Kingston will be celebrating life by the water with a 3-day festival slated for July 31 through August 2. Paddle Kitsap, the Port of Kingston, and the Downtown Kingston Association are planning the Festival.

Paddlers in the Paddle Kitsap event will begin arriving in Kingston on Thursday evening to register for the event and attend an evening Paddlers’ Meeting. For more information on Paddle Kitsap, go to www.PaddleKitsap.com or call 360-697-6095. The Downtown Kingston Association is planning some entertainment and activities to welcome the kayakers on Thursday evening. The events will be held at Mike Wallace Park in the Port of Kinston. Community residents are encouraged to come down to the Port and participate in the festivities. The Kingston Rotary Club will be hosting a Beer and Wine Garden from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Proceeds from this event are part of the SPARKS fundraiser, Schools and Parks ARound Kingston. Barbecue dinners will be available for purchase from Mike’s Four Star BBQ. Residents and kayakers can enjoy food and drink while they listen to the music of the Happy Daze Band from 7:00 to 9:00 PM.

The kayakers will depart Kingston after breakfast on Friday morning and begin their paddle at Port Gamble. After various rest stops along the way, they will begin to arrive back at the Port of Kingston for the Friday evening festivities. The Rotary Beer and Wine Garden will be open while the Julie Holt Band and the Crazy Family Band entertain with music. The Poulsbo and Kingston Kiwanis will be providing dinner for the kayakers.

After a Saturday morning breakfast in Kingston and a visit to the Kingston Farmer’s Market, kayakers will leave on the final day of their paddle. However the festivities continue in Kingston as the kick off begins for the Kingston Concerts on the Cove.

Kingston Concerts on the Cove is a series of five free Saturday night concerts being held in Mike Wallace Park at the Port of Kingston. The first concert is being sponsored by the Kingston Kiwanis and Wetter Family LLC and features the local band, House of Cards. The Rotary Beer and Wine Garden will be open from 6:00 to 9:00 and food will be available for purchase from the food vendors who are part of the Kinston Farmer’s Market. So save your appetite for some delicious food from Mike’s Four Star BBQ, Island Jamz, the Smokin Riata or the Hot Dog Guys.

To volunteer to help at Paddle Kitsap, contact Debbie Anderson at 297-1711 or DebbieA@americanmarine bank.com .