Viva Salem, a popular community event celebrating Hispanic heritage at Riverfront Park, won’t return for its third year.
Organizer Irma Coleman, the city’s neighborhood program coordinator, said it has been a wonderful experience, and a huge success. Held in September, around 3,000 people attended last year.
“It was a beautiful day full of celebration. Families dancing, enjoying the park and the music, and the food and shopping,” she said.
This year, after reductions in the parks department and existing staff being pulled in too many directions, it was too much for the city to take on, she said. Amid a yearslong budget deficit, a recent review by business leaders found that the city is stretched thin by chronic understaffing and dwindling resources.
“It became too big for the number of staff that we have available to dedicate time out of their already busy schedule to help me host the event,” she said. She told vendors and performers about the cancellation around January, she said.
It’s not currently on the list of programs the city plans to restore with the apparent passage Tuesday of a tax levy, said city spokeswoman Courtney Knox Busch in an email Wednesday.
“Independent of the levy, we remain concerned about staffing capacity for that event,” Knox Busch said.
The city last year canceled a planned Salem Service Day at Riverfront Park, a free event where city departments bring out large vehicles and host activities aimed at kids. That decision was also made due to staffing limitations.
Coleman launched Viva Salem in 2023, wanting to share her Mexican heritage with her kids without having to travel. She secured a $10,000 grant from Salem’s transient occupancy tax, a tax on hotel stays which pays for cultural and tourism events. That money and sponsorships made the event happen.
Coleman’s favorite memory from the event that she created is standing on the stage at the Gerry Frank | Salem Rotary Amphitheater, addressing the crowd between performances. She was nervous, but knew the message was important. She delivered it in both English and Spanish.
“Reminding them that the city of Salem cares about its community and wants to see this community really grow and come together,” Coleman said. “That was very special.”
She said this year’s cancellation is a disservice to Salem’s Hispanic community. In addition to performances, booths helped families connect to needed health care and other community resources. Last year, she said Alcoholics Anonymous met with several families at Viva Salem who ended up helping them get transportation to meetings.
“What we really wanted to bring to our community is not just a day of celebration and learning about the rich Hispanic culture and what it means to Salem, but also making those connections with the nonprofits. That is also something that I know a lot of our families really benefited from,” she said.
Coleman said she hopes that Viva Salem can return someday. That all depends on city staffing levels, she said.
Even if that day doesn’t come, Viva Salem will have a lasting impact in the community. For the inaugural event in 2023, Coleman found local vendors who were selling food on Facebook and from their homes. She walked them through the application process to be official vendors at the festival, including getting permits through the Marion County Health Department.
“Now a couple of those vendors are doing so well. They’re at the Saturday Market every Saturday. I see them all the time at local events, and I hear about their success,” she said. “It makes me really proud to know that I had a part in that, and that Viva Salem had a part in helping them grow their business as well.”
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251.
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Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
