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History of Pride Month

Every year in June, people around the world celebrate diversity, inclusion, and the LGBTQ+ community. To us, celebrating Pride means promoting self-affirmation, dignity, and equal rights for all. It’s a time for people from all walks of life to stop and reflect on what it means to be truly accepting and accepted, and the peaceful, positive effect this can have on the world.

Before Pride become a celebration, it started out as a protest. On June 28, 1969, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York, the queer community responded to a police raid that began at the Stonewall Inn, a bar that served as a safe haven for the city’s gay, lesbian and transgender community.

At the time, homosexual acts were deemed illegal in almost every state, and bars and restaurants faced closure for having gay employees or serving gay patrons. While police had raided gay establishments before, on June 28th members of the LGBTQ community decided to fight back, sparking an uprising that would launch a new era of resistance that would later turn to celebration.

Northshore Senior Center (NSC) Celebrates #Pride Month

As NSC slowly returns to offering regular services and programming, they are excited to celebrate #PRIDE month by thanking our members and staff who participate in LGBTQ+ activities, support groups and programming. One such individual is Jenny Sayward, coordinator of OLGA (Older Lesbians Gathering Around Northshore), who will be honored by the City of Kenmore with a Pride Month presentation based on her organizing the OLGA lesbian social group and the umbrella group Northshore Pride to include other queerfolk who want to gather together. Ms. Sayward shared this exciting news with CEO Nathan Phillips, stating, “Because I did this in collaboration with Northshore Bothell staff, I wanted to share this news and this honor with you. I will be saying a few words of thanks, spreading the credit around, and expressing what community means to me. “

Check out NSC catalog for times, dates and locations of monthly meetings and monthly potlucks for members of the LGBTQ community. Here is the information for OLGA. Congratulations Jenny!

 

OLGA (Older Lesbians Gathering Around Northshore)

A social support group for older lesbians, gathering to form community. The OLGA’s get together for a monthly conversation. We also gather for a monthly lunch at a local restaurant and other excursions. We are affiliated with Puget Sound OLOC. Bring your own lunch to eat or you can sign up for NSC’s hot lunch. NSC’s lunch is $5 donation. Please call ahead to make a reservation. You can bring your lunch up to the room we can all eat together.

FREE to Members/$10 Non-Members

Location: Bothell, Room 202

Coordinator: Jenny Sayward; jenny.letsplay@gmail.com

The Kenmore Heritage Society…

How much do you really know about Kenmore? You may have learned its history through books, or stories shared at family gatherings, but we bet they left out some of the more interesting and colorful history of Kenmore’s past. From the Meanderers, who 200 years ago lived along the waterway we now call the Sammamish Slough, to the famous author who was a patient at Kenmore’s Lakewood Villa Sanitarium, and the 1920’s nudist colony within swimming distance of the Kenmore beach at the north end of Lake Washington, these are the stories about Kenmore’s history we would like to share with you.

Digital Collections

Explore Kenmore’s history through story, photos, and first-hand accounts of the people, places, and businesses of our community. Browse and enjoy an immersive look at what made this city what it is today.

Digital Collections

Timeline

From the earliest inhabitants of this land, to the pioneers who shaped the buildings and institutions that make up Kenmore. Take a scroll through the many important events, people, and developments of Kenmore history.

View Timeline

History Path

The Kenmore History Path at Logboom Park was envisioned as a way to tell the Kenmore story to the public. Installed in 2008, its eleven interpretive signs present our history in a fascinating and concise visual manner.

History Path

Resources

Photos, documents, and links to local archives tell the story of life in Kenmore and the Pacific Northwest. Every entry sheds new light on the past, and helps us better anticipate the future.

Explore Resources

We're Making History Now!

Since its founding in 1998, the Kenmore Heritage Society has produced a wide assortment of public programs exploring the history and culture of the city and surrounding region. Check out what we have planned for this year.

May 27, 2023 in News & Events

World Bicycle Day – June 3rd

The Amazing Bicycle According to the Global Bicycle Index Study of 2022, Utrecht, Netherlands ranks first among the most bike-friendly cities in the world. A simple and sustainable means of transportation, biking is celebrated for its health benefits and role in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. With these advantages…
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May 3, 2023 in News & Events

Kenmore’s Tl’ awh-ah-dees Park : A Brief History & What’s Exciting and New – by Kenmore City Manager, Rob Karlinsey

Once upon a time, Tl' awh-ah-dees Park was underwater.. Tl' awh-ah-dees Park, formerly known as Squire's Landing Park, is approximately 45 acres of undeveloped open space along Swamp Creek and the Sammamish River in Kenmore.In the 1980s, before Kenmore was incorporated as a City, King County acquired the 45 acres…
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April 24, 2023 in News & Events

Happy 400th Birthday to Shakespeare’s First Folio

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the printing of Mr. William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies: more than 900 pages collecting 36 of the Renaissance writer’s plays together for the very first time. The impact of the 1623 “First Folio” is still felt across the world today. Besides being translated…
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April 17, 2023 in Community Life, News & Events

Kenmore Heritage Society Honors Community Leaders

Shining Starts in Kenmore Each year since 2001, Kenmore Heritage Society’s annual “McMaster Awards” recognize individuals who have made outstanding volunteer contributions to the Kenmore community. The awards are named after John McMaster, a pioneer Kenmore businessman and entrepreneur who gave Kenmore its name in 1901. The “McMaster Heritage Award”…
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“I volunteered at the Heritage Society’s PopUp Museum at the Hanger. It was fun to see the items folks brought from home, and the stories they had to share.” – Sue K

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