The Salem Art Fair has been a staple a Salem summers for years. The art is impressive and moving…read morethe stage out from under the oak trees was a good decision. However, I wish the booths for individual artists were still under the shade of the trees and the food options are disappointing. The addition of Gilgamesh Brewing is promising, but I think bringing in food trucks, or some new vendors, could provide better options.

There was a time that I really loved attending the annual Salem Art Fair. It was when I was a kid…read more Set amongst the beautiful shady trees at Bush Park, it was a nice summer time activity that didn't result in heat exhaustion. My mother and I used to always go together and get the delicious chocolate and almond dipped ice cream bars. It was fabulous. Then, after several years of not visiting, I finally went summer of '09 since I now live within walking distance (parking is a nightmare). What a shock. Just shock. At least half of the artists aren't even from Oregon, let alone the Salem area. There were people as far away from Colorado and Arizona slinging their "art" for rip off prices. Yeah, I said rip off. Look, I understand that art may take time and that these people might do this as a living. That's not my problem. As a consumer and a customer, I refuse to believe that the salt and pepper shakers they painted took so much time and effort that they warrant that $90 price tag. Am I an idiot? No. In addition to the above rip-off, the Salem Art Association will now be charging admission to "enjoy" the fair. They believe that "it's a good deal.... and $5 isn't that much money..." You're right, it's not a great deal of money, but that really isn't the point. It's a craft fair, not a museum. It's purpose is to allow patrons to purchase art, not rip people off. But I can't be too harsh, can I? The SAA reports that they ONLY made $215,000 on last years art fair. Boo hoo hoo. They also further justify this $5 fee by claiming that this art fair is one of the best in the country. I don't know the source of this information, but considering what a dump Salem is, I have a hard time believing it. Gah! Just another reason to avoid Salem.

We go to lots of haunted houses each year and this one was a big let down. Very little decorations,…read morenot a lot of scarers. Those that were there did more of the yell type scaring and less of the acting scaring. Or they said, "keep moving" and no scaring. They let us in every 20 sec so we were stacked. We bought VIP tickets to jump the lines. This also lets you go back through. When we finished all the haunts we decided none of us liked it enough to go again. Parking cost $10 in addition to tickets. Not worth it at all.

I love anything Halloween, but I must admit, I have never seen an event quite like this before. If…read moreyou've ever watched a classic 1980s Halloween movie, where they have a stereotypical, but classy Halloween festival, that is exactly the same vibes that I got from this place! Good job on coming up with such a creative idea! Parking was pretty close to the entrance, but be warned that they charge $10 per car just like during the fair. After going through a metal detector and bag check, they have vendors inside a building selling various things, although some were not Halloween related, and kind of seemed out of place. They did have a cool reptile exhibit as well. Outside, the area is nicely decorated with Halloween style lights hanging overhead, and a really realistic looking cemetery. At first I thought the fairgrounds actually had a cemetery as the old, church looking building in the background and tombstones throughout made it look like its always been there. The haunted houses are located inside an older looking building. There were three of the haunted houses inside the building and a fourth outside. Each haunted house has a separate entrance, which was a little hard to figure out how to go into each one at first. The lines were pretty long when we arrived, but they seemed to move pretty fast. I don't think we waited in line more than an hour in total. They have some really well themed sets, with cool looking props. Each haunted house has a different theme, so the sets all seem to work well with each one. The distorted haunted house did not many decorations, but it felt more of a traditional haunted house with jump scares, strobe light effects, and lots of actors. The doll factory one was very well put together and had an eerie vibe to it, along with creepy music, that I can still hear playing in my head. The staff was doing a great job scaring and directing people. We kept watching group after group run out of the haunted houses holding their chest, screaming, or laughing as they exited. Overall, I am so happy that this place is in my hometown! I can see this thing becoming huge in the next few years with all the space that seems to be around the entrance and sides where they can easily grow year-after-year. I will definitely be back next year and I will bring more people with me!

My quest is complete with a visit to the Shrewsbury Renaissance Faire, the third and final location…read morein the Oregon renaissance faire trifecta. By rights, it should have been my first stop. Shrewsbury is the oldest renaissance faire in Oregon (this was the 19th year) and it was the largest. Other things in its favor: ** It had the most vendors with the best merchandise. Although there is no cell/wifi service in the area so be prepared to pay in cash or leave your credit card info. with the vendor. ** Good joust show, held twice a day, that is a mix of skills on horseback, jousting and hand-to-hand combat. ** The best visitors and participants. Meaning that the majority of folks were in costume, especially the vendors, and it had a good educational component. The faire that I enjoy the most is still the Canterbury Faire in Silverton, held two weekends in July. It is due to a combination of factors, including the mostly shady location, my favorite joust (just the right amount of ridiculousness) and some of the entertainment. This is a close second. Bringing up the rear is the Oregon Renaissance Faire in Hillsboro. Each experience has its high and low points. The Shrewsbury and Canterbury Faires have the most crossover and definitely have their hearts in the right place. But props to Oregon Renaissance Faire for having some of the best stage shows. It just feels more like a state fair, than a renaissance experience. Today we witnessed a wedding where the officiant binds the hands of the bridge and groom (tying the knot) and watched a great joust show where the female riders bested their male counterparts in the games of skill. A few new twists including a competition to see which rider could carry a mug of 'ale' the length of the ring with the least amount of liquid spilled. The food vendors were plentiful, diverse and there were a few shady areas set up for dining. We almost missed an entire section of the faire that is relatively new. It was in a shady grove, whereas most of the faire is in the middle of a field in direct sun, so make sure you explore the entire area since this section was not well marked. Such a fun day and great people from all over the region who enjoy traveling back in time 500 years or so. Huzzah! ------------- 2014 dates - September 12 - 13th in Kings Valley, OR. Quite a drive, but a pretty one, from the Portland Metro area. A few other considerations - coupons for $1 off admission are on the website and you can pay with a credit card. No fee for parking. Festival food and drink was reasonably priced for this type of event. No pets allowed.

Delightful, flexible space in downtown Mt. Angel. Accommodating proprietor. Great place for a…read moremeeting with AV and sound system availability, small ensemble music events. Support a small business in the charming small community of Mt. Angel.

The Mt. Angel Theater Studio began its life as a silent film theater in 1912. It's been through…read moreseveral transformations, the current one intending to combine theater, art, music and more in one historical space, in a charming little town well-known for its annual Oktoberfest. Saturday night's showing of Casablanca was the first time I've been to this little theater. But it sure won't be the last. As the first of what is hopefully many films, Casablanca's opening of Second Saturday Nights LIVE brought to the big screen a classic film that many of us have only seen on TV-sized screens. The sound system is great and the small theater (100 seats) makes for an intimate-feeling evening of fun, with live music beforehand. There's plenty of street parking available. Popcorn, candy & sodas are available for purchase before the movie but I'm fairly certain if you wanted to purchase food from one of the restaurants in town and bring it in, there'd be no argument from the owner (just in case, you might want to double-check that before you do it). I'm looking forward to the next film next month - hope to see you there! PS. I'm giving it 5 stars because I think it's cool that a little town has a small historical theater in it that's gonna be a big social and cultural venue in the near future. It's still a diamond-in-the-rough but I have faith!

Dance lessons for all ages with fantastic instructors. My 6 year old daughter and my mom, her…read moregrandma age 64 enjoy tap dancing. It's been an activity they enjoy together. Liz the owner is high energy with a special gift in making you feel welcome.

This is by far the BEST dance studio EVER! I have many years of dance in my history, and now both…read moremy girls are dancers. We tried another studio in Salem prior to Classic Tap, it failed in all aspects. The first time I stepped into Classic Tap and met Jane, the owner, I literally got tears in my eyes, this was the best decision to move my kids here. This is a family run, family oriented company, they are fun, they are warm, the kids learn great technique. I have to say we are moving out of state and I am so sad about leaving this studio (as are my girls) and the great people in it. :( I wouldn't say a negative word about this place or the people. If you have kids that want to dance, this is the place. You won't be disapointed!!

This group is passable as amateur symphonies go. As you would expect, the strings run into…read moretechnical problems with difficult pieces, and overall they're not tight: the sections seem oblivious of each other at times. Most of the principals are very good, and the conductor does a nice job. At intermission, there are no refreshments available free or for purchase. Other community orchestras enlist local high school groups to sell refreshments as a fundraiser, which is nice, but the Salem Phil has nothing. The audience is sparse, which is not surprising: they put on performances on both Friday and Saturday nights (a mistake) and tickets are pricey for the quality of the performance. And my understanding is that the players are not only unpaid, they don't even get free tickets to share with family members (which helps explain why the audience is so small) and the Board doesn't even honor them with an annual thank-you dinner (all standard stuff with amateur groups). I'm sure that they would attract better musicians if they treated their players better.

Very nice performance last night of Copland, An Outdoor Overture and Lincoln Portrait as well as…read moreBeethoven's Fifth. Not the greatest I've ever heard; could use some passion in the performance as well as better command of the music in some quarters of the orchestra. Nevertheless, happy with the experience.

My daughter started taking Tap and Ballet this fall, and we couldn't be happier with our experience…read moreat this studio. She absolutely loves the classes! The instructor, Paula, is exceptional--her passion and dedication truly shine through in every lesson. This is a lovely place for the children in the community and I'm glad my daughter can attend.

This place has been around for a long while. My niece absolutely loves coming to dance here, going…read moreon three years now. They offer after school classes which is great. Ballet and tap are her favorites right now. Teacher Paula is fantastic with the kids.

My partner and I started taking lessons here and let me tell you coming here was great. The entire…read moreatmosphere is laid back, everyone is very welcoming and helpful I guarantee you will become at least a reasonable dancer provided you put in some effort. Loved everything about our lessons and the social dance aspect and hope to return soon for additional lessons.

If you are a beginner dancer, I highly recommend this place! Lora is a kind and wonderful teacher…read more The environment is low key and she makes it easy and fun to learn to dance. I get very nervous about how I am dancing and if something feels right and I love that she takes things step by step. She gives you enough moves to be excited for the next, without overwhelming you. I have taken classes with other instructors and for me, no one competes. This place is incredible, the price is amazing in comparison to other dance studios and she really makes you feel like you are a part of her family.