by Rachel Alexander

Last week, Jacob wrote about the idea that Salem is full of people trying to find the door in.

After talking to him for that piece, I asked if I could write a guide to finding your people and passions here. 

My bona fides: I moved to Salem in 2018 from Washington. I knew exactly one person here and had only driven past the city on I-5. I spent nearly eight years at Salem Reporter doing local journalism and getting to know what makes this city tick. 

My introduction to the city’s social life came via Cherry City Roller Derby, which wrapped together exercise, socializing and community service into one package. A few concussions, one kid and a new job later, I’m now plugged into Salem through a mix of volunteer gigs and smaller social groups.

Salem is a place where you have to put in some work to find your people. If you can make that happen, it pays off.

But if you’re not part of a church, didn’t grow up here and don’t know where to plug in, that can be easier said than done.

First, I want to rattle off some things you might not know about. Salem has:

Put another way: there is more going on here than you think.

You don’t need to read every word every local news organization puts out or subscribe to hundreds of email lists to have some idea of what’s happening in Salem.

But you need some way of figuring out what’s going on — big events where you can plug into the Salem scene, smaller get-togethers or one-off things you can invite friends to or meet people at.

That could mean following a venue or a local extrovert on social media to see what’s up. If you like good music and weird local flare, The Moon might be your ticket in. More interested in Mexican cultural events? Keep an eye on where Casa de Cultura Tlanese and Enlace are performing — anywhere they’re going is probably worth a visit. The Salem subreddit always has a mix of happenings (and the weekly all-caps Friday rant thread is usually worth a read).

Need an event calendar to browse? Salem Reporter has one, plus a weekly article highlighting upcoming events. Press Play has an online calendar and a weekly email. What’s Happening Salem, of course, has its weekly rundown.

Prefer to look for civic engagement? The city of Salem’s newsletter that comes out on Friday has a wealth of info about upcoming meetings, city boards and commissions and volunteer opportunities.

In my former career, I spent a lot of time talking to high school principals. They spent a lot of time tracking which kids are involved in the life of the school. Here’s why: a teenager who has one thing that gets them to come to school in the morning is way more likely to go to class and eventually graduate. They don’t care what the thing is — a sports team, a music ensemble, a club, a career education program.

I think that’s true for adult life too.

Showing up at one event isn’t going to make your life full. But if you can find one thing you care about — something that’s fun and happens regularly enough you can get to know people — you’re going to be better off. 

Spoiler: I’m a big fan of volunteering as a way to meet your people.

For one, we’re all broke these days. Volunteering lets you try out new organizations, social groups and different vibes without paying for a first date coffee over and over.

It’s also easier to connect with people when you’re doing something together. There’s shared purpose, there’s genuine joy in accomplishing something, and there’s less pressure on the conversation when it flows from an activity. 

If your social skills are rusty because you never found your groove after Covid or are getting back into life after having a kid, showing up at a place with low-stakes socializing goes a long way.

Need something where your kid with too much energy can tag along? City parks are always looking for people to plant trees, remove invasive plants or tend to garden areas. More of an indoor family? Radness Ensues has a ton of free events to check out, including open hours where you can make art or try out musical instruments.

Like playing video games and heating up dino nuggets? Punx with Purpose needs volunteers for its youth drop-in center and associated warehouse.

Make a mean chili? Soup Squad always wants people to make and serve food at Marion Square Park on Saturdays. Prefer to garden? Black Joy Farm in Keizer has open hours on Saturday mornings where anyone can come and help weed, harvest produce or just hang out with the chickens.

Want to exercise with other people who aren’t triathletes? There’s the Slow Runners Club. Curious about hiking but don’t want to wander into the woods alone? The Chemeketans might be worth checking out.

You might find that something you’re interested in is mostly retirees or older folks. Don’t rule it out. One of my first good friends in Salem was a 70-something force who I got to know over midnight conversations in the kitchen at a warming center. She’s clued me in on live music events happening in someone’s barn, gifted pears from her backyard tree and is always happy to teach the younger generation how to can or sew.

Like it or not, a lot of the interesting stuff going on in Salem isn’t huge events. It’s gatherings at people’s houses, groups that get together regularly to knit or play D&D. It’s organized via Facebook groups, Discord channels, friends of friends, or that one extrovert everyone seems to know who invites people to do a thing.

I talked to Snarfy Knutson, community-builder extraordinaire and owner of the downtown salon Court Appearance. Like me, they moved to Salem as an adult knowing no one. Snarfy said they first made friends in Salem by just posting their address on Reddit and inviting people to come over for food.

That may not be your jam. But don’t be shy about inviting people to collab on dinner or seeing if you can tag along to bar trivia. You don’t need to start a whole festival or event. You don’t need to have a perfectly clean apartment. You just need to show up.