Salem Parks Foundation

08/08/2026

07/22/2026

🌟 Meet Salem’s Summer 2026 Park Heroes! 🌟

Saili Mahanti and Emma Zheng, who recently completed their sophomore year at South Salem High School, are working to make Salem’s parks more accessible and inclusive, starting with a project at Aldrich Park. ♿️🛝

Their effort began when Saili discovered The Recess Project, https://www.therecessproject.org/, an organization promoting disability inclusion and accessible playgrounds. After connecting with one of the group’s board members, she learned more about how to launch a similar effort in Salem.

Community Partnerships and Progress

Emma and Saili networked with community members to connect with staff at the Salem-Keizer School District Facilities, Salem Parks Operations, and the Southeast Salem Neighborhood Association (SESNA). As word spread about their vision, community support began to grow.

In response, SESNA applied for and received a $5,000 Salem Parks Improvement Fund (SPIF) grant to help purchase wheelchair-accessible playground equipment. This grant will be matched by the City of Salem Parks and Recreation Department. Emma and Aili estimate these grants will cover about one-quarter of the total cost to bring the Aldrich Park project to reality.

Saili and Emma are continuing to:
🛝 Work with SESNA to identify the playground equipment the community would most like to see at Aldrich Park
🤝 Collaborating with the City of Salem’s Park Planning and Operations departments to confirm safety and feasibility requirements.
💰 Planning additional fundraising efforts to secure remaining project funds.

Why This Work Matters

Saili and Emma were motivated by what they had seen in local parks: families arriving together, but children who use wheelchairs often left watching while others played. They believe this kind of exclusion affects not only the child who is unable to participate, but also the peers and adults around them, shaping how disability is understood in the community. After looking more closely at parks across Salem, they concluded that many still fall short of being truly inclusive and accessible.

To support this important project, mark your donation: “Aldrich Park Accessibility and Inclusion Project.”

07/12/2026

Mark Wigg is hosting a House Concert fundraiser for Salem Parks Foundation. This will be a Manny Martinez concert featuring the Manny and Wes Duo (guitars and vocals) and will occur on July 19, 1:00-2:00. Mark's address is 1950 Saginaw St. S., Salem.

The concert is free, but donations will be accepted. Proceeds will go to Salem Parks Foundation in support of community gardens. Cookies and Kombucha will be served. RSVPs are not required.

07/06/2026

Fairview Park: Some History and a look to the future.
~By Muriel Meyer, Morningside Neighborhood Parks Chair

The future of Fairview Park in South Salem is designed to incorporate a significant History Plaza/interpretive space as part of its $19 million redevelopment, specifically aiming to educate visitors about the 26+ acre site’s past as the Fairview Training Center. The park, located at 2220 Strong Road S.E., is scheduled to begin construction in 2027.

Fairview Park lies within a region of the Willamette Valley originally inhabited by the Santiam bands of the Kalapuya people. Prior to the arrival of non-native and Euro-American settlers in the mid-1800’s, the Kalapuya tended and maintained the Willamette Valley. Methodist missionaries arrived in the area in 1840. The Fairview Park property is part of a 640-acre parcel that was claimed, settled, and cleared for agriculture during this period. Today, descendants of the Kalapuya are primarily members of the federally recognized Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians.

For most of the 20th century, the Fairview Park property hosted the state-operated facility that housed Oregonians with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Center opened in 1908 and housed over 10,000 residents in total by the time of its closure in 2000.

History Plaza & Educational Features:

Designated History Plaza: The plaza is slated to act as the educational heart of the park, educating visitors on the site’s history as a state-run institution for people with developmental disabilities, which operated from 1908 to 2000.

Adaptive Reuse of Materials: A key feature of the history plaza will be the reuse of red bricks, which were salvaged from buildings on the old Fairview property, to create a tangible link to the site’s past.
Interpretive Signage & Spaces: The project includes an “Interpretive Space” that will feature art, historical, and educational components to share the stories of the thousands of residents who lived there, addressing the site’s complex history.

Funding for Education: In 2025, Salem allocated nearly $825, from the State of Oregon for these specific interpretive improvements, supporting the construction of the educational space and associated site improvements.

The history plaza is part of the first phase of development, which focuses on transforming the underdeveloped site into a public amenity, featuring a splash fountain, a dog park, and 8 pickleball courts.
Donations for the Fairview History Plaza are greatly appreciated!

06/19/2026

Join us June 25 – 28 for the to celebrate Oregon’s
Bottle Bill!

It’s a statewide search for 6 commemorative bottles hidden in 6 locations across
Oregon. Visit BottleDrop.com/Hunt!

• will celebrate Oregon’s iconic Bottle Bill with its annual
from June 25-28! Bottle finders get to direct a $1,000 donation to a BottleDrop Give nonprofit of
their choice.

That could be us, so help us spread the word! Learn more: BottleDrop.com/Hunt

06/15/2026

🌳✨ Investing in Salem’s Parks, One Project at a Time! ✨🌳

Congratulations to our Salem Parks Foundation's 2026 Neighborhood Park Grant Award recipients! 🎉

The Salem Parks Foundation is proud to support neighborhood-driven improvements that make our parks more welcoming, accessible, and enjoyable for everyone.

Each year, the Salem Parks Foundation partners with Salem's neighborhood associations to fund projects that enhance local parks and create more welcoming spaces for the community. Through its Neighborhood Park Grant Program, the Foundation supports improvements that help make Salem's parks more enjoyable for everyone.

These grants reflect the creativity, dedication, and volunteer spirit of Salem's neighborhoods.

Thank you to the neighborhood associations, volunteers, donors, and community members whose efforts continue to make Salem's parks vibrant places to play, relax, and connect. We look forward to seeing these projects come to life in 2026!

🏀 Central Area Neighborhood Development Organization
• Marion Square Park – Basketball court restriping

🪑🗺️ West Salem Neighborhood Association
• College Heights Park – New bench and trail map
• Straub Nature Park – Trail map

🎨 Northgate Neighborhood Association
• Northgate Park – Mural repair and protective plexiglass

🌿 North East Salem Community Association
• D Street Park – New bench
• Geer Park – Upgrades to two park kiosks

🌲 Morningside Neighborhood Association
• Fairview Park – New bench

06/10/2026

Bush’s Pasture Rose Garden is in bloom and looking beautiful. If you’re looking for a lovely stroll this upcoming weekend, it’s a wonderful destination in Salem.

The rose garden was established in 1955 with the planting of 1,000 rose bushes across 49 rose beds. By 1960, the garden had expanded to 101 rose beds.

The story of the garden is closely tied to the history of Bush’s Pasture Park. The City of Salem first acquired 57 acres of Bush family property in 1917 as a gift to create a municipal park. After the death of Sally Bush in 1946, the city acquired the remaining 43 acres.

Sally’s father, Asahel Bush, was a pioneer banker and founder of the Ladd & Bush Bank and the Oregon Statesman newspaper. Her brother, A.N. Bush, died in the family home, now the Bush House Museum, in 1953.

Over the years, Sally Bush cultivated many roses throughout the original Bush family property. Those historic roses were later gathered and replanted in four rose beds just north of the gazebo, preserving varieties that date from the 1920s and 1930s.

In the 1950s, renowned landscape architects Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver helped the City of Salem design the Bush Rose Municipal Garden. Their influence remains part of the garden’s character today.

Another important addition came in 1960, when Mae Tartar donated her private collection of Old Garden Roses. She was known for collecting cuttings from early homestead roses, helping preserve historic varieties for future generations.

05/20/2026

Waldo Park is known as one of the smallest city parks in the world. The park is 12 by 20 feet, and at its center stands a giant sequoia redwood tree. The tree was planted by William Waldo in 1872 after he purchased it as a seedling from a traveling salesman.

William Waldo, a judge and member of the Pioneering Waldo family, planted the tree at his home on the corner of what is now Summer and Union streets. When Waldo’s property was to be platted and included within the city limits, Waldo only vacated land on the condition that the tree be preserved.

As the city grew, the tree faced obstacles to its continued existence. In 1936, to save the tree, the American War Mothers petitioned the city council to establish the tree as a city park, and the park was officially designated.

After the new Oregon State Capitol was completed in 1938, the city continued expanding to the north. William Waldo died in 1911, but his home still stood at the site until the late 1950’s, when Salem underwent a large expansion to accommodate the growing city. Streets were extended and widened, and many older homes north of the Capitol were demolished to make way for the Capitol Mall.

05/13/2026

At the conclusion of our 2026 Take a Walk in the Park event, former Mayor Roger Gertenrich spoke about the evolution of our Eco-Earth Globe from a paper mill acid ball to a piece of public art.

Dr. Gertenrich, during his tenure as mayor of Salem in the 1990’s, spearheaded and championed the project. He spoke passionately about his belief that we are fortunate to have this globe gracing our city, and that any city in the world, including Paris or New York, would be proud to have Eco-Earth. He implored the city to step up its efforts to restore this unique landmark.

Special Thanks to Ron Cooper, photographer, who contributed these pictures.