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Kent Cornucopia Days parade draws community groups, elected leaders and local businesses
Summary
Kent’s Cornucopia Days parade returned to downtown with close to 50 entries, including veterans’ organizations, marching bands, community nonprofits, candidates and corporate partners such as Blue Origin; the Kent Lions Club served as parade chair and scholarship sponsor.
The Kent Cornucopia Days parade marched through downtown Kent on Sunday with close to 50 entries, featuring veterans’ honor guards, marching bands, dance teams, local nonprofit groups and elected officials. The parade is organized as a community service project of the Kent Lions Club; Mayor Dana Ralph and the full Kent City Council rode in the procession, and the Lions Club recognized scholarship recipients and long‑time volunteers. “I just thank you all for coming,” Mayor Dana Ralph said during the event. Why it matters: Cornucopia Days is a long‑running community festival that showcases local service groups, schools and businesses and serves as a focal point for civic outreach and local candidate appearances. Most notable participants included the Kent Meridian VFW Post 6785 and American Legion Post 15 honor guards, the Kent Police Department honor guard, the 200th and 4th Army Band, several local drill and drumlines such as the Electronets and Evergreen Drill and Drumline, and community organizations including Mothers Impacted by Gun Violence, the Kent Education Association, Girl Scouts of Western Washington and Mother Africa. Organizers also showcased local businesses and partners, among them Blue Origin, which brought a large display and was acknowledged as a Kent employer with ties to the city’s aerospace history. The Kent Lions Club Foundation presented scholarship recipients; emcees said scholarships are awarded annually and range from $2,000 to $5,000. Parade announcers noted the Lions Club has chaired the event since 1938 and named Diane Whitley as this year’s Lions president and Randy Chardon as director of Kent Cornucopia Days. Candidates and officeholders used the parade as a public outreach opportunity. Announced participants included several local and regional elected officials and candidates who walked or rode in the parade and were introduced by name from the announcer booth. The Seafair parade marshals, a volunteer corps with a 75‑year history, supplied crowd‑management and safety support, and Kent emergency services — including Puget Sound Fire Regional Fire Authority and Kent Police — were visible in the lineup. The Seafair royal court and Seafair Pirates also appeared, drawing audience attention. The parade concluded with standard community acknowledgments and reminders about other summer programming hosted by the City of Kent. Less critical detail: Announcers identified many small nonprofits, school groups and service clubs by name and encouraged attendees to visit booths and follow the City of Kent on social media for event information.
