District 30 Democrats meet at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Homer Real Estate office, 1529 Ocean Drive. Call Liz Diament at 914-588-0332 for more information.
The Christian Science Society holds a Thanksgiving Day service from 10-11 a.m. Thursday at its building, 3774 Bartlett St. The Golden Text is from Psalms 107:1: “O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good.” There will be readings from the King James Bible, and passages from “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures” written by Mary Baker Eddy as well as time for sharing testimonies and expressions of gratitude. All are welcome.
The Sugar Plum Holiday Fair, a benefit for South Peninsula Special Olympics, is 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Dec. 6 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 7 at the Homer United Methodist Church. Vendors are wanted for this event, including home consultants, handmade vendors and others. Space is still available. For more information, call Joyce Shuler at 907-398-6712 or email joyce.shuler@yahoo.com. Also needed are kid vendors for face painting, balloon tying and a photographer for the families or children.
Friendship Center
Friendship Center Adult Day Services is open 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday with extended hours for special situations.
Homer Senior Citizens
Homer Senior Citizens lunch is open to seniors and their guests and is served 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday-Friday. The lunch menu for this week is: Thursday, Thanksgiving dinner by reservation only; Friday, closed for Thanksgiving; Monday-Wednesday, to be announced.
Strong Women classes are 2-3 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 is $4 for members and $6 for nonmembers per class.
Tai Chi classes are Thursday at 3 p.m. The cost is $3 for members and $6 for nonmembers per class. For more information, call Daniel at 235-7655.
The Caregiver Support Group meets from 2-3:30 p.m. every other Thursday in the senior center dining room. For more information, call Pam Hooker at 299-7198 or Mary Jo Gates at 235-7655.
Kachemak Bay Campus
Registration for the winter/spring semester has started for all winter and spring recreation, job training, degree and personal enrichment classes. Winter/spring class listings are now posted online at kpc.alaska.edu/KBC/searchable_schedule. Stop by the campus to sign up; the payment deadline is in January. Many classes begin the week of Jan. 13. Classes include welding, nonfiction creative writing, painting, yoga, marine boating safety, medical assisting, ceramics, Suqpiaq-Alutiiq culture, bears of Alaska, history of Alaska, public speaking and biology of sharks. For more information, call 235-7743.
Pratt Museum
The museum is open noon-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday; closed Mondays.
The Stocking Stuffer Party is 1-4 p.m. Saturday. Children of all ages are invited to join the Pratt Museum for its annual event with activities like building graham cracker houses, exploring seasonal art activities, decorating cookies and visiting with Santa Claus in the Homestead Cabin.
“Inspired by Place,” selected art from the museum collection, is on exhibit downstairs in the Contemporary Art Gallery through December.
“When Crab was King” is on display in the Special Exhibits Gallery. The special exhibit combines the Kodiak Maritime Museum’s exhibit, “When Crab Was King: Faces of the Kodiak King Crab Fishery 1950-1982,” with stories of the commercial king crab fishery in Kachemak Bay. The Kodiak exhibit features portraits of 24 individuals who fished during the boom years of the Kodiak king crab fishery, with oral histories presenting each of their stories. In the Pratt Museum’s presentation, visitors also will view historic films, hear stories from local fishermen, and learn about the biology of the crab fishery and recent efforts to re-establish king crab in local waters.
In conjunction with the crab exhibit, there also will be two special events during December. A Community Conversation is 5-7 p.m. Dec. 5. Bring stories and perspectives on crab fisheries of Kachemak Bay. “A Crabby Colloquium: Recent Research and Fishery Management Perspectives,” featuring Megan Murphy and representatives from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, is 5-7 p.m. Dec. 19.
A community holiday recital and the quilt raffle drawing is 1-3 p.m. Dec. 8.
Enjoy holiday music by the Seaside Singers, the Homer High School Swing Choir and other local musicians. The annual Patrons of the Pratt Society will be held to determine the winners of the quilts donated by the Kachemak Bay Quilters. Refreshments will be served at this free event.
“Things Of The Past, Treasures
Of The Present” is 5-7 p.m. Dec. 11. What did Capt. Cook and Capt. Vancouver take on board their ships when visiting the area? Explore the role of museum collections in today’s heritage preservation work and learn about the history and significance of Sugpiaq pieces in the Pratt Museum and around the world.
R.E.C. Room
The REC Room (a Youth Resource and Enrichment Co-Op) offers new activities for the 2013-2014 School Year. Free programs include instruction on software installation and customization, digital music production, fresh and organic cooking, gardening and slam poetry. The REC Room provides teens ages 12-18 with a safe space to hang out after school and get connected with positive resources, activities and programs available for youth in our community. It offers computers and Wi-Fi for homework, guitars, XBox Kinect, games, darts, rave gloves, movies, art supplies and more.
A program of Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic, the REC Room is always staffed by a program manager. Homer Middle School students can now ride Bus 65 for drop off at the REC Room. Call for details. Hours are 3 p.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 3957 Nielsen Circle, off Ben Walters Lane. For more information, call 235-6736, e-mail recroom@kbfpc.org or visit facebook.com/rec.room7 or HomerRECroom.org.
Seldovia Village Tribe Health & Wellness Center
The SVT Health & Wellness Center offers a series of classes covering all aspects of wellness every Thursday at 6 p.m. There is no program Thursday because of the Thanksgiving holiday. The next program is Dec. 5 with “Healthy Tips for Blood Sugar Regulation During the Holidays” by Jenifer Dickson, certified nutritional therapist. For more information or to suggest topics for future classes, call Amy Rattenbury at 226-2228, ext. 660.
South Peninsula Hospital
The Hospital Auxiliary Gift Shop has relocated and expanded in the hospital’s main entrance outside of registration. The shop is open 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday and is staffed by volunteers from the SPH Auxiliary. All proceeds from the shop support the hospital. Open year round, shoppers will find many low-priced and unique items. Special inventory is in stock now for the holiday shopping season. The new shop was designed by auxiliary members Linda Partridge and Jan Goehringer. The new shop takes the place of space designated for vending and waiting room, all which has been redistributed throughout the hospital. Additional space will better meet the needs of shoppers and allow for increased fund raising.
South Peninsula Haven House
Homer Thrift, South Peninsula Haven House’s second-hand store, will add Friday hours to its schedule. Starting Friday, the day after Thanksgiving commonly called “Black Friday,” Homer Thrift is open 2 to 6 p.m. It also is open 2 to 6 p.m. Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. On Friday, all items in the store are 50 percent off. The store is located on Lake Street just south of Homer Electric Association.
Thanks to the generosity and hard work of volunteers from Wells Fargo, Homer Thrift now has two structures for dropping off donations any time of the day. Wells Fargo staff members gave time to build two donation collection sheds during the United Way Days of Caring initiative. The sheds are behind Homer Thrift.
Donations are passed on to people and families with an immediate need, and other donations are sold at Homer Thrift. Proceeds benefit Haven House. The store also provides an opportunity for job training and economic empowerment for women dealing with domestic violence and sexual assault.
South Peninsula Haven House is a nonprofit agency supporting and empowering people impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault and promoting healthy families. The Haven House Child Advocacy Center unites agencies to protect and promote children’s wellbeing. For more information, call 235-7712.
