Despite rain, about 2,000 folks came to the Kingston Cove Christmas lighting ceremony Dec. 2, according to Chamber Executive Director Colleen Carey. Of those, 47 percent were Kingstonians, 30 percent were Kitsap residents, and 16 percent were visitors. No word on where the remaining 7 percent came from …

Speaking of Christmas lights, there’s been a break in the Honey Bear kidnapping. The popular light sculpture was stolen from Mike Wallace Park at 5:49 a.m., Dec. 1.

“I had an anonymous tip that Honey Bear was seen inside this person’s house, and a vehicle matching the one in the marina’s surveillance video was parked outside the residence,” said Steve von Marenholtz, who built the sculpture.

The tip and the video have been turned over to the sheriff.

The renovation and re-roofing of the Kingston Marina’s covered moorage should be completed in February. It took longer than expected due, in part, to a shortage of burnout panels. Regulations require polycarbonate panels every so often in the roof. So, if a boat catches fire, the panel melts and the smoke and flames go up and out the tin roof instead of spreading to other boats.

New port projects scheduled for 2018 include a new park on Washington Boulevard, re-roofing the yacht club, and sprucing up the restrooms in the port office building.

Kafé Neo, next to Firehouse Cinema, has opened and the chamber board is now holding its breakfast meetings there. Its menu is Southern-Greek-Jewish — everything from waffles and fried chicken to Reubens and gyros. Port Executive Director Jim Pivarnik sampled the waffles and chicken and proclaimed them good. “Second only to my own, these are the best I have ever tasted,” he said.

Laura Gronnvoll is the newest port commissioner. She replaces Walt “the Salt” Elliott, who retired after a single six-year term. At her Dec. 20 swearing-in ceremony, Elliott, a retired U.S. Navy submarine commander, quipped, “In my previous job, if you didn’t move on after six years in a position, you knew you were in trouble.”

Gronnvoll, who ran unopposed, attended port meetings for the nine months prior to the election in preparation for the job.

Boating runs in the family. Gronnvoll’s son, Erik, is owner of Evergreen Propeller. His shop is on Lindvog Road, just off Highway 104 in the marine trades complex that includes Roy’s Marine Service and Fairway Canvas. We’re seeing more and more boating-related products and services in the area. For example, Kingston Mercantile and Marine and Henery’s Hardware both carry boating supplies.

Back at the port, Ray Carpenter has been promoted to harbormaster. He started as a marina attendant nine years ago. “I love my job. I love the people and the community,” he said. “Just being able to help people in the community is a big deal to me.” Among his accomplishments, Carpenter has been one of the big forces behind the popular Kingston Cove Christmas lights ever since it started.

By the time you read this, the sale of the Kingston Express, aka “The Red Boat,” should be a done deal. As of Jan. 19 when this column was due, the deal was still in escrow. And, as Port Commissioner Bruce MacIntyre pointed out, “It isn’t a done deal until the check is in the bank.”

The Express had to go to make room on the dock for Kitsap Transit’s new fast ferry to Seattle; service is expected to begin late this summer. Right now, the port and Kitsap Transit are negotiating dock fees and the ferry is being renovated; Kitsap Transit bought it used from New Jersey.

The port’s new electronic community welcome sign at the corner of Lindvog Road NE and Highway 104 has been up and running since December. The majority of Kingstonians seem to like it. Fears it would turn Kingston into a “little Las Vegas” seem to have abated. Nonprofits wishing to advertise on the signboard will find applications at www.portofkingston.org.

“Sick of the rain, the gloom and all of the rest? You’ll love Kingston Cove’s (almost) Summer Fest.” The event is spearheaded by the Kingston Cove Yacht Club, the port and the chamber. Set for May 12, its planners promise “Fun on, in, and under the water.”

Did you know …

Kingston boasts the county’s only white sand beach? Located north of the ferry terminal, SaltAir Beach offers a stunning view of Seattle, Mount Baker and most everything in between.

—Terryl Asla, Ph.D., is communications coordinator for the Port of Kingston. He is a former reporter for Kitsap News Group.