Now you’re saying to yourself, “Holy Sheepskin, I can’t wait to blow this one-stoplight town.”
Hey, it’s a rite of passage for anyone heading out into the world. Pick any paradise, and you can bet high school graduates there are saying, “New York, New Schmork, I can’t wait to get outta this city.”
There’s no convincing a jaded teenager that where she happens to be is where she should spend the rest of her life.
Right at this moment, though, some starry-eyed newcomer rounding Baycrest Hill has just seen Kachemak Bay spreading out before him, and he’s thinking, “Good Lord, this is the most amazing place in the world.” Travelers who have been around the world six times and back finally come to Homer — because, well, that’s where the road ends — and think, “OK, this is it, I’m home.”
Which is kinda what Tim Daugharty said at the Homer High grad shebang last week. Go out and see the world, he said. Get an education. And then come back to Homer.
Grads, your heart will draw you back, if this is where your heart is. Hey, maybe you’ll find your own Homer elsewhere — some little sidetrack town that speaks to you. Or maybe you think you’ve found that perfect place, only to realize years later that it’s been here all along. You’ll think, “How could I ever have left Homer?” And how could you not think that when it has all these cool things to do, like some of these Best Bets.
BEST YOU COULD BE A STAR BET: Look in the mirror, slap your face and say, “It’s showtime!” If you’ve never been able to cure that acting bug, hey, why not try out for one of this summer’s Pier One Theatre plays? Auditions are 5-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Mariner Theatre. Better still, we’re talking yet another production by local genius playwright Shirley Timmreck, “When the Poppies Are in Bloom in Hidden Hills.”
BEST NOW THE REAL FISHING BEGINS: The big Memorial Day weekend crowds have gone. The river has settled down. Fishermen, now’s the time to do some serious fishing. The Anchor River is open for kings at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
BEST PLANT MARATHON BET: If you’ve been around town longer than the Lake Street stoplight, you know the drill. Get in line early for the annual Homer Garden Club Plant Sale. It starts at 10 a.m. Saturday this year in the City Hall parking lot. Get some primo plants, then dash down Pioneer Avenue and go to the Pratt Museum’s plant sale, also starting at 10 a.m. Whew.
BEST MUWHAHA BET: It’s crazy. It’s madness. It’s Lewis Carroll, Homer style, when Homer’s wildest miliners present creations that would make even Her Majesty blink. We’re talking normal, everyday gimme caps or simple bonnets transformed into … well, find out yourself at the Mad Hatters Tea Party from 2-4 p.m. Saturday at Land’s End Resort. Sip some tea and munch on scones, and bid high, bid often, because it benefits the Homer Council on the Arts.
BEST BRIDGES TO SOMEWHERE BET: For a couple of gallons of chainsaw gas and a lot of sweat and muscle, volunteers will be building bridges to … well, some of the best backcountry around. It’s National Trails Day, and all over the bay from the Pratt Museum to the Homestead Trail to Kachemak Bay State Park, you can help get local trails back in shape. Trails Day runs two days this year, Saturday and Sunday. See www.homerswcd.org for sign-up details.
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