Town Crier

The Christian Science Society will hold a Thanksgiving service at 10 a.m., Thursday Nov. 22 at 3774 Bartlett Street. the service will include hymns, prayer, readings from the King James Bible and passages from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. All are welcome to this hour-long service.

Kenai Peninsula College’s Kachemak Bay Campus will be closed Thursday through Sunday in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. Note that classes will not be held during that time. All KPC locations will re-open and calsses will resume at 8 a.m. on Nov. 26.

The Kachemak Bay Birders will hold their next meeting at 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 26. All meetings are held at the Islands and Ocean Visitor Center; this meeting will be in the Auditorium. Following the meeting, Marc Romano will present “Journey to St. Matthew: Surveying for rare Birds on Alaska’s Most Remote Islands.”

During the summer of 2018, Marc Romano, a Wildlife Biologist with Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, led a team of scientists to the St. Matthew Islands to conduct population studies of McKay’s Bunting and Pribilof Rock Sandpiper.

These two birds are endemic to Alaska and breed on small remote islands in the Bering Sea and winter along the Bering Sea and Cook Inlet coastlines. They are both among North America’s rarest birds, and as such are Priority Species for regional management and conservation for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The St. Matthew Islands are the most remote islands in Alaska and surveys for McKay’s Bunting and Pribilof Rock Sandpiper have not been conducted on them since 2003.

Marc will present images and stories from this trip and report on the preliminary findings of the surveys. Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy this meeting and presentation.

If you are a new birder or have any interest in birding or want to learn what Kachemak Bay Birders do, please attend. All meetings are free and open to the public, and all events are cosponsored by the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.

For questions call Lani Raymond, 399-9477.

There will be a Loss, Grief and Addiction workshop from 6-8 p.m. on Nov. 30, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 1 and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Dec. 2 located at 1231 Ocean Drive in Homer.

This is a weekend workshop for parents, families, loved ones and those in recover. It will be led by Dr. Ted Wiard, founder and executive director of Golden Willow Retreat. The workshop will include the topics of chronic grief, chronic fear, unconventional grief and complicated or compounded grief. Contact Annie Wiard to reserve a spot by calling 907-299-0541.

The Homer Volunteer Fire Department wants to remind the public as the temperature drops and they start to turn the heat on, make sure you properly have your chimney cleaned and inspected.

The department offers chimney brushes at the station for your convenience. Give them a call if you have any questions at 907-235-3155 ext. 0.

The Annual Holiday Tree lighting Celebration hosted by the Homer Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center will be held from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30 at the Chamber Visitor Center. The Chamber is located at 201 Sterling Highway.

Santa will arrive on a Homer Fire Department Engine. Mayor Ken Castner will welcome Santa and turn on the tree lights, which will continue to glow throughout the holiday season on the tall evergreen on the Chamber lawn. The Homer High School Swing Choir, directed by Kyle Schneider will sing carols outside or inside the Chamber depending on weather conditions. Take photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus as kids share their Christmas wishes.

Hot cocoa, apple cider and s’mores roasted over the bonfire will be available. There will be an Arts and Craft Room for kids with a new addition of artists David and Elissa Pettibone from the Kachemak Bay Art Space Shop showing kids how to make marbled holiday cards.

The Tree Lighting Ceremony is sponsored by the following Chamber Members: AmericasCuisine, Alaska Flower Mill, AlaskaUSA Mortgage Company, Cornerstone Home Lending, Cosmic Kitchen, Don Jose’s Restaurant, Dutch Boy Christmas Décor Enstar, Homer Electric Association, Malone Insurance Company, Safeway, Save-U-Mor, SVT Health & Wellness and Ulmer’s Drug and Hardware.

For more information call Jan Knutson, Chamber Visitor Center & Community Event Manager at 907-235-7740.

The Anchor Point Fire & Emergency Medical Service Area Board will hold its next board meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday Dec. 19, at the Anchor Point Fire Station, 72440 Milo Fritz Ave.

The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. For more information, call 235-6700.

Ultimate Frisbee groups meets Mondays from 7:30-9:30 p.m. and Thursdays from 6-8 p.m. at the SPARC.

Kenai Peninsula Borough Solid Waste facilities are closed on Sundays through April 28, 2019.

For more information contact the KPB Solid Waste Department at 907-262-9667.

Anchor Point Senior Citizens

The Anchor Point Senior Center on Milo Fritz Road is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m. to noon Friday.

The center serves Thursday night dinners starting at 5:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

Bingo is at 6:30 p.m. with doors opening at 6 p.m. on Friday nights. The Helping Hands Thrift Store is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Exercise sessions are at 10 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. For information, call 235-7786.

Friendship Center

Friendship Center Adult Day Services is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday with extended hours for special situations.

Programs are offered daily, including story time, crafts and musical performances. Call 235-4556.

Homer Senior Citizens

The Caregiver Support Group meets 2-3:30 p.m. the second and fourth Thursday in the senior center conference room. Call Pam Hooker at 299-7198 or Daniel Weisser at 235-4555.

Homer Senior Citizens lunch is open to seniors and guests and is served noon-1:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Lunch costs $7 for seniors age 60 and older, and $15 for those under 60.

The menu for this week is: Today, meat loaf; Thursday, closed for Thanksgiving; Friday, cod; Monday, pasta primavera; Tuesday, honey dijon chicken; Wednesday, beef tamales, beef stroganoff; next Thursday, baked ham.

Strong Women classes are 1:30-2:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Homer Senior Center. Zumba Gold classes with Maria are 11 a.m.-noon Tuesdays and 1:30-2:30 p.m. Thursdays at the Homer Senior Center.

Tai chi classes are Thursdays at 3 p.m. Duplicate Bridge meets at 1 p.m. Thursdays. Call Daniel Weisser at 235-4555.

Duplicate Bridge is $3 for members and $5 for non-members.

Strong Women, Zumba and Tai Chi are $5 for members and $7 for non-members.

Pratt Museum

Galleries are closed for renovations until May 2019.

The business office is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Kachemak Bay Campus

How to Use QuickBooks, Dec. 1, 10am -5pm ($30). The deadline to register for Marine Hydraulics by AVTEC is Nov. 27, with the class to take place Dec. 1-2. Marine Electronics class will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7 with Mark Zeiset from South Central Radar. Call 235-7743 for information. Sign up on easy community education website at www.kbcnoncredit.asapconnected.com

Intermediate MS Access takes place Nov. 30 and Dec. 7.

Registration is open starting Nov. 26 for winter/spring classes. See https://www.kpc.alaska.edu/academics/schedule/. Classes include Welding, Cetaceans of Ak, Able Seaman, Gill Net Building, Environmental Economics and Policy, Volcanology of KBay, Drawing, East Asian History, Tai Chi. Private Ground School and more.