Organizers expect thousands to shop their way through the 38th annual Kent Cornucopia Days.
Nearly 600 vendors will fill 19 city blocks July 10-12 during the Cornucopia Street Fair, a traditional part of the community festival. They’ll be selling their wares to thousands of people, some from as far away as Canada and Oregon.
“It’s so huge and it’s got a good sampling of crafts and food,” said Bill Westcott, volunteer festival director from the Kent Lions Club, on the popularity of the street fair. “And it’s organized and clean. We always hear from vendors and people who attend about how organized and clean it is. Some events have trash everywhere, but we have crews that go nonstop to make sure it stays clean.”
Food, crafts, beer gardens, music and people watching give residents plenty to do at the street fair. The fair runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. July 10-11 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 12.
“There’s a little bit of everything for everybody,” said Westcott, who estimated 250,000 to 300,000 people attend Cornucopia Days overall each year. “We do very little publicity. But we get people from Portland and Canada who attend the event.”
Cornucopia Days, run by volunteers, is a community-service project of the Kent Lions Club that benefits more than 250 charitable groups.
“Whatever we’re doing, we’re doing right,” Westcott said. “That’s why there are no major modifications.”
There are a few changes, however.
The Grand Parade at 2 p.m. Sunday, with a theme of “Have a Rockin’ Good Time in 2009,” takes a slightly different route. The parade still starts at
Willis Street and Fourth Avenue and heads north on Fourth. The route then turns left on West Smith Street and ends at Sixth Avenue and Smith Street. In previous years, the route headed east on James Street off of Fourth.
“The logistics will make it easier and safer for participants,” Westcott said.
Nearly 100 entries are expected for the parade. The entries include bands, floats, politicians, dance and drill groups and equestrians units.
The Cornucopia Days 5K Fun Run and Walk returns after a one-year absence. Organizers cancelled the run last year because of levee repairs along the Green River Trail. The run starts at 9 a.m. July 11 at Three Friends Fishing Hole, 20025 Russell Road. Registration on the day of the race begins at 7:30 a.m.
More than 200 runners and walkers participated in the 2007 Fun Run.
The Funtastic Shows Carnival opens at 3 p.m. July 9 at the park-and-ride lot on the corner of West Smith Street and Lincoln Avenue.
The dragon boat races go from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 11 at Lake Meridian Park. More than 40 boats are expected to compete.
Other events include the 10th annual Kent Cornucopia Cup soccer tournament July 9-12 at various fields throughout the city. The tournament features boys and girls teams in the Under-11 to Under-16 age groups. For more information, go to www.kcc2009.kysa.org.
The King County Jaguars play the West Sound Saints in the Cornucopia Bowl IV, a semi-pro football game at 6 p.m. July 11 at French Field next to Kent-Meridian High School.
At the street fair, festival goers will notice many more opportunities to recycle their food and drink containers. Allied Waste Services has stepped in to set up many more recycling bins. Company employees also plan to staff several of the recycling stations to help people determine which bins to use and to learn more about recycling.
The street fair closes at 8 p.m. the first two nights, an hour earlier than previous years in an effort to give crews more time to clean up.
Quick look at events
(For full schedule, go to Kent Reporter Cornucopia Days Schedule
Thursday, July 9
Carnival (West Smith Street and Lincoln Avenue) opens at 3 p.m.
Friday, July 10
Downtown street fair, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Carnival opens 2 p.m.
Saturday, July 11
Downtown street fair, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Dragon boat races (Lake Meridian), 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
5K Fun Run, 9 a.m.
Carnival opens 11 a.m.
Sunday, July 12
Downtown street fair, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Grand Parade, 2 p.m.
Carnival opens at noon
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