The “MARCH WITH US…Defend Reproductive Rights” march will be held at noon Saturday, Oct. 2, beginning at the HERC Campus parking lot. People are invited to gather at 11:45 a.m. before marching to WKFL Park where speakers will discuss the importance of reproductive rights. Masks and social distancing are required.
Are you an adult interested in learning how to play hockey in a relaxed, supportive and fun environment? Hockey 101 will be taught at the Kevin Bell Arena Sept. 27 through Oct. 15. No experience or personal equipment is needed! The class will meet Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:15 – 9:15 p.m. and Fridays from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. and costs $100 for nine hours of on-ice instruction. Sign up at kevinbellarena.org or email Ingrid at iharrald@hotmail.com to register and get fitted for gear.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District requests input from staff, parents and community members at the districtwide KPBSD budget development meetings scheduled at the following times:
Central Peninsula Community – 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7 at Soldotna High Library
Homer Community – 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19 at Homer High Library
Seward Community – 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20 at Seward Library
Additional information and the number to call in with questions will be posted on the Finance Page of the KPBSD website. As new budget information becomes available, it will also be posted on the Finance page. If you have questions, please call Natalie Bates at 907-714-8888.
The 2021 Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies Annual CoastWalk has started. CoastWalk is a citizen monitoring and stewardship project with a mission to bring awareness about marine debris, collect data to track trends and patterns, and to educate the community about the impact on the shores and oceans. CoastWalk volunteers pick a zone on the beach to walk, survey the area of natural and human caused change, collect marine debris and trash, and record anything unusual they find. Kachemak Bay is divided into 32 zones stretching from the mouth of the Anchor River all the way to Port Graham. There are many zones still to be adopted, especially on the south side and more remote parts of Kachemak Bay and community cleanups that anyone can sign up for on both sides of the bay.
This year the theme of CoastWalk is “Washed Away” with a focus on waterways and runoff. To catch trash before it enters the ocean, this year’s CoastWalk volunteers are encouraged to clean a river or roadway and gathering the same information as they would on a beach cleanup. To adopt a road or waterway, anyone can come check out a cleanup packet and sign up with the name or location of the area they are cleaning, then giving us their stop and start points when they return their data sheets. CACS is currently signing up individual volunteers, school classes and groups to clean up specific beach zones. Each CoastWalk volunteer will receive a packet with a survey form, instructions, maps, and garbage bags. Interested volunteers can contact the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies at 235-6667, visit the office at 708 Smoky Bay way, or email Henry@akcoastalstudies.org.
Work continues on the Loved & Lost memorial bench for Duffy and all those missing. Drop your dollars and change in donation jars around town and help bring this beautiful and important bench to life. Jar locations include: Chevron, CoffeeSmith, Coles Market, KBBI, Fritz Creek General Store, Homer Theatre, Kachemak Gear Shed, KBBI, SBS, Safeway, Sunny’s Service, Ulmers, and Wild Honey Bistro, and in Kenai at Kamakani Kitchen. Want a jar at your business? Call Christina, 907-435-7969. Donations can also be made through the Go Fund Me gofundme.com/f/lovedandlostmemorial, and through the Homer United Methodist Church by credit card at https://www.homerumcalaska.org/Donate.html or by check payable and mailed to the HUMC, 770 East End Rd. Want to see the work in progress bench? View photos and videos on the Bring Duffy Home Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/918428765210019.
If you have a missing loved one(s), you are invited to email a photograph of them, along with their name and the date and location they went missing, to lovedandlostmemorial@gmail.com. Photos will be printed and then placed on the back side of the Loved & Lost memorial bench for the memorial and dedication ceremony at the Homer Public Library in late October. After the memorial, photographs will be removed from the bench, blessed and burned in a ritual performed by an Indigenous elder. Please send medium to high resolution .jpg images by Oct. 10. Questions? Prefer to mail a photograph? Call 907-435-7969.
Anchor Point Group of Alcoholics Anonymous continues to meet in person at the Anchor Point Chamber of Commerce at 34175 Sterling Hwy (north of Chapman School) on Wednesday and Friday at 7 p.m. These are open meetings, and alcoholics and non-alcoholics are all welcome. For more information, call 907-223-9814.
Step into Freedom is a narcotics anonymous group that will be held at 7 p.m. every Thursday at the Glacierview Baptist Church “Big House” next to the main church. This group is for both women and men, and is open to non-addicts who would like to sit in on the meetings. For questions, call Jaclyn at 907-756-3530.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Solid Waste facilities will be closed on Sundays for the winter from Oct. 3, 2021 through April 24, 2022. For more information contact the KPB Solid Waste Department at (907) 262-9667.or check their webpage at https://www.kpb.us/swd-waste/about-solidwaste.
Anchor Point Senior Citizens
The Anchor Point Senior Center on Milo Fritz Avenue serves take-out meals on Thursday evenings with pickup from 5-6 p.m. Helping Hands Thrift Store is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and donations can be dropped off any time. The office staff are at work and available by phone for addressing needs. For information, call 235-7786.
Homer Senior Citizens
Homer Senior Citizens Inc. is closed to the public. We are being very COVID-conscious due to the vulnerability of the people we serve. Please follow the signage on entrance doors, which follow mitigation efforts based upon the community levels of positive cases.
Family members and friends can visit residents at Friendship Terrace, but face masks are required and visits are limited only to the resident’s apartment.
Friendship Center Adult Day Services remains closed. Call 235-4556 for more information.
The Homer Senior Citizen’s congregate dining remains closed.
Hospice of Homer
Hospice of Homer seeks to start a general Bereavement Support Group. This will be a facilitated group that will meet in person and be subject to our current COVID guidelines. Hospice has specific groups for those who’ve lost a life partner or child, but this group would welcome anyone dealing with loss. If you’re interested in joining, please contact the office at 235-6899 to be added to the list. Day/time information will be sent to you directly once we have an understanding of group size.
The Bereaved Parents Support Group is a support group and mutual assistance self-help group offering friendship, understanding, hope, encouragement and healing to all bereaved parents. Our purpose is to provide support, share and emotionally assist parents through their grief. The group is intended to serve both newly bereaved parents and those who are continuing on their grief journey. Anyone that has lost a child knows, you don’t just stop grieving. A parent’s grief is as timeless as their love. For more information, please email thomasklingensmith@yahoo.com or call 303-949-8969.
Widows Group:Losing a partner is one of the most devastating things a person can experience. Hospice of Homer has resumed its monthly Widows Support Group. This group is a place for those who have lost their partner to share and heal. It is a safe place for coming to terms with the powerful feelings and experiences only those who are walking the same path can truly understand. Participants will be following all COVID-19 protocols. RSVP is required if you plan to attend so organizers may plan accordingly for social distancing and group size limitations. Call 907-235-6899 to respond.
Homer Council on the Arts
Registration is open for various youth and adult art classes at Homer Council on the Arts, including Art a la Carte, our after-school series for grades 3-6. Learn more and register at homerart.org/calendar.
HCOA is always accepting proposals from artists wishing to share their skills by teaching workshops. Open to opportunities for any age group in both single-session and ongoing-series formats. Connect with us at homerart.org/education.
Calling all performing artists! We are accepting submissions for a new Second Friday Performance Series, showcasing emerging or developing local work or artists in any performance genre: music, dance, drama, standup, and more. Visit www.homerart.org/2nd-friday
Kachemak Bay Campus
Here is your chance to take a class from superstar ecologist Ed Berg. Learn how the Earth is changing and how it is predicted to change in coming decades, especially in Alaska, in this one-credit class. Mondays, Sept. 27 through Nov. 1 from 6-8:45 p.m. Field trip Sunday, Oct. 10 from 1-5 p.m. Call 907-435-7743 to register.
Computer Design: Marine Technology with Brad Conley of Bay Welding Services. Tired of designing on the scratch paper? Get a feel for what computer-assisted drawing (CAD) can offer. This introduction into cutting-edge design software (RHINO 3D) covers how and why it is used for design, conceptual work, and manufacturing, specifically in the marine industry, as well as basic software navigation, commands and design. Classes take place in the KBC computer lab. Co-sponsored by Bay Welding Services and Homer Marine Trades Association. Oct. 12 and 14, from 6-9 p.m. Class fee: $49 To register, visit https://kbcnoncredit.asapconnected.com/ or call (907) 235-1674.
Basics of DC Electricity for Vessels: Basic troubleshooting and theory of direct current systems on vessels. Topics include electrical terms and definitions, safety codes, fundamental diagrams, battery types and application, marine wiring and more. Class fee: $175. Dec. 6 – 10 from 6-9 p.m.
Rockhounding with Taz Tally: Take a journey back through time with “The Rock Doc” as he leads you down Diamond Creek Trail and along the shoreline, revealing the forces of nature that have shaped Kachemak Bay and created one of the great rockhounding beaches. This class will be from 2-6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 16, and will cost $59. To register, visit https://kbcnoncredit.asapconnected.com/ or call (907) 235-1674.
Marine Electronics with Mark Zeiset of South Central Radar: Learn the basics of marine electronics operation, including the latest innovations in marine communications, distress alerts, satellite interface technology, radar and GPS navigation systems. Class fee: $30, Nov. 10, 2021. 6-9 p.m. To register, visit https://kbcnoncredit.asapconnected.com/ or call (907) 235-1674.
The Pratt Museum & Park
The Pratt Museum & Park is open for its fall hours from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday and will be closed Monday through Wednesday.
Finding Home in Homer is a new project hosted by the Pratt Museum for young people (ages 14-24) who have lived experience with homelessness, housing insecurity/at risk, couchsurfing, unstable home environments or car camping, or teens seeking emancipation due to parent relations. The goal of this project is to connect young people in the community with local artist mentors, workshops, and a group of peers to create art, music and writing in response to the question “what is home?” The hope is the project provides a platform for young people in the community to share stories, make connections and call Homer to action to work to end youth homelessness. Concluding this year’s program, youth participating have the option of submitting their artwork for the Finding Home in Homer exhibit. Come see what they have created.
Alaska Positive is displayed in the People and Place Gallery. Now in its 49th year, Alaska Positive is a statewide juried photographic exhibition organized and toured by the Alaska State Museum. Its purpose is to encourage the practice of photography as an art form in Alaska.
South Peninsula Hospital
South Peninsula Hospital offers free testing and vaccinations for COVID-19. Free testing is offered daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the test site on Bartlett Street. No appointment is necessary. Vaccines are offered walk-in or by appointment as supplies permit from Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Appointments can only be made online at www.sphosp.org. Vaccinations are open to anyone 12 years and older for Pfizer, and 18 years and older for all other brands. Call the COVID nurse at 235-0235 to discuss symptoms, or the COVID vaccine info line at 435-3188 for recorded updates. Free testing is now offered for anyone who recently attended a social gathering or who was in a crowded indoor space and close to others. Details are in the weekly newspaper ad, at www.sphosp.org or at 907-435-3188.
Vaccination supports a fast and safe return of our economy by protecting the health of employees and eliminating the need to quarantine for two weeks after coming in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. That matters because two weeks is a large part of our short summer season. Vaccines are the best assurance that the short summer season will not be impacted.
Kenai Peninsula Votes Tidbit
This week’s voter tidbit shows you what is on the ballot for both District 8 and 9. It’s important to know exactly what is on the ballot when you go to the polls on Oct. 5. Many people who go to the polls intending to vote for a certain candidate, don’t realize that the candidate is not on their ballot. Remember that early in-person absentee voting can be done at Homer City Hall from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday through Oct. 5. Also, electronic voting can be done, but we suggest you call City Hall or the Borough’s clerk office to know exactly how to do this. Remember every vote counts and all voices matter!
