The Betster hopes you’ve gotten your Salmonfest tickets before they’re all sold out! With music, good vibes and local advocacy and activities, it’s sure to be another hit year at the Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds. For other goings-on this upcoming week, check out these Best Bets!

BEST GARDEN WORKSHOP BET: Kachemak Bay Campus is hosting free gardening workshops in July, in partnership with the Homer Soil and Water Conservation District. On Thursday, July 31 at 5:30 p.m., Carey Restino of Homer Hilltop Farm will share professional advice on handling the most common garden pest — weeds! Learn about various methods of control, from handy tools to silage tarps to timing strategies. Learn what crops compete best and how to outsmart those pesky weeds! Class begins in Bayview Hall, room 102, then moves to the KBC high tunnel across the parking lot. For more information, call 907-235-1674. 533 E. Pioneer Ave.

BEST FUN RUN/WALK BET: The Kachemak Bay Running Club, in association with the Kachemak Nordic Ski Club, is sponsoring a 5K fun run/walk on Saturday, Aug. 9 to raise funds for the Eveline State Recreation Park. The race will start at 10 a.m. at McNeil Canyon Elementary School and, following the scenic Old East End Road, finish at Eveline State Park. Register in advance and find more information at kachemakbayrunningclub.org/event/eveline-5k-fun-run/. Registration will also take place on race day at 9 a.m. 52188 East End Road.

BEST GET YOUR PEONY BOUQUETS BET: The Homer-Kachemak Bay Rotary Club will be selling peony bouquets on Thursdays and Fridays through Aug. 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of the Homer Chamber of Commerce building. Sales are dependent on weather and availability of flowers. Proceeds will be split between the Alaska Beauty Peony Co-op and the Rotary; funds allocated to the Rotary will be used for their many community causes including supporting parks, scholarships and the work of many of Homer’s nonprofit organizations. For more information, contact Lori Evans, the Rotary’s Community Service Committee co-chair, at 907-399-7767. 201 Sterling Highway.

BEST CITIZEN SCIENCE MONITORING BET: Help researchers at the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve monitor disturbances at kittiwake colonies on the Homer Spit and Gull Island! Kittiwakes are important near-surface fish feeders, so their reproductive success can serve as an indicator of marine ecosystem health as a whole and provide valuable insight on the health of these economically valuable fish populations. Researchers are studying how disturbance from bald eagles, other aerial predators, and human usage are affecting kittiwake reproductive success. If you visit one of the colonies and observe a disturbance event, researchers would love you to add your observation to their dataset, as they can only go out to monitor disturbance once a week. Learn more about this citizen science opportunity and submit an observation by visiting kachemakbayreserve.org/kittiwake-disturbance-monitoring/ or emailing claire.labuda@noaa.gov.

BEST SANDHILL CRANE MONITORING BET: Soon colts will be fledging, flying with their parents as the end of the 60-70 days of growing and learning to fly appoaches. Colts hatched earliest in the nesting season will be the first to fledge in July, with more fledging through the month until mid-August. Let Kachemak Crane Watch know when and where you see your colts fledging. Fledged colts should be able to fly off with the adults. Please include the specific location and other helpful information, as well as your contact information. Kachemak Crane Watch also keeps track of colts that disappeared or died. Successful fledging and mortality reports help Kachemak Crane Watch calculate nesting success for the year and compare it to previous years. Send your reports to reports@cranewatch.org or call 907-235-6262.