The Blood Bank of Alaska’s blood drive continues on Thursday, June 23, in the Conference Rooms at the Best Western Bidarka Inn (575 Sterling Highway, Homer) from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Although all blood types are needed, there is a current critical need for Type O. Please call the Blood Bank of Alaska to make an appointment at 907-222-5630, or use the Blood Bank of Alaska online Donor Portal found at bloodbankofalaska.org, or the link at www.sphosp.org. Please bring photo ID, stay hydrated, and eat well on the day of your appointment.
The Kachemak Bay Research Reserve’s Discovery Labs are back. This week’s lab is “Water Underground” from 1-3 p.m. Friday, June 24, and Saturday, June 25, at the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center. At noon Friday is a brown-bag lunch presentation, “Groundwater: Risk and Resilience on the Kenai Peninsula.” Speaking are Mark Rains, Kai Rains, Edgar Guerron and Tyelyn Brigino, all of the University of South Florida, Tampa. Guerron also works with the Kachemak Bay Naitonal Estuarine Research Reserve. For more information, call Ingrid Harrald at 907-299-4370 or ieharrald@alaska.edu.
Homer Trails Alliance (HTA) will host a geocaching event between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 25, on the Homestead Trail. Meet at either the Roger’s Loop or Nearly Level Road trailheads. HTA volunteers will be available to help you get started on a fun treasure hunt for the whole family. Come prepared by creating an account at geocaching.com and have your GPS or smartphone at hand. Bring a small non-food “treasure” to trade at the cache. Enjoy a favorite Homer trail and hone your navigation skills to find treasure. Check out Homer Trails Alliance’s Facebook page or call Jeanne at 435-7649 for more information.
Community organizations and agencies are invited to contact the City Manager’s office by June 30 with requests for projects to be included in the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). For more information, FAQs, Nomination form and CIP Planning Schedule, visit https://www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/economicdevelopment/city-solicits-project-nominations-2023-2028-cip.
The Homer Garden Tour is back and will feature six beautiful Homer area gardens. The gardens will be open from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. July 17. The cost is $15 for viewing the gardens. Tickets can be purchased at the Homer Bookstore. No credit cards will be accepted — just cash or checks please. There is a great deal of diversity in the gardens this year. One is a large innovative commercial garden, another garden full of native plants and some pay remembrance to a family member. Another garden at higher elevation combines art and gardening. Each garden reflects the personality of the owners and will give the visitor many ideas for their gardens. Creekside visits are common on this tour and flowers abound. Four of the featured gardens will be on a walking tour about 1.3 miles one way in the downtown area. A map with parking spots delineated is included with the ticket purchase. If you do not wish to walk, parking is available at all of these locations. For more information, call Francie at 907-299-5050 or Susan 907-299-6126. For ticket issues call Louise at 907-299-6360.
The sandhill cranes are nesting. Tiny, precocious crane chicks or colts have hatched in Homer. Crane colts and other baby wildlife are very vulnerable, so please keep your dogs on leash and cats at home. As part of its Citizen Science projects, Kachemak Crane Watch keeps track of nesting success and wants your observations of sandhill crane colts. Send your report to Kachemak Crane Watch at reports@cranewatch.org or call 235- 6262. Include date of hatching, time, location, number of colts, and your contact information so we can call for details. For more information, contact Nina Faust at 907-235-6262 or reports@cranewatch.org .
Faith Christian Preschool welcomes Ms. Laureen Wentz as Lead Teacher for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year. Please call the church office at 235-7600 or email preschool@faithhomer.org for information on 3-, 4- or 5-year-old class times, tuition and any other questions you might have.
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.
The Homer Unity Group of Alcoholics Anonymous meets every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 6:30 p.m. downstairs at Homer United Methodist Church, 770 East End Road. All meetings are open to anyone wanting to learn more about recovery from alcoholism. More information and online links to meetings can be found at www.aahomer.org.
The Homer End of The Road Group of Alcoholics Anonymous meets every day at noon and every evening at 8 p.m. at 126 W. Pioneer Ave., Suite 1. For more information, contact 907-283-5722.
Co-Dependents Anonymous is meeting in person at Homer Methodist Church, located at 770 East End Road. Please contact Kay at 907-399-6243 for more information. All are welcome.
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 Homer Area Caregiver Support Group will return to the activity room at the Homer Senior Center from 2-3:30 p.m. on June 23, and will continue on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at that time and place. This group is for family caregivers of individuals suffering from a debilitating illness and requiring full-time care, either in the home or in a facility; caregivers who assist with care of a loved one who lives out of state are also welcome. This is a time to receive support and wisdom from others who are on the same journey as well as to benefit from presentations provided by speakers well versed in subjects related to care giving, such as exercise, communication, self-care and available resources. Newcomers are welcome, always. For questions, please call Pam Hooker at 907-299-7198 or Louise Rempel at 907-399-1262. Remember: You are not alone.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Solid Waste facilities is now open on Sundays. 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.
Student News
Joseph Ravin has earned placement on the Gonzaga University President’s List for spring semester 2022. Students must earn a 3.85 to 4.0 grade-point average to be listed.
Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center
The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge visitor center is now open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit our website for a full calendar of our summer events.
Anchor Point Senior Citizens
The Anchor Point Senior Center on Milo Fritz Avenue serves take-out meals on Thursday evenings with pickup from 5-6:30 p.m. Tuesday is Kickin’ Fried Chicken night, serving from 4-6 p.m. with eight- and 12-piece piece buckets or three-piece meals, with or without coleslaw and biscuits. Walk ins are welcome or call ahead at 235-7786 to reserve. Thursday night is Home Cooked Dinner Night. Each Thursday is a different meal. Dine in or take out; served from 5-6:30 p.m. For reservations, call 907-235-7786. Visit www.anchorpointseniorcenter.com for more information. Meals and programs are open to the public and do not require membership. Call 235-7786 for more information.
Homer Senior Citizens
The Homer Senior Citizens Inc. Silver Linings Cafe has reopened. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m for high-risk seniors and 12:30-1:30 p.m., masks optional. Reservations are required 24 hours in advance; call 235-4555.
The Terrace Assisted Living welcomes visitors. Face masks and screening are required. All visits must occur in a resident’s apartment only.
Friendship Center Adult Day Services is open. Contact Liz, ADS Manager, at 235-4556 to register.
Homer Public Library
Come read The Very Very Far North by Dan Bar-el together with Youth Services Librarian Cinda Nofziger. Dan Bar-el will be at the library for a virtual book-talk at the end of June. Read and discuss the book together in preparation for his visit. Space limited, register at: https://www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/library/read-together-book-club-0. Books provided for participants. This group meets every Thursday through July 7, 3:30-4:30 p.m. for ages 7-12. Call the library for more information at 907-235-3180.
Homer Public Library and the Center for Alaska Coastal Studies staff join together for an outdoor story and activity. Meet at the StoryWalk Trail at the library. StoryWalk meets every Tuesday through Aug. 2 from 1-2:30 p.m. For ages 6-10. This is a 9-week program. Register for as many days as you want. Space is limited. Please register at: https://www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/library/outdoor-adventures-and-stories-cacs-0.
Hospice of Homer
At Hospice of Homer we believe in coming together with others, in a safe and non-judgmental setting, to explore the meaning of significant losses in our lives. Talking it out can release sorrow and provide comfort. It can help us to move forward and to regain a sense of serenity while honoring those we have lost to isolation, distance or death.
We fully understand how difficult taking that first step can be. For this reason, hospice offers a bereavement correspondence series. We will provide you, or your family members, with a monthly letter dealing with loss and the mourning process. These letters are designed to help you transition into the new reality which was created by loss.
At present hospice is offering opportunities to engage in conversation about our individual and collective grief experiences. You do not need to be a client of hospice to access these conversations. There is no charge for attending the meetings or for the correspondence program. See below for meeting times and call the office or email Office@hospiceofhomer.org to participate in the Correspondence program.
Widow/widower’s Group meets every Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. with Robin.
Conversations on Loss are the first and third Saturdays with Thomas and Maria.
Homer Council on the Arts
Registration is open for HCOA’s summer art camps, with one-week sessions in June, July, and August for ages 5-7 and 8-12. Details and registration at homerart.org/education/.
Kachemak Bay Campus
Registration is now open for the fall 2022 semester. The printed schedule is around town and in the mail. To view our searchable schedule visit https://kpc.alaska.edu/academics/schedule/.
The Pratt Museum & Park
The Pratt Museum & Park is now open to the public from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
Protection, Adaptation and Resistance is now showing at the museum. Experience the work of 54 contemporary Indigenous Alaska Artists. In times of complex challenges, and growing concerns for the future, how are Indigenous Alaska artists strengthening self and community, guiding the next generation from surviving to thriving? Protection, Adaptation and Resistance explores how a new cohort of Alaska Indigenous artists embrace customary artforms and modern technology to create innovative new platforms for sharing, storytelling; reconnecting with ancestral knowledge; and strengthening relationships to land and with one another.
South Peninsula Hospital
Effective July 1, the hours of operation at South Peninsula Hospital’s COVID-19 Test and Vaccine Clinic at 4201 Bartlett Street will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and closed on weekends. Through June 30, clinic hours are daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m, and vaccines are by appointment as supplies permit from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and Monday.
PCR COVID-19 testing will be offered at the walk-up clinic, no appointment necessary. Effective July 1, insurance will be billed for testing. Those uninsured or not using insurance will be charged $50, and can pay at time of service or be billed. Test results will be provided on South Peninsula Hospital’s electronic health portal, and are normally available within 24 hours.
Testing is recommended for individuals experiencing COVID-like symptoms, for those with known exposure to an individual who tested positive for COVID-19, for travel requirements, with a provider referral and in advance of medical appointments. In addition to the PCR testing offered at the hospital’s walk-up clinic, free home-test kits are available at the hospital’s main entrance 24/7, at the Homer Chamber of Commerce, and for purchase at numerous local retailers.
COVID-19 vaccinations will continue to be offered for free through June at the site on Bartlett Street, and effective July 1 vaccines will be offered on Thursdays and Fridays by appointment only. Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are available for individuals ages five and over, and boosters are offered to eligible groups as recommended by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and as made available by FDA under emergency use authorizations.
In addition to the stand-alone clinic on Bartlett Street, both COVID-19 testing and vaccinations are offered by appointment at Homer Medical Center and the hospital’s Family Care Clinic. For more information on SPH Covid-19 services and care, visit www.sphosp.org and click on the covid tab, or call 907-235-0235.
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10221
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10221 holds burger night from 5-7 p.m. every Friday. Monday night tacos is 5-7 p.m. The VFW is open to the public; you do not need to be a member to attend. Dine in or take out. Call 235-5582 to order ahead. The VFW is located at 72551 Milo Fritz Ave. in Anchor Point.
