It’s time to thank a U.S. Coast Guard member!
The theme of this year’s annual Homer Winter Carnival is “Coasting into Winter,” meant to honor the men and women who tend our buoys and keep our waters safe here in Kachemak Bay.
Members of the Coast Guard stationed in Homer will be the Grand Marshals of the Winter Carnival Parade at noon on Saturday. Show your thanks then, later that day or, really, any time of year at all!
If you have any energy left after the carnival this weekend, take a gander at these best bets:
BEST BENEVOLENT BET: Indulge yourself in exotic food right here in Homer while helping the Girl Scouts fund a service and adventure trip to India. Warm up your Winter Carnival weekend and help send Homer’s high school Girl Scouts to the Girl Scout World Center in India. Traditional northern Indian dishes including Dal Tadka, Aloo Matar, Palak Paneer, mixed vegetable curry and cumin rice will be served from 5-8 p.m. this Saturday at Homer United Methodist Church. Decadent desserts will be auctioned off throughout the night. Tickets are $15 at the door. Jen Chauvet, former Indian tiger guide and Indian food cooking instructor, will guide the girls in cooking these traditional Northern Indian recipes.
BEST RUNNING BUFF BET: Not in the mood for flowers and lots of chocolate? Celebrate the impending Valentine’s Day with a 5K! The Kachemak Bay Running Club is sponsoring a 5-kilometer race from Homer High School, up Fairview Avenue, to the start of the Reber Trail and back this Sunday. There will be prizes for fastest couple, male, female and child. The cost is $20 for adult and $10 for a child. All adult participants will receive a Kachemak Bay Running Club buff. There is a $5 discount on the adult price if you are a current member. Registration will begin at 9 a.m. and the race will start at 10 a.m.. Chocolate, coffee and treats will be tempting you at the finish.
BEST BRING OUT THE PAINT BET: Join the Homer Rocks monthly rock painting circle. All ages and skills available. Bring rocks and painting supplies if you have them; otherwise, there are plenty of both to be shared. Join this movement that spreads joy and kindness. The next painting session is at noon on Sunday at Portside Coffee. Please RSVP by contacting Christina at 907-435-7969 by text or phone.
BEST INFORMATIVE BET: Feeling out of touch with what’s going on in your local government? Lunch with a council member is an informal opportunity to meet your local elected officials. Each month a different city council member will address your ideas, concerns, and questions at the Homer Public Library. Borough Assembly Members will also attend as available. This Monday, Feb. 11, Caroline Venuti will answer questions at the event starting at noon.
BEST LAID BACK BET: Author Tom Kizzia and local artist Jennifer Norton will lead a lively pub chat about whether the book “Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?” should be considered “literature.” This event, Pub Chat: But Is It Literature? will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 12 at Alice’s Champagne palace.
