Homer's best bets</MCC HEAD>

Story last updated at 2:04 p.m. Thursday, August 12, 2004

Homer's best bets

Photo by Ben Stuart, Homer News
Safety first Four members of the U.S. Coast Guard demonstrate survival suits at Seafair on Saturday.

Holy six degrees of separation, Betsteroids! Last week the B. found out that Ma Betster's cousin's brother-in-law's cousin lives right here in Homer. That's, uh, four degrees of separation: Alaska to New Hampshire to Virginia to North Carolina to Alaska. Alaska is like that, though. Go to any gathering of Alaskans, get chattin' with some stranger, and inside of 10 minutes you're bound to find someone in common. Heck, go Outside, mention to someone that you're from Alaska, and if she knows anyone from Alaska, hey, you might know 'em, too.

In the Greater Homer metropolitan area, well, sheesh, you may not know everyone in town, but odds are, you know their friends, their enemies or their dogs. We Alaskans number only 600,000 people (and a few cranks). Half of those weren't here five years ago. Stick around long enough, and from Barrow to Bettles to Bokan Mountain, you might just meet everyone.

Still new to town? Well, what better way to meet people than trying out some of these Best Bets.

BEST REASONED POLITICAL DISCOURSE: That Michael Moore sure knows how to get people talking. Whether you think the filmmaker is a courageous muckraker or just a lefty Rush Limbaugh, his film "Fahrenheit 9/11" sure has been packing the Homer Theatre. Want to discuss the movie? Head over tonight from 7-9 p.m. at the Vessels of Hope Community Resource Center on Pioneer Avenue, when Kindness Without Borders sponsors a discussion of the film, part of the Thursday Dialogues program.

BEST SEND A KID TO KAMP BET: Mavis "Mave" Muller is like this way cool artist who hangs in Homer doing, well, way cool artist things. She's holding a fund-raiser to send a kid (Mave) to camp (the Burning Man Festival in Nevada) starting at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Alibi on Pioneer Avenue. She'll be putting on "It's a Mave," a Happy 121st Birthday celebration of Mae West (or Mave West). The one-woman show is a dress rehearsal of Mave's performance at the Burning Man cabaret. DJ Agent Orange spins tunes.

BEST STILL BLOOMIN' BET: As the Kachemak Gardener keeps telling us, we'll have flowers for weeks to come yet. This Sunday you can celebrate local gardens. At 1 p.m., swing by the Homer Community Garden off the Poopdeck Trail and listen to Daisy Lee Bitter share her gardening wisdom. It's a work party, and you're asked to bring a bucket of dirt to share. At 2 p.m. the Homer Garden Club sponsors tours of three area gardens: the artsy garden of Sunrise Sjoberg, the secret garden of Brigitte Suter and the tranquil garden of Teena Garay. Meet at Homer City Hall to carpool.

BEST LIVE STRONG BET: Those yellow Live Strong bracelets sold by the Lance Armstrong Foundation are all the rage. Kelly Radeke, recently diagnosed with sarcoma cancer, is fighting with all the spirit of the Tour de France winner. You can come help her out at "Kelly Can Kick Cancer," a fund-raiser benefit starting at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Down East Saloon, East End Road. There is a $10 donation for a pig roast, with raffles and an auction. Proceeds go to help pay for her cancer treatment.

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