Our paparazzi photo crew was at the Drumstick Dash in downtown Roanoke on Thanksgiving morning, and here are the folks from Salem who stepped onto the red carpet:

* Jordan Jones, Crimson Buchanan, Paula Henderson, and Dillon Connor
* Andrew Parkins
* Chad Coleman
* Adam Joyce, Will Drougas, Patrick O’Keefe, Savannah Stevens, Makenzie Haymaker, Alex Robertson, and Claig Webber (this one is definitely worth clicking on. Two words: Avatar theme. Two more: Blue people.)
* Deidre and Carly Wilkes
* Sylvia Lamb
* Tom Stover and Ricky Ezzelle
* Blake and Allan Davidson

You can view the entire gallery here.

Do you have photos of what you did over Thanksgiving? You can share at news@sosalem.com.

Here’s a rundown on the Christmas festivities in Salem this weekend:

Submitted photo of Jacob Nash and Santa from 2009.

Friday, December 3

Bundle up and head over to the Salem Farmers Market at 6 p.m. for the lighting of the Salem City Christmas Tree, then pick a good spot for the Salem Christmas Parade – it’s scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. and climb up Main Street from the Salem Ice Cream Parlor to the intersection of College Avenue. (By the way, the parade is sponsored by the Salem Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce and the Salem Kiwanis Club)

Saturday, December 4

9:30 to 10 a.m.: Breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus at Mac and Bob’s. Tickets are $5 and are available at the Salem Parks and Rec Department at 620 Florida Street or at the restaurant during the event. Proceeds benefit the Salem Lacrosse Foundation.

9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: The Christmas List fourth annual Craft Show at the Taylor Masonic Lodge (behind the Salem Football Stadium.)

Show features homemade items such as fudge, apple butter, dog treats, breads, and soup mixes, hand painted gourds, wooden items, ornaments, bracelets of hand-rolled beads, “quote signs,” quilts and quilt racks, jewelry, yard art and more!

Admission and parking are free. Fifty-percent of concession proceeds benefit St. Francis Service Dogs. There will also be a table for cancer research where all proceeds are donated to the American Cancer Society.

11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Ye Olde Salem Christmas is at the Salem Farmers Market, the Salem Library, and throughout downtown Salem. Merchants will host open houses, and vendors will bring crafts, produce, baked goods, and Christmas. Look for hot cider and roasted chestnuts, too!

In the library, Santa Claus is available for photos in the front, and Mrs. Claus is hosting story time in the children’s section. Library staff and volunteers have crafts for kids and materials to write letters to the North Pole.

Carriage rides and Model-T rides with retired Roanoke College professor Bob Hudson are available from the Salem Farmers Market to and from the Gingerbread Festival at Longwood Park.

11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: The Gingerbread Festival at the Carriage House in Longwood Park. Inside, a gingerbread house competition is on display. Outside, a marshmallow roast, raffle prizes, arts and crafts vendors, and food vendors alongside live entertainment. Admission and parking for this event are free. For more information, contact the Salem Roanoke Chamber of Commerce at 387-0267.

7 p.m.: “Offering,” a modern-gospel Christmas band, will play at Tabernacle Baptist Church. For more information, call Ken Gray at 330-5588, or visit their website at www.bigspringmusic.com.

Sunday, December 5:

The Holiday Homes Tour will feature four spectacular homes along some of Salem’s most historic streets will be featured, plus the Carriage House in Longwood Park and the newly expanded Salem Museum between 1 and 5 p.m.

The tour is self-guided and houses may be approached in any order. Carpooling is suggested and some walking will be involved. In the case of inclement weather, the tour will be rescheduled for Sunday, December 12.

Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 the day of, and can be purchased at The Salem Museum, Countryside Classics, the Salem Times-Register, and Brooks-Byrd Pharmacy; or in Roanoke at Ram’s Head Books, Towers Mall. During the event, maps and tickets will be available at the museum or at any of the featured homes.

For more information or to charge tickets to your credit card call the museum at 389-6760.

KYLE RICHARDSON of the financial services firm Edward Jones invites the public to join him at a grand opening celebration. The event will begin at 12:00 p.m. on WEDNESDAY DEC 8, 2010 at his office at 1463 WEST MAIN STREET SUITE P4 -LOCATED INSIDE THE COURTYARD AT SPARTAN SQUARE.

“I am excited to be opening an Edward Jones office in SALEM, VA, because I really see a need for the type of service we provide,” RICHARDSON said. “This firm concerns itself exclusively with the needs of individual investors and small-business owners, and I’m happy to be bringing that kind of personalized service to this community.”

Edward Jones provides financial services for individual investors in the United States and, through its affiliate, in Canada. Every aspect of the firm’s business, from the types of investment options offered to the location of branch offices, is designed to cater to individual investors in the communities in which they live and work. The firm’s 12,000-plus financial advisors work directly with nearly 7 million clients to understand their personal goals — from college savings to retirement — and create long-term investment solutions that emphasize a well-balanced portfolio and a buy-and-hold strategy. Edward Jones embraces the importance of building long-term, face-to-face relationships with clients, helping them to understand and make sense of the investment options available today.

Edward Jones, which ranked No. 2 on FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” in 2010, is headquartered in St. Louis. The Edward Jones web site is located at www.edwardjones.com, and its recruiting web site is www.careers.edwardjones.com. Member SIPC.

The City of Salem is adding another marquee event to its sports schedule as the U.S.A. National Women’s Softball team is scheduled to play a doubleheader in Virginia’s Championship City on June 29, 2011.
Formal plans for the event were unveiled this morning by officials from the City of Salem, the American Softball Association and the Salem Red Sox during a morning news conference that was held at the ballpark.
“I think this is another signature event for the city and it just speaks highly of what we’ve done in the past,” says John Shaner, Salem’s Director of Parks and Recreation. “This will be the fourth time we’ve hosted the National team and it means a lot that they sought us out to host an event of this magnitude.”
“The folks in Salem take care of every detail and I’m just very fortunate to be involved with this event,” says American Softball Association President Andy Dooley. “In the past when the U.S.A. National team has played in Salem, we’ve gotten great cooperation from all of the localities in the Roanoke Valley and I know that will continue in June.”
In 2000, the U.S.A. Olympic team played an exhibition game at Kiwanis Field and in 2004, the team returned to play at the James I. Moyer Complex. The U.S.A. National team’s last appearance in Salem was in July 2008 when a standing-room only crowd of more than 4,000 turned out at Kiwanis. Bringing the game to the Salem Red Sox home at Salem Memorial Ballpark – Lewis Gale Field, where there are 5.503 seats, should only enhance the experience for fans.
“For us, this is one of those exciting outside-the-box events that should benefit the entire community and the region,” says Salem Red Sox Vice President and General Manager, Todd Stephenson. “The stars just lined up with our schedule so we could logistically make it happen and we really hope to sell it out.”
The games between the National squad and the U.S.A. Futures National team will take place one day after the Red Sox wrap up a home stand and one day before the start of the 24th Annual Salem Fair.
Tickets are just $15 for reserved chair back seating anywhere in the ballpark. Plus, if fans purchase tickets anytime in the month of December, they can get them for just $12. Tickets will go on sale this Wednesday, December 1, and they are available at the Salem Red Sox box office and online and www.salemsox.com

Annie Lin shared these photos with us. This is what she had to say:

“September11, 2010 was 30th running of Olde Salem Days. Jerry and I went to Salem Civic Center for breakfast with the Salem Republicans. The sponsor was Morgan Griffin. At the breakfast were Morgan Griffith, Bob Goodlatte, George Allen and Ron Smith, for speeches. We saw a 9/11 video tape, to remember the sacrifice, and honor the dead. A bag-piper played “Amazing Grace”. After breakfast, Jerry and I walked down to downtown Salem. There were thousands of people for Olde Salem Days.”

Here is a picture of Lindsey Siska closing in on the finish line at the Footlocker South Regional race in Charlotte, NC on Saturday, November 26, 2010. Lindsey ran a great race and finished in 18:48 – a 38 second personal record!

The photo was taken by Jim Siska.

Courtesy of Sherry Siska.

The Krzysko’s had a very special Thanksgiving with their son Ross, his partner, Sheri Neubold, their daughter, Beth and husband Steve Humphrey. Ross and Sheri traveled from Seattle, Wa., while Beth and Steve came from Bradenton, Fl. They also had their mother-in-law, June Krzysko and sister, Jo Edwards. Back L:Steve Humphrey, Sheri Neubold, Jo Edwards, Beth Humphrey, Steve Krzysko. Front L:June Krzysko and Ross Krzysko.

Submitted by Barbara Kryzsko

Jerry and I hope all of you have a wonderfully “Thanksgiving”.

Wishing you time to relax for while… Wishing you moments that bring you a smile… Wishing you closeness of family and friends… Wishing you good times that simply won’t end… Wishing you a very “Happy Thanksgiving”!

Submitted by Annie Lin

Click here for slideshow images.

Over twenty golfers took their holiday morning away from the couch and the smell of a bird in the oven to go to the Salem Municipal Golf Course for the second annual Buck and Paul Johnston Turkey Day Extravaganza.

“We started it last year. My dad and uncle, both, who ran this place, died in December ’08, very close together, days apart,” said golf course manager Chuck Johnston. “It’s named in their honor but it benefits the Salem Food Pantry.”

Last year, they raised around $350, he said. This year, they raised $400 with less participants. It’s a captain’s choice tournament.

First, second, and third place winners:

1: JW Hall, Tom Hall Sr, Tom Hall Jr. and Jacob Gladden

2: Roger Hedgbeth, Mark Packett, Buddy Gray, and Yogi Roberts 2nd

3: Lewis Johnston, Mike Johnston, Herman Chaney, and Jim Durham

Anyone making a donation to the Salem Food Pantry can drop off items between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 620 Chapman Street on weekdays.

They are in need of the following purchased items at this time: cereal, crackers, juice, boxed/canned potatoes (not fresh), spaghetti sauce, macaroni and cheese, tuna, canned pasta. Remember to check the expiration date of items before donating.