www.roanoke.com

Christmas comes early to Salem this weekend. There's the parade on Friday night, followed by a sackful of holiday events -- not the least of which is the Gingerbread Festival. We have details on that in this week's print edition of So Salem, plus more photos here online of some of the pretty gingerbread houses you'll see on display (such as the one at left.)

None of those, of course, should be confused with the So Salem entry in the gingerbread festival, which probably should get filed under the heading of "cooking catastrophe." We have photos of our disastrous attempt to construct a gingerbread house -- if you dare to look.

By the way, our paparazzi photo crew will be at the Gingerbread Festival, so be prepared to step onto the red carpet and smile for the camera! You'll find those photos here online on Monday.

But back to this week's print edition. As we always do, we advise readers to come online to find lots of online goodies. And here's the easy way to find this week's online extras:

* Photos of Salem people at the Drumstick Dash
* Glenvar High School DECA Club holds food drive
* Fellowship Community Church raises money through sky-diving
* Thanksgiving photos from the Tucker, Lineberry and Krzsyko families (You can share your family photos, too, the same way they did at news@sosalem.com)
* Jason Aldean visits Mac and Bob’s after show
* Klub Kanine wins certification
* Roanoke County seeks volunteers for Enchanted Eve
* Weekly report about what’s on the Salem Farmer’s Market
* Video of Salem divers pulling sunken SUV from pond
* Photos from Operation Turkey Drop
* More on the Salem Needlework Guild
* More photos from firefighter training on Poor Mountain
* More fan photos from the Vince Gill concert in Salem here and here.
* More photos from the Little Black Dress Party
* More photos of where people have put their So Salem stickers
* Photos of Mackenzie Edwards at the Punt, Pass and Kick competition
* Five Salem girls dance in "The Nutcracker"

Also new and improved this week: To the right, you'll see a new category called "Easy guide to our online links." That's where we'll be storing the weekly online guides, to make them, well, easier to find.

So how can you get your news and photos in So Salem? Easy! You can share at news@sosalem.com.

For more information on us -- and how to advertise and reach more than 90 percent of the households in Salem and western Roanoke County -- see below:

* You can meet our community journalist for Salem and western Roanoke County -- Miranda Adkins. She keeps regular hours at our Salem "bureau" -- at Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea on Main Street. Here’s her schedule.

* So how do we reach 90 percent of the households in Salem and western Roanoke County? Here’s how: Subscribers to The Roanoke Times get it included in their Friday paper; non-subscribers have it mailed to them as part of the weekly Simply Savings advertising flier. Those two add up to more than 90 percent. Plus, we have some free copies available at Kroger, Food Lion, the Salem Y, and the Salem Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea, in case we somehow missed you.

* Are you an advertiser who wants to get your message to more than 90 percent of the households in Salem and western Roanoke County? You can find out more at advertise@sosalem.com. Want to place a classified ad to reach your Salem neighbors? We're at classifieds@sosalem.com