Lots of events coming up!

City of Kent sent this bulletin at 04/14/2023 04:47 PM PDT

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April 14, 2023

Happy Friday, Kent!

Let's go Seattle Thunderbirds! They are the first Western Conference Club through to the Second Round of the 2023 WHL Playoffs! Let's pack the house this weekend at accesso ShoWare Center! Games are tonight and tomorrow!

April is shaping up to be a very busy month! There's a lot going on around the city and I'm excited to share this week's updates with you.

As a reminder, you can always check out KentWA.gov/Events as well as our social media for up-to-date information about events happening in Kent!

Hope you enjoy and have a fantastic weekend!

Dana Ralph, Kent Mayor

Happy Vaisakhia to all of our Sikh neighbors who celebrate!

It's National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, so we want to give a heartfelt thank you to our Valley Com 911 Dispatchers. They help save lives and protect our community every single day.

Transportation Improvement Program

Kent has transportation options for everyone—drivers, transit riders, pedestrians and cyclists. Flexibility is important to us.

Our 2024-2029 Transportation Improvement Program includes a list of projects we're looking at building over the next several years to improve transportation and transit around the city. Check out our online storymap for some history and details about our projects.

Equity & Inclusion Speaker Series

Daphne Frias is a youth activist with cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair to ambulate. She is fiercely proud to be a loud champion for the disabled community.

I'd like to invite you to this upcoming presentation where we will explore the pillars of disability advocacy while touching on the history of disability culture in America.

The concept of able-bodied allyship will be broken down including how to have inter-community dialogue. Participants will leave with an understanding of how disability shapes our everyday lives and actionable items to help them lead a more disability positive lifestyle. Learn more on our website!

📅 Wednesday April 26
⌚7 p.m.
📍 Green River College, Kent Campus

Kent City Council

Here's your recap on the last Economic and Community Committee meeting. You can view the full agenda and livestream recordings on our website.

Mini Recycling Event

Each year, the City of Kent hosts a number of free recycling collections events that allow residents to dispose of recyclable items not typically accepted at the curb. Instead of going to the landfill as trash, all collected items will be reused or recycled!

With out free mini recycle events, disposing of your recyclable items has never been easier! All event will be held on Fridays at locations throughout the city.

Check out KentWA.gov/TalkingTrash for more details on accepted items!

📅Friday, April 21
⌚ 1 p.m.- 4 p.m.
📍 Kent Library (212 2nd Ave. N.)

Earth Day Event

Our Parks team is kicking off their 2023 Volunteer Conservation Event series with an Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 22!

Join your friends and neighbors and show some love to our little corner of this big, beautiful planet.

Volunteering at our Parks conservation events are a great way to get involved and give back to our Kent community. Sign up now and bring your students! This is a great way for them to get community service hours.

📅 Saturday, April 22
⏰ 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
📍 Clark Lake Park

Riverbend Golf Tournament

The 26th Annual Riverbend Golf Complex 2 Man at the 'Bend tournament, presented by Kairos Community is right around the corner!

Registration is now open, so sign up today!

Kherson Park Renovation

I really hope you'll join us for the celebratory lift off of our brand-new space themed park located in downtown Kent.

Space for Kidz at Kherson Park is to be the first-of-its-kind to feature augmented reality, really immersing kids in an even more engaging, interactive and personal experience!

We are so excited to have this one-of-a-kind park in Kent. Launch your imagination into a world filled with rides on the Lunar Rover, earth sightings from inside a Lunar Lander and rocket launches from mission control.

📅 Saturday, May 20
🕥 10:30 a.m.
📍 307 W. Gowe St

It's going to be an out of this world experience for the whole family, as we continue to celebrate our community's ongoing legacy in space exploration.

Are you ready to run!? Join us for the 2023 Kent Cornucopia Days 5k!

The race will start and finish at the Three Friends Fishing Hole Park . Race fees are $20, or $35 with this fun throwback shirt! Sign up to race and get your fun throwback shirt!

📅 Saturday July 15 at 9 a.m.
📍 Three Friends Fishing Hole Park

The Kent Museum is unveiling its Welcome Figure with a dedication April 29 at 1 p.m.

Welcome figures are found around Washington State and Vancouver Island and were placed near the water to indicate that travelers coming by canoe were welcome.

The Welcome Figure is being carved by Waq́usqidəb (Mike Evans), Honorable Chair of the Snohomish Tribe of Indians, Father of the Blue Heron Canoe Family and Vice President of the Greater Kent Historical Society.

📅 April 29
⌚ 1 p.m.
📍 Greater Kent Historical Society and Museum

Angel Rai from Kentwood High School stopped by the office earlier this week to ask a few questions for her civics class project. It's always so much fun to hear what the civics classes students are doing in Kent.

It was such an honor to throw out the first pitch and kick off the Kent Little League season! Kent Police Department and Puget Sound Fire were there to cheer on the teams!

Saturday, we had to open the roof to deliver the Easter Bunny to Kent Station. He was there to drop eggs off, grab a few pictures and hug the kiddos for the annual egg hunt. I love seeing so many families out and about having fun!

Fentanyl Information Night

The Kent Police Department and Kent School District are hosting an informational event: Fentanyl and Other Drug Trends for Parents & Students.

Parents of any age students are welcome, and we also invite students grades 6-12.

There will be a panel discussion for both parents and students. Parents will stay and have an Q & A opportunity with the panel as students grades 6-8 and 9-12 will move into separate breakout rooms.

Register for the informational night here by Friday April 21!

📅Thursday April 27
🕜6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
📍Kent School District Administration Building (12033 SE 256th St.)

Drug Take Back Day

The Kent Police Department is partnering with the Drug Enforcment Agency to host a Prescription Drug Take Back Day at the Kent Police Department.

It's free, anonymous and no questions asked.

If you have unwanted/expired medication at home and are looking for a safe way to dispose of it, this is it. See additional details on acceptable items here.

📅Saturday, April 22
⌚ 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
📍 Kent Police Department (232 4th Ave S.)

Kent Community Bike Rodeo

Our annual Bike Rodeo event is a fun, interactive, non-competitive skills course designed for kids to improve their bike handling and traffic safety skills.

Kids will learn about stop signs, crosswalks, approaching corners as well as being considerate around other bikers and pedestrians.

The program will include helmet fittings, helmet giveaways, a bicycle skills course and bike safety checks.

Fill out this waiver to participate. If you would like to volunteer, please email KentBikeRodeo@gmail.com.

📅Saturday May 20
⏰10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
📍Kent YMCA

Cider and Ale Trail

Beer and Cider lovers, this one's for you!

Don't miss the Cider and Ale Trail in historic downtown Kent. Kent Downtown Partnership is putting together a fun night of tasting local craft brews, ciders and toe tapping live music performances.

Participants will enjoy specialty beer and cider offerings while rubbing elbows with Kent and regional brewers. Visitors are encouraged to come early and visit some of our unique shops and restaurants.

Our pets are precious, and we would be absolutely heartbroken if they went missing! A pet license provides peace of mind in case your pet gets lost, and found pets are reunited with their owners quicker!

License fees also support efforts to help us find homes for thousands of pets every year. From April 1 through June 30, you can license your cat or dog, or renew an expired license, and your late fees will be waived.

I'm excited to tell you Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy (VSHSL) is hosting a number of open houses across King County to provide community members with information about the VSHSL and VSHSL-funded services in our community. The open houses are open to the public and there is no registration to attend.

📅 Wednesday June 7
🕑 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.
📍 850 Central Ave N

Blood banks across the United States are reporting critical shortages, with donor levels lower now than they were before. Let's help patients in our community by making an appointment at the pop-up blood drive happening at Kent Station.