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Text for 1999 Salem, Oregon visitor guide Text by Rick McKinney [The following is an example of straight public relations text written for a visitor's bureau in Oregon] Arts: 459 words This year, as the Salem Art Fair & Festival celebrates its 50th anniversary, Oregon's Capital City strengthens its commitment to the arts with more galleries, outstanding theater, youth concerts, artist's studio tours and much more! Start your tour of Salem's art scene with a stroll through the Capitol and its storytelling murals and portraits of past Governors. Outstanding examples of Depression period art, the murals illustrate prominent events in Oregon history. While at the Capitol, be sure to see Russell Ziolkowski's fascinating mosaic replica of the Oregon state seal comprised of 3,250 items collected during his time as a sanitation worker for the city. Together with the lost marbles, beads, coins and small toys that comprise this folk art salute to Oregon statehood, are depictions of the beaver, the meadowlark, a covered bridge, all "painted" with such Oregon staples as filberts, walnuts, pine cones, beach sand and nine varieties of grain. Housed at Salem's Willamette University is the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, fully six galleries offering visitors access to contemporary and historical collections, including the work of Pacific Northwest artists such as Rick Bartow of Yurok ancestry. And it's only a short distance to the Bush Barn Art Center and a number of other galleries, museums, and performing arts venues in the downtown area. From the educational beginnings of Jason Lee's founding of Willamette University over 150 years ago, the Salem area is now host to a number of academic institutions, all of which provide the community with a host of visual and performing arts events. Western Oregon State College in Monmouth hosts the Smith Fine Arts Series and Chemeketa Community College's Celebration of the Arts program brings prominent writers, artists and musicians to Salem to perform. Be sure and stop by the Salem Visitors Center and pick up a copy of Arts News for listings and information on this month's entertainment and cultural events in the Salem area. Overview: 656 words (original) Pioneering spirit and an eye for landscape and architectural beauty combined in the latter half of the 19th century to make Salem the romantic living museum that it is today. From the long history of native tribes who honored the fertile valley land to the trappers, farmers and missionaries who traveled far by boat or made the arduous trek across land on the Oregon Trail, the Salem area has an undeniable appeal that continues now into the new millennium. When Salem was founded in 1841, Oregon was still partly under British control. But down river in Champoeg that same year, the seeds of self-government were planted in what were known as "Wolf Meetings." Two years later, settlers cast the historic vote for a Provisional Government, a first in the Pacific Northwest. Two decades later, Salem was capitol of the new state of Oregon. A must-see while in Salem are the home, gardens and bank built by Asahel Bush, one of the authors of the state constitution. Mr. Bush's estate and neighboring Deepwood Estate, one-time home of local land speculator and druggist Dr. Luke A. Port, are two magnificent cornerstones evidencing Salem's commitment to preserve the style and aesthetic of its historical treasures. Both homes are open for tours. What helps make Salem so very special is it's easy proximity to dozens of parks and recreation opportunities throughout Polk and Marion counties. A scenic drive an average of 20 miles in any direction places you in prime salmon fishing waters, and areas for camping and hiking. Taste Oregon's world class wines at one of 16 area wineries, or take a balloon ride over hazelnuts farms and acres of tulips, daffodils, peonies and iris in an area known as "the bulb basket," home to the world's largest grower of iris. Fresh flowers, fruits, vegetables, ornamental trees, plants and Christmas trees are all grown here, the fruition of early wagon train setters' dreams who looked west to Oregon for rich soils and open land. The city of Salem embraces the visitor with a sense of accessibility and aesthetic appeal uncommon to larger capital cities. And everything is easy to find. Just orient by the shining gold pioneer atop the State Capitol and your on your way to an historic and fun-filled exploration of the Northwest's most welcoming capitol city. Simply put, Salem is "a place of peace" easy both on the mind and the eyes. Start your Salem visit with a stop by the visitor's center located at Mission Mill Village, home of the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill Museum and the Jason Lee House, both open for tours and rich in Salem historical significance. Salem's Waterfront Park is a lovely place for a stroll and neighbor to the largest and finest children's museum and play area in the Pacific Northwest, housed in two historic homes by the river. Take the kids out for bumper boats, mini-golf, waterslides, and tours of a Western Mining Town or an Old World Village at one of the Salem area's two major amusement parks. In winter months, a two-story sternwheeler riverboat cruises the Willamette from Waterfront Park taking guests upriver in sight of the governor's mansion. Hawks soar overhead and the flowing waters transport one back in time to the days of fur trappers and early Native American inhabitants. Dream of the future as you look far off into space at the Chemeketa Community College Planetarium, or tremble with awe at the sound of the 4,000 pipe Wurlitzer organ in the 1926 Tudor gothic movie palace, the Historic Elsinore Theater. When early settlers reached the end of the Oregon Trail wasted and weary, British officer John McLoughlin acted against his government's orders to dissuade the settlers, welcoming them instead with open arms and hospitality. Wherever your meanderings take you in Marion and Polk counties, we know you'll be greeted with that same warmth and congenial spirit. Look, listen, learn.. eat, drink and enjoy! Shopping intro: 124 words Home to the only Nordstrom between San Francisco and Portland, and situated right off Interstate 5 where Polk and Marion counties meet, Salem is the needle on the compass for shopping in the Willamette Valley. From the major names in retail to shops dedicated to Oregon and Salem-made products, Salem and its rural neighbors have it all. Stroll past the historic Elsinore Theater and the undeniably beautiful facade of the Ladd & Bush Bank as you peruse the city's fine selection of local handicrafts, quilts, antiques, jewelry, the art of Northwest artists, floral shops, a candle factory and more. Hit both the Salem Center and the Lancaster Mall where parking is free and a selection of nearly 200 specialty stores are waiting to serve you. Lodging intro: 125 words Pondering where to stay in Oregon's capitol city? Well, there's more to Salem than meets the eye driving by on Interstate 5. A lot more! Within walking distance of the Capitol, the downtown historic district and Bush's Pasture Park Gardens are at least ten places to stay ranging from the economical to the stately. The Salem area is home to a dozen unique bed & breakfast inns, many of them in excellently-restored historic homes, from a lovely, creekside Victorian to a country home in one of Oregon's oldest vineyards. Salem's diverse lodgings cater to you fancy with everything from fireplaces and player pianos to steam rooms, jacuzzis, tennis courts, computer modem links and full breakfast fare. Sleep tight for tomorrow there is much to see! Dining intro: 151 words Ready for a capitol-sized adventure in dining? When early settlers reached the end of the Oregon Trail during the great westward migration in the mid-1900's, they often arrived with little more than a big appetite. We hope you're hungry, too, for Salem's restaurateurs offer a veritable banquet of choices, with one local menu offering fully 110 different omelets, and another, 110 beers from around the world! Think Thai, tempura, tabouli or Italian. Try a taste of Australia or the Hungarian roast pork a la Varga. Or follow your compass needle north, to wild mushrooms, mesquite broiled salmon, fresh baked Oregon berry pies, and award-winning area wines and ales, products of the Willamette Valley's ideal growing conditions. Whether it's elegance you're after or the quaint atmosphere of a pub, lunch amidst renaissance museum decor or dinner overlooking a golf course, Salem celebrates diversity in dining with something for everyone! Surrounding areas intro: 259 words Not only is Salem a warm and welcoming city of blossoming forested gardens and beautiful historic homes, it is the perfect launching ground for a pioneering venture of your own! Drive along the wagon tracks of adventuresome pioneers like Lindsay Applegate who, after losing a son to the Oregon Trail's treacherous Columbia River passage, forged the southern route through the Willamette now bearing his name. The Applegate Trail will take you through Independence and Monmouth, both featuring well-restored historic homes and buildings, and Dallas, home of the 100-year-old Polk County Courthouse and a 130-year-old tannery still in operation. Head east to North Santiam Canyon, "Western Oregon's year-round playground," or up along Route 214 for a loop tour of Silverton and Mount Angel along graceful rolling hills of Christmas tree farms and into the verdant and mystical forested realm of Silver Falls. Stop there and hike if you like, or simply enjoy the fresh, oxygen-rich breath of the forest as you drive along. Two of the falls are visible from the road. While in historic Silverton, be sure to visit The Gallon House Covered Bridge, and, when it opens in the year 2000, The Oregon Garden, 250 acres of splendid landscape architecture and botanical wonders. Mount Angel to the north boasts the largest Oktoberfest west of the Mississippi, and to the Mount Angel Abbey, a Benedictine retreat offering self-guided walking tours of its tranquil grounds and panoramic mountain views. Marion and Polk counties represent the fulfillment of early pioneers westward-yearning dreams, and it's all here for your pleasure and a whole lot easier to get to now at the dawn of a new millennium!
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