Kent community calendar | Aug. 29

EVENTS

Coffee with the Chief: 8-9 a.m. Sept. 5, McDonald’s, 10125 SE 256th St., Kent. Join Police Chief Rafael “Raf” Padilla for an informal opportunity to sit down and chat with him and other Kent Police Department staff. Drip coffee will be provided.

Kent City Council Candidate Forum: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Sept. 5, Kent Commons, Crystal Mountain Hall, 525 Fourth Ave. N. Meet and hear the candidates. Position No. 1: Marli Larimer (incumbent) and Todd Minor; Position No. 3: Les Thomas (incumbent) and Hira Singh Bhullar; Position No. 5: Bill Boyce (incumbent) and Mizan Rahman; Position No. 7: Awale Farah and Zandria Michaud. Admission: $25 for Kent Chamber of Commerce members; $30 for non-members; $35 day of the event. Register at kentchamber.com.

Kent YMCA grand opening: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 14, 10828 SE 248th Street, Kent, East Hill. A ribbon will be cut on the new 50,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility and aquatic center. Community celebration and open house includes free activities. For more information on memberships and the facility, visit seattleymca.org/locations/kent-ymca.

TeamUp2CleanUp Kent: 8, 9 a.m., Sept. 21. City of Kent community-wide effort to beautify the city as individuals and teams work various locations. The downtown project starts at 8 a.m. at Kherson Park, 307 W. Gowe, the East Hill location begins at 9 a.m. at Golden Steer Restaurant, 23826 104th Ave. SE. For more information or to register, please visit KentWA.gov/TalkingTrash.

Fifth annual Hawktoberfest Car Show: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 28, historic downtown Kent. Presented by Downtown Kent Partnership. Seahawks-themed car show. Music, kid’s activity corner, trophy awards, vendor booths. Custom trophies will be awarded to vehicles in various categories. Join the costume contest with awards for best overall adult and kid’s costume, best group (3 or more) and best couple. Free. Register at downtownkentwa.gov. Railroad Avenue closes at 6:30 am; Day of registration and check-in starts at 9:30 am at the corner of Meeker Street and Railroad Avenue North. Please enter Meeker Street West from Central Avenue. Judging and awards will begin 2 for cars and costumes; must be present to win. More information, visit KentDowntownWA.com.

Business Expo, Taste of Kent: 3-7 p.m. Oct. 15, ShoWare Center, 25 W. James St. More than 90 vendors expected, including 10 restaurants/caters for the Taste of Kent. More than 2,000 business owners and residents attend the event, organizers say. Free. For more information, visit kentchamber.com.

BENEFITS

Pediatric Interim Care Center’s Walk for the Babies: 9 a.m. Oct. 5, Kent Station, 417 Ramsay Way. Annual 5K walkathon for drug-exposed newborns. Proceeds to help PICC’s Newborn Nursery to bring care and comfort to babies withdrawing from prenatal drug exposures. No fee to register online. Every participant (excluding children) are asked to raise a minimum $25 donation. More information at walk4picc.com.

Greater Kent Historical Society Gala & Fundraiser: 5:30 p.m. Oct. 5, Kent Senior Center, 600 E. Smith St. Honoring the city of Kent and its Sister City programs with Tamba (Kaibara), Japan; Yaugzhou, China; and Sinnjford, Norway. Buffet dinner (prime rib and salmon), basket raffle, wine raffle, dessert dash and raise the paddle for scholarships. Tickets: $50 before Sept. 1, $60 thereafter. For more information or to order tickets, call 253-854-4330 or visit gkhs.org.

Starry Night, second annual Kent Schools Foundation Dinner and Auction: 5 p.m. Oct. 12, Renton Pavilion, 233 Burnett Ave. S., Renton. Admission: $75 per person. Proceeds benefit the foundation. Event sponsor: HomeStreet Bank. To register or to obtain more information, visit kentschoolsfoundation.org.

PROGRAMS

Green River College’s Prime Time Fall Kickoff: 2-4 p.m. Sept. 11, GRC’s downtown Auburn Center, Room 230, 1221 D St. NE. Dr. Jim Merrill will speak about the importance of staying active and share studies that speak to the health benefits. Merrill practiced family medicine in Enumclaw for 35 years. Free. Advance registration recommended through greenriver.edu.

Educate to Elevate Workshop: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sept. 17, Green River College, Kent campus, 524 W. Meeker, Suite 100. Are you on top of what you need to grow, and adjust if there’s a change in the market? How do you use your financial information to shore up the business? What marketing data approaches help you resist competitors? Free to Kent Chamber of Commerce members. To register or to learn more, visit kentchamber.chambermaster.com.

HEALTH

Bloodworks Northwest drives: Appointments can be made by calling 1-800-398-7888, or visit bloodworksnw.org.

ENTERTAINMENT

ACCESSO SHOWARE CENTER

625 W. James St., Kent. 253-856-6777. Order at accessoshoware center.com. Events include:

LFL Presents Legends Cup: 6 p.m. Sept. 7. Tickets: $15-$65. Women’s indoor football league championship.

International WFTDA playoffs: Sept. 13-15. Top teams in the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) roll into Kent. Hosted by Rat City Roller Derby, the event brings 12 of the best teams in the world together for three days of competition. Ticket packages available.

Christmas Cantada: 7 p.m. Sept. 25. Experience world-class music and theater, as well as a powerful message that will move your heart.

Los Inquietos del Norte: 8 p.m. Oct. 12. Corrido group known for their “hype” style of music. Tickets: $52 advance, $72 day of show.

Christine D’Clario/Barak USA Tour: 7 p.m. Oct. 13. Christine D’Clario and Barak Group unite their hearts and projects with their tours “Emanuel,” which means God with us and “Shekinah,” which means the glory of His divine presence.

SPOTLIGHT SERIES

Kent Arts Commission series schedule. All shows are at Kent-Meridian Performing Arts Center, 10020 SE 256th St. Tickets available at kentarts.com or by calling 253-856-5051.

• JigJam: Sept. 27. Playing traditional Irish music, bluegrass and Americana.

• Che Apalache: Oct. 19. Innovative, young group, combining genres to create something new and fresh – in this case “Latingrass.”

• California Guitar Trio and Montreal Guitar Trio: Oct. 26. Six virtuoso guitarists with stage presence to spare.

• Magical Strings Annual Celtic Yuletide Concert: Dec. 8. Music, Irish dancing, and storytelling.

SENIORS

KENT SENIOR CENTER

600 E. Smith St., Kent. Hours: Monday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed Saturday and Sunday. 253-856-5150. kentwa.gov.

Meals

Kent Parks Deli & Café: 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m., Monday-Friday. All meals $7, except Wednesdays $6. All ages. In addition to entrée and side dishes, meal includes: homemade soup; homemade bread/ roll; homemade dessert; fresh cut salad bar (2 bowls, 1 serving); coffee; tea and milk.

Programs

Live music, Tuesday night dances:

7:30 p.m. Kent Senior Activity Center, 600 E. Smith St. Open to all ages. Cover charge: $4 listeners and dancers, cost at the door, open to all ages. For more information, call 253-856-5164 or visit kentwa.gov/ SeniorActivity Center.

MUSEUMS

Greater Kent Historical Society: 855 E. Smith St., historic Bereiter House, Kent. Hours: noon- 4 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday, and by appointment. Admission: suggested $2 donation; no tickets are required for entrance. Parking is available behind the house off East Temperance Street. GKHS is a nonprofit organization that promotes the discovery, preservation and dissemination of knowledge about the history of the greater Kent area. For more information,visit gkhs.org.