The American Legion Unit 16 Auxiliary offers Christmas gift wrapping from noon to 5 p.m. daily starting today through Dec. 23 at Ulmer’s. Wrapping is 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 24, Christmas Eve. There is no set charge for the service, but donations to support veterans program are appreciated.
Kachemak Emergency Service Area Board holds its regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m. today at the McNeil Fire Station located at 53048 Ashwood Ave., near Mile 12 East End Road. The agenda will be posted at the borough office building, 206 E. Pioneer Ave., and at the fire station. The public is welcome. For more information, call 235-9811.
Starting Sunday at K-Bay Caffe is Soup at Seven on Sundays, communal soup and bread. It will be at 7 p.m. every Sunday. For more information, call 235-1551.
Ninilchik gets into the holiday season with its Community Christmas Village at the fairgrounds through Jan. 1. Families, individuals, businesses and organizations are invited to pick a building or open space around the fairgrounds and decorate it for the holiday season. There are nine small buildings, the outside of Carol Bock Hall and lots of open space. A trophy will be awarded for the people’s choice for best decorations. The lights will be on every weekend from dusk until 10 p.m. Call or email to reserve a building or commit to decorate a portion of the fairgrounds, (907) 567-3760 or kpsfair@acsalaska.net.
MAPP of the Southern Kenai Peninsula, the local collaborative for community health improvement, is conducting its second Community Health Needs Assessment from November 2012-March 2013. The first part of the assessment includes a community perceptions survey that gives community members the opportunity to highlight the community’s strengths and needs. This survey was recently included in the Homer News. Completed surveys can be submitted at City Hall, Homer Public Library and Ulmer’s. The survey also can be filled out online at www.mappofskp.net. For more information, call MAPP coordinator Megan Murphy at 235-0570.
Homer Council on the Arts is actively recruiting for new board members, as well as committee members for finance, programs and building and maintenance. Come join the team and support the arts in Homer.
The Mindfulness Meeting is a group for cultivating wisdom, gratitude and serenity through skills and practice that takes place weekly on Fridays. The meeting is from noon to 1:30 p.m. Friday at Room 104 Bayview Hall, Kachemak Bay Campus, through Dec. 21, with a time and place to be announced after the college campus closes for the holiday on Dec. 24. Everyone is welcome; there is no charge. For more information, call Rachel or Sharon at 235-7712. This group is sponsored by South Peninsula Haven House.
The annual Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count in Homer is 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Participants will be looking for and counting the number of different bird species that winter in the area. Afterwards, join other participants at the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center for hot soup and chili, bread and desserts. Coffee and tea will be available at Islands and Ocean throughout the day courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Birders will compile a list of all the bird species and numbers spotted during the count. Persons interested in participating are encouraged to contact Dave Erikson at derikson@alaska.net, 235-3487, or B.J. Hitchcock at hitchcock613@msn.com, 235-1265, to sign up. You also can sign up the day of the event. There is no charge for participating in the count. This is the 113th annual Christmas Bird Count held nationally by the Audubon Society.
Erikson conducts a winter bird identification class from 6:30-8:30 p.m. today at the Islands and Ocean Visitor Center. Even if you don’t plan to participate in the Christmas Bird Count, you are welcome to attend his presentation. For those persons without binoculars who want to participate in the Christmas Bird Count, you can check out a pair of binoculars at Islands and Ocean courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the day of the event.
The Homer Legislative Information Office and the offices of Rep. Paul Seaton and Senator-elect Peter Micciche hold a Christmas open house from 2 to 6 p.m.. Dec. 20 at its new location at 270 W. Pioneer Ave., at the northwest corner of Pioneer Avenue and Bartlett Street. Come tour the new offices and meet with legislators and staff.