Announcements

Please report sandhill crane colt (chick) sightings to Kachemak Crane Watch. Include location, date, time and number of colts when first seen to reports@cranewatch.org or 235-6262.

Pam Miller of Alaska Community on Toxics and Karuna Jaggar of Breast Cancer Action present “Breast Cancer Prevention: From the Personal to the Political (Science, Tips and Action)” at 6:30 p.m. today at Homer United Methodist Church. A reception is at 6 p.m. For more information, call 907-222-7714 or email patti@akaction.org.

The Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies seeks volunteers from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday for its annual Wynn Nature Center pre-season preparation. Food provided. If a ride is needed or people want to volunteer to carpool, call CACS at 235-6667. The 2014 season begins on June 14.  

The Kachemak Bay Birders’ trip to the North Fork Road is Saturday. Meet at 7:45 a.m. at the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center parking lot to carpool or meet at the North Fork Road bridge at 8 a.m. This bridge is a few miles in from the highway on the Homer end of the North Fork Road. Everyone is welcome and there is no charge. All trips are cosponsored by the Kachemak Bay Birders and Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. For more information, contact Lani Raymond at 399-9477.

A teleconference on regulations for Medicaid and community-based services with the Department of Health and Social Services Senior and Disabilities Services is at 1 p.m. Wednesday in the Legislative Information Office. For more information, call 235-7878.

The South Peninsula Haven House board of directors holds its annual meeting at 5:15 p.m. June 12 at 3939 Lake St., Suite 1. The purpose of the meeting is to elect new officers. The meeting is open to the public.

Faith Lutheran Church in Homer holds a free vacation Bible school, “Weird Animals: Where Jesus’ Love Is One-of-a-Kind,” from 9 a.m.-noon June 16-21. For ages 3 and up, in “Weird Animals,” kids will learn about some of God’s most creative creations. Kids at Weird Animals VBS will join an international mission effort to share God’s love by providing water for school children in India. Call the church office at 235-7600 or Gretchen at 399-2129 to find out how to register.

Nominations for Farm Family of the Year are open. The Alaska State Fair established the award in 2000 to honor an Alaska farming family that epitomizes the spirit of the industry and to show appreciation for all the hardworking Alaskans committed to agriculture and aquaculture in the state. Nominations are due on June 17. Nominations should offer details about the family and how the family members fulfill the criteria. Nominations should be mailed to Jacquelyn Schade, Farm Family, Alaska Division of Agriculture, 1800 Glenn Highway, Suite 12, Palmer, AK 99645, faxed to 907-745-7242 or emailed to Jacquelyn.Schade@alaska.gov.

The Kenai Peninsula District 4-H Council invites interested performers and vendors to apply to be in the 4-H Summer Solstice Music Festival on June 21 at the Diamond M Ranch in Kenai. To be considered for this year’s festival, performers and vendors should sign up at www.alaska4h.org/kenai-peninsula-4-h-summer-solstice-music-festival.html. Festival admission is free. Participants are encouraged to car-pool. On-site parking is $10 per car and $5 per motorcycle.  

Friendship Center

Friendship Center Adult Day Services is open 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday with extended hours for special situations. Special programs are offered daily, including story time, crafts and musical performances. For more information, call 235-4556.

Homer Senior Citizens

Homer Senior Citizens lunch is open to seniors and guests and is served 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday-Friday. The lunch menu for this week is: today, roast beef; Friday, fresh salmon; Monday, fried chicken; Tuesday, Salisbury steak; Wednesday, Cuban pork.

Strong Women classes are 1-2 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Homer Senior Center. The cost is $3 for members and $6 for nonmembers per class.

Zumba Gold classes with Maria are 11 a.m.-noon Tuesdays and 1:30-2:30 p.m. Thursdays at the Homer Senior Center. The cost per class is $4 members, $6 nonmembers.

Tai Chi classes are Thursday at 3 p.m. The cost per class is $3 for members and $6 for nonmembers. Call Daniel Weisser at 235-7655.

Caregiver Support Group meets 2-3:30 p.m. the second and fourth Thursday in the senior center dining room. Call Pam Hooker at 299-7198 or Daniel Weisser at 235-7655. 

Kachemak Bay Campus

Registration is now being held for the 2014 Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference, June 13-17, featuring 19 visiting, local and statewide poets and creative literary nonfiction and fiction writers. See writersconference.homer.alaska.edu for more information.

The Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference annual Festival of Readings with readings by 15 poets, novelists and essayists is June 14-16. Keynote speaker Alice Sebold reads at 8 p.m. June 14 at the Mariner Theatre. Other readings are at 7:30 p.m. June 15 at the Homer Elks Lodge and at 7:30 p.m. June 16 at Land’s End Resort.

KBC fall semester registration is open. Sign-up now, pay later. Call 235-7743 for an advising appointment. For class schedules, visit www.kpc.alaska.edu/KBC/searchable_schedule.

National Book Award finalist Debbie Dahl Edwardson, will conduct a Young Writers’ Workshop for 10th-12th graders from 9 a.m-noon June 13. The fee is $60. Register at KBC.

Pratt Museum

The museum galleries are open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Business offices are open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

“Putting By: Food Identity on the Kenai,” focuses on foods collected and preserved to last the winter and is on exhibit through June 22.

At 6 p.m. Wednesday, linguist James Kari of the Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks presents “The Most Significant Dene (Or Athabascan) Place Names Surrounding The Alaska Range.” Kari will discuss Dena’ina place names and what they can tell us about the distant past.

Historic Harbor Tours start Friday and are held at 3 p.m. every Friday and Saturday through Aug. 23. Meet at the wheelhouse in front of the Salty Dawg on the Homer Spit. The fee is $10 per person.

South Peninsula Hospital

Upcoming training opportunities at South Peninsula Hospital are:

• American Heart Association Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers courses at 8 a.m. on June 13 and June 27. 

• Safe Sitter class on June 25 and 26. This two-day course is designed for 11-13 years olds to learn basic child care skills and prepare them to provide quality baby-sitting services. Space is limited; registration is required. 

To register for these classes, call the hospital education department at 235-0258.

SVT Health & Wellness

SVT Health & Wellness offers a series of classes covering all aspects of wellness every Thursday at 6 p.m. Today’s class is “Functional Medicine Q&A”  with Dr. Rob Downey, board certified family physician. Functional medicine addresses the underlying causes of disease, using a systems-oriented approach and engaging both patient and practitioner in a therapeutic partnership. Join Dr. Downey as he explores functional medicine with an informal question-and-answer session. The classes are open to the public. For more information, call 226-2228 ext. 660.