Visitors and residents are invited to celebrate Kent’s past at multiple events in August.
Experience Historical Kent showcases local history, features special exhibits and offers bus and walking tours of the city’s oldest homes, businesses and cemeteries.
As a kickoff to the festivities, the Greater Kent Historical Society highlights the 10 events during the month with a booth appearing Saturday, July 29, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Kent Farmers Market, corner of Meeker and 2nd Avenue North.
The lineup:
Saturday, Aug. 5
• Greater Kent Historical Museum and Mill Creek Neighborhood Historic Home Walking Tour, 855 E. Smith St., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Turn-of-the-century and Great Depression-era homes. Tours start at the museum.
Saturday, Aug. 5 and 12
• Greater Kent Historical Museum at Kent Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Features photos of Kent’s past, talk with historians.
• Historic Downtown Walking Tour, Corner of 2nd Avenue North and Meeker Street, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Walk is limited to the first 25 people.
Sunday, Aug. 13
• Greater Kent Area 28th annual Reunion, 1-4 p.m., at the Kent Senior Center, 600 E. Smith St.
Saturday, Aug. 19
• Soos Creek Botanical Garden and Heritage Center, 29308 132nd Ave. SE, Auburn, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Hundreds of objects and photographs detail the settling of the Soos Creek Plateau. Scandinavian musical troupe will play at 1:30 p.m. Sons of Norway will display flags, maps, Scandinavian family history and a Viking Ship Float.
• Neely-Soames Historic Homestead Annual Open House, 5311 S. 237 Place (along the Green River Trail), 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tour the grounds and get a glimpse of the way residents lived in 1885.
• Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum, 5917 South 196th St., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Special free admission this day only to the nation’s primary resource for historical information on hydroplane racing.
• 30th Annual Classic Ford Show and Mustang Roundup, Bowen Scarff, 1157 Central Ave. N., 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Free spectator admission and awards for 40-plus classes of cars.
Sunday, Aug. 20
• Historic Cemeteries Bus Tours, 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. A docent will accompany guests on this informative tour of Kent’s historic cemeteries. While the tour is free, registration is required for transportation planning.
Saturday, Aug. 26
• St. Anthony Chapel Open House, 304 Third Ave. S., Kent, 3 p.m.-5 p.m. The church, built in 1924, has the original stained glass windows created by Povey Studios.
For more details, visit KentWA.gov/ExperienceHistoricalKent or contact the Greater Kent Historical Museum at ctyofknt@msn.com, or 253-854-4330.
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