TOPS (Take off Pounds Sensibly): All ages are invited to participate in the non-judgmental program at the Salem Senior Center on Tuesdays from 5-6 p.m. There is a registration fee and a $3 per month fee. Call Charlene Lester at 540-293-7753 with questions.
Brantley Gilbert: Brantley Gilbert is bringing The Tattoos Tour 2025 to the Salem Civic Center on Thursday night, March 20. Special guests that night will include Black Stone Cherry, Austin Snell, and Colt Ford. Tickets start at $25.
Emancipation Week Lecture: Wednesday, April 2, 2025, 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Colket Center, Wortmann Ballroom. In a lecture entitled, “Male or Man?: American Slavery, Public Monuments, and the Containment of Black Manhood,” Dr. Charmaine A. Nelson will examine how Reconstruction Era sculptors marginalized and infantilized newly freed black men in their art. Nelson is the founding director of Slavery North, a research initiative focused on slavery in Canada and the U.S. North, and a provost professor of art history for the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Emancipation Week events are sponsored by the Center for Studying Structures of Race.
Easter Egg Hunt: The City of Salem’s annual Easter Egg Hunt is moving to the home of the Salem Red Sox this spring. This year’s free event will take place on the Salem Memorial Ballpark playing surface on Wednesday, April 9, from 6-8 p.m. Once again, the egg hunts will be spread out to ensure that all children have a fair chance to participate. The hunts will start every 15 minutes with approximately 25 kids and parents in each event.
Salem After Five: “Empty Bottles” on April 25 at the Salem Farmers Market. Food Trucks: Dale’s Diner Express, Kettle Cooker Express, Cabo Fish Taco, Sweet Surrender Ice Cream. Gates open for each performance at 5 p.m. and the shows will last until 9 p.m.
The Greater Blue Ridge Breakthrough T1D Walk: The walk will take place Sunday, April 27, at Salem Memorial Ballpark to raise funds for Type 1 diabetes research. The event, organized by Breakthrough T1D—formerly known as JDRF—supports efforts to prevent, treat, and cure Type 1 diabetes. Participants can choose between a 1-mile or 3-mile walk route. Check-in begins at 2 p.m., and the walk starts at 3 p.m. The event will also feature music, dancing, children’s activities, prizes, concessions, a photo booth, and live entertainment. The walk is scheduled to conclude at 5 p.m. Breakthrough T1D funds research into diabetes prevention, improved treatments, and potential cures. To register, visit breakthrought1d.org/walk. For more information, contact Sara Bell at sarambell61@yahoo.com.
Salem After Five: “Phlegar Hill” on May 9 at the Salem Farmers Market. Gates open for each performance at 5 p.m. and the shows will last until 9 p.m. Food Trucks: Roanoke College Food Truck, Kettle Cooker Express, Customs BBQ & Grill, Sweet Surrender Ice Cream.
Salem After Five: “The Kings” on June 13 at the Salem Farmers Market. Gates open for each performance at 5 p.m. and the shows will last until 9 p.m. Food Trucks: Countryman Jamaican Grill, Kettle Cooker Express, Dale’s Diner Express, Sweet Surrender Ice Cream.
Salem After Five: “Matt Tucker” on July 18 at the Salem Farmers Market. Gates open for each performance at 5 p.m. and the shows will last until 9 p.m. Food Trucks: Rocky Mount Smokehouse, Kettle Cooker Express, Countryman Jamaican Grill, Sweet Surrender Ice Cream.
Whiskey Myers: Whiskey Myers is set to stop in Salem for its “What We Were Born To Do Tour.” The tour stops at the Salem Civic Center on Sunday night, July 20. The genre-bending band Whiskey Myers has played more than 2,500 live shows to ever-growing crowds since its emergence in 2007. In addition to headlining their own sold-out shows from coast to coast at iconic venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre and the Ryman Auditorium, plus performing at marquee festivals Bonnaroo, Stagecoach, the band members were also personally selected to open The Rolling Stones’ Chicago stadium show. Tickets start at $41.50. They can be purchased at the Salem Civic Center Box Office or online at www.ticketmaster.com
Aaron Lewis and The Stateliners: Aaron Lewis and The Stateliners will be performing at the Salem Civic Center on July 24. The Vermont native first found success and notoriety with the band Staind that was formed in 1995. The group is still alive and kicking, but Lewis’ creativity stretches beyond the rock and metal genres. By embracing his roots and love of country music he has achieved incredible success on Music Row. He has two No. 1 Billboard Country Albums in “Town Line” from 2011 and “Sinner” in 2016. And perhaps he is best known for his platinum collaboration “Country Boy” with two of his with heroes – George Jones and Charlie Daniels. His 2021 single, “Am I The Only One” also hit number on the charts and in 2022, he had the top-selling country album in America with “Frayed At Both Ends.”Tickets start at $35 and go up to $129. Tickets can be purchased at the Salem Civic Center Box Office Monday through Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. and online anytime at www.ticketmaster.com.
Salem After Five: “Blackwater” at the Salem Farmers Market on Aug. 1. Gates open for each performance at 5 p.m. and the shows will last until 9 p.m. Food Trucks: Dale’s Diner Express, Kettle Cooker Express, Sweet Surrender Ice Cream.
Gavin Adcock: Fast-rising country music star Gavin Adcock is scheduled to make his first Salem Civic Center appearance on Friday, Aug. 29. Over the course of 12 months, Adcock’s album, “Actin’ Up Again,” was crowned the largest major-label country debut from a solo male artist released in 2024, and with more than 15 million on-demand U.S. streams week of release, Actin’ Up Again was also 2024’s top streaming major-label debut across the whole genre. Tickets start at $38.50 and go up to $79.50: https://www.ticketmaster.com/gavin-adcock-salem-virginia-08-29-2025/event/0100623E921043FA
Alice Cooper: Electric chairs, guillotines, fake blood, and boa constrictors are on their way back to the Salem Civic Center. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Alice Cooper is bringing his Too Close for Comfort tour to Salem, Aug. 19. Cooper’s legendary shows draw equally from horror movies, vaudeville, and garage rock, and his performances are designed to heighten all of your senses. Cooper last played at the Salem Civic Center in 2017, but his first appearance at the historic venue dates all the way back to January 28, 1972, when the building was still named the Salem-Roanoke County Civic Center. Tickets are available at the Salem Civic Center Box Office Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. or online at Ticketmaster.com.
Alison Krauss: Bluegrass music icon Alison Krauss is coming to Salem on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. The 27-time Grammy winner revealed this week that she and her band, Union Station, featuring Jerry Douglas, will embark on their first tour together in a decade next year. The tour will make a stop at the Salem Civic Center on Tuesday, September 23. The Arcadia 2025 Tour will see the acclaimed group play 73 dates across the United States and Canada. Tickets are available at the Salem Civic Center Box Office Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. or online at Ticketmaster.com.
Warren Zeiders: Warren Zeiders announced his 27-date “Relapse, Lies, & Betrayal Tour” this morning and one of the stops includes the Salem Civic Center. Zeiders will pull into Salem on Nov. 13. Reserved seats: $39.50, $49.50, $59.50, $69.50 & $89.50. Tickets can be purchased at the Salem Civic Center Box Office Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. and online at www.ticketmaster.com.
Public meetings:
The Salem City School Board will meet on Tuesday, April 8 at 7 p.m.
The Salem Planning Commission will meet on Wednesday, April 9 at 7 p.m.
The Salem City School Board will meet on Tuesday, May 13 at 7 p.m.
The Salem City School Board will meet on Tuesday, June 10 at 7 p.m.
The Salem City School Board will meet on Tuesday, July 8 at 7 p.m.
