Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
Downtown Salem was once again awash with those looking to enjoy the outdoor bazaar that is Olde Salem Days this past Saturday, Sept. 14.
Matt Pollard, president of the Rotary Club of Salem, explained, “Everyone from the community seemed like they were having a good time. We look forward to returning all of the profit from this year’s event back to the community through the various organizations when we grant our awards.”
This year’s event marked the 44th year Olde Salem Days has been held. It featured over 300 arts and crafts exhibitors from across the country. Food trucks and music entertainment were set up in the Farmers Market for the entire family and an auto show was held for the car enthusiast as well.
Jeremy Longshore, event chairman, said it’s hard to give an exact estimate of how many attended the event, but noted that there were likely between 25,000-30,000 people in attendance. “It was a great turnout,” he said. He noted that the cloud coverage kept the temperature from rising too high but said that once the sun came out in the afternoon, he noticed that the crowds started to thin.
“I think this was one of the better years that I’ve seen in participating in this event in the past 10 years,” he said. “This was one of the smoothest years and better years I’ve seen.”
Based on his conversations with crafters, they had a profitable day. “I think a lot of them sold a lot of merchandise, so it was unanimous across the board. I don’t think I had a single negative conversation the entire day,” he said.
Plans are currently underway for next year’s event, with a significant number of crafters already reserving space for next year. “It’s already looking very strong for next year,” he said.
