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Throughout the week, photographer and Kent State instructor David Foster shares the view of the city through his camera lense with Kent Patch.
Kent unveiled its Bicentennial Sculpture, created by artist George Danhires, at a ceremony Sunday afternoon downtown. The sculpture, commissioned in 2006 as part of Kent's Bicentennial Celebration, will stand on park land between the Pufferbelly restaurant and the downtown gazebo on Franklin Avenue. The sculpture unveiling coincided with the marking of the opening of the Main Street Bridge on Sept. 25, 1877. The Kent Historical Society organized an event to mark the bridge's 134th birthday.
Main Street Kent and International HOME Markets sponsored Kent's first International Festival Saturday in downtown Kent.
The American Legion of Kent held a commemoration saluting the men and women of the armed forces in conjunction with the Kent Fire Department at Montrose Mazda of Kent with a presentation by the Kent Fire Department Honor Guard on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011.  
School started Wednesday for Kent's younger grade-school students, as children in grade kindergarten through ninth started the 2011-2012 school year. Classes start today for students in grades 10 and up.
Main Street Kent's "Thursday Night Live" music series continued last night with a performance from The Lazy Dogs. The series, held at Home Savings Plaza in downtown Kent, helps bring a live music act to the plaza every Thursday through September.
The Home Savings Bank Plaza Concert series continued Thursday night with a performance from the Helen Welch Quartet. Through September, live music will be featured every Thursday night in the plaza by either Home Savings Bank or Main Street Kent.
The Black Squirrel Adventure Triathlon took place Saturday and funneled competitors through three stages that wove around Kent.  The race is composed of a 2-mile canoe or kayak leg down the Cuyahoga River beginning at John Brown Tannery Park, with the final two stages featuring a 5-mile bike ride and a 2-mile run that had racers finishing on the Main Street Bridge. Upload your images from the race and tell us how you (or your friend) did!
The $1.2 million renovation of the Kent State University Music and Speech Center parking lot is under way and expected to be done this month. Renovations include replacing lighting and improving pedestrian circulation through the lot, adding new curbs, pavement and landscaping. On-site construction is scheduled to be completed by Aug. 19.  The Music and Speech Center commuter parking lot and Chiarucci Drive along the Dunbar Drive side of this lot will be fenced off and closed for the duration of this project.
Downtown Kent on Thursday nights is now the place to see free live music each week. Main Street Kent's new "Thursday Night Live" music series started Thursday night. The new series will bring live music to Home Savings Plaza in downtown Kent every Thursday through September. For more information, visit www.mainstreetkent.org or call 330-677-8000.
With recent rains increasing the humidity, Kent residents look for a way to cool off. 
Standing Rock Cultural Arts and downtown Kent businesses hosted a sidewalk cinema screening of The Beatles' “A Hard Day’s Night,” featuring the Fab Four from Liverpool – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr – in their first movie.  The event, held Friday night, is one of several yearly thanks to a partnership between SRCA and Downtown Innovative Community Events (D.I.C.E.).
The Kent State Veterans Campus Club hosted a cornhole tournament to raise money for the Adam Hamilton Scholastic Athletic Scholarship at the Kent VFW. Hamilton, a 2007 graduate of Theodore Roosevelt High School, was killed May 28 in Afghanistan after sustaining wounds from an improvised explosive device. 
For more than 30 years, the Kent Junior Mothers, a volunteer service organization in Kent, has sponsored Safety School for Kent's kindergarteners. Safety School is a program in which children entering kindergarten are introduced to safety awareness in their daily lives through visits at a weeklong camp from police, firefighters, bus drivers and other helpful service folks. The program continues through the week at Walls Elementary School with graduation ceremonies Friday. 
Fans arrived as early as 8 p.m. Thursday for the two, sold-out midnight premieres of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 at the Kent Plaza Theater. The film is the last in the eight-film series with releases that spanned 10 years. Remember, Kent Patch wants to hear what you thought of the final Harry Potter film. Click on this link to learn how you can send us your reviews of the movie.
Family, friends and lontime customers gathered to say goodbye to Emory Vance at his downtown Kent barbershop this weekend. Vance, 87, is retiring from the hair-cutting business and closing Emory's Barber Shop after more than 50 years. Vance plans to donate one of his classic barber chairs to the Kent Historical Society. Vance opened up the shop at 147 S. Water St. Saturday for a hybrid farwell-retirement party.
A visit to Heritage Park almost encapsulates everything that is summer in Kent. People swim, sunbathe, fish, picnic and just hang out enjoying the beautiful Ohio weather along the banks of the Cuyahoga River.
Local authorities try to keep the roads safe in Kent this weekend. 
The Haymaker Farmers Market grows in popularity each year. A new addition this year allows people to swipe their Ohio Direction Card to buy produce at the market. Customers will be able to swipe their cards for $1 increment tokens, or credit/debit tokens in $5 increments by the end of July.
Family and friends of Theodore Roosevelt's 2011 graduating class filled the MACC gymnasium for commencement ceremonies Sunday, June 5, 2011.  The ceremony was the last for Theodore Roosevelt High School Principal Roger Sidoti as head of the school. Sidoti announced his retirement plans this spring.
Near-perfect weather graced the Masterpieces on Main Art & Wine Festival in downtown Kent Saturday. The event brought together seven wineries and numerous artists with fans of both for an afternoon and evening of summer relaxation.

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