Outside, a skateboard park sees plenty of action, while a field of green behind the old Homer Middle School building provides space for soccer, kickball and more.
The benefits from so many participating in sport rather than being idle on the streets of Homer are among the immeasurable intangibles provided by the Homer Boys and Girls Club program. But that program costs money, and raising funds to keep things operating is almost a full-time job, say club officials.
Now, the Alaska House of Representatives has taken action that could help. Members voted 34-0 Saturday to approve a bill that would give the Kenai Peninsula Boys and Girls Club's Homer branch a new fund-raising tool.
House Bill 232 sponsored by Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer, would allow the club to operate the "Homer Mercury Classic," a game of chance in which players attempt to guess the time at which the temperature reaches a certain degree for the first time in a year.
The game would be played twice a year once in the spring, when the target temperature would be 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and again in the fall when players attempt to guess when the thermometer will fall to 15 degrees.
The event would not be permitted under a gaming permit without legislation to allow a specific group or area to conduct one.
"The proceeds from the classic will help provide a place where about 300 children, from ages seven to 12, can gather in a safe and learning friendly environment," Seaton said. "In light of dwindling state revenues, this will be a valuable fund-raiser when other sources of money support cannot be guaranteed."
Each entry into the classic will cost $2. The proceeds will be divided evenly between the Boys and Girls Club of Homer and the classic winner or winners.
Running the Homer club costs roughly $175,000 a year, according to LaRae Paxton, finance director for the Kenai Peninsula Boys and Girls Club.
Hal Spence is a reporter for the Peninsula Clarion.ae/iN
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