Best Bets

Forget Stonehenge, Homer is the place to be for the summer Solstice, my friends! Well, maybe not Homer per se, but Alaska has some of the best Solstice celebrations around, if you ask the Betster.

For those of you who still don’t know exactly what our fiery friend the sun is up to on this, the longest day of the year, a refresher:

The June solstice marks the exact moment when the rays from the sun reach as far north as they ever get throughout the year. Therefore, we humans see the sun take its longest journey through the sky.

Now, it’s important to be aware of more than the sun’s position in the sky during this wonderful and weird time of year. As every true Homerite knows, the Solstice has the power to bring with it any number of oddities and wacky phenomena.

The Betster isn’t one to jump to conclusions, but you might want to keep a close eye on your heavily bearded or hairy friend this week, to make sure he doesn’t undergo some other kind of transformation.

Also be on the lookout for bonfires on the beach. It might be worth your while to make sure the people dancing around it are in fact human, and not witches plotting the end of the universe.

If all else fails, take a look at these best bets:

BEST BYGONE DAYS BET: Want a little taste of Homer history? Look no further than the Historic Harbor Walking Tours, which will start at 3 p.m. today at the Homer Harbor. Join a guide from the Pratt Museum at the wheelhouse booth in front of the Salty Dawg for this walking tour, where you can learn about the early history of Homer, the history of the harbor, and its many fishing vessels. This tour costs $10. Call 907-226-2287 for more information.

BEST FAMILY FUN BET: Get your peanuts ready, the circus is in town! The Great Benjamins are a family of third generation circus performers originating out of Mexico and the United States. The circus will feature clowns, juggling, acrobats, daredevils, and more. The family members pride themselves in bringing one of the oldest forms of live family entertainment. Adult tickets cost $22, kids are $16 and a family pass (includes two adults and three children) costs $53. Catch them in action on Friday from 7-8:30 p.m. in the lot next to Homer Gold Mine Gifts.

BEST BETTER DAYS BET: What better way to show your community pride than by getting out on the streets on Saturday to celebrate Homer’s first official Pride Month? There will be a Pride March from noon to 3 p.m. starting in the WKFL Park and proceeding down Lake Street, across Beluga Slough and along Ocean Drive to Grace Ridge Brewing. There will be an all-ages, alcohol-free celebration area and an adjoining brewery beer garden area. Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic Board of Directors are holding a fundraising Brat Cook Out next to Grace Ridge Brewing from noon to 6 p.m., so food will be available there. Organizations, businesses and community groups are encouraged to join the march.

BEST BLUESY BET: Pier One Theatre presents Karen Strid-Chadwick and friends in a terrific jazz ensemble, Outrageous Jazz. This show will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and at 3 p.m. Sunday at Pier One Theatre and costs $15.

Purple haze Lupines bloom along the Homer Spit Trail on Tuesday, June 19. Lupines usually bloom in late June on the Spit, bringing a burst of color to the trail running from Kachemak Drive to Coal Point at the end of the road. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News).

Purple haze Lupines bloom along the Homer Spit Trail on Tuesday, June 19. Lupines usually bloom in late June on the Spit, bringing a burst of color to the trail running from Kachemak Drive to Coal Point at the end of the road. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News).

Lupines bloom along the Homer Spit Trail on Tuesday, June 19. Lupines usually bloom in late June on the Spit, bringing a burst of color to the trail running from Kachemak Drive to Coal Point at the end of the road. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News).

Lupines bloom along the Homer Spit Trail on Tuesday, June 19. Lupines usually bloom in late June on the Spit, bringing a burst of color to the trail running from Kachemak Drive to Coal Point at the end of the road. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News).