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KINGSTON &mdash; On a chilly Tuesday evening, a few minutes before 9 p.m., a Kingston tradition continued with the much anticipated delivery of the cherished Kingston Holiday Water Heater.
				Dr. Fred Lombardo and his wife, Lynn, and three sons &mdash; Charlie, Carmen and Angelo &mdash; of 169 Butler St., were chosen as the recipients of the 36th presentation of the beloved former household apparatus.
				&ldquo;We are thrilled,&rdquo; Lombardo said as he gazed at the brightly decorated water heater. &ldquo;We heard from a little birdie that this might happen and we are honored to be part of this Kingston tradition.&rdquo;
				The Lombardo family is the 36th recipient of the water heater and, as the rules clearly state, they must keep the water heater&rsquo;s light on throughout the holiday season. IF they fail in this task, the penalty, again according to the rules, is that they would retain the water heater for a second year.
				&ldquo;Oh, we will comply with the rules and keep it lit,&rdquo; Lombardo said.
				No recipient has ever earned a second year of retention of the water heater.
				Tom Paratore, spokesman for the Elite Members of the Kingston Water Heater, said the group is dedicated for keeping the tradition alive in their town.
				&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a time-honored holiday tradition in Kingston,&rdquo; said Paratore. &ldquo;We want to keep it going.&rdquo;
				The delivery crew was a bit smaller than in past years, Paratore said, due to COVID-19 concerns.
				&ldquo;But these guys were determined to deliver the water heater again this year and here we are,&rdquo; he said.
				The group, as always, held a clandestine meeting to discuss who would be worthy of the water heater. After much deliberation, the group piled into their vehicles and paraded around Kingston, with the water heater in tow.
				The water heater comes completely decorated with Christmas lights and ornaments.
				According to tradition, the recipient must keep the water heater on their front lawn and light it every night until after the new year.
				The tradition began in 1984, when plumber John McGlynn replaced a water heater for the late Tom Lahart on Loveland Avenue. When Lahart didn&rsquo;t pay a $10 fee to remove the old one, McGlynn decided to leave it on Lahart&rsquo;s lawn. He would later have some friends go back and decorate it as a Christmas joke, and a local legend was born.
				Past recipients
				1984: John McGlynn
				1985: Kevin Boylan
				1986: Jim Clarke
				1987: Charles Burns
				1988: Gordon Dussinger
				1989: Barry Blannet
				1990: Paul Roberts
				1991: Barney O&rsquo;Donnell
				1992: Terry McGinley
				1993: Frank &ldquo;Bunky&rdquo; Sorochak
				1994: Frank Hill
				1995: Ned Delaney
				1996: Dan Beky
				1997: Nick Volpetti
				1998: Tom O&rsquo;Connor
				1999: No recipient
				2000: Al &lsquo;Shorty&rsquo; Cuba
				2001: Doug Rush
				2002: Tom Leary
				2003: Charlie Dugan
				2004: Jack Coslett
				2005: Stan Motyka
				2006: Sterling Rush
				2007: Bill Mericle
				2008: John Sromovsky
				2009: Tom Paratore
				2010: Mike Connolly
				2011: Jeff Coslett
				2012: Gary Michak
				2013: Rich Stefanides
				2014: Betty Lahart
				2015: Bob Guyette
				2016: Maurice Grimes
				2017: Richard Pries
				2018: Anthony Dicton
				2019: Corey Pries

Lombardo household named 36th recipient of Kingston Holiday Water Heater