During World War II there was also a Women’s reserve of the US Coast Guard during World War II called SPARS – this was an acronym derived from the Coast Guard’s motto “Semper Paratus” – meaning always ready. SPARs was established in 1942 along with the Army WAC and the Navy WAVES. To learn more about the history of the SPARS, please visit the United States Coast Guard webpage and search for the article by Robin Thomson about SPARS.

Marilyn Johnston, a retired City of Salem Employee, has created a documentary – about her mother Theresa Davis which not only gives some historical insights about the antisemitic discriminatory policies of the time, but she shares her experiences as part of the first twelve recruits including her personal account of their trip to their assigned station in the Midwest. To view the documentary produced by Marilyn Johnston, please visit YouTube and search for her video- My Mother Was a Coast Guard SPAR.

May is when the annual "UFO Festival" in McMinnville is celebrated. This is the second-largest UFO festival in the nation after the one held in Roswell, New Mexico. The McMinnville UFO festival began in 1999 – and was a way to honor the 1950 sighting where two local citizens witness and photographed a UFO. The photos were printed in Life magazine by Paul and Evelyn Trent at their farm outside of McMinnville. On June 8, 1950, Powell's story of the incident—accompanied by the two photos—was published as a front-page story in the McMinnville Telephone-Register. The headline read: "At Long Last—Authentic Photographs Of Flying Saucer. This year they celebrated their 25th Festival. To learn more about this event please visit: ufofest.com. In 1974, the National UFO reporting center was established in Davenport Washington. This is a non-governmental, non profit organization registered in Washington State. Additional sightings continued to be reported – such as the sighting of a UFO over East Salem reported in January 1979 as reported by multiple residents to the Capitol Journal, who said they saw a round glowing object with red flashing lights, hovering in the sky. If you want to learn more about the National UFO reporting center please visit: https://nuforc.org/

April is World Landscape Architecture Month (WLAM). Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver practiced landscape architecture together in Salem, Oregon, from 1929 to the 1969. Their firm was the first office of professional women landscape architects on the West Coast.

In Salem, the Lord and Schryver Conservancy works to ensure the home gardens designed by Elisabeth Lord and Edith Schryver are maintained.

To learn more:

Read the Book: “Northwest Gardens of Lord and Schryver”

Visit Lord and Schryver Conservancy: lordschryver.org

New in 2025: Drop by and enjoy Gaiety Hollow Garden at on Wednesdays 10-4 (May thru September).

Watch the Video “Women of Mission”. This video explores the lives of four of Salem's most interesting women: Elizabeth Lord, Edith Schryver, Sally Bush, and Alice Brown. Salem's garden and parks wouldn't be the same without the influence of these important women.