"Roller skating is just a tough one," Mickey Walker, CEO of the Mavericks League, told What's Happening Salem in a September interview. "It takes a lot of 10 bucks a pop to pay rent and try to turn a profit. But when you're just putting up a tent in a parking lot, it's a little bit easier."
That quote explains a lot about this fall at Roto-Rooter Park, 6700 Field of Dreams Way in Keizer. The baseball season ended with the Mavericks League championship games Aug. 28 through Aug. 30. The stadium has since planned a 90-day run of events, and each one is timed to overlap the next. October starts small, and the schedule adds something every few weeks until Dec. 31, when everything is open on the same night. The ballpark that used to go quiet in fall now has its busiest stretch at the end of the year.
Baseball is about half of what happens here now
Some background explains why the stadium keeps adding events. It opened in 1997 as the home of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, a San Francisco Giants minor league team. Major League Baseball cut ties with dozens of minor league teams in 2020 and 2021, and the Volcanoes lost that connection. The Walker family then started the Mavericks League, which plays every game at the park.
Since then the grounds have hosted weekend softball tournaments, car shows and circuses in the parking lot, and a month of Glow every December. Walker estimates baseball is "probably already like 50%" of the stadium's events. He also said there is "absolutely a world where baseball's only 25%." He presented both as his own estimates, not a published count.
He gave Glow as the example of what the extra events do for the area. Walker said about 30,000 people came last year, during a month when the stadium had hardly hosted anything before. "That's 30,000 more people driving through Keizer Station than would have ever been there in the past," he said.
The skating rink, the Halloween event and the New Year's Eve plans all build on that idea.
October belongs to the rink
The skating comes from Skateland 2 You, a mobile roller rink operator that also runs public skating in Albany and Corvallis. Walker said the partnership came together about two months before the announcement. The company needed a new spot for its rink, and the stadium agreed to a 90-day run timed to overlap with Glow. Skateland 2 You lists the Keizer run from Oct. 2 through Dec. 31, 2026.
Because this is Oregon in the rainy season, the location matters. According to the Mavericks League ticket page, the rink is set up "in an enclosed event tent." The materials we reviewed did not include a separate weather or rain-refund policy.
A two-hour session costs $10, and skate rental is included. At online checkout the total is $11.50, which covers the $10 admission plus a $1.50 fee. Each session has limited capacity, and organizers encourage buying tickets ahead for a specific date and time.
These were the opening-week sessions on the reservation page:
| Day | Sessions | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday | 6:30–8:30 p.m. | All ages |
| Wednesday | 8:30–10:30 p.m. | 18+ Adult Night |
| Thursday | 6:30–8:30 p.m. | Worship on Wheelz |
| Friday | 6–8 p.m., 8–10 p.m. | Public skate |
| Saturday | 10 a.m.–noon, noon–2 p.m., 2–4 p.m., 6:30–8:30 p.m., 8:30–10:30 p.m. | Public skate |
| Sunday | 1–3 p.m., 3–5 p.m., 6–8 p.m. | Public skate |
Those times are confirmed for opening week only. The full date-by-date schedule wasn't published in the sources we checked, so look at the ticket page for the week you plan to go. Organizers have also said the season will include themed nights, group bookings and private events alongside the regular public sessions.
Saturday is the easiest day for most households to plan around. It has three daytime blocks before 4 p.m. and two evening blocks after a break. The Wednesday adults-only session runs until 10:30 p.m., which works for a weeknight outing that doesn't need a babysitter for the whole evening.
The announcement also drew a big response. Walker said the stadium's regular Facebook post, with no ad money behind it, got about 1,000 shares. With that much early interest, buying ahead for a Saturday makes more sense than walking up.
Halloween adds the second layer
The first event to share the rink's calendar is Halloween and Hot Rods on Saturday, Oct. 31. Walker described it as "a souped-up trunk-or-treat event." Kids walk from car to car collecting candy from decorated trunks.
The scale has grown quickly. The stadium held a similar event two years ago with about 20 or 25 stops. Walker said this year could have as many as 100 to 150 hot rods, motorcycles and other stops.
So far the details come from that local interview. The event's name appears on the Mavericks League site, but we didn't find a dedicated event page with times. Confirm the hours closer to the date. Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, the rink's busiest day, so trick-or-treating and a skate session could fit into the same visit if the times line up.
Late November brings Glow back
Glow is the Christmas light festival the stadium started last year with Glow Festival, a company founded in Langley, British Columbia. This year's theme is "Around the World," with lit-up landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal and London Bridge, plus a 40-foot Christmas tree. The official Glow site describes passport stamps at seven regions.
The opening date depends on which source you read. The Mavericks League ticket listings run from Friday, Nov. 27, through Thursday, Dec. 31. Each date on the league's Glow events page lists entry at 4:45 p.m. Glow's own Plan Your Visit page lists opening day as Nov. 28. The day after Thanksgiving is the date to watch, and checking the ticket page before booking settles it. Glow's FAQ also lists daily hours, but those dates match the 2025 calendar, so they aren't a reliable guide for this year.
Walker called this year's show "100% different" from last year's. New for 2026:
- A full vendor market
- A train that loops around the stadium concourse
- A revamped stage area for more live entertainment
- New food vendors with what he called "big souped-up food options that are creative and sometimes a little outlandish"
Glow says admission includes all the main attractions, including the trackless train, bounce structures, Santa photos, the market, live performances, food trucks and the 40-foot tree. Glow's homepage lists these prices, with fees on top:
- Adults 13 and older: $19.99 plus $4.00 in fees
- Children 4 to 12: $14.99 plus $3.50 in fees
- Seniors 65 and older: $14.99 plus $3.50 in fees
- Family pass for five: $69.99 plus $9.50 in fees
- Children 3 and under: free
Parking is $5.
For a family planning December, the key detail is that Glow and the roller rink are sold as separate tickets. From late November on, both run on the same grounds, so one trip can cover both if you buy both tickets. For a household of five, the Glow family pass plus five skate sessions comes to about $120 before fees and parking. Doing them on separate nights means paying for parking twice and making two drives.
Dec. 31 is when everything overlaps
This whole fall schedule leads up to New Year's Eve. Walker said the rink and Glow will both be open on Dec. 31. The stadium is adding live entertainment, kids' activities and fireworks. Skateland 2 You plans a special New Year's Eve skate to close its run.
A 9 p.m. fireworks show is the plan. A midnight show is still possible, but Walker put the odds at about 80% that there will only be the 9 p.m. show. "We want to be focused on the family and the kids aspect of it," he said, adding that getting people out to an outdoor venue that late is harder.
A 9 p.m. finale changes the night for younger kids. They can skate, walk through the lights, watch fireworks and get home at a reasonable hour.
Here is the full fall calendar in order:
- From Oct. 2: Roller rink, Wednesday through Sunday
- Oct. 31: Halloween and Hot Rods joins the rink on a Saturday
- Nov. 27 or 28: Glow opens, and the rink and lights run side by side
- Dec. 31: Rink, Glow, live entertainment and a planned 9 p.m. fireworks show, all on one night
Even the stadium's winter schedule comes back to Keizer Station. Walker said that traffic is the reason for the expansion, and that the "trickle-down benefits" reach businesses in Keizer Station and across Keizer and Salem. Each ticket in the next 12 weeks also means a trip down Field of Dreams Way, past the shops and restaurants nearby.
When we work with people looking at homes around Keizer and north Salem, a big part of the conversation is what everyday life near places like Roto-Rooter Park looks like, especially on weeknights and in winter. If you have questions about Keizer or anywhere else in Marion County, Shey Gladstone is glad to talk it through with you. Let's Connect.
