Rebecca Hawley shares these photos from the Salem High prom on May 11 at Hotel Roanoke.

We have paparazzi photos from Salem prom here.

You can share your prom photos at news@sosalem.com or use the “share” button to upload 10 at a time.

With only a few weeks left ‘til showtime, Blue Ridge Music Festival organizers are thrilled to announce even more entertainment has been added to the day-long event that will take place on June 1 at Salem Stadium in Salem, Va. High-energy comedian Killer Beaz will take the stage as the host, offering fans his “everyman” style of humor that has earned him thousands of stage, television and radio appearances throughout the country. Additionally, country up-and-comer Sara Haze will hit the Blue Ridge Music Festival stage along with with some of today’s hottest country acts, including Little Big Town, Hunter Hayes, Charles Esten, who plays Deacon Claybourne on ABC’s hit show “Nashville,” Colt Ford, Gloriana, Greg Bates, Will Hoge and Virginia’s own legendary party group, The Skip Castro Band. General admission, reserved seating and VIP tickets are currently on sale at the Salem Civic Center box office, all Ticketmaster locations and charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000.
The official Blue Ridge Music Festival after party, featuring regional favorite Rutledge, offers nighttime entertainment to festival-goers. Kick off your boots and slip on your dancin’ shoes while listening to country
hits and originals from the band who has shared the stage with Lee Brice, John Rich, David Nail, Rodney Atkins, Lauren Alaina, Big Kenny, Steel Magnolia, Emerson Drive, Craig Campbell, Steve Holy, Mountain Heart, Stealing Angels and more.
General admission and reserved seating tickets are currently on sale for $40 (plus additional fees). VIP ticket holders will receive preferred reserved seating, preferred parking, express entry, an invitation to the exclusive festival after-party, private bathrooms, private cash bar (beer & wine only), complimentary boxed lunch and a commemorative Blue Ridge Music Festival poster. VIP Experience tickets are $99.50 (plus additional fees).
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlueRidgeMusicFestival and follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/blueridgefest

Submitted by Mike Stevens, City of Salem

Holly Wilkes and Leigh Anne Blackwell

Leigh Anne Blackwell

Leigh Anne Blackwell ready for her Junior Prom at Glenvar High School and her best friend Holly Wilkes.

– Submitted by Lisa Blackwell

We have paparazzi photos from Glenvar prom here and another reader-submitted Glenvar promo photo here.

You can share your prom photos at news@sosalem.com or use the “share” button to upload 10 at a time.

Center in the Square celebrated its grand re-opening on Saturday with a black tie event. Our paparazzi photo crew was there and here are the Salem people who stepped onto the red carpet.

* Judy and Alan Zeigler
* Helen and Steve Turner
* Joe and Maryann Ferguson
* Rob and Angela Vaughan
* Bill and Ellen Arnold
* Forest and Betty Jones
* Parker and Jan Arthur
* Carol and Michael Newman
* Cindy and Eddy Jones
* Liz and Scott Lively
* Mike and Jeannie Keen
* Parker, Elizabeth, and Jan Arthur
* Nate Shepperson and Wendy Skelton
* Heather Spangler and Drew Pollard
* Kelly and Jason Paxton
* Charlie Robbins and Holly Taliaferro
* Paul and Carol Dotson

Click through to see the photos one at a time or click here to see them all at once as thumbnails.

Hello! My name is Cherilyn Colbert. I graduated from Roanoke College in 1999, worked there from 2005-2011 and left to complete my MFA with the Savannah College of Art and Design.

My thesis is titled “Do We Choose Our Identities? How Toy Packaging and Promotions Rob Children of Choice in Expressing Their Individual Identity.” The completion of my thesis requires a visual component and this will exhibit on Thursday, May 16, at 7 p.m. at the Liminal Alternative Art Space in Community High School located in downtown Roanoke.

Please consider stopping by either during the opening or in the days following. I will take the show down on May 19 to allow the folks at CHS to begin setting up their senior art show, so it won’t be up for long.

My field is graphic design, but this exhibit features a combination of mediums to create an experience that allows viewers to evaluate current packaging, asking them to consider whether what they see offers a choice in how a person sees their options in regards to their likes, dislikes and expected behavior.

– Submitted by Cherilyn Colbert

Annie Lin shares these photos and writes:

Saturday, April 27, 2013. I took my son Jerry to the Vinton Dogwood Festival Concert at Vinton War Memorial Lawn. The door opened at 6:00p.m. I saw everyone carried lawn chairs, blankets, and umbrellas, but we did not.

When we in the line, a lady said Hi to Jerry. She is Pamela, the reading resource teacher for second grade at Fallon Park Elementary School. I asked her for a picture with Jerry. We were so glad to see her at event.

The first group was Rutledge. Adam was the main singer, he and his band did very well. He sang country songs. After his performance, we got his picture and autograph. So cool with us!

Jerry needed food, so I bought Italian sausage stick, friend fries and a drink for him. He enjoyed it. Read more »

The annual Student Art Show sponsored by the Friends of the Salem Library is right around the corner.

The show will be on display May 19-31 at the Salem Public Library Meeting Room. More than 100 pieces of beautiful art from all four Salem elementary schools will be on display.

There will be a special reception to honor the artists on Sunday, May 19 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the library.

We hope you will be able to make it by to enjoy this special show!

– Submitted by Hunter Routt, Gifted Coordinator, City of Salem Schools

Annie Lin shares these photos and writes:

Saturday, April 27, Jerry and I went Grandin Court Baptist Church for Special Olympics Area 8 bowling banquet.

Linda is volunteer coordinator. She said “T.G.I. Friday donates hamburgers to everyone here”. We saw food at a long table, Jerry enjoyed his hamburger, cup cake, and a drink.

After eating, Linda called the players’ names for awards, when she called Jerry Wu, he jumped up from the chair with a smiling face to get the award from Linda,

We took pictures in front of Special Olympics Area 8 sign, we wore the same t-shirts. We enjoyed a special day. Thank you Linda, players, and parents, who support Special Olympics Area 8.

Jerry likes bowling, he carried his own bowling bag with a ball, and a pair of shoes, and his one hand glove. We went to Lee Hi Lames each Saturday from Nov17 to March 6. Jerry did not play better than everyone, but he did make strikes and spares sometimes.

Please let me share our pictures with you.

The “Seasons in Salem 2” Art Show will open June 1, 2013 at the Salem History Museum, 801 E. Main St., Salem. The art show will feature the changing seasons in Salem as interpreted by the “Double Line Painters of the Blue Ridge”: Mary Anne Meador, Bonnie Mason, Judy Lochbrunner, Linda Schaar and Sue Furrow.

“The public is invited to a reception on Friday, June 7, 2013 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.,” according to Salem artist Bonnie Mason. “We will be setting up to paint outside (plein air) on the terrace. The public will be able to come and see us interpret the views of Longwood Park in Salem.”

The show will feature several different media including oil, watercolor, acrylic and mixed media — all inspired by the buildings, people and locations in Salem hanging in the beautiful space provided by the Salem History Museum. The art show will be on display the entire month of June.

The community can follow the inspiration and creation of the show’s art work by the Double Line Painters of the Blue Ridge logging on to the group’s blog: http://doublelinepaintersoftheblueridge.blogspot.com. The art group can also be
contacted at doublelinepainters@gmail.com.

Salem History Museum hours are Tuesday – Friday, 10 am to 4 pm and Saturday, noon – 5 pm. Admission is free. Additional information about the museum or the art show can be obtained by calling (540) 389-6760 or at www.salemmuseum.org.

– Submitted by Linda Schaar

It’s a busy springtime at the Salem Museum! Two great May events are scheduled on back-to-back weekends to make the month special!

Springtime Tea for Mother’s Day May 11

Mom deserves the best, doesn’t she? An afternoon of refined elegance in one of Salem most attractive locations? Good food, good company, airy music and the beauty of a Virginia spring? Then she deserves to be treated to the Salem Museum’s Springtime Tea on May 11th.

Last December, the Salem Museum hosted a Yuletide tea party to ring in the season. The response was so enthusiastic that several attendees asked for a similar event for Mother’s Day. And so a committee of volunteers embraced the idea and the first ever Salem Museum Springtime Tea was born.

On May 11 guests will be welcomed to the Museum’s lovely community room overlooking Longwood Park to enjoy a splendid repast and the elegant atmosphere of one of the Valley’s most charming cultural centers. With or without your mother (all are welcome, after all) you’ll find this a memorable afternoon.

The menu for the Springtime Tea includes spiced tea and black tea; ham biscuits; sandwiches of pimiento cheese, cucumber, chicken salad, and smoked salmon spread; and mini cupcakes, truffles, and almond milk chocolate crème to satisfy Mom’s sweet tooth.

The cost for the Tea is $10 per person. Seating is limited, so reservations are strongly urged. Contact the Salem Museum at 540-389-6760 for more info or to make a reservation, or email info@salemmuseum.org.

Block Party Blues May 18

The music will be blue, the grass will be green, and the food will be delicious at the Salem Museum’s second fundraising concert on May 18. “Block Party Blues” will feature the impressive the talents of the Fat Daddy Band and The Spin-Outs, with proceeds supporting the ongoing building program of the museum.

The concert will be held on May 18 from 5 to 9 behind the museum, adjacent to the lovely Longwood Park. The Museum’s Veteran’s Plaza will serve as the venue, and eager blues fans can spread out blankets or bring lawn chairs to enjoy the music.

Tickets to the concert are only $5 per person, but hungry fans can get a ticket for $12 which will include dinner. Listening to music outdoors and enjoying a picnic dinner– what better way is there to conclude a hard work week?

Tickets for “Block Party Blues” can be purchased in advance at the Salem Museum or at the gate the night of the event.

The Salem Museum is located at 801 East Main Street in Salem, and is open Tuesday to Friday from 10 to 4, and Saturday from noon to five. Call 389-6760 for more information.

– Submitted by Salem Museum