Believe it or not, the winter holidays are right around the corner. Many of us procrastinate when it comes to holiday shopping, and though we may want to focus on buying local, time constraints push us elsewhere.
This is a first in a series of gift suggestions from Salem Weekly to help the Cherry City-area holiday consumer think outside the big-box store.
A local album or two
There are many great artists that call or have called Salem home, and many of their albums can be found at Ranch Records (237 High St. NE) and Harvest Records (1055 Commercial St. SE). Popular Portland-by-way-of-Salem artists “Typhoon”, “Sons of Huns” and “Brainstorm” have all had new material come out in the past year, as well as Salem’s Ty Curtis, The Apheliotropic Orchestra and many others.
Local labels Blueberry Hill Records (BlueBerryHillRecords.com), Warble Records (WarbleRecords.com), and Squared Recordings (SquaredRecordings.com) have albums and digital downloads available for purchase.
Delight the music lover in your life with Pasific Northwest sounds.
Tickets to a show
Many of Salem’s promoters do not offer presale tickets to their events, but tickets to high-quality entertainment at Pentacle Theatre (PentacleTheatre.org) and Elsinore Theatre (ElsinoreTheatre.org) are just a mouse click or a stroll downtown away. Pentacle’s box office is located at 145 Liberty St. NE and Elsinore’s is located on-site (170 High St. SE).
The playhouse will show a Midsummers Night’s Dream from November 16 to December 8 and kicks off its 2013 schedule on January 11 with Willy Wonka. Elsinore boasts a lineup including the Salem Concert Band on January 13, The New Shanghai Circus on January 31, Eugene Ballet’s Swan Lake on February 2 and Pink Martini on February 22.
Frame a friend’s artwork
Do you have a friend, family member or loved one that’s an aspiring artist? Well, Elsinore Framing and Fine Art Gallery (444 Ferry St. SE) may have the perfect gift for them. Though the establishment has a wide selection of artwork for sale, they specialize in framing.
Don’t you think that would make your loved one’s day? Now you just have to figure out how to sneak out that painting they’ve been working on for a day or two without them noticing.
New instrument or tune-up?
Do you have a friend that is a musician but is getting bored with their current instrument(s)? Know a family member that needs a few reeds, some strings, a tune-up or an upgrade? Though Weathers Music Co. closed this past year, Salem still boast several high-quality vendors. There’s ABC Music (263 Chemeketa St. NE), Willamette Valley Music Company (484 State St. SE), Uptown Music (3827 River Rd. N, Keizer), Music Music (2790 Market St. NE), and Normandy Guitars (217 State. St. S) as well as a smattering of pawn shops and second hand stores with interesting and/or good buys.
Tuition
Man, tuition is kind of a dirty word these days, usually associated with crippling debt. If you’re able to help a college student out, that’s great, and probably greatly appreciated, but this suggestion is for the many affordable enrichment courses and community education classes at Chemeketa Community College.
Arts? Crafts? Music? Visit Chemeketa.edu/classforfun for more information. Gift certificates can be purchased by calling (503) 365-4773.
