Registration is open for the 2019 Alaska Food Festival and Conference, which takes place on Friday and Saturday, March 8-9, at Land’s End Resort in Homer.
Hosted by the Alaska Food Policy Council (AFPC), this semi-annual event previously took place in Anchorage in 2014 and 2016 and in Fairbanks in 2017.
This year, the Alaska Farmers Market Association is co-hosting the conference.
For more information about the conference, contact Robbi Mixon at (907) 235-4068, Ext. 23, or robbi@inletkeeper.org.
The Kachemak Bay Advisory Board meets March 13 at the Island and Oceans Visitor Center located at 95 Sterling Hwy, Homer, AK 99603. The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. and ends at 8 p.m..
If you have any questions concerning the meeting please contact Jason Okuly at Jason.okuly@alaska.gov or 907-2 26-4688.
The Anchor Point Fire & Emergency Medical Service Area Board will hold its next board meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 20 at the Anchor Point Fire Station, 72440 Milo Fritz Ave. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. For more information, call 235-6700.
The College Council will hold its next meeting at 6 p.m. tonight, March 7, at KPC’s Kachemak Bay Campus in Homer in Pioneer room 202.
The College Council is advisory in nature and members are recruited from all sectors of the Kenai Peninsula to provide input to KPC administration. The meeting is open to the public.
For a copy of the agenda, contact the director’s assistant at 262-0318 or visit this link: www.kpc.alaska.edu/about/college_council/reports/
The Homer Fish & Game Advisory Committee will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 12 at the KBRR building located at 2181 Kachemak Drive. The agenda will include discussion of crab and fishery proposals for the upcoming cycle and any other business that may properly come before the committee.
The public is encouraged to attend. For more information contact Dave Lyon at 399-2340.
Kachemak Emergency Service Area Board will hold its regular monthly board meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 14. The meeting will be held at the McNeil Canyon Fire Station, 53048 Ashwood Ave. ( Mile 12 East End Rd.). The public is welcome to attend. Call 235-9811 for more information.
Kenai Peninsula Votes offers reflections and advice on voting.Kenai Peninsula Vote’s (KPV) mission is to get more people to vote. In our last tidbit we talked about how strong the Kenai Peninsula voter turnout has been. This past summer and fall, KPV talked with voters about upcoming elections. When people talked about voting, either for or against, they had strong feelings. Some of the reasons we got from the non-voters were: I don’t trust politicians, I really don’t know the issues, here in Alaska my vote doesn’t count, there is nothing on the ballot that excites me. These are all understandable reasons, except for the fact that if we don’t vote, then we could give the minority the right to tell us what to do. As the American-Cambodian human rights activist, Loung said, “Voting is not only our right — it is our power.”
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Road Service Area would like to remind individuals and private contractors not to deposit snow and ice onto borough right-of-ways. This is against Kenai Peninsula Borough code.
Accumulated snow piles and berms near roadways present a safety concern by limiting visibility. It creates road maintenance problems. Call 262-4427 with any questions.
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.
HVFD also wants to remind everyone smoke detectors and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors save lives. Please make sure you have working detectors in your home. If you need any assistance with making sure you have adequate coverage in your home from smoke and carbon monoxide, please reach out to your local fire department for assistance.
Ultimate Frisbee groups meets Mondays and Thursdays from 7:30-9:30 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 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 the Homer Senior Citizens lunch is: today, roast beef; Friday, almond-crusted salmon; Monday, spinach/beef lasagna; Tuesday, roasted chicken breast; Wednesday, beef stroganoff; and 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
There will be a free advocacy workshop called “How to Effectively Argue for What you Value” at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Monday nights on March 4, March 18 and March 25. Come to one or come to more. Each session starts with a short seminar on a topic of the group’s choosing, followed by time to write. Topics include contacting legislators, writing letters to the editor, using social media, creating effective messages and voting. A writing specialist is on-site to help. This is a nonpartisan event and all are welcome.
Refresh your Drawing Skills with Asia Freeman: Tuesday nights, From March 12 through April 30. Eight classes for $195.
Basics of Ground-Source Heat Pump Systems: March 22-24. This class covers harvesting shallow geothermal energy, system components, common installation configurations, cost/benefit considerations and safety. It costs $50.
Coastal Navigation with Anna Borland Ivy starts March 25.
The first of Brenda Adams’ classes for gardeners and outdoor lovers, “Cool Plants for Cold Climates,” happens Tuesday, March 26, from 5:30-8:30 p.m., followed by “Create a Haven for Birds, Bees and Other Pollinators” on April 2, and “Truly Compelling Combinations on April 9. The classes are $45 each.
The Able Seaman class runs March 28 – April 13. This new USCG-approved 40-hour course is for those that have sea time and would like to obtain the Able Seaman Merchant Mariner Credential. Fishermen are welcome. Take this class and pass the exam in lieu of Coast Guard Exam. You may have more sea time than you think. Call the KBC Marine Technology Coordinator at 907- 235-1622. $500 fee includes book.
South Peninsula Hospital
As a registered Safe Sitter Teaching Site, South Peninsula Hospital is offering a one-day SafeSitter Babysitting class on Friday, March 8 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Students in 6th through 8th grade learn how to be safe when home alone, watching siblings or babysitting. Course covers safety skills, first aid, child care, choking rescue, CPR for infants and children and business etiquette. Registration is required; the cost is $50 and scholarships are available. Call 235-0970 or visit sphosp.org
South Peninsula Hospital’s Homer Medical Center offers “Living Well Alaska”, a chronic disease self-management class starting in March. Developed by Stanford University, and endorsed by the State DHSS, this six week group workshop is for people dealing with ongoing health conditions or the family members who support them.
People with all kinds of long term conditions such as arthritis, asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and other illnesses can benefit. At a Living Well Alaska workshop, you will learn the skills to set goals, problem solve understand and handle symptoms, eat well and be active, deal with difficult emotions and work with your health care team
Alaska Islands and Oceans Visitor Center
Exhibits and gift shop at Alaska Islands & Oceans Visitor Center are open from noon to 5 p.m., Tuesday – Saturday.
The Pre-K Puffins Early Learning Program will take place from 10-11:30 a.m. in the Seminar Room on Thursday, Feb. 28.
Join a Refuge Ranger for an hour and a half of story time, crafts, and early learning activities centered on marine species. This month’s theme: Walruses.
The Kachemak Bay National Estuarian Research Reserve (KBNERR) will be holding their quarterly Community Council meeting from noon to 3 p.m. Friday, March 8 in the Seminar Room. Coffee and tea will be available at this free event, so come listen to what KBNERR has been up to and what is new for them in the coming months.
Join the Alaska Maritime NWR for a Science Lecture Series from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 13 in the Seminar Room. These lectures cover a variety of topics and allow our scientists to share the work they do to support the Refuge. Free and open to the public.
