Northern Lights Theater Pub

I have to admit that I'm not much of a movie goer. Okay, I'm not much of a movie watcher at all. To me, movies are an event. So when I do have time to see a movie I like the whole movie theater experience. Generally, I enjoy movies at Salem Cinema which is near my home, but last night I decided to go to Northern Lights with a friend. We really wanted to see The King's Speech and it was playing at Northern Lights. And at exactly the right time for our schedule!

I haven't been to Northern Lights in some time. I forget how much I like it. Its a local theater with second run movies for $3. I love that you can order food to be delivered during the movie. I like the happy, helpful staff members. I like the fact that I can get a beer or a glass of wine to drink during the movie.

Maybe its because I'm just not a movie buff, but I can't imagine spending $10 on a movie at the Regal theaters here in town. At Northern Lights I could get a movie, popcorn, AND a soda for that same $10. And I'd be supporting a local business in the process. Sounds like a win/win situation to me.

Oh, also, if you haven't seen The King's Speech, you should go see it right away. Amazing. That is all.

Tell the City of Salem How to Spend Money

Doesn't that sound fun?

I was at my neighborhood association meeting last night (yes, I do go to these meetings and you'd be surprised all the interesting info you can find out!) and one of our city's fine City Councilor's, Chuck Bennett, was in attendance. He mentioned that the Salem is planning its budget for the next year. Budget Committee meetings don't sound like the most exciting things to me, but I do care that our city is spending money on things I think are important.

So, when Chuck mentioned that citizens are allowed to come speak at the meetings, AND that you can give your opinion at the beginning of the meeting instead of waiting for lots of boring budget talking first, I was very excited. I have lots of random opinions important ideas!

One thing Chuck mentioned was that the Budget Committee is always very impressed when a citizen takes the time to come speak at the meetings because not very many people take this opportunity. Since it is unusual, they really take the citizens opinions seriously.

I think this is a great way to get involved in your local government - without even having to make any long term commitments!

Let's just admit it. Salem is awesome!

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Budget Committee Meetings

Wednesdays 6 PM

(for the next few weeks)

City Council chambers at City Hall

News Flash: Salem Has a University!

Okay, so it's not actually new information. Willamette University claims to be the oldest university west of the Mississippi or something. Its been around for....pretty much ever. Yet, it seems strangely detached from the city it lives in.

There is often consternation in people's voices when they talk about the lack of interaction between Willamette University students and downtown Salem. This detachment seems to be a mystery no one can figure out.

A couple of things happened recently which made me realize maybe there is a solution to this issue:

1. I visited a military town
2. I saw a conversation on Twitter about deals for college students

If you've ever been to a military town, and many college towns do the same, you'll notice that military/college deals are prominently advertised.

Why don't Salem businesses cater to the Willamette crowd with special nights, deals, percentages off, etc. 

What do you think? Would this actually entice Willamette students to come downtown? What about state workers? Would the same things work for them?

Ethiopian Art at Willamette University

A little bit of interesting history from the talk I attended at Hallie Ford Museum last week.

Salem Saturday Market is Back!

Don't forget that the Salem Saturday Market is back up and running in its usual location. It is in the parking lot bordered by Union St, Winter St, Summer St, and Marion St. It runs from 9 AM until 3 PM.

Last Saturday I decided to check out the first market of the year. I realized it would be a little sparse and it was. One thing that would be nice is if they moved things closer together when there are less vendors, but I suppose that would probably take a lot more organization and work on the part of the market managers.

Nevertheless, I wandered the market in search of some goodies. There were lots of plants, lots of crafts, and quite a few food booths. I bought a torta at one of the Mexican stands and then wandered until I found Persophone Farms. They had lots of root vegetables and some cabbage and kale. I bought turnips, parsnips, rutabega, potatoes, both orange and red beets, and shallots.

I ended up making a baked root vegetable dish. I washed and cut up the veggies, coated them in olive oil, added sea salt, a little pepper, and some sumac and baked the whole thing for about 30-40 minutes. Yummmmmm! One of my friends, who hails from Australia, said they call that Bubble and Squeak. What a quaint little name.

I really love that I was able to make a healthy, delicious, LOCAL dish even on the first day of the Saturday Market.

Check it out this weekend and see what you can make.