Last weekend the 23rd Kent Heritage Festival took over downtown as the community gathered to celebrate Kent.

During the event, which ran from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., there was local live music and entertainment held throughout the day on three separate stages. There was also a children’s play area with a bounce house and a rock climbing wall along with several classic carnival games.

The classic car show was located on West Erie and North Franklin Street, sponsored by Brimfield Insurance. Over 50 classic cars and trucks were on display for the public to enjoy.

At 10 p.m. the fireworks display was set off from Kramer Ball Fields.

The Kent Heritage Festival is organized by the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce, and a committee of volunteers. The event draws nearly 25,000 people to downtown Kent each year.

One such person was Paul Sellman, a member of the Theodore Roosevelt Alumni Association.

“I’ve been coming here since the beginning,” Selleman said. He also attended Kent State University before joining the Navy.

Another Kent community member who came to enjoy the celebration was Ben Wilkinson, a recent graduate from Kent State.

“This is only my second year coming down to the festival,” Wilkinson said. “There are so many vendors and events planned that I don’t know what to do first.”

This year there were over 125 food vendors and booths, as well as 11 games to play. On the three different stages there was a total of 25 different music and entertainment acts to enjoy scheduled through the day.

Chris Spegal is the downtown reporter. Contact him at [email protected].