Halloween Happenings in South King County abound. Fun for all ages and different levels of “scary”! In addition to these events, a number of local churches are offering alternatives to traditional trick-or-treat, so check your local place of worship for more info.

Daily through Oct. 31:

Mosby Brothers Farms
Pumpkin patch, corn maze, produce stand, hay rides
12754 SE Green Valley Rd., Auburn
253-939-7666 or mosbyfarms@earthlink.net

Carpinito Brothers Farms
U-pick pumpkins, corn maze, hay rides, prize drawings and more.
Corner of S. 277th St., W. Valley Hwy. and Hwy. 167, Kent
9 am to dusk
253-854-5692

Serena Farms
Corn trails, hay rides, u-pick pumpkin patch.
22431 84th Ave. S., Kent
Noon to dusk
253-261-8789

Oct. 27 – 29:

Dark Hollow Haunted Forest (Oct. 30 – 31)
Royal Arch Park
20821 Renton-Maple Valley Hwy. SE
Maple Valley
$9 general, $8 Family Walk
7 to 9 pm Thursday
7-11 pm Friday/Saturday

Oct. 28 – 29:

The Den Youth Center Haunted House
Very Scary (Fri & Sat):  7 to 10 pm
$5 once-through + glow bracelet
$8 twice-through + glow necklace
Call 425-432-1272 for more info.

Oct. 29:

Tricks & Treat Funfest
Federal Way (876 S. 333rd St.)
6 – 8:30 pm
Ages 2-12
$6 in advance, $8 at the door

Spooky Swim
Covington Aquatic Center
Session 1 (younger kids):  5 – 6:30 pm
Session 2 (preteens & teenagers):  6:30 – 8 pm
Fees apply; 425-413-POOL

Halloween Costume Party
Pat’s Bar & Grill, Kent
Live Music 8 pm – 12 am with Boneyard
Prizes for best 3 costumes.
Drink specials.

Oct. 30:

Halloween Puppet Show (Oct. 30)
The Magic Show by the Magic Man
Toy Theater production of “Jack the Giant Killer”
Maple Valley Library
21844 SE 248th St.
Maple Valley
7 pm
FREE

Oct. 31:

Trick-or-Treat and Costume Contest
Kent Station
Kent
4 to 6 pm
FREE

Pictures at the Reporter
Costumed kids can have their photo taken for publication.
Covington/Maple Valley Reporter
22035 SE Wax Rd (425-432-1209)
3 to 4:30 pm
FREE

IKEA Trick-or-Treat Spooktacular
IKEA, 601 SW. 41st St., Renton
4 to 7 pm
FREE

GMVCC’s Trick or Trucks!
Halloween Trick or Treating
Greater Maple Valley Community Center
22010 SE 248th St., Maple Valley
4 to 5:30 pm (no horns)
4 to 6 pm
$3/child for Trick or Trucks
$3/child for Less Scary Haunted House at The Den
Pizza, Salad &  Dessert also available:  $5/adult and $3/child
425-432-1272

The Den Youth Center Haunted House
The Den Teen Center
22010 SE 248th St., Maple Valley, WA
“Less Scary” Haunted House from 4 to 6 pm
Regular Haunted House 4 to 10 pm
Call 425-432-1272 for more info.
See flyer for details.

Auburn Meadows Halloween Party and Trick-or-Treating
Auburn Meadows, 945 22nd St. NE, Auburn
3 to 7 pm (party 3 to 5 pm, trick-or-treat 3 to 7 pm)
Ages 12 and under
253-333-0171

Des Moines Halloween Carnival
Carnival-style games, costume contest, candy, prizes, magic show and more.
Field House, 1000 S. 220th St., Des Moines
6th grade and younger
$2/child, free for parents
Hotdogs and soda available for sale
206-870-6527

Are we missing an event? Email us at iLoveKent.net, and we’ll add it!

MOMS Club of Kent is hosting its annual fundraiser/garage sale this weekend:  Friday, July 23 (i-5) and Saturday, July 24 (9-3) at 18609 139th Way SE in Renton. Stop by for some great deals on kids’ clothes, household items, toys, baby gear, and much more!

For more information, email Kristen Jordan.

From the City of Kent. Please share this link with your friends to help us spread the news:

WSDOT will close I-405 in Renton during Cornucopia Days weekend.  If you plan to travel through the Renton area on the weekend of July 10-11, you may want to rethink your route. WSDOT will fully close I-405 in both directions between SR 167 and the Maple Valley Highway (SR 169) starting at 2 a.m. Saturday, July 10 to remove the old Benson Road Bridge. All lanes will reopen by 11 a.m. Sunday, July 11^th.

Attached is a fact sheet and poster explaining the closure and detour routes.

Drivers need to detour to get around the closure area and are encouraged to leave early and take alternate routes to their destination. Significant congestion is expected on alternate routes such as SR 167, SR 169, I-5, SR 520, and I-90. Check the WSDOT website for real-time construction updates and travel information.

During the closure, crews will remove the old Benson Road South Bridge. A new Benson Road South Bridge was built as part of WSDOT’s Renton Stage 2 project to accommodate new lanes on I-405. The closure is necessary because the traffic cannot pass underneath the bridge while crews tear it down. Crews will also use the closure time to work on other needed projects within the work zone.

This information is being shared with the Chamber, KDP, CAMPS, ShoWare Center, Kent’s Neighborhood Councils, and media.  It will also be posted to our website and social media outlets.

Please share this information with your contacts/networks who may be impacted by this closure.

If you have questions, direct them to Steve Peer at the I-405 Corridor Project Office at steve.peer@i405.wsdot.wa.gov or 425-456-8624.

Download more info. from WSDOT here:

I-405 in Renton:  Avoid the Curve
Full I-405 Closure in Renton

[Note:  This road closure will take place DURING a portion of Kent Cornucopia Days, so plan an alternate route now.]

Earlier this month Evergreen City Ballet (ECB) moved into a new state-of-the-art facility on Lind Ave. in Renton. Along with the new building, the organization is offering new classes including:

• Mommy & Me
• Yoga
• Pilates
• Tap
• Ballet, Modern, Hip-Hop and Creative Movement

See the ECB flyer, or ECB’s website, for more information.

[Author's note:  As a writer for Renton Magazine, I had the privilege of touring the new facility before its grand opening. Watch for the October 2009 issue online or pick up a free copy at your local library.]

Now celebrating its 24th year, Renton River Days has been scheduled for July 22 through July 26, 2009. Join in on the fun with these family-friendly activities:

Wed., July 22, 11 am – 5 pm   Kids’ Day at Liberty Park

Thurs., July 23  Senior Day Picnic, Renton Community Center

Friday – Sunday, July 24 – 26   Main Festival Weekend at Liberty Park

Entertainment, Art Market, Nibble of Renton, Annual Art Show, Quilt Show, Community Information Booths, a parade (July 25 @ 10 am), and Rubber Ducky Derby (July 26 at 4:30 pm)

May 1, 2009

KPD Update

The Kent City Council held three Town Hall meetings over the last several months to provide the opportunity for residents to speak directly with their elected officials and to ask questions. Along with the constant visibility and availability of the Mayor, it’s a great example of why having your local law enforcement answerable locally was one of founding father Thomas Jefferson’s best ideas.

As Chief of Police, I attended most of the Town Hall meetings. Most questions focused on street improvements, bike trails, and park amenities – exactly the kind of concerns you would expect from involved residents. Questions regarding traffic photo enforcement were also common. In addition, there have been some letters to the editor supporting or opposing the idea. This week I thought I’d provide some background on the issue and what we are doing.

Several cities around us, including Auburn and Renton, have installed photo enforcement cameras at busy intersections or for speed in school zones. I started as sort of a cynic when it came to these systems, because I had some serious questions about their accuracy and their accountability to our department rather than the private company that installs them. After quite a bit of research, though, I have to say that most of those concerns have been alleviated.

The system takes not only digital photos of the offense, it also takes video that can be accessed and viewed not only by the officer approving the citation, but by the driver via the internet with a personal code accessed on the citation itself. So, the driver can view the photos and the actual event. The same video can obviously be produced in court if the driver chooses to contest the charge. Pretty impressive and it really cuts down on the difference between perception and reality.

One of the other concerns about photo enforcement is the fact that profit-making companies are involved. While it is true that these companies are hired to install the equipment and process the violations, it is an officer from the department who actually views each offense and individually approves each ticket. The fines and court processes are the discretion of the city, not the company.

Through research, we have found that photo enforcement is not the holy grail of revenue. Some of the intersections with photo devices create more in traffic fines than they cost, but some do not. Revenue really is not, and should not, be a major factor in deciding whether to implement this technology.

So, what should be the factor? Most people talk about traffic safety, meaning fewer crashes at intersections. Some people feel that photo enforcement will result in more rear end crashes, as people slam on their brakes to avoid a ticket. Most studies indicate that there is some overall reduction in traffic crashes at intersections with photo enforcement, including Auburn’s experience locally.

As I have been discussing this issue with residents; however, I don’t think we should be afraid to also discuss what I think is probably the most important factor in considering photo enforcement: frustration. When drivers keep running through an intersection after the light is clearly red, it makes us grumble under our breath and get angry. Why is their time more important than ours? In our heads, we start to think words that resemble those symbols in cartoons – “&@%&$!!!”

Frustration means something. It leads to discourteous and aggressive driving, and less defensive driving. It does matter, and we should let that be part of the debate. Making sure the jerks that run the lights get tickets does have a positive outcome, and it isn’t just vindictiveness.

The Mayor and the City Council have asked us to look at what other options are out there before we specifically decide on photo enforcement. Longer yellow lights could reduce crashes, and emphasis patrols on certain intersections with traffic officers will give us some idea of what happens when we do more patrol at specific locations. Do crashes go down? What about the effect of personal contact and the education that goes along with being stopped by an actual officer? Those are good questions and we’ll look at those before we go directly to photo enforcement.

And yes, I will be happy to tell you where we will be doing extra enforcement this spring and summer. Be careful at 104th and 256th, James and Central, Smith and Central, and at 212th and the West Valley Highway. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

We’ll keep you up to date on this topic, as will the Mayor and City Council. In Kent we are looking at photo enforcement for the right reasons, and doing it in a logical way.

Have a great week!

- Kent Police Chief Steve Strachan

While doing a story on local Motorcycle Clubs and Chapters, I met several members of Star Touring Chapter #350 in Renton. One of the fundraisers their group assists with is Operation Homefront, a nonprofit program that helps families of active duty personnel, activated reserves and activated national guard. The organization provides emergency assistance and morale-building to troops, to families left behind and injured service men and women.

Specifically, the Washington State chapter focuses its support on Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and their families that reside in Washington. By the end of 2008, the nonprofit organization had helped more than 11,200 families in Washington State with emergency aid, computer access, furniture, moving assistance and outreach.

The Star chapter helped with Mission WOWW: Welcoming Our Wounded Soldiers, by purchasing and assembling ARC (assignment, recovery, care) kits, care packages for injured soldiers returning to the states. The kits include basic necessities such as robes, slippers, first aid kits and toiletries.

To find out how you can help, contact Janice Buckley or 425-931-1047, president of Operation Homefront Washington, who founded the chapter in November 2004.

My sweetheart of 5+ years Jim and I were married this Valentine’s Day at our home in Kent. For anyone who knows us, we are a loving but practical, rather than romantic, couple. To marry us, we chose Cindi LaMar of Love Bound in Renton to perform the wedding ceremony. She put together a ceremony and vows that suited us. She was a joy to work with, and we’ll remember the ceremony always. It was a beautiful day.

If you are looking for an officiate for your special day, I personally recommend Cindi LaMar.