SamaZama Performance during Yozakura
2026-04-04 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | State Capitol State Park, 900 Court St. NE, Salem, OR, 97301, United States
Enjoy the musical performance of SamaZama Koto/Cello Duo at 7 p.m. in State Capitol State Park. SamaZama is a collaboration of the Koto – a Japanese traditional musical instrument played By Masumi Timson and the Cello played by Joseph Harchanko. “Samazama” is the Japanese word for variety. The SamaZama Duo combines the esoteric nature of traditional and contemporary Japanese music with tango, jazz, blues and western classical music, blending the instruments and music of Eastern and Western cultures in a moving and uncommon musical synthesis. Their music deftly unites these two widely divergent instruments through traditional and contemporary Koto works to create a vibrant musical soundscape that soothes and inspires.
This event is free and open to the public. Parking around the Capitol Mall is free on the weekends. This event is sponsored by the Oregon State Capitol Foundation and the City of Salem.

VFW #661 Military Uniform Display
2026-04-06 10:00 - 2026-04-24 17:00 | West Galleria
Salem is home to a vast and valuable collection of military uniforms. The collection was started more than 30 years ago by H.A. “Mac” MacDonald, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel who served during the Korean and Vietnam wars.
MacDonald was working as a lobbyist for various veterans’ organizations when he was asked if he knew anyone who would be interested in an unwanted military uniform. MacDonald was, and from that single donation grew a collection that today has nearly 2,000 uniforms.
You may have seen past exhibits at the Capitol, or perhaps at the Marion County or state fair. But what you might not know is that every exhibit is different. Come and explore the uniforms during this annual exhibit which runs this year April 6-24.

Exhibit: “Master Penworks of Tom Stefopoulos: The Hellenic Artist of the Lovejoy Columns”
2026-05-05 - 2026-06-04 | West Galleria
The Hellenic-American Cultural Center and Museum (HECCM) presents “Master Penworks of Tom Stefopoulos: The Hellenic Artist of the Lovejoy Columns” May 5 through June 4. The exhibit is available during Capitol hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Athanasios (Tom) Efthimiou Stefopoulos was a factory worker, railroad man, commercial artist, and a champion penman. Art was his first love but pursuing this was difficult for a young immigrant in an adopted country where he did not even speak the language. In 1945, he was employed by the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railroad to work as a crossing watchman under the Lovejoy Ramp of the Broadway Bridge in Portland, Oregon. It was here that the artist created the iconic “Lovejoy Columns.” This exhibition considers the range of Stefopoulos’ art, from pen drawings to the murals that graced the Lovejoy Columns. His style is a unique blend of calligraphic lines and Art Nouveau, and his themes span Ancient Greek philosophy to contemporary world events. In style and in theme, Stefopoulos blended a myriad of influences, a result of a life lived in multiple places and among many people. Despite a life that was characterized by movement and synthesis, however, the Lovejoy Columns represent a sense of belonging to specific place—in this case, to Oregon. Stefopoulos’ art gives insight into how the artist envisioned himself in this new home.
This exhibit was one of three that were awarded Capitol History Gateway exhibit sponsorships in the first year of the program. Exhibits are funded, in part, by the Oregon State Capitol Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Guided Building Tour
2026-06-15 - 2026-11-13 | Rotunda
A FREE guided public tour of the Capitol happens daily, M-F, at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. The tour will discuss the murals in the Rotunda, the House Chamber, the Governor’s Office (if accessible), the Senate Chamber and other art and architecture of the building.
Tours start at the State Seal in the Capitol Rotunda. Please check in with Visitor Services staff at the Information Desk prior to a tour. The tour is 30 minutes in length.

Capitol Closed in Observation of Juneteenth
2026-06-19 | Rotunda
The Capitol will be closed on Friday, June 19 in observation of Juneteenth. We will reopen on Monday at 8 a.m.

Exhibit: Caralyn B. Shelton - The Nation's First Female Governor
2026-06-24 - 2026-07-29 | West Galleria
Caralyn B. Shelton served as Oregon’s acting Governor in 1909 – three years before Oregon women were granted the right to vote. In her three-day tenure, Shelton demonstrated that a woman could execute the duties of the highest state office. Her story was told by newspapers all over the world at the time, but few today know her name and her remarkable story. This exhibit is brought to us by the Willamette Heritage Center and is sponsored by the Oregon State Capitol Foundation.

Celebrating America's 250th at the Oregon State Capitol - Passport to History
2026-06-27 10:00 - 14:00 | Rotunda
Join us on Saturday, June 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. as we celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary (the semiquincentennial)!
Grab your souvenir passport to Oregon and America’s history (while supplies last.) Have your passport stamped at locations within the building and outside in the park and return for a 250th Semiquincentennial gift.
The United States Postal Service will also be on hand for a specialty, one day only postmark. This postmark alone is a great commemorative souvenir that is only available at this postal station inside the building during this event only!
The Sons of the American Revolution, Republic Chapter, will be opening the event by posting the Colors in the Rotunda and then will be available at the Liberty Bell to provide costumed interpretation and information about their organization.
OK2Botay, a steel drum band from Tri-Cities will be performing in the Capitol Plaza from 10:10 a.m. to 10:40 a.m.
Nothing is more American than apple pie, and Willamette Valley Pie Co. has graciously given us free samples for the public, while supplies last. The same is true for vanilla ice cream, and Tillamook Creamery, has provided ice cream bars for this event, also while supplies last.
View the exhibit: Caralyn B. Shelton – The Nation’s First Female Governor brought to us by the Willamette Heritage Center.

Capitol Closed in Observation of the Fourth of July Holiday
2026-07-03 | Rotunda
The Capitol is closed on Friday in observation of the Fourth of July holiday, and America’s semiquincentennial. We will reopen on Monday at 8 a.m.

Digital Exhibit - Standing for Justice: The Japanese American Journey in Oregon
2026-07-09 - 2026-08-09 | Online
As Oregon commemorates the nation’s 250th anniversary, learn about Japanese American contributions to democracy and those who have fought injustice with action. This exhibition features remarkable Oregonians who have embodied democratic ideals, such as Elisa Dozono, Tiffany Koyama Lane, Lynn Nakamoto, Bill Naito, Minoru Yasui, and Mari Watanabe, as well as the causes the Japanese American community in Oregon has rallied behind. This exhibit comes to the Capitol from the Japanese American Museum of Oregon, and was sponsored in part by the Oregon State Capitol Foundation.
This digital exhibit runs through August 7.

A Celebration of America's 250th Anniversary - Concert on the Capitol Mall
2026-07-11 11:00 - 12:00 | State Capitol State Park, 900 Court St. NE, Salem, OR, 97301, United States
The Salem Philharmonia Orchestra will perform a free concert at State Capitol State Park on Saturday, July 11 starting at 11 a.m. The concert is free, and attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair, blanket, and picnic lunch, spread out on the grass in the Capitol Mall area of the park and enjoy the performance.
The orchestra will be led by guest conductor Damian Berdakin, South Salem High School Orchestra Director and the program comprises:

John Philip Sousa – Stars and Stripes Forever
Edwin Eugene Bagley – National Emblem March arr. Clark McAliste
Leroy Anderson – Fiddle Faddle
Jay Ungar – Ashokan Farewell arr. Bob Cerulli
Scott Joplin – The Entertainer arr. D. S. Delisle
America the Beautiful Fantasy arr. J. Frederick Muller
George M. Cohan – You’re a Grand Old Flag arr. Steven L. Rosenhaus
Bill Holcombe – American Celebration
John Williams – Hymn to the Fallen
Aaron Copland – Saturday Night Waltz and Hoe-Down from Rodeo

Exhibit: A Willamette Farmer's Legacy - Thomas Dove Keizur
2026-08-03 - 2026-08-28 | West Galleria
Thomas Dove (T.D.) Keizur was an involved resident of the Oregon Territory. Participating in the first Oregon election more than 180 years ago, serving as a pre-provisional legislator in 1844 and serving as the founding Captain of the Oregon Rangers, Keizur embodied “an Oregonian that got involved” in Oregon’s democratic process, which is the one of the core narrative goals of the Capitol History Gateway exhibit program.
This exhibit was sponsored by the Oregon State Capitol Foundation and is brought to us by the Keizer Heritage Museum.

Digital Exhibit - Maxville: Multicultural Timber History Through an Archaeological Lens
2026-08-12 - 2026-09-18 | Online
Maxville was a company logging town in Wallowa County, Oregon established by the Bowman-Hicks Lumber Company of St. Louis, Missouri. It was a component of the rapidly expanding industrial logging industry in the early 20th century, and despite exclusion laws that made it illegal to be Black in Oregon, Bowman Hicks moved dozens of African American families to northeast Oregon, families whose members were skilled lumbermen in the American South. Until disbanded by the company in 1933, some 400 residents of Maxville harvested trees and lived their daily lives in a community that included white and black neighborhoods and schools, an integrated baseball team, a hotel, a post office, a jail, an administrative center, and a narrow-gauge railway.
Many residents, including African Americans, remained living at Maxville through the 1940s, and their descendants still live in Wallowa County today. This archaeology exhibit explores the PNW timber industry, diaspora and dislocation using geolocation methodologies and archaeological protocols to uncover two dwellings that reveal insights over 100 years later of family, daily life, work, and recreation activities of Maxville residents.
This online exhibit runs August 12 through September 18, and is brought to us by Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center. The exhibit is sponsored, in part, by the Oregon State Capitol Foundation.

Exhibit - "Riveting History: 100 Years of the Bridge of the Gods"
2026-09-03 - 2026-10-01 | West Galleria
Riveting History: 100 Years of the Bridge of the Gods celebrates the centennial of the iconic steel cantilever span that has connected Cascade Locks, Oregon and Stevenson, Washington across the Columbia River since October 26, 1926. The exhibit is free and will be on display in the Capitol’s Galleria September 3 through October 1, and can be viewed during the Capitol’s building hours.
The exhibit traces the bridge’s origins to the Indigenous legend of “Tahmahnaw,” a natural land bridge formed by the massive Cascade Landslide Complex in the mid-1400s. From there, the exhibit follows the ambitious journey to build the modern span: the rise of automobile tourism along the Columbia River Highway, entrepreneur George S. Allen’s vision for a crossing at the Cascades, the Bridge of the Gods Corporation’s dramatic 1922 dedication ceremony, and years of financial struggles before the Wauna Toll Bridge Company stepped in to rescue the project. This culminated in an opening day celebration on October 26, 1926 to mark the joining of two communities. The exhibit also covers a remarkable engineering feat that came years later: when Bonneville Dam’s new reservoir threatened to swallow the bridge’s clearance, the entire span was raised 44 feet in 1940, lifting it to its current height of 140 feet above the Columbia River. Together, these stories of geology, Indigenous heritage, entrepreneurial ambition, and engineering ingenuity make Riveting History a rich celebration of a bridge that has become one of the Columbia River Gorge’s most beloved landmarks.
This exhibit was sponsored by the Oregon State Capitol Foundation and is brought to us by the Cascade Locks Museum.

Hispanic Heritage Day
2026-09-12 10:00 - 14:00 | Rotunda
Celebrate the diverse cultures of the Hispanic and Latino communities in Oregon. This event will have musical celebration as well as dancing and free activities provided by our Capitol History Gateway partners. This year’s celebration will take place on Saturday, September 12, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The presenting sponsor for this event is the Oregon State Capitol Foundation.
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Celebre la diversidad cultural de las comunidades hispana y latina en Oregón. Este evento contará con música, baile y actividades gratuitas a cargo de nuestros socios de Capitol History Gateway.
El patrocinador principal de este evento es la Fundación del Capitolio del Estado de Oregón.

Oregon's Bounty: A Celebration of Agriculture
2026-10-03 10:00 - 14:00 | Rotunda
Join us at the Capitol on October 3, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a celebration of all things agriculture. A number of our Capitol History Gateway partners will be providing activities, exhibits and education free for the entire family.

Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony
2026-12-01 17:00 - 19:00 | Rotunda
Kick off Holidays at the Capitol season with the annual tree lighting ceremony. This is a tradition for many families. Choral performance starts at 5 p.m. Program with dignitaries starts at 5:30 p.m. Free photo station with Santa follows directly after tree is lit. Please bring your camera or cell phone for this experience as physical photos are no longer provided. Free cookies and punch while supplies last.
To watch a livestream of the event starting at 5 p.m. click on the streaming link available a couple of hours before the event starts.

Holidays at the Capitol
2026-12-02 - 2026-12-23 | Rotunda
Holidays at the Capitol is a time-honored tradition that fills the Rotunda with the sounds of school choirs from around the state. Performances take place from Monday through Saturday. Holiday décor on display during building hours. The choir schedule will be available the last week of November and performances run 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
There will be a streaming link provided the first day of performances.
If you are coming to the Capitol to watch the performances, please know parking is metered at $1.50 per hour. You will also go through security – no personal protections devices or sprays, knives, multi-tools or guns are allowed in the Capitol.
