Features

Homer artist Jenna Gerrety straightens paintings currently being shown at Sustainable Wares. (Photo by McKibben Jackinsky)

Regeneration of art and man: Gerrety finds inspiration in nature

Put nature and man together and what do you get? For starters, a sky brilliantly colored by the sun with oranges and reds, mountains deep… Continue reading

Homer artist Jenna Gerrety straightens paintings currently being shown at Sustainable Wares. (Photo by McKibben Jackinsky)
The Alaska Grown logo.

Homer Farmers Market: See what inspires you

From fresh vegetables to knife sharpening, there’s lots to inspire at the the Homer Farmers Market

The Alaska Grown logo.
Mary Beth Leigh, director of the Microbial Worlds project, stands next to the exhibit on Friday, June 4, 2021, at the Pratt Museum & Park in Homer. The exhibit shows through the summer of 2021. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

‘Microbial World’ blends science, art

Exhibit postponed by the pandemic opens at Pratt Museum & Park.

Mary Beth Leigh, director of the Microbial Worlds project, stands next to the exhibit on Friday, June 4, 2021, at the Pratt Museum & Park in Homer. The exhibit shows through the summer of 2021. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Children help create art with the projectile painting booth on Saturday, June 5, 2021, for Mary Epperson Day at the Homer Council on the Arts in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News0

Best Bets

Holy ultraviolet, has this been an awesome June or what? Any time you can get at least one weekend day of solid sunshine is a… Continue reading

Children help create art with the projectile painting booth on Saturday, June 5, 2021, for Mary Epperson Day at the Homer Council on the Arts in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News0
The Sun Disc with its 1-inch bloom and 8-inch stature comes on early and strong, easily multiplying in your perennial beds. Because both of these bulbs are short, their spent foliage is easy to hide once your perennials come into their own. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)

Kachemak Gardener: Small garden wonders ease pain of losses

Remember: You’re gardening for yourself.

The Sun Disc with its 1-inch bloom and 8-inch stature comes on early and strong, easily multiplying in your perennial beds. Because both of these bulbs are short, their spent foliage is easy to hide once your perennials come into their own. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)
The entrance to the Homer Farmers Market as seen on May 29, 2021.

Homer Farmers Market: Opening with an amazing kick-off

New vendors join familiar booths

The entrance to the Homer Farmers Market as seen on May 29, 2021.
Holly Shirk's art opens Friday, June 4, 2021, at Fireweed Gallery in Homer, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of Fireweed Gallery)

First Friday art exhibit openings

Cautiously and carefully, June’s First Friday marks a real first: an evening when all galleries in town hold in-person receptions. Some galleries like Bunnell Street… Continue reading

Holly Shirk's art opens Friday, June 4, 2021, at Fireweed Gallery in Homer, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of Fireweed Gallery)
Poot Peak looms over visitors to the Homer Spit on Saturday, May 29, 2021, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Best Bets

Now we’re talking summer, Betster persons. There’s so much to do that yours truly will shut up and cut to the chase with these Best… Continue reading

Poot Peak looms over visitors to the Homer Spit on Saturday, May 29, 2021, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
On Saturday, May 15, 2021, Lulu Hawkins, age 6 holds up her pottery tour purchase: a David Kaufmann mug at his studio in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by David Kaufman)

Homer pottery tour returns

After a year hiatus, Homer’s annual Pottery Studio Tour returned to bring fun, beauty and education to ceramic enthusiasts May 15-16. With five studios participating… Continue reading

On Saturday, May 15, 2021, Lulu Hawkins, age 6 holds up her pottery tour purchase: a David Kaufmann mug at his studio in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by David Kaufman)
This sketch shows Homer artist Brad Hughes' design for "Loved and Lost," a memorial bench to honor Anesha "Duffy" Murnane, a Homer woman missing since Oct. 17, 2019. It also will draw attention to missing women and children in Alaska. (Drawing courtesy of Brad Hughes)

Arts in brief

Family commissions memorial bench for missing daughter The family of Anesha “Duffy” Murnane has commissioned Homer artist Brad Hughes to create a memorial bench to… Continue reading

This sketch shows Homer artist Brad Hughes' design for "Loved and Lost," a memorial bench to honor Anesha "Duffy" Murnane, a Homer woman missing since Oct. 17, 2019. It also will draw attention to missing women and children in Alaska. (Drawing courtesy of Brad Hughes)
Johnny-jump-ups add a splash of color and cheer, as seen here on Sunday, May 23, in the Kachemak Gardener's garden in Homer. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)

Kachemak Gardener:

Spring is rushing at an exhilarating pace. Can we keep up? It’s fun to try. I had a rude realization this past week - my… Continue reading

Johnny-jump-ups add a splash of color and cheer, as seen here on Sunday, May 23, in the Kachemak Gardener's garden in Homer. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)
The Homer Spit and the Kenai Mountains catch the afternoon sunshine of Monday, May 17, 2021, as seen from West Hill in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Best Bet

The awesome weather we’ve been having this past week has done wonders to ease a lot of the anxiety and stress of the past winter.… Continue reading

The Homer Spit and the Kenai Mountains catch the afternoon sunshine of Monday, May 17, 2021, as seen from West Hill in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Crews work on the botanical garden on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, at the Pratt Museum in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Museum plans more programs, more exhibits as COVID-19 danger drops

‘We’ve learned a lot in the pandemic — this new normal we’re embracing,’ communications manager says.

Crews work on the botanical garden on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, at the Pratt Museum in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Local Homer kids enjoyed the bike rodeo at the 2021 Safe and Healthy Kids Fair at Homer High School on Saturday, May 15. (Photo by Sarah Knapp/Homer News)

Best Bets

The weather forecast calls for cloudy this weekend, but you know how Alaskans roll: As long as it’s not raining sideways and blowing 40, we… Continue reading

Local Homer kids enjoyed the bike rodeo at the 2021 Safe and Healthy Kids Fair at Homer High School on Saturday, May 15. (Photo by Sarah Knapp/Homer News)
A pair of pants with a copy of Cormac McCarthy's novel, "The Road," hangs from a tsunami evacuation route sign on Saturday, May 8, 2021, at Mariner Park on the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Best Bets

Nothing can be finer than a May weekend. Yes, Alaska summers can be pretty spectacular, but there’s something about that transition from winter into spring.… Continue reading

A pair of pants with a copy of Cormac McCarthy's novel, "The Road," hangs from a tsunami evacuation route sign on Saturday, May 8, 2021, at Mariner Park on the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Chionodoxa is a reliable and early minor bulb, as seen here in the Kachemak Gardener's garden on May 9, 2021, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)

Kachemak Gardener: The growing season has arrived — slow, but it’s here

O garden of mine, are you still slumbering or are you dead? That, really, is the question. The hope is that the answer will resolve… Continue reading

Chionodoxa is a reliable and early minor bulb, as seen here in the Kachemak Gardener's garden on May 9, 2021, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)
Members of the Motivity Dance Collective rehearse at the Kachemak Shellfish Growers Association deck in Homer, Alaska. From left to right, Emily Rogers, Emilie Springer, Bridget Doran, Rhoslyn Anderson, Breezy Berryman. Not pictured is Kammi Matson. (Photo by Kammi Matson)

Arts in brief

Motivity Dance Collective performs Saturday After a winter of practicing during the COVID-19 pandemic with face masks and social distancing, Motivity Dance Collective holds it… Continue reading

Members of the Motivity Dance Collective rehearse at the Kachemak Shellfish Growers Association deck in Homer, Alaska. From left to right, Emily Rogers, Emilie Springer, Bridget Doran, Rhoslyn Anderson, Breezy Berryman. Not pictured is Kammi Matson. (Photo by Kammi Matson)
Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion Brie and caramel apple voulevant is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

On the strawberry patch: A celebration of food

Make first gatherings special with this simple but sophisticated brie and caramel apple voulevant.

Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion Brie and caramel apple voulevant is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
Gail Priday's paintings are on view starting Friday, May 7, 2021, at Bunnell Street Arts Center in Homer, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of Bunnell Street Arts Center)

First Friday art exhibit openings

As more Alaskans get vaccinated for COVID-19, local galleries are reopening cautiously. The Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival opens today, so it’s no accident that many… Continue reading

Gail Priday's paintings are on view starting Friday, May 7, 2021, at Bunnell Street Arts Center in Homer, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of Bunnell Street Arts Center)
An atmoshpheric phenomena called STEVE — for "Sudden Thermal Emission from Velocity Enhancement" — is seen in the southern sky early on Saturday, April 17, 2021, from Diamond Ridge near Homer, Alaska. The STEVE appeared the same night as a strong display of auroras to the north. Don Hampton, a research associate and faculty member at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, said STEVEs are not auroras, but a stream of charged particles or sub-aurora polarization streams. "It's actually primarily a different phenomena or mechanism that is creating light," Hampton said of STEVEs. A STEVE is more of a broadband emission than an aurora and can be distinguished by its color of light. Auroras tend to be green or vivid red, while a STEVE appears white to the human eye and may have tinges of red. Hampton said scientists knew about streams of charged particles that are not auroras, but hadn't thought to look if there's an optical phenomena associated with. Aurora chasers in Canada first noticed the optical phenomena in 2014, and it was named by Chris Ratzlaff as a joke reference to the film "Over the Hedge," where the animals called the hedge "Steve." NASA scientist Elizabeth Macdonald came up with the description. "It's pretty cool," Hampton said. "The whole history of the STEVE is that it's a citizen scientist discovery." (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Best Bets

In the long haul toward spring, even though winter might be hanging on with all its might, light and warmth persevere. It’s a matter of… Continue reading

An atmoshpheric phenomena called STEVE — for "Sudden Thermal Emission from Velocity Enhancement" — is seen in the southern sky early on Saturday, April 17, 2021, from Diamond Ridge near Homer, Alaska. The STEVE appeared the same night as a strong display of auroras to the north. Don Hampton, a research associate and faculty member at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, said STEVEs are not auroras, but a stream of charged particles or sub-aurora polarization streams. "It's actually primarily a different phenomena or mechanism that is creating light," Hampton said of STEVEs. A STEVE is more of a broadband emission than an aurora and can be distinguished by its color of light. Auroras tend to be green or vivid red, while a STEVE appears white to the human eye and may have tinges of red. Hampton said scientists knew about streams of charged particles that are not auroras, but hadn't thought to look if there's an optical phenomena associated with. Aurora chasers in Canada first noticed the optical phenomena in 2014, and it was named by Chris Ratzlaff as a joke reference to the film "Over the Hedge," where the animals called the hedge "Steve." NASA scientist Elizabeth Macdonald came up with the description. "It's pretty cool," Hampton said. "The whole history of the STEVE is that it's a citizen scientist discovery." (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
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