The Homer Legislative Information Office at 270 W. Pioneer Ave. is open from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1-4:30 pm. Monday-Friday, with special hours to accommodate Legislative hearings and teleconferences outside of normal hours. For more information, call 235-7878. The LIO’s last day is this Friday, May 5.
Burn permits are now required and may be picked up at the Homer Volunteer Fire Department or the Kachemak Emergency Services fire stations or online at http://forestry.alaska.gov/burn.
The Parkinson’s Support Group meets 1 p.m. Friday at the Homer Senior Citizens Center Conference Room. For more information, call Jolee Ellis at 235-6349.
The Homer and Anchor Point Post Offices hold a Customer Appreciation and Small Business Lobby event for all postal customers and small business owners in the area. The event is 10 a.m.-noon Friday at the Anchor Point Post Office lobby and 2-4 p.m. Friday at the Homer Post Office lobby. There will be food, fun and free giveaways. The manager of Postal Operations, Alaska District, and postmasters from the respective offices will be available to answer questions about postal products and services.
World Labyrinth Day is Saturday, with events celebrated locally 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church. People from all around the world will be walking labyrinths and praying for peace at 1 p.m. The day will begin at 11 a.m. with chanting, singing and prayer, followed by a labyrinth walk, sharing, and chanting again as church members prepare the soil of St. Augustine’s labyrinth garden for the Homer Community Food Bank. Visiting for the event is Barbara Flaherty, co-founder of the Fourth Order of Francis and Clare. For more information, visit www.labyrinthsociety.org.
Hazardous waste collection day is 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday at the Homer Transfer Facility. Collection is free to households, with a fee charged to commercial disposers. NRC Alaska manages the event. All businesses are required to pre-register with NRC Alaska. Only households with more than 55 gallons of waste must pre-register. To register, call NRC Alaska at 877-375-5040.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Solid Waste Department Central Peninsula Landfill and Transfer Facilities and Sites summer operating hours start Sunday, May 7. All facilities will be open seven days a week starting then. Hours of operation are: Anchor Point, 24 hours daily; Homer Transfer Site, 8 a.m.-5:45 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-4 p.m. Sunday; McNeil Canyon Transfer Site, 7 a.m.-7 p.m. daily; Ninilchik Transfer Site, 24 hours daily.
The Alaska Multiple Schlerosis Center offers a short workshop, “Live Your Best Life with a Chronic Illness,” from 3-4 p.m. Thursday, May 11, at the Homer Council on the Arts. Antonia Fiflis-Fowler will provide a brief explanation of what MS and Parkinson’s Disease are, how they affect our bodies, discuss the latest treatment options and answer questions from attendees. Time will also be set aside for those interested in starting an MS Support Group. Dotti Harness-Foster will instruct a mini 15-minute Body Movement Class designed to improve movement, flexibility and stability in adults experiencing mobility challenges. Tela Bacher and Devony Lehner with the T.R.A.I.L.S. program at the Independent Living Center will speak about recreational opportunities in the area, making trail systems more accessible, and introduce some of the outdoor adaptive equipment available from their facility. This event is free, but please pre-register at 907-929-2567 or antonia@alaskamscenter.org.
The Kachemak Bay Quilters 33rd annual quilt show is 10 a.m.-8 p.m Saturday, May 13, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, May 14, at the Homer Elks Lodge. A $2 donation is requested. Quilters can register their entries from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Ulmer’s. The entry fee is $2 per quilt.
The Cooperative Extension Service and Homer Homemakers FCE are offering free testing of pressure canner dial gauges on Monday, May 15, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Ulmer’s Drug and Hardware. Gauges can be tested on or off the canner lid. It is important to have pressure canner dial gauges checked annually to help assure home canned food is safely processed. There will be free food preservation publications available. Pressure canners using weighted gauges do not need to be checked. For more information, call the Cooperative Extension Service Office at 1-800-478-5824.
The Anchor Point Fire &Emergency Medical Service Area Board holds its next board meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday May 17, at the Anchor Point Fire Station, 72440 Milo Fritz Ave. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. For more information, call 235-6700.
Sandhill cranes have arrived. Report sandhill crane sightings to Kachemak Crane Watch at 235-6262 or reports@cranewatch.org. Provide date, time, location and number of cranes. Leave a name and number in case they need more details.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Road Service Area has announced the following weight restrictions for all borough-maintained roads within the service area, effective now. Weight restrictions are stated as a percentage of legal allowable weight and shall be applied to the maximum axle loading of 17 AAC 25.013(e). All borough-maintained gravel roads: 50 percent; and all borough-maintained paved roads: 75 percent. Additional restrictions and modifications may be imposed as necessary.
Anchor Point Senior Citizens
The Anchor Point Senior Center on Milo Fritz Road is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m.-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 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Exercise sessions are at 10 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. For more information, call the senior center at 235-7786.
Friendship Center
Friendship Center Adult Day Services is open 9 a.m.-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. The lunch menu for this week is: today, roasted pork loin; Friday, oven fried shrimp; Monday, spaghetti and meatballs; Tuesday, chicken piccatta; Wednesday, seafood stir fry; next Thursday, roast turkey.
Strong Women classes are 1:30-2:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Homer Senior Center. The cost is $3 for members and $6 for nonmembers per class.
Zumba Gold classes with Maria are 11 a.m.-noon Tuesdays and 1:30-2:30 p.m. Thursdays at the Homer Senior Center. The cost per class is $4 for members, $6 for nonmembers.
Duplicate Bridge meets at 1 p.m. Thursdays. Tai chi classes are Thursdays at 3 p.m. The cost per class is $3 for members and $6 for nonmembers. Call Daniel Weisser at 235-4555.
Homer Folk School
Homer Folk School offers these upcoming classes, held at Ageya Wilderness Center above Skyline Drive at the top of East Hill Road. To register or for more information, visit homerfolkschool.org or call 299-9117.
• May 13, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Discover Yoga: A Beginner’s Workshop. Learn about or renew your practice in yoga; $45.
• May 13, 6:30-8 p.m.: Fireside Chat: How to Teach Your Skill. There is no charge, but RSVP at the website.
• May 20, 1-4 p.m.: Nature Journaling and Drawing. Learn how to heighten awareness of nature by keeping a nature journal; $60.
• May 21, 4-7 p.m.: Indian Vegetarian Cooking. Explore traditional north Indian cooking; $40.
• May 29, 6-8 p.m.: Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants Walk, Bishop’s Beach. In this guided walk, students learn to identify edible and medicinal plants; $15.
Kachemak Bay Campus
Registration for the 2017 Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference, June 9-13, is being held. For more information, visit http://writersconference.homer.alaska.edu.
A Student Art Showcase opening featuring work from painting class is on display in Pioneer Hall.
Registration for fall classes has begun for general public and degree-seeking students. See the schedule for most classes at www.kpc.alaska.edu/academics/schedule.
Kachemak Bay Campus Commencement is 7 p.m. May 10 at the Mariner Theatre.
Pratt Museum
The museum gallery is open noon-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and closed Sundays and Mondays. Business offices are open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Artist Argent Kvasnikoff’s exhibit, Qena Sint’isis, is up through May 26. It presents a form of cultural expression that describes a new take on the indigenous culture of the southern Kenai Peninsula. In conjunction with his show, he and Érico Vinicius Nascimento present “Seeing Language: Writing in Art and Design” from 2-3 p.m. Friday. They explore the role of language in art and design and how visual language affects everyday life and personal experience.
South Peninsula Hospital
Free speech and swallowing screenings are being offered at South Peninsula Hospital’s Rehabilitation Department throughout the month of May in recognition of Better Hearing and Speech Month.
Susan Cates-Blackmon, M.Ed., CCC-SLP, offers this screening for speech, language, swallowing, voice, resonance or cognitive communication. This 15-minute exercise is perfect for adults, children and their caregivers who have concerns about a potential speech or swallowing concern. Whether looking for reassurance or referral for further investigation about concerns, this brief screening could help identify or resolve problems affecting speech or swallowing. Call the hospital’s Rehabilitation Department at 235-0370 to arrange a free 15-minute appointment.
SPH offers a Day of Mindfulness from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, May 13, at Many Rivers on East End Road. Jerry Braza, PhD, presents the one-day training. The morning session includes guided mindfulness practice and a mindful walk. The afternoon includes deep relaxation, mindful contemplation, mindful movements and practices for home. No prior experience is needed.
Braza is a leading voice in the field of health education and mindfulness, a former university professor and author of two books on the subject. People can register for half or full-day training. A sliding scale registration fee is offered and ranges from $20-$30 for the half day, and $30-$60 for the full day.
Contact South Peninsula hospital at www.sphosp.org for more information or 235-0258 to register.
