Salem Days’ Salem Pageant sure to entertain

r Dottie Jensen of Salem, Utah has written and directed the Salem Pageant many times over the years and she is at it again for 2017. Her goal is always to bring the community together for one big show.

Performers range from 6 to 90 years old. Dottie asks local residents if they have talent and a desire to participate she will find a place for them in the pageant.

This year’s theme is “Sunshine on a New Day.” The pageant is the concluding program, followed by fireworks, of a weeklong list of activities centered in the small town of Salem.

This year’s Salem Pageant to be held Saturday, Aug. 12 at the Salem Pond (Knolls Park) at 8:30 pm, will conclude a day full of activities starting with breakfast and the parade at 10 a.m. After the parade, there will be children’s games and activities. At 5 p.m. there will be a senior citizen’s dinner followed by the pageant and fireworks.

There is a cast of about 130 people of all ages. The city of Salem furnishes the material for the costumes and there are eight ladies sewing costumes. Mark Shipley is painting the backdrop, which is 12 feet tall and about 30 feet long. Steve Cox works with Mark to set up the different sections of the backdrop for painting. Rehearsals are being held in the Salem Community Center as people prepare for their parts in the Salem Pageant.

Mark Shipley will present the opening number, “No Business Like Show Business.” There will be about 18 additional numbers which include “When the Saints go Marching In”; “These Are a Few of My Favorite Things”; “All I Ask of You”; “Who Let the Dogs Out”; and “Sunshine, Lollypops and Rainbows.”

Put the Aug. 12 Salem Days Pageant on your calendar and plan on attending this major family entertainment event that you will remember for a long time. For more information on this event checkout the Salem City website, www.salemcity.org/salem-days-salem-pageant.htm.