Salem adds first-ever family field day with kickball for 400th anniversary

Salem is adding its first-ever Family Field Day to the 400th anniversary calendar on Sunday, July 12, at Forest River Park, and the kickball tournament sits at the center of the free community gathering. The city says the event is part of Salem’s quadricentennial year and is being presented with Salem 400+, the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem, the Salem YMCA and the City of Salem Parks & Recreation Department.

The kickball bracket will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Stephen O’Grady Field and is open to participants ages 14 and up. Pre-registration is required, spots are limited, and the tournament carries a registration fee even though the larger Family Field Day is free to attend. One event listing also notes that single registrants may be placed on teams that do not meet the minimum roster size of eight players.

Salem is surrounding the tournament with a lineup designed to make the park feel more like a festival than a formal competition. City materials list classic kids’ field-day activities, all-day lawn games, arts and crafts, bubbles, relay races, food trucks and free ice cream while supplies last. The city also says Salem residents will have free pool access in the afternoon, and a Fire Department spray zone is part of the day’s programming.

That mix gives kickball a specific job inside the larger celebration. Instead of standing alone as a league-style event, it works as a low-barrier way for teens and adults to jump into Salem’s anniversary programming while younger children, parents and grandparents have other ways to spend the afternoon at Forest River Park. Salem 400 event materials describe the park as one of the city’s signature parks, highlighting its green space, pool, athletic fields and waterfront setting.

The setup also showcases how Salem is using one familiar summer game to carry a broader civic message. With the city marking 400 years, the Family Field Day gives families a chance to take part directly, whether through kickball, the lawn games or the pool, while also putting Forest River Park itself in the spotlight as one of the city’s most visible public spaces.