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.
Roanoke College event: Ethics Reform at the Supreme Court: Thursday, March 27, 7:30 p.m. Colket Center, Wortmann Ballroom. The Turk Pre-Law Program presents the 2025 Gentry Locke Lecture, “An Evening with Alicia Bannon – Ethics Reform at the Supreme Court.” Bannon is director of the Judiciary Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, where she works toward a fair, inclusive judicial system that protects fundamental rights, democratic values and the rule of law. An experienced constitutional lawyer and expert on the courts, she leads a team of lawyers and researchers engaged in policy advocacy, litigation, legislative campaigns, research and analysis, and public education. Bannon has provided testimony, briefings and policy advice to lawmakers across the country. She clerked for the Hon. Sonia Sotomayor in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Service of Choral Evensong: On Sunday, March 30 at 5 p.m., a Service of Choral Evensong will be offered at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 42 E. Main Street in Salem. This centuries-old, reflective service includes readings from scripture, music and prayer. Evensong has its origin in the ancient monastic service of vespers. During the reign of Henry VIII, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer changed the service to Evensong for the Anglican Church. Evensong is sung daily in cathedrals and parish churches throughout the world. The St. Paul’s choir, under the direction of Steven R. Lawrence, will sing settings of the Evening Canticles by Healey Willan and the anthem Immortal Love, For Ever Full by Richard DeLong. The choir will be joined by organist Margaret Johnson. The Rev. J. Edward Morris, Rector of St. Paul’s will officiate the service. The Rt. Rev. Mark Bourlakas, Bishop of Southwestern Virginia will preach. At the end of May, Bishop Bourlakas will leave his current position to become the Assistant Bishop of the Dioceses of Virginia. St. Paul’s, located in the heart of the City of Salem, is a welcoming parish, seeking to proclaim by word and example the good news of Jesus Christ. We warmly invite everyone to attend this service of Choral Evensong and hope that you will find it an opportunity for refreshment, renewal and joy. A reception follows the service in the Parish Hall. For more information, please visit salemstpauls.org or call the church office at (540) 389-9307.
Roanoke College event: Exercise is Better than Medicine: Be a Superior Doctor Tuesday, April 1, 7:00 p.m. Colket Center, Wortmann Ballroom. The Center for Health Careers presents the 2025 W. Oscar and Daisy W. Hylton Lecture, “An Evening with Dr. Zhen Yan – Exercise is Better than Medicine: Be a Superior Doctor.” Dr. Yan is a professor and founding director of the Center for Exercise Medicine Research at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. For 36 years, he’s studied the molecular signaling mechanisms underlying the health benefits of exercise in humans, using cutting-edge molecular genetics and molecular imaging methods on animal models. Widely recognized for his work, he currently serves as vice chairman for the International Research Group of Biochemistry of Exercise.
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.
Roanoke College event: Exploring High and Deep: Monday, April 14, 7:00 p.m. Olin Theater. The 2025 Shirley C. and Donald E. Morel Lecture, with additional sponsorship from the Henry H. Fowler Program Lecture Series, invites you to join the first American woman to ever walk in space for an engaging conversation about the challenges and rewards of exploration. Dr. Kathy Sullivan, an astronaut and oceanographer, will inform and amuse you as she shares her experiences flying aboard the space shuttle and diving to the deepest point in the ocean. Sullivan was one of the first six women to join the NASA astronaut corps in 1978 and holds the distinction of being the first American woman to walk in space. Her submersible dive to the Challenger Deep in 2020 made her a triple Guinness World Record holder: most vertical person in the world, first person to both orbit the planet and reach its deepest point, and first woman to dive to full ocean depth. Her lecture will be followed by a Q&A and book signing.
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.
Community Shredding Event: In an effort to help local citizens protect themselves from identity theft, Vested Partners will host a free community shredding event on Saturday, April 26 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at their office located at 300 E. 2nd Street in Salem, VA. Hot dogs, chips, and soda will be provided, and you can enter a drawing to win a desktop paper shredder. No RSVP is required. This shredding event is for personal papers with a limit of three bags or boxes per person. Business shredding will not be allowed. Except for paper clips and staples, no metal, batteries, electronics, or other non-paper material can be in boxes or bags brought for shredding.
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.
Mother’s Day Brunch: On Saturday, May 10 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Hidden Valley Country Club there will be a fundraiser to support Mrs. Dorsey’s Clothes Closet. Tickets may be purchased at: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MjI3MTk5?fbclid=IwY2xjawJH6idleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHbRPN9pd_OCxgJUyVxawdJZ14cI00c2Dv7lvPeE6KioZh6pQJLyyErC1ig_aem_DSKds6QY61NBdkATO_wE9Q
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.
