Salem Creative Network

The Salem Creative Network is celebrating six months of providing creative solutions for social innovation this month! When we started this back in June, we had no idea that it would become so popular. We now have more than 400 people on the email list and more joining after each event. We will assess our programming at the end of the month and plan the next six months of invigorating downtown Salem.

The venue owners are ecstatic about the turnout and level of professionalism associated with the Network. Retailers will be included in programming beginning with the January Willamette Valley Wine Walk happening on Friday, January 15. And we have plans for including restaurants and non-alcoholic venues in events also. If you want to get in on the planning, attend one of our monthly meetings.

Willamette Valley Wine Walk 6:00 p.m. Friday, December 11 at Travel Salem 181 High St NE. We had a great turnout last month and lots of enthusiasm for a relaxed, sociable wine-related event in the heart of wine country. 30 people participated and thoroughly enjoyed the evening despite the obvious lack of men. It turned into girls night out and we decide to do more promotion to even out the ratio. We’ll see if that works on Friday. Please signup online or visit our Facebook event page.

Creative Pub Crawl

While the turnout was slightly less than the previous month (probably due to Snuggie stigma) the Creative Pub Crawl seems to be connecting hundreds of new relationships as anticipated. Based on the Facebook signups already, it looks like everyone is ready to get in the Christmas spirit on Friday, December 18,. The photo scavenger hunt was very popular and pushed a few boundaries with humorous results. We’ll do that again this month  for more prizes.

For those interested, the Network is meeting 4:00 p.m. Sunday, December 13 for a Misfit Toy Sweatshop event at f-stop visual arts center, 335 Grove St NE. We’ll be disassembling unwanted toys and creating more exciting toys for prizes along the Creative Pub Crawl route.

We’re meeting 5:30 tonight above Tea Party Bookshop with mayoral candidate Jordan Blake. He is an active member of the Network’s Salem City Repair project and is in on the planning of the Village Converge event planned for late spring. Jordan’s campaign is resonating with the progressive community in Salem and we’ll see how his views align with Salem Creative Network goals. Also at tonight’s meeting, we’ll be re-tooling the mission statemnet for the non-profit organization and discussing the mission statements for the proposed political action committee and business advocacy group. Please stop by if you have the time.

Thanks again for making the Salem Creative Network a reality and we look forward to more growth  in 2010.

Ross Swartzendruber

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As Seen on TV - Snuggie Crawl

Big fun at the Snuggie Pub Crawl Friday November 20.
Art by Michael Adamson, trivia and bar specials at the ƒ/stop.
Live music and $5 nacho bar crawler special at Cafe Noir.

NEW SURPRISE VENUE! (You’ll never guess)

Anti-Cute Bizarre Bazaar at Coffee House Cafe

Geolocation games, so you can follow us through town.
Slip on your nighties and join us downtown.

Final Schedule
(Schedule subject to change)

5:00 Pre-crawl art show at ƒ/stop Fitzgerald’s, 335 Grove
6:00 Cafe Noir, 610 Marion St NE.
6:30 Mystery location
7:00 Copperjohn’s
7:30 The Brick
8:00 Venti’s Cafe
8:30 Brown’s Towne Lounge
9:00 Pete’s Place
9:30 Magoo’s
10:00 Cokie’s Landing
10:30 The Space
11:00 Flipside!

Here are a few photos from the October event.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=120792&id=580943106

Use your phone to connect with us online during the event.

Twitter:
@salempipeline

Shizzow:
pubcrawl

Iphone:
Beer Signal

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Crawlers pack the bunker at Venti's.

Lots of activity happening downtown with the Salem Creative Network. The Pub Crawl continues to gain participants and the new Wine Walk turnout surprised even me. The monthly events and candidate forums are keeping us busy. Here’s a quick update.

Snuggie Pub Crawl this Friday, November 20

We’re stoked about his month’s theme – Snuggies and pajamas. With the chilly weather upon us, a cozy crawl with night clothes on seems to make a lot of sense. Of course, we’re trying a few new twists again.

First – due to popular demand – we’re throwing a 5:00 p.m. Pre-Crawl Art Show at ƒ/stop fitzgerald’s, 335 Grove St NE. Salem artist Michael Adamson is on exhibit at the f-stop and crawlers will be warmly welcomed with bar specials. The regular crawl will start 6:00 p.m. at Cafe Noir, 610 Marion St NE. Full schedule available soon.

Second – Social media and networking. We’ll be tracking our whereabouts on twitter (@salempipeline) Facebook (Salem, Oregon) Shizzow (pubcrawl) and Iphone (Beer Signal). If you join the crawl late, you can check those sites for the latest updates. Also, we’ll be trying a scavenger hunt throughout the night with prizes for the most bagged game.

Thanks again to the Creative Pub Crawl participants. We’re having a lot of fun and making a lot of people smile. See you Friday!

Willamette Valley Wine Walk redux

On Friday the 13th, the Salem creative Network tried something new, a wine walk through four downtown venues featuring Willamette Valley wines. 30 people arrived at Travel Salem for the beginning of a spontaneous, relaxed evening that was a hit with venue owners and participants alike. The next Walk is scheduled for Friday December 11.

Candidate forum

The Salem Creative Network met with candidates Chuck Bennett (Salem mayoral candidate) and Sheryl Dash (Ward 6 candidate) at the last meeting held Tuesday, November 3. They both spoke about the need for including younger residents in the decision-making process. We will meet with other candidates in the next few months

Councilor Bennett outlined upcoming city goals that would affect downtown specifically.

1. Downtown parking
The current mayor and council are testing the waters for metered parking on downtown streets and the privatization of the Chemeketa, Liberty and Marion Street Parkades in 2010. Most businesses are aghast at the idea and a flurry of email has slowed the privatization approach. It would be great to get feedback about where you would like to see this issue go.

2. Kiosks
Since they’ve been removed, many networkers have been trying to find a way to provide solutions for artists, musicians and free speech advocates to promote themselves downtown. After listening to our concerns, councilors Bennett and Tesler placed the kiosks on the list of 2010 council goals. They found little support from council and managed to keep them in the goals as part of the Town Square initiative, which should be taking shape in the next three months.

3. North Downtown
Did you know about the next high-end condo project planned for north downtown? A large, seven-story project is being planned for the riverfront north of Union Street bridge where the Keith Brown complex is. Based on the current vacancy rates and lack of open space, Bennett recommended extending Riverfront Park northward and creating an inviting entrance to downtown.
Also, the under-developed area around O’Brien Auto Group is being considered for urban renewal.
One surprise that came out of the last Urban Renewal District meeting was to use funds to support nightlife. Since it was a first for the District, no one really knew how to react. It will be interested to see where it goes.

Both Sheryl and Chuck promise to be excellent candidates for the May 18, 2010 election. We’ll be inviting more candidates to upcoming meetings. Please reply with your feedback.

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We will start tonight at 6:00 p.m. at Travel Salem, 181 High St NE. Each venue on the walk is offering $5 or $10 specials to wine walk participants. We will have approximately one hour at each venue.
Willamette Valley Vineyards, Mia Sontina and Oregon Bubbly are on the list for tasting. Our theme is 80’s country club so bring on the Izods, Vaurnets and Topsiders.
Reply if you have questions.
See you at 6!

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Crawlers got a taste of Little Red Riding Hood's cupcakes.

A friendly crowd of Halloween revelers paraded through downtown Salem last night, leaving a trail of smile, empty glasses and happy spectators in their wake. We hit 13 venues and based on the bar owner and participant feedback alike, it was a huge success. See it for yourself

Sign up for the next crawl – the Willamette Valley Wine Walk Friday November 13 in downtown Salem.!

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The Creative Pub Crawl schedule is finalized for Friday, October 30 in downtown Salem. The theme is Halloween and we’re giving away gift certificates totaling $200 to the most creative costumes at each venue. Also new to the crawl is Pub Crawl Kids child care, a bike taxi and scooter service to get you home safely.

Here’s the schedule:

6:00      Grand Vines
6:30      Copperjohn’s
7:00      Brick
7:30      Brown’s Town Lounge
8:00     Venti’s
8:30     Pete’s
9:00     Cokie’s
9:30    Magoo’s
10:00  Cafe Noir
10:30  The Space

As always, $1 pizza 6-9 at Straight From New York Pizza and $1 espresso shots at Coffee House Cafe.

NEW THIS MONTH:

Pub Crawl Kid Child Care at Coffee House Cafe Backspace!
We have trained child care providers to watch your kids between 6-9 pm. Please reply if you are interested in using this service and we’ll provide the details.

Irish Coffee at Coffee House Cafe provided by ƒ/stop Fitzgerald’s.
Stop by and get a little Irish in your coffee between 8-9 pm.

Bike Taxi
Salem Bicycle Taxi will have two pedicabs to transport you between venues in style.

Scooter service
The Salem Creative Network Scooter service will get you and your car home safely. Scooter service loads the scooter in your trunk, drives you home and returns to help others get home. Please reply if you’re interested in this service.

Other developments:

Salem Creative Network candidate forum Tuesday November 3
Meet Salem City Council and Mayoral candidates in the first of a series of candidate forums. Now is the time to build the network with candidates that support providing creative solutions for social innovation. Get in on the ground floor. Please attend the meeting to see where the candidates stand on issues that affect YOU.

Willamette Valley Wine Walk Friday November 13
Sign up for the first Wine Walk, a slower, more informative version of the Creative Pub Crawl. The theme is ’80’s Country Club, so sport those Izods and get busy networking with the wine crowd.
The first stop is 6:00 p.m. at Travel Salem and Willamette Valley Vineyards. We’ll visit 3 more venues featuring Willamette Valley wineries and winemakers. Please RSVP here.
More details to come.

We are still tallying the survey results. For those of you who have hesitated Take it now!

Thanks again for your interest in keeping Salem creative. See you at the Crawl!

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The Pub Crawl keeps growing! More than 300 people participated in the Back to School Fantasy and based on the feedback, the Halloween Pub Crawl will be even bigger. Venues are offering prizes for the best costumes in addition to their regular bar specials.

Want to help make the pub crawl even better? Take our survey!

Add your name to the Facebook event page

And of course, we’re adding a few more things to make the evening more enjoyable, like the new Salem Bicycle Taxi:

So join us on Friday for a Halloween Pub Crawl. We’ll keep you updated on the schedule.

See you downtown!
Ross

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We had another great night for the Salem Creative Network. Here are a few photos from the mayhem that crawled through more than 12 venues. See you again on Friday, October 23!

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September Creative Pub Crawl is tomorrow! Where did the time go? If you’re like me, you’re anxiously awaiting the pub crawl and the excitement that comes with meeting new people, having a little fun and feeling good about recreating in downtown Salem. The theme is Back to School Fantasy, so be the person you always wanted to be in high school. Period dress recommended. Let’s see a few bell bottoms, belted jumpsuits and prom dresses!

Here is the update about the Friday event.

Wine Crawl

Last month’s attendance beat 200 crawlers, and from what I’ve heard, they are all coming back and bringing more friends with them. So, in an effort to keep traffic flowing through the venues, there is a new schedule just for wine drinkers – the WINE CRAWL. This will happen at the same time as the regularly scheduled PUB CRAWL but at different venues and with ONE HOUR at each venue. If you are looking to escape the hectic pace of the pub crawl and meet other “sophisticated” drinkers, hop on the WINE CRAWL. Same member benefits apply to both schedules.

Both the WINE CRAWL and PUB CRAWL will start together at 6:00 at Cascade Baking Company, 229 State St. We will be serving Wandering Aengus Hard Cider with brick-oven baked pizza from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Full schedules for both crawls will be available there.

Designated Driver

For the considerate souls that selflessly offer to drive after the event, we have a special bracelet and member benefits available for you. Please inquire about our designated driver package when register for your bracelet.

Art and Tours

Rivers Condominiums offered to open their project to the Regeneration Art Fest for a video installation and tours to interested crawlers. The installation will start at dark and tours will begin at 6:00 p.m. and go until the conclusion of the video program. There will be a dj spinning music and beer, wine, cider and comestibles will be available to crawlers. The event is only open to registered crawlers.

Once again, thanks for your participation and interest in making downtown Salem an exciting destination for the Mid-Willamette Valley. I’ll see you there with bells on!

Ross

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The countdown to a new political horizon in Salem began today when Chuck Bennett, Ward 1 City Councilor, announced his candidacy for Mayor of Salem. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, May 25 and VOTE! Let’s make sure that the newly elected four councilors and the mayor are advocating for the Salem Creative Network.

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