King County Parks sizzle with August activities

Don't look now, but summer is in its homestretch. With the Labor Day holiday lurking a scant four weeks in the future, there's no time to waste before getting out and enjoying the best that the King County Parks – Your Big Backyard – has to offer.

The summer activities lineup includes live concerts and movies under the stars at Marymoor Park in Redmond; trail runs, birdwatching and hiking at Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park; and camping along the scenic Snoqualmie River at Tolt-MacDonald Park.

Here are a few of the highlights:

Marymoor Park

Aug. 9 – 5:45 p.m.
Concerts at Marymoor – G. Love and Special Sauce, with Slightly Stoopid and Ozomatli
$29.50

Garrett Dutton, who supplies the "G" in G. Love and Special Sauce, once described his band's sound as "hip-hop blues," with influences ranging from the Beatles to Run-DMC and a sound that has been described as a cross between John Lee Hooker and De La Soul. Openers are San Diego-based Slightly Stoopid, who play acoustic rock, blues and reggae, and Ozomatli, a hybrid, multicultural band that shifts easily between American rock and Mexican conjunto sounds.

Aug. 10 – 7 p.m.
UB40
$39.50-$65 reserved

We have The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde to thank for discovering UB40 and getting them on the road to dub reggae/pop success. With songs like "Red, Red Wine" and "Falling in Love with You" owning the pop charts in the mid 1980s, UB40 has been a popular act for well over two decades.

Aug. 11 – 4 p.m.
103.7 FM - Mountain Music Festival, featuring Los Lonely Boys, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Marc Broussard and the Low Stars
$37.50-$69.50

Hailing from San Angelo, Texas, Grammy winners Los Lonely Boys will headline this year's Mountain Music Festival. Comprised of Henry, JoJo and Ringo Garza, Los Lonely Boys have toured with the Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson and other legends with a hard guitar sound and catchy lyrics.

Toad the Wet Sprocket got its unique name from a monologue by Monty Python founder Eric Idle. The southern California band achieved great popular success in the 1990s, only to break up in 1994. The group reformed a dozen years later and is going strong. Other performers at this year's Mountain Music Festival include "Bayou Soul" singer Marc Broussard and acoustic rockers The Low Stars.

Aug. 8 – Open seating at 7; Movie starts at 9:10 p.m.
First Tech Movies at Marymoor presents "Back to the Future"
This 1985 blockbuster that stars Michael J. Fox as high schooler Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as the time-traveling Dr. Emmett Brown. Thanks to a "slightly customized" time-traveling DeLorean, Marty travels back to the 1950s to help his teenage parents meet. Seating is on the grass, so bring low-backed chairs or blankets and enjoy this endearing classic. Admission is free and donations are accepted.

Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park

Aug. 11 – Registration from 7-8 a.m., race begins at 8:30 a.m.
Fifth-annual Cougar Mountain Trail Running Series

At 13 miles in length, this final race of the season is also the longest test for trail runners. The trail running series is the result of a partnership between the Seattle Running Company and King County Parks, and it's

Tolt MacDonald Park

With lots of great weather on the horizon, why not take the family on a camping adventure that's close to home? Tolt MacDonald Park, which sits right at the confluence of the Snoqualmie and Tolt rivers, has great campsites for RV's and tents, plus restrooms with showers, picnic shelters, a 500-foot-long suspension bridge across the Snoqualmie, athletic fields and other players, plus much more. The 574-acre park has plenty of room for outdoor activities, including fly fishing and mountain biking. All of the details are available at http://www.metrokc.gov/parks/parks/.

Soos Creek Regional Trail
More than a mile of new trail has been added to the Soos Creek Regional Trail in Kent. The latest stretch of trail runs from Southeast 204th Way to Southeast 192nd Street, and is scheduled to be opened in early August. More than half of the new trail has been built on special elevated platforms that reduces contact with sensitive wetlands but offers trail users with a great opportunity for close-up views of this unique land feature. Check out more information on this latest addition to King County's nationally acclaimed trail system at http://www.metrokc.gov/Parks/Trails/sooscreek.html.

Special notes: Programs held in the competition pool and dive tank at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way will be canceled Aug. 4-19 while routine maintenance takes place. Public programs in the recreation pool – including swimming lessons, water exercise and family swims – will be held as normally scheduled during the project. Also, a short stretch of the Preston-Snoqualmie Trail is closed between Southeast 84th Street and Southeast 87th Place in Preston during construction at the Preston ballfields site.

King County Parks - Your Big Backyard - offers more than 25,000 acres of parks and natural lands, including such regional treasures as Marymoor Park and Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, 175 miles of regional trails, plus pools and a world-class aquatic center. By cultivating strong relationships with non-profit, corporate and community partners, King County Parks enhances park amenities while reducing costs. Learn more at http://www.metrokc.gov/parks/.