From all of the feedback that I have gotten, most everyone enjoyed Kingston’s Fourth of July celebration this year. Of course, if you didn’t know about the parade and were only trying to get to the Kingston ferry early in the afternoon of the Fourth you probably did not enjoy it. People ask me how I do it all. I don’t. There are dozens of our neighbors pitching in beginning with a few planning meetings in April. Of course, I am always out there asking for a few bucks to fund the celebration.

The fireworks are of course the most expensive part of the day and this year, our friends from the Point Casino and the S’Klallam Tribe donated enough money to purchase the entire display. That was big! What a great show Western Display Fireworks put on for us. Jason Naylor from south King County is their local “Best” and we always get him and his crew for our display. Surprisingly though, the cost of the fireworks is only about 40 percent of the expenses for our celebration. There are the tug and barge, Honey Buckets, musical entertainment, communications and sound systems to rent, chairs for sitting and sand for sand castles, and another big item these days is the insurance policy that protects us from unforeseen problems.

Other major contributors this year were led by a very generous donation from Kingston Lumber. Additional big league players were Kitsap Bank, Kitsap Credit Union, Taree Association, the Wetter Family, Kingston Cove Yacht Club, Kingston Thriftway, Hill Moving and Storage, The Filling Station, Central Market, Bob and Pat Miller and Custom Built Structures. From the local service clubs, the Kingston-North Kitsap Rotary served yummy pancakes and raised a good deal of money and the Greater Kingston Kiwanis club took charge of the famous Kingston Fourth of July Buttons and also raised some serious bucks. Then I have three pages listing the names of our friends who wrote checks ranging from $5 to $300.

Someone once said that the best gift you can ever give is your time and talent. Kingston is very fortunate to have so many citizens who pitch in to make this the greatest place to be on Independence Day. Topping my list has to be Debbie Anderson and her side kick Larry. They are the first lady and mayor of Tiny Town. Debbie organized a score of volunteers to repaint the village and keep it running for three days. Kevin Southerland provided all of the sound equipment and donated his time to manage the Tiny Town productions.

How about that sand castle that Charlie Beaulieu produced on the third base line! If you missed that one, you missed something special. Up at the parade, Bev Pierce organized all of the numbers, found the judges and got all of that rolling. This year, Tami Tipi and Jet Woelke were big players in getting everyone signed in. Let’s not forget those yellow-shirted radio guys from the North Kitsap Amateur Radio Club who quietly got everyone lined up for the trip down the hill. Down at the park, Annemarie Olson from the Coffee Exchange took care of getting the music all set up. Sentinel Construction handled the construction of the music stage and when the event was all over, Hammon Construction came and tore it all down and put it away until next year. Kingston Lumber is always there with a truck to help us haul things. And let’s not forget the North Kitsap Fire and Rescue team that comes and helps out on many of the projects.

Last but not least, Harbormaster Tom Berry and the Port of Kingston staff were still working well after we had gone to sleep, clearing off the fireworks barge and cleaning up the park. Our two ambassadors, Miss Kingston Erinn Bartlett and First Princes Chyna Riedel seemed to be every place at the same time. I don’t know how they do that. Every year when I do this, I seem to forget to mention and thank someone or some group. If I did, I apologize but please let me know.

Finally, a big thanks to you, our Kingston neighbors who come out to celebrate the Fourth and make all of our efforts worth it. We have a great community and it is truly fun to put it all on display for anyone who wants to come and enjoy it.