Kachemak Ski Club (Homer Rope Tow) holds its annual meeting at 6 p.m. today at Cook Inletkeeper. There will be a short business meeting, a reshowing of the ski and snowboard videos made by local kids, as well as a slide show. It’s a potluck and there will be free pizza and drinks. The event is open to all.
K-Bay Caffe’s first Friday opening with Adam Green’s art is Dec. 7 from 5–7 p.m. Starting Dec. 16 is Soup at Seven on Sundays, communal soup and bread at 7 p.m. every Sunday. Call 235-1551.
The Ninilchik Fairgrounds holds an Annual Craft Bazaar from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Tables are available for rent at $20 each or two for $30. To register, visit www.kenaipeninsulafair.com or call (907) 567-3670.
Ninilchik gets into the holiday season with its Community Christmas Village at the fairgrounds through Jan. 1. Families, individuals, businesses and organizations are invited to pick a building or open space around the fairgrounds and decorate it for the holiday season. There are nine small buildings, the outside of Carol Bock Hall and lots of open space. A trophy will be awarded for the people’s choice for best decorations. The lights will be on every weekend from dusk until 10 p.m. Call or email to reserve a building or commit to decorate a portion of the fairgrounds, (907) 567-3760 or kpsfair@acsalaska.net.
A fundraiser benefit dinner and auction for Linda Jones is 3-6 p.m. Saturday at the VFW Post in Anchor Point. Jones needs to raise $8,000 for eye surgery.
MAPP of the Southern Kenai Peninsula, the local collaborative for community health improvement, is conducting its second Community Health Needs Assessment from November 2012–March 2013. The first part of the assessment includes a community perceptions survey that gives community members the opportunity to highlight the community’s strengths and needs. This survey was included in last week’s Homer News. Completed surveys can be submitted at City Hall, Homer Public Library and Ulmer’s. The survey also can be filled out online at www.mappofskp.net. For more information, please contact MAPP coordinator Megan Murphy at 235-0570.
Homer Council on the Arts is actively recruiting for new board members, as well as committee members for finance, programs and building and maintenance. Come join the team and support the arts in Homer.
The Mindfulness Meeting is a group for cultivating wisdom, gratitude and serenity through skills and practice that takes place weekly on Fridays. The meeting is at the Kachemak Bay Campus, Bayview Building, Room 104 from noon to 1:30 p.m. this Friday, with a time and place to be announced after the campus closes for the holiday. Everyone is welcome; there is no charge. For more information, call Rachel or Sharon at 235-7712. This group is sponsored by South Peninsula Haven House.
The annual Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count in Homer is 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15. Participants will be looking for and counting the number of different bird species that winter in the area. Afterwards, join other participants at the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center for hot soup and chili, bread and desserts. Coffee and tea will be available at Islands and Ocean throughout the day courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Birders will compile a list of all the bird species and numbers spotted during the count. Persons interested in participating are encouraged to contact Dave Erikson at derikson@alaska.net, 235-3487, or B.J. Hitchcock at hitchcock613@msn.com, 235-1265 to sign up. You also can sign up the day of the event. There is no charge for participating in the count. This is the 113th annual Christmas Bird Count held nationally by the Audubon Society.
Erikson conducts a winter bird identification class from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13, at the Islands and Ocean Visitor Center. Even if you don’t plan to participate in the CBC, you are welcome to attend his presentation. For those persons without binoculars who want to participate in the Christmas Bird Count, you can check out a pair of binoculars at Islands and Ocean courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the day of the event.