A cruise ship came in. Several cruise ships. Big, huge cruise ships bigger than most Alaska towns.

Well, tomorrow is cruise ship day here on the lower peninsula. Think of Southcentral Alaska as one big cruise ship, and the Sterling Highway a 200-mile long gangway extruding fishermen, tourists, visiting friends and relatives and ruffians who come here to par-tay, dude. OK, the par-tay-ers can stay home, please. We're even going to get a cruise ship of sorts, the kind where you take a four-year cruise with 380 of your closest chums and earn your passage by chipping rust off big gray ships. Hello, sailors!

So welcome to Homer, friends and visitors. We hope you have a good, safe weekend, so try out some of these Best Bets:

BEST A COOL NAME FOR A ROCK BAND BET: The Black Leather Chitons. Yeah, that rocks. The locals call 'em bidarkis, though. We're talkin' those slimy slugs with armor plates that cling to rocks. Want to learn more about the B.L.C.s? Check it out when Anne Solomon presents "Natural and Human Impacts on Rocky Intertidal Ecosystems" at noon today at the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitors Center.

BEST HANGING WITH THE VETS BET: The good folks at the Anchor Point Veterans of Foreign Wars are helping to throw a party a safe, responsible, family oriented party out at Anchor Point. Other good citizens of A.P. promise to have lots of activities, too. The events start at 1 p.m. Saturday, with a horseshoe tournament. There will be lots of food and fun, too.

BEST THE REASON FOR THE DAY BET: Remember your grade school civics? Memorial Day isn't just a convenient calendar date to start the summer. It's the day we honor the men and women who served in our country's wars. Local Memorial Day events start at 9 a.m. Monday with a special service for World War II veterans at the General Buckner Veterans Memorial at the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitors Center, and continues with graveside services at 10 a.m. at Hickerson Memorial Cemetery, Diamond Ridge Road, noon at Anchor Point Cemetery and at 2 p.m. at Ninilchik Cemetery.

BEST ANCHORS AWAY BET: Per capita, Homer is probably going to get more sailors in town than New York City does during its shore week. The USS Lake Champlain pulls into port Monday afternoon. We're not talking seasoned citizens casually strolling down the docks, but young men and a few women eager to get their land legs back. Hopefully, they'll get a bit further than the Salty Dawg. Welcome them ashore. Who knows? You might make some new friends.

BEST VOTE EARLY, BUT NOT OFTEN BET: Yo, city residents, want to get the voting for the June 15 special election out of the way? You can start voting at 8 a.m. Tuesday at the City Clerk's office at City Hall.