[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 88 (Wednesday, June 3, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E832]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 125TH ANNIVERSARY OF KENT, WASHINGTON

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                         HON. DAVID G. REICHERT

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 3, 2015

  Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize Kent, Washington 
as it celebrates its 125th year anniversary. Kent has special 
significance for me, being the place where I grew up fishing in Mill 
Creek and playing at Kent Memorial Park. It was there I held my first 
job at 11 years old, working in the valley farms picking strawberries, 
raspberries, and beans. I attended Kent-Meridian High School and have 
fond memories of playing football at French Field, and I even bought my 
first car in Kent. Starting out with only 793 people in May of 1890, it 
has grown into a city of 124,000 and is home to an extremely diverse 
population. Kent is the fourth largest manufacturing and distribution 
center in the country, making it a hub with connections across the 
entire nation. Kent has also won national awards for its Airways 
Brewery, and word of this local treasure has spread far and wide. It 
also boasts the Seattle Thunderbirds who play at Kent's ShoWare Center 
and made it to the Western Hockey League playoffs last year.
  Not only is it a successful city, hosting over 4,500 businesses and 
78,000 jobs, but with its prime location nestled in the Green River 
Valley, it is also a beautiful location. As you look out you can see 
Mt. Rainier and both the Cascade and Olympic Mountain ranges--some of 
the most stunning landscape in the entire country. Kent has truly 
proven that they are here to stay and I am confident its next 125 years 
will prove as successful as its first.

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