Life

(Left to right) Nolan Murray

Tiller’s Folly to make music at Lake Meridian Park in Kent

Tiller's Folly plays 7 p.m. July 15 at the city of Kent's annual Thursdays at the Lake concerts at Lake Meridian Park, 14800 S.E. 272nd St. The free summer concerts continue each Thursday through Aug. 12.

(Left to right) Nolan Murray

Ratzman to sing at Kent Senior Center

Tickets are still available for the Swingin' with Dean Summer Luncheon Music concert at noon July 16 at the Kent Senior Activity Center, 600 E. Smith St. Entertainer Dean Ratzman sings swing and jazz music and plays the keyboards, trumpet and trombone. He has played with groups or solo in libraries, senior centers, dance halls and other venues across the nation as well as in Canada, Japan, Greece and the Caribbean.

  • Jul 12, 2010
  • BY Wire Service

Babypants to perform at Kent’s Town Square Plaza

Parents and their children can listen to the music of Caspar Babypants at the city of Kent's Wednesday Picnic Performances from noon to 1 p.m. July 14 at Town Square Plaza Park, Second Avenue and Harrison Street in downtown Kent.

  • Jul 12, 2010
  • BY Wire Service
A Seafair Pirate takes aim at Sunday's Kent Cornucopia Grande Parade. He was part of a band of buccaneers creating mayhem at the annual Kent spectacle.

From buccaneers to belly dancers, Kent Cornucopia parade had it all: Slide Show

The sun was shining and a cool wind was blowing July 11 for the Kent Cornucopia Days' annual tradition: the Grande Parade. This year's parade had everything from Seafair pirates to politicians, drill teams to marching bands. It wound its way from Willis Street, Fourth Avenue and Ramsay Way in downtown Kent, attracting hundreds of onlookers.

  • Jul 11, 2010
  • BY Wire Service
A Seafair Pirate takes aim at Sunday's Kent Cornucopia Grande Parade. He was part of a band of buccaneers creating mayhem at the annual Kent spectacle.
Kent Dragon Boat racing team Dragin' Tails loads its boat for a the start of a heat at the 2009 Kent Cornucopia Days Dragon Boat Races. This year

Kent Cornucopia Days Calendar of Events

See what's happening at Kent's biggest community festival July 8-11.

  • Jul 8, 2010
  • BY Wire Service
Kent Dragon Boat racing team Dragin' Tails loads its boat for a the start of a heat at the 2009 Kent Cornucopia Days Dragon Boat Races. This year

Rod Cook to play July 13 at Kent Station

Want to listen to live music during lunchtime? Then go hear Rod Cook and Toast play American roots music from noon to 1 p.m. July 13 at Take-Out Tuesdays at Kent Staion, 417 Ramsay Way.

  • Jul 8, 2010
  • BY Wire Service
Sam Nageb of Kent cracks a smile during the 18 and older division of the Pie-Eating Contest at the Kent Fourth of July Splash.

Fourth of July Splash was a gas: See the slide show

Gray skies couldn't dampen the spirit of participants at the Kent Fourth of July Splash. The city's big ode to Independence Day had the hallmarks of an old-fashioned festival, with pie- and watermelon-eating contests, live music, and of course fireworks.

  • Jul 5, 2010
  • BY Wire Service
Sam Nageb of Kent cracks a smile during the 18 and older division of the Pie-Eating Contest at the Kent Fourth of July Splash.

Get ready for Kent Fourth of July Splash

You don't have to go far from home to celebrate America's birthday. The 12th annual community celebration at Lake Meridian Park, 14800 S.E. 272nd St., features a variety of fun and free activities from noon to 11 p.m. July 4, including a large fireworks display over the lake at 10 p.m.

  • Jul 2, 2010
  • BY Wire Service

Morford Carousel to spin at a later date than planned

The Morford Family Carousel will take its first spin 5-8 p.m. July 16. The city of Kent and the non-profit operating group had planned to open on July 14, as soon after Cornucopia Days as possible.

  • Jul 2, 2010
  • BY Wire Service
Brian Dye of Kent gets a little help staying engaged from his cousin

Kent bracing for Fourth of July Splash on Sunday

Lake Meridian residents simply call Brad Omon the "pyro." Omon works as a pyrotechnician for Olympia-based Fireworks Entertainment Inc., the company that will produce the 10 p.m. show for Sunday's 12th-annual Fourth of July Splash at Lake Meridian Park.

Brian Dye of Kent gets a little help staying engaged from his cousin

Take kids to Tickle Tune Typhoon in Kent

Children and their parents can check out Tickle Tune Typhoon at the city of Kent's free Wednesday Picnic Performances from noon to 1 p.m. July 7 at Town Square Plaza Park, Second Avenue and Harrison Street in downtown Kent.

  • Jul 2, 2010
  • BY Wire Service

Kent Summer Art Gala July 7

Look at the art, meet the artists and enjoy hors d'oeuvres, beverages, desserts and a no-host bar at the Kent Summer Art Exhibit and Gala from 5-8 p.m. July 7 at the Centennial Center Gallery, 400 W. Gowe St.

  • Jul 2, 2010
  • BY Wire Service
Joanna Pham and Bobby Dhaliwal of Kent-Meridian's Bridging the Seas Indian Club show off their formal clothing during the International Festival Fashion Show Saturday

Kent International Festival erupts in downtown Kent: See the Slide Show

The Kent International Festival celebrated its second year in operation June 25, with plenty of cultural energy. There was live entertainment, food, music and a dose of sunny, warm weather to bring the crowds in. See the excitement with these Kent Reporter photos by photographer Charles Cortes.

  • Jun 29, 2010
  • BY Wire Service
Joanna Pham and Bobby Dhaliwal of Kent-Meridian's Bridging the Seas Indian Club show off their formal clothing during the International Festival Fashion Show Saturday
Joyce Becker is a Kent resident

Confessions of a Quiltaholic – The Saga of a Quilter’s Husband

So, here’s the deal. When my husband Donald retired, everyone asked him, “What are you going to do after you retire?” He replied, “Carry my wife’s bags when she travels to teach quilting.”

Joyce Becker is a Kent resident

Blue 4 Trio to play at Kent Station

The Blue 4 Trio of Seattle, which plays eclectic music that swings, opens the city of Kent's annual Take-Out Tuesdays from noon to 1 p.m. July 6 at Kent Station, 417 Ramsay Way.

  • Jun 29, 2010
  • BY Wire Service
Ester Kim performs a silk dance at the 2009 Kent International Festival.

Kent celebrates its cultural heritage at International Festival

Organizers count on local performers, food, arts and craft vendors to make the Kent International Festival such a strong community event. The second annual free festival runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 26 at the Town Square Plaza Park at the corner of Second Avenue and West Smith Street.

Ester Kim performs a silk dance at the 2009 Kent International Festival.
Emma Levin

Irish dance troupe among the entertainers at Kent International Festival

Jenny Kolin initially started to teach Irish dancing in the 1990s at a class at Kent Commons before she formed the Rowan Fae Irish dance group in 1999. Fourteen dancers from Rowan Fae are part of the 16-group entertainment lineup at the Kent International Festival from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 26 at Town Square Plaza Park, Second Avenue and West Smith Street, in downtown Kent. Rowan Fae performs from 2:45-3:15 p.m. at the main stage.

Emma Levin
Vendor Maria Lopez sells her handmade purses at the Kent Farmers Market each Saturday.

A long way from El Salvador: Kent Farmers Market vendor keeps her handicraft alive

Maria Lopez, of Kent, learned to make nylon purses by hand from her mother as a child in El Salvador. Now Lopez, 43, sells the purses as one of the many vendors at the Kent Farmers Market downtown along Second Avenue between Smith and Gowe streets. The market opened June 5 and runs 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Saturday through Sept. 25.

Vendor Maria Lopez sells her handmade purses at the Kent Farmers Market each Saturday.
Kent-Meridian High freshmen

Kent VisFest winners; watch the video, too!

The winning films and video games from the Kent School District's 2010 VisFest Film and Game Festival can be viewed online.

  • Jun 24, 2010
  • BY Wire Service
Kent-Meridian High freshmen

Kent Summer Art Exhibit open at Centennial Center

Paintings, photographs, prints and collages are part of the Kent Summer Art Exhibit June 4 through Aug. 27 at the Centennial Center Gallery, 400 W. Gowe St.

  • Jun 21, 2010
  • BY Wire Service