Please report sandhill crane sightings to Kachemak Crane Watch at 235-6262 or reports@cranewatch.org. Date, time, location, behavior, and number of cranes is helpful. Leave a name and number in case they need more details.
Homer High Multi-Class Reunion Potluck Barbecue is noon-4 p.m. Saturday, May 18 at Karen Hornaday Park. If you were a member of any class around 1973 to 1983 please bring a dish to share and come reunite with old friends. Plates and utensils will be provided by the class of 1978. We would love to see you. For more information contact Ed Schollenberg at 209-606-0057.
The Pratt Museum has completed its significant renovations and will celebrate its re-opening with a Grand Re-Opening event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 25. The Pratt Museum has been under renovation since September 2018 and is now ready to unveil the significant interior renovations. The Pratt Museum’s Grand Re-Opening Event on May 25 is an “open house” event. The Museum will provide free admission to the public, as well as musical performances, craft activities, and discovery labs throughout the day. Hot dogs, cotton candy, and popcorn will also be available, as community members are encouraged to explore our outdoor trail system.Activities will be family-friendly, and we encourage people to come and see the improvements that have been made to Homer’s community museum spaces. Board President Jeff Meyers invites everyone on the Kenai Peninsula to “come and explore their local Museum” on May 25. Go to www.prattmuseum.org for more details on the activities schedule for the day.
Sustainable Homer is pleased to announce the 10th anniversary of the Homer Solar Tour. A two part event will be held on Friday and Saturday, May 17-18. The 2019 Solar Tour will consist of an evening event on May 17 that will feature a number of speakers from Homer and Anchorage presenting examples of their solar work, and discussing the advantages of solar, as well as lessons learned over the years.
Information about rebates and how to finance solar technology will also be discussed. The event will be held at the Islands and Oceans Visitor Center from 7-9 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday a number of Homer residents and businesses who have installed solar and renewable technology will be available for site visits. See the Homer Facebook page and the Sustainable Homer website for locations and descriptions of these sites. Businesses who are showing their installations include the Homer Bookstore and Urban Green Technology. Contact: Charles Barnwell, barnwellce@gmail.com or Kyra Wagner, Kyra@sustainablehomer.org.
The Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA) will offer a Fishing Vessel Drill Conductor class in Homer from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 25 at the Best Western Bidarka Inn. This class is free to commercial fishermen, thanks to support from the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community & Economic Development, the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health, and AMSEA members. The cost is $175 for all others. Interested mariners may register at www.amsea.org or call 907-747-3287.
This marine safety training course will cover cold-water survival skills; EPIRBs, signal flares, and mayday calls; man-overboard recovery and firefighting; flooding and damage control; dewatering pumps, immersion suits and PFDs, helicopter rescue, life rafts, abandon ship procedures, and emergency drills. There will be an in-the-water practice session, giving participants practical experience with PFDs and immersion suits, employing survival techniques, and righting and boarding an inflatable life raft.
AMSEA Drill Conductor classes meet the U.S. Coast Guard training requirements for drill conductors on commercial fishing vessels, 46 CFR 28.270 (c). This class is an excellent opportunity for commercial fishermen and other mariners to gain hands-on training with marine safety equipment and learn best practices for surviving emergencies at sea.
Kenai Peninsula Votes tidbit:
How did we come up with the decision that 18-year-olds have the right to vote? For the longest time, the legal age to vote was 21. The decision to change the voting age was made in 1971 with the 26th amendment that made it legal for 18-year-olds to have the right to vote. A major reason behind this amendment was that we were involved in a war where so many 18-year-olds were being drafted and dying for our country.
In May of 2013, Takoma Park, Maryland voted to have 16 and 17-year-olds vote in local elections. Even though many people were opposed to this decision, the mayor felt that this would help young voters establish life long habits for voting. We can argue about what the appropriate age to vote is, but having the discussion allows us to support the importance of voting. Let’s keep talking. Where do you stand on this issue?
Ultimate Frisbee group meets Mondays and Thursdays from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at the SPARC.
Kenai Peninsula Borough Solid Waste facilities are now open seven days a week through September. Hours are 8 a.m.-5:45 p.m. Monday-Friday and noon-4 p.m. Sundays.
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 Avenue, 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.
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
The Pratt Museum has reopened for the season, with hours daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Its grand reopening is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 25.
Kachemak Bay Campus
Registration is now going on for the 2019 Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference being held June 14-18. An optional post-conference workshop is at Tutka Bay Wilderness Lodge. The keynote speaker is author Diane Ackerman along with 16 other poets, essayists and novelists. The four-day conference with meals is $425. For information visit http://writersconference.homer.alaska.edu.
Register for fall 2019 classes now. Save your space and register early. Payments aren’t due until September. The new fall schedule is out this week. Come by the college and pick one up, or look for them throughout the town.
The last marine technology class of the season is Deckhand Skills on May 18 and 19. Visit https://kbcnoncredit.asapconnected.com for more information or call 235-7743. The class is only $85. Ask about scholarships.
Computer Game Design and Virtual Reality App Development for-credit classes are offered this fall. Sign up now before the classes are full. Call 235-7743 or visit http://www.kpc.alaska.edu/ to register.
South Peninsula Hospital
Teams are being solicited for the annual Homer Steps Up community walking challenge which has the goal of 100 million steps in the month of May.
The annual event, sponsored by South Peninsula Hospital in partnership with numerous local agencies, is May 1-28. Teams are asked to enroll in advance and as soon as possible.
Individual registration begins in April. Individuals can already join the team “Individual Steppers,” and if your team is already registered, you can enroll at homerstepsup2019.challengerunner.com by checking the box next to “Homer Steps Up! 2019,” clicking the “Enroll” button and following the prompts.
Contact Maggie Wyatt at South Peninsula Hospital Health and Wellness at wellness@sphosp.org or 235-0970 for more information or to enroll your team.
Dr. Hal Smith will host an open Q&A session as the last “Walk with a Doc” free walking program before the program takes a summer break. All are welcome from 9-10 a.m. Saturday, May 18 to visit with Dr. Smith, who recently retired after nearly 40 years in emergency medicine, most of those at South Peninsula Hospital.
Sponsored by South Peninsula Hospital Health and Wellness, this free event is open to all ages and abilities and will be at SPARC recreation center at 600 Sterling Highway. There is parking up at the SPARC and down below in the Homer Middle School Parking lot. Participants will visit briefly with Dr. Smith, then walk at their own pace.
In light of a summer break, free walking passes to SPARC will be given away for visits in June, July and August. There will be free blood pressure screenings, prizes, and refreshments. Please bring clean indoor walking shoes. More information at www.sphosp.org or 235-0970.
Alaska Islands and Oceans Visitor Center
Exhibits and gift shop at Alaska Islands and Oceans Visitor Center are open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to next Saturday.
Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival events are held Thursday to Sunday at Islands and Ocean. Choose from more than 100 events, including a variety of workshops, lectures, and family friendly programs in celebration of the 130 plus migratory and resident bird species that can be spotted in Homer’s seaside setting each spring. Find more about where to see these birds and events details at the Visitor Center or at http://kachemakshorebird.org.
