Charlotte Hale of Salem shares these photos from the 2012 Woofstock Dog Festival held June 2 in Roanoke.

Jeannie Keen shares these photos of the Fort Lewis Elementary School first-grade field trip to the Natural Bridge Safari Park. The first-graders’ teacher is Mrs. Thomsen.

We have this photo gallery. Pictured in the gallery are Adrianne Hardin, Olivia Keen, and Kayleigh Saunders.

Christina Lee shared this photo on the So Salem Facebook page and said:

“After going to the Salem Starbucks we went by the Salem Rotary Dog Park. We took our deaf boxer Nitro to have a play date at the dog park with his two boxer buddies Loki and Ozzi. When Chris sat down on the culvert at the dog park, all three boxers decided they wanted some of my husband’s (Chris Lee) Starbucks Venti Mocha!”

If you have cool photos to share, you can email us at news@sosalem.com or use our upload tool.

Beth-Ann Owens Lugar shares these photos from her “Furry Friends” Portrait day at her Owens-Lugar Photography studio at 213 East 4th Street in Salem. She says:

“We had so many wonderful families come by on Saturday to bring their fur-babies for their close up!  It was awesome to meet so many wonderful pet owners, and we had a blast capturing their pets’ smiles!  Thanks to everyone who came out, we gathered $214 to donate to our friends at the Salem Animal Shelter!  Great job!  Hope everyone enjoyed the day and a huge thank you to all who donated!”

The Salem Rotary Dog Park has exceeded all expectations in its first six months of operation, but the city is always looking for ways to improve the park for both dogs and their owners. Next week, the city is planning to make some improvements to the facility that should not only create some new grassy areas, but also eliminate some of the standing water issues that exist at a few places in the park.

In order to complete this work, it will be necessary to temporarily close some portions of the park on the following days:
-Monday, April 23: The LARGE dog side of the park will be CLOSED most of the day to install drains and temporary fencing to divide the mulched and grass areas. The mulched area will reopen later that afternoon.
-Wednesday, April 25: The SMALL dog side will be CLOSED all day to install temporary fencing and reseed. In addition – the fenced-off areas for grass on BOTH LARGE AND SMALL dog sides will be reseeded on this day. These newly seeded areas on BOTH sides will remain CLOSED through Monday, June 4, 2012. In addition, the gate closest to the Salem Animal Shelter will remain locked during this time. The main entrance will be the only available entrance to the dog park until June 4.

Thank you for your continued support of the park and please take note of these improvement dates and temporary operational changes. Your patience and understanding while this work is being performed is appreciated.

Submitted by Mike Stevens, city of Salem spokesman

Blue Ridge Bike Fest was held for 3 days in Roanoke. It brought people from all over the United States, including the famous Full Throttle Saloon from Sturgis, S.D., and some famous local dogs and Salem visitors, too.

– Submitted by Charlotte Hale

City of Salem spokesman Mike Stevens shares this press release:

Alan Ronk, left, presents the check to Laura Reilly. Photo submitted by Mike Stevens

The Salem Farmers Market will once again be able to match funds dollar-for-dollar in its EBT/SNAP program this summer thanks to a generous grant from the Foundation for Roanoke Valley. At Monday night’s City Council meeting, the foundation’s Executive Director, Alan Ronk, presented a $14,000 check to Salem City Manager, Kevin Boggess, and Laura Reilly, who oversees the program in Salem.

“Our unrestricted Community Catalyst Funds are powerful and flexible resources that enable us to move quickly to address important local needs and opportunities,” says Ronk. “We are delighted to provide this funding to the City of Salem and the Salem Farmers Market and look forward to the many good things that will come from the grant.”

The Foundation for Roanoke Valley, the region’s community foundation for over two decades, awards millions of dollars annually to hundreds of non-profit and governmental organizations. This grant specifically designates $12,000 to directly match EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) funds and $2,000 to purchase additional wooden tokens.

“Two of Foundation for Roanoke Valley’s current priority-grant focus areas are basic human needs and economic development,” he says. “We felt that this program offered a very compelling opportunity to provide healthy, home-grown produce to those who could not otherwise afford it and, at the same time, to support the efforts of local farmers to bring such produce to the market.”

The Salem Farmers Market began this program last summer not knowing how it would be received. Shoppers at the market, who are part of the SNAP or former food stamps program, can basically double their money when shopping for fresh food on the market. For example, this grant will allow a family to get $20 worth of fruit and produce for just $10.

“This money will make a huge impact on those in need in our community and we are very grateful to the Foundation for their support,” says Reilly. “We were blown away by the reception this program received last summer and we believe it has the potential to double the number of people it helps this year.”

FIRST YEAR FIGURES WITH THE EBT/SNAP PROGRAM ON THE SALEM FARMERS MARKET IN 2011 (JUNE 25 – OCTOBER 15)

Total EBT Transactions 233
Total EBT Dollars from VDSS $4,589
Total Match Dollars $4,589
Total dollars spent by EBT participants $9,178

Ken Price walks his three-month-old Red Bone Hound pup Maddie at Green Hill April 9. Photo Miranda Beck, So Salem

Roanoke County spokeswoman Teresa Hall shares this press release reminding folks to keep pets on a leash at county parks:

As the temperature rises, so do the number of visitors to Roanoke County’s many parks, which are frequented by people of all ages looking to relax, exercise, compete in a sporting event, or just have fun. With the increase in visitors, Roanoke County would like to remind folks that dogs and other domesticated animals must be carried or kept on a leash while on Roanoke County park property.

Roanoke County Police and Parks, Recreation, and Tourism staff would also like to remind people that domesticated animals cannot be brought to special events, tournaments, ball fields, or concessions areas. Service animals are exempt from this regulation. Any persons in violation of this ordinance are subject to prosecution.

Out of courtesy to other park guests, users of Roanoke County parks are reminded to clean up and dispose of any waste left behind by their pets.

Roanoke County also asks that park guests refrain from taking their pets onto any athletic field, even if that area is not currently being used for a game or tournament.

City of Salem Animal Shelter director Rebecca Custer frequently updates the shelter’s Facebook page with photos of the adoptable animals there. She shares this one of Zelda, a medium-haired green-eyed girl who is currently waiting for someone to adopt her.

You can see Custer’s other photos as of March 27 here.

Check out what two West Salem Elementary fifth-graders are doing to raise funds for the Salem Animal Shelter by selling “Earrings for Animals.”

Owens Lugar Photography is hosting Furry Friends Portrait Sessions from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 7 in their studio at 213 East 4th Street in Salem. Each session will be 10-15 minutes and will include 3 digital edits.

For more information, contact Beth-Ann at 798-5358 or email bethann_lugar@hotmail.com

Submitted by Beth-Ann Owens Lugar