Happy Friday, Salem. In today’s edition: Season’s Eatings: A Holiday Tasting Event, Silverton Christmas Market, Breakfast with Santa at the Carousel, and more. Let’s get to it!

— Cait Baker

📰 In the news

Behavioral health system strains: State health officials will launch a fourth search in January for an Oregon State Hospital superintendent as wait times for admissions climb to nearly 23 days and fines mount — read the full story.

Two legacies, one future: Willamette and Pacific universities announced plans to merge as University of the Northwest, creating Oregon’s largest private university while keeping separate campuses and athletics as approvals unfold — get all the details.

Landfill dispute escalates: Opponents filed a notice of intent to appeal Benton County’s Nov. 17 approval of Coffin Butte Landfill expansion, initiating a LUBA process. Parties to intervene must file by Dec. 26 — see key deadlines and steps.

Compare rates for free: The national average for car insurance is around $175 per month. Paying more than that? Same, so I did some shopping around and ended up cutting my premium in half. If you haven’t checked in a while, you’re probably overpaying too — here’s the comparison tool I used.

Identity theft is up 25%: Last year, Americans lost $12.5 billion to ID theft & fraud, and the stories behind those numbers are brutal. My friend just told me his dad’s on his fourth replacement credit card. Other folks have woken up to empty bank accounts or their personal info dumped online after a breach. Aura catches these kinds of attacks early by monitoring for new accounts, weird money movements, leaked data, and other red flags so you’re alerted before things blow up — learn more about it here.

Highlights this week

• Experience Charlie Brown Christmas jazz with choir
• Celebrate holiday lights, rides, and treats
• Join a family-friendly ugly sweater skate
• Enjoy a semi-formal Christmas Holiday Dance
• Explore the Market for the Strange
• This pet insurance plan reimburses up to 90%
• A tiny hearing aid is taking the US by storm

🫶 We got your back

Festive fun for all: Salem Center’s Winter Wonderland is Saturday, Dec 13, 12-5 pm in the South Building, Lower Level. Expect 20+ local vendors, live music, a Kids Corner, and free hot cocoa while it lasts. Santa appears all day, Buddy the Elf 3-5, plus Princess Belle 12-2:30 and a 4 pm ugly sweater contest. Free admission. Get all the event details.

Festive fun for all ages: The Original Salem Holiday Market runs Dec 12 to 14 with over 250 local vendors, live music, kids activities, and great food. Free entry, $10 parking. Vote in the gingerbread house contest, enter door prize drawings, or even adopt a pet. Happening in Jackman Long and Columbia Hall. Get all the event details.

Scalp reset, anyone?: When your hair needs a real refresh, Salon 554 delivers Japanese Head Spa rituals (Milbon Gold, Spa Mist II), curl-savvy French dry cuts, and the new Milbon Liscio straightening. Expect calmer scalp, softer shine, and yes…that “my hair finally cooperates” feeling.

Thinning hair? Same: I’ve been shedding a lot, and recently noticed my ponytail feeling thinner. After way too much panic-Googling, I decided to take Hers’ online quiz. They recommended a Biotin + Minoxidil green-apple gummy for regrowth and overall hair health. The whole thing was surprisingly easy: just verify who you are and a licensed provider signs off. Here’s the quiz if you want to check it out.

Makeup that actually works: My sister and I were talking the other day about how the makeup we used in our 20s… just doesn’t work now that we’re in our 30s and 40s. Laura Geller’s entire makeup line addresses this shift, with formulas that smooth, brighten, and actually stay put. If you’re in the same boat, their curated kits are worth a look.

📆 Around town this weekend

All events are subject to change without notice. This is entirely outside our control. Please check official event pages and social media for the most up to date information.

Today

⛸️ Open Skate Disney Night @ The Madhouse | Friday (12/12) at 7:30pm – Round up the crew for a family-friendly open skate with a Disney twist, where you can relive your VHS era while the kids burn energy. Costumes encouraged, harmony optional, and BYO skates in good shape. Get admission, sign the waiver at www.travelingwheelz.com, confirmation ready.

🎬 A Night at Nakatomi Plaza: A Dramatic Reading of Die Hard @ Salem’s Historic Grand Theatre | Friday (12/12) at 8:00pm – If Die Hard is your unofficial Christmas movie (which… let’s be honest, it is), this live dramatic reading is your chance to relive every “Yippee-ki-yay” with theatrical flair. Local comedy and improv pros narrate the chaos while you take on the crucial role of the Nakatomi hostages—no pressure. Bring your friends, rock an ugly sweater, and get ready for the most cheerfully explosive holiday event of the season. Welcome to the party, pal.

This weekend

🎅 Breakfast with Santa at the Carousel @ Salem’s Riverfront Carousel | Saturday (12/13) at 8:00am – If the kids need proof Santa accepts carbs, take them to breakfast at the carousel. Buffet fuel, carousel spins, a small gift, and a keepsake photo you might actually frame. You get coffee, nostalgia, and a breather while they whirl.

🍽️ Season’s Eatings: A Holiday Tasting Event @ LifeSource Natural Foods | Saturday (12/13) at 11:00am – Holiday hosting practice, but with perks. Free tastings of wine, cheese, and charcuterie, plus flash sales, one-day prices on everything you sample, and a few giveaways for good measure. Sip, mingle with the vendors, stock up for parties, gifts, or your secret stash.

🐶 Read to a Pet @ Salem Public Library | Saturday (12/13) at 1:00pm – Got a kid finding their reading voice? Let them cozy up with a friendly, four-footed volunteer and a human sidekick for judgment-free story time, the kind where mispronouncing chihuahua gets a tail wag, not a correction. Confidence goes up, nerves go down, memories get made.

🛍️ Huge Salem Holiday Market (Day 3) @ Oregon State Fairgrounds | Sunday (12/14) at 10:00am – Take a break from big-box chaos and wander the Huge Salem Holiday Market at the Oregon State Fairgrounds. Over 200 local makers, all handmade, free entry, live music, kids activities, door prizes. Parking will run you ten bucks, but your gift list gets handled.

🧶 Wet Felting for Scarves @ The Oregon Garden | Sunday (12/14) at 11:00am – Trade the gift card rut for a wet felting workshop at The Oregon Garden, where artist Michele Ballantyne helps you make a cozy, multicolored merino scarf up to 10 inches by 6 feet. No experience, all materials, just soft wool, warm vibes, and bragging rights.

🎁 Yuletide Market| Sunday (12/14) at 2:00pm – The Yuletide Market arrives with local makers, Illahe wine tasting, Big Wig Donuts, West Salem Sourdough, and more. Shop for last-minute gifts while you sip and snack, and enjoy kid-friendly Polaroids with Poppy the Elf and candy canes for all. A relaxed way to wrap up your holiday list.

Next week

🎄 Silverton Christmas Market @ Oregon Garden Resort | Monday (12/15) at 5:00pm – Bundle up and head to Silverton for 1.5 million lights, a classic German-style market, and gluhwein by the fire. Kids can enjoy the snowless tubing hill, while you take in live Biergarten music and the new train ride. A great winter outing whether you’re there for the sights, the snacks, or a little midweek unwind.

🎸 “You Got Gold” A Celebration of John Prine @ Salem Cinema | Tuesday (12/16) at 7:00pm – Settle in, Salem, for a star-studded John Prine concert film, shot at Nashville’s Ryman, where friends, family, and heavy hitters trade stories and sing the classics. Cheaper than a flight to Nashville, and you may cry, smile, and mouth every chorus.

Wanna see more? Browse our full events calendar →

🎶 Live music & entertainment

• 12/13 Austin Gilbert @ HonkyTonk Bar – 8 pm
• 12/13 Jenner Fox Band @ Grand Theatre – 8 pm
• 12/14 Winter Wine-derland with Santa @ Domaine Willamette – 11:30 am
• 12/14 Kristen Grainger & True North @ The BAD Space – 3 pm
• 12/19 CS Lewis @ The Elsinore Theatre – 7:30 pm
• 12/20 Festival Chorale Carolers @ Salem Library – 3 pm
• 12/20 The Nathan Olsen Trio @ Chemeketa Community College – 7 pm

🏠️ Price is right – Salem edition

How it works: We’re going to give you some facts about a home for sale, including a picture of the outside, the kitchen, and one additional room. Your job? Guess how much it’s listed for (preferably before you click to find out).

Listed by: JAMES HAUGE (Legacy Real Estate)

2023 Stafford-built triplex in the sought-after Pringle Creek Community, fully leased and dialed. Two 3BD 2.5BA homes plus a 2BD 2.5BA with a loft that flexes as studio or lounge. Quartz counters, stainless appliances, laminate floors, crisp fixtures, and smart layouts meet attached one-car garages, refrigerators, and washers and dryers included.

Walking trails thread past community greenhouses, with Prismatic Coffee and Root Cellar Market fueling morning laps. Quality construction, modern efficiency, and a neighborhood that trades cul-de-sacs for conversation.

Make your guess, then (and only then)… see how much it costs →