisis,” said Krishna Namburi, Salem’s city manager. “The Prevent, Treat, Enforce Toolkit is a vital step forward in our City’s efforts to save lives, support recovery and ensure the safety of our community.”
 

This toolkit will assist local leaders, service providers and regional partners in:

• Mapping the System: Providing a clear understanding of the local landscape across prevention, treatment and enforcement efforts
• Identifying Roles and Service Gaps: Highlighting areas where additional resources or services are needed to better support individuals and families impacted by fentanyl
• Convening Regional Partners: Facilitating collaboration among public safety, healthcare and community organizations to create a unified and effective response.

The Prevent, Treat, Enforce Toolkit reflects Salem’s commitment to addressing substance use in our community through a balanced and coordinated approach that prioritizes prevention, ensures access to treatment and strengthens enforcement efforts.
 

This work is aligned with Salem’s April 27 Proclamation for National Fentanyl Awareness Day, reaffirming Salem’s dedication to raising awareness about the dangers of fentanyl and supporting those impacted by substance use disorders. The proclamation calls on all community members to join in the fight against fentanyl-related harm and noted, “Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, and even a small amount can cause fatal overdoses, making it one of the leading causes of drug-related deaths in the United States.”
 

We encourage residents to learn more about the risks associated with fentanyl and the resources available to those in need. Together, we can build a cleaner, healthier and safer Salem for all.
 

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