In the Pacific Northwest, everyone waits longingly for summer to get here.

Our favorite season has finally arrived and we are getting a few great periods of nice sunny days in between shorter stints of showery weather. That’s as good as it gets right now and we love it!

Down at the Port of Kingston, the crew has been preparing the lawns and gardens for you to enjoy as much as you can over the next three or four months.

Beginning with a charity concert benefiting Children’s Hospital on June 28, musical entertainment will be the standard each Saturday evening through the end of August. The Farmers Market is up and running and will produce its own musical shows each Saturday.

Another event we all wait patiently for is our Dungeness crab season. I consulted the state Fish and Wildlife website and found the upcoming season: It opens at July 1 at 7 a.m., closes July 2-3. Then it opens Thursday through Monday each week through Labor Day, Sept. 2. I have been told by some of my Native American crabbing friends that we are looking at one of the best seasons in years. I sure hope so.

Our big 4th of July celebration is just a few days away and we are all looking forward to it. The committees for the 4th have another great festival lined up. Down at the port on the afternoon and evening of the July 3, there will be a Navy Band concert beginning around 3:30 p.m., followed by some of our local amateur musicians performing on the stage. Of course, all of the other usual activities are still on tap, ending with another great fireworks display at dusk on the 4th. Consult the pullout section in this edition of Kingston Community News to make sure you have all the information you need.

There have been rumors around dealing with the old Kingston Inn property. I can tell you that, yes, the Port of Kingston is the new owner of that property and that it will be developed into a park. Through the Kitsap Community Foundation and an anonymous donor, the property was purchased and gifted to the Port to be developed into a park. It will take us a while to develop the land, but if you like what you see in Mike Wallace Park and the promenade along the moorings, I am sure that you will enjoy what we are planning for this new property. If the subject is not adequately covered in other places, I will go into more details in my August Down at the Port.

I don’t know if it is just me, but it seems like there is a lot of positive stuff going on around town. The Senior Housing project is taking shape, Pea Patch gardens are sprouting next door to that project, paddle boards are back out on the bay, a few new businesses are opening up and many people just seem to be a little happier with life these days. It has been a tough few years for lots of people around here. Here’s hoping that things are getting better.

Have you ever “Moused a hook”?  Some of our old loggers around town might recognize this Nautical Term of the Month: Mousing a hook. This is the use of small stuff (light weight line or small ropes) to close the jaw of the hook and thereby prevent a line or other load from slipping out past the point.

Enjoy summer! I’ll see you around town.

— Pete DeBoer is a member of the Kingston Port Commission. Contact him at pete@petedeboer.com