Homer's best bets</MCC HEAD>

Story last updated at 1:50 p.m. Thursday, May 15, 2003

Homer's best bets
The Betster once spent a summer in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where it can snow any month of the year. One night in early August what sounded like a million mosquitoes slamming into the B's tent turned out to be 5 inches of sloppy snow. Huh. Kind of like Tuesday's snow up on Diamond Ridge. That pretty much shot visions of fuzzy green popping up out of a panorama of brown. By today the snow ought to have melted and those poor, frost-hardened leaves revived, just in time to celebrate the big Victoria's Day Weekend.

Wait that's a Canadian holiday, isn't it? With all the activity in town and on the Spit, it sure feels like a holiday coming up. How come the Canadians have to start their summer season early, anyway? How come Queen Victoria's birthday gets to be a national holiday? Why not James' Day or Henry's Day?

So join our Canadian visitors and friends in celebrating the birth of that paragon of British virtue, sort of as a warm up for our own big holiday next week, perhaps by trying out these Best Bets:

BEST FREEDOM FRY FUEL BET: When Herr Diesel invented his engine last century, he had the idea that any combustible fuel could be used. So why not used fry oil? Scott Simmons and Paul Castellani of the Alternative Energy Project show off their modified diesel car for the Thursday Dialogues from 7-9 p.m. at the Community Resource Center, 182 E. Pioneer Avenue.

BEST BOOK 'EM, DAN-O BET: The Muscular Dystrophy Association of Alaska holds "Behind Bars for Good," an annual fund-raiser where they lock up our town's "notorious citizens." Isn't that an oxymoron here in Homer? Anyway, the perps get free cell phone minutes for one hour to raise their $1,000 bail. You can help out by swinging by from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. today at Land's End Resort.

BEST THIS LAND IS MY LAND BET: So what is private property, and when does it cease to be private? Can you do just about anything you want with your property, or does the community have an interest in your land? Deland Anderson facilitates a discussion on "Private Property" from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday at the Pratt Museum, the last of the season's "Community Conversations."

BEST RED KETTLE THANK YOU BET: Around Christmas the Salvation Army asks us to throw change in its red kettles. As a thank you for the community's support, and to celebrate the end of National Salvation Army Week, the Homer Salvation Army holds an $8 bag sale from 10 a.m.-5:25 p.m. Saturday at the Salvation Army Thrift Store on Pioneer Avenue. The church also serves a free hot dog lunch from noon-2 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

BEST PRAY FOR CALM SEAS BET: Not just tourists have begun returning to the Spit: we're seeing fishermen getting their boats ready for the salmon and other fishing runs starting soon. To remember those who have been lost at sea and to wish hope for those setting sail, the Eighth Annual Blessing of the Fleet is at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Seafarer's Memorial on the Spit.

We encourage you to add your comments. To prevent spam, comments with links are manually approved during the normal business day. Please be respectful of others with your comments, bear in mind anyone in the community may be reading your comments.