Please report sandhill crane colt (chick) sightings to Kachemak Crane Watch. Include location, date, time and number of colts when first seen to reports@cranewatch.org or 235-6262.
Quilters can enter their quilts, wall hangings and wearable art for the Kenai Peninsula State Fair in Ninilchik. Register entries in Homer from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. Aug. 8 at Ulmer’s. For more information call Karrie Youngblood at 399-2085.
Faith Lutheran Church holds Vacation Bible School 9 a.m.-noon July 21-25 at Anchor Point Nazarene Church in Anchor Point. For ages 3 and older, students must be potty trained.
Former Homer resident and science professor Kelly Cline presents a free public lecture, “Studying Super Earths” at 7 p.m. July 24 at the Homer United Methodist Church Sun Room. Cline is an associate professor at Carroll College in Helena, Mont., where he teaches physics, astronomy and math.
In 2005, astronomers discovered a completely new type of planet which is more massive than the Earth but less massive than the gas giants: super-earths. Kline will discuss these questions: What would these super Earths look like? What sorts of atmospheres could be found on such a massive a planet with double or triple the mass of the Earth? Are there plate tectonics or volcanic activity on these worlds? Could life have formed on any of them?
Agencies and organizations can add or update their listings to POP411.org, an online resource directory for the southern Kenai Peninsula. Developed three years ago as a virtual community center based on a need identified in the community health needs assessment, POP411 offers free listings for agencies, organizations, businesses and service providers. It is free to be listed on the site, and free to use.
Listings include information on the listing agency that is useful for site users when trying to find local services or resources. POP411 is meant to be one-stop shopping for community resources and is open for any listing related to a broad definition of health. Some of the more well-used categories on the site are related to educational services, children and youth resources, community action, social services and health.
The deadline to update listings is Aug. 1. To update or add a listing, visit pop411.org and log in. New listings are welcomed and can be done easily by selecting the “Create an Account” on the website. For assistance, contact Jamie Powell, the site administrator, at Jamie@homerpreventionproject.org or 235-0570. POP411 is a cooperative effort between the Homer News and MAPP of the Southern Kenai Peninsula, a local coalition working together to improve community health.
Cooperative Extension Service
Even after hours, the Cooperative Extension Office has publications available when you need them, like after you’ve come back from dip netting and need information on canning salmon. There is a section on the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service website, “Preserving Alaska’s Bounty,” at www.uaf.edu/files/ces/preservingalaskasbounty. Find visual and video learning modules on canning, freezing, drying and preparing products such as sausage and jerky. Most important for this time of year are step-by-step tutorials on how to can fish in either cans or jars. Free food preservation publications can be found at www.uaf.edu/ces/pubs/catalog.
Friendship Center
Friendship Center Adult Day Services is open 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday with extended hours for special situations. Special programs are offered daily, including story time, crafts and musical performances. For more information, call 235-4556.
Homer Senior Citizens
Homer Senior Citizens lunch is open to seniors and guests and is served 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday-Friday. The lunch menu for this week is: today, turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy; Friday, grilled rockfish; Monday, roasted kielbasa and sauerkraut; Tuesday, beef braciole; Wednesday, Cuban pork.
Strong Women classes are 1-2 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 members, $6 nonmembers.
Tai Chi classes are Thursday at 3 p.m. The cost per class is $3 for members and $6 for nonmembers. Call Daniel Weisser at 235-7655.
Caregiver Support Group meets 2-3:30 p.m. the second and fourth Thursday in the senior center dining room. Call Pam Hooker at 299-7198 or Kathy Hedges at 235-4556.
Kachemak Bay Campus
Kachemak Bay Campus fall semester registration is open for the general public and those seeking a degree. Sign up now and pay later. For a schedule visit, www.kpc.alaska.edu/KBC/searchableschedule.
Classes include Marine Biology, Ceramics, Drawing, Creative Writing-Poetry, Creative Writing Personal Essay, Ornithology, Painting, Sign Language, Seaweeds of Kachemak Bay, Quickbooks, Geology of Kachemak Bay, Medical Terminology, Tai Chi, Yoga and more. Call 235-7743 for an advising appointment this summer.
Pratt Museum
The museum galleries are open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Business offices are open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Artist Jo Going’s exhibit, “Reliquary,” is on view through Sept. 21. Going presents a mixed media installation featuring found animal bones collected by the artist from the arctic tundra over 28 years.
“Dena’ina q’ Huch’ulyeshi, the Dena’ina Way of Living,” is on view through Sept. 1. “Dena’ina q’ Huch’ulyeshi” is the first comprehensive exhibit of the Dena’ina culture, curated and provided by the Anchorage Museum. Visit the Pratt Museum website, www.prattmuseum.org, for a schedule of related special events.
Museum interns from 3-4 p.m. today and 3:30-4:30 p.m. July 30 present “The Object at Hand.” Interns select and research an item from the Pratt’s collection and discuss it.
Historic Harbor Tours are held at 3 p.m. every Friday and Saturday through Aug. 23. Meet at the wheelhouse in front of the Salty Dawg on the Homer Spit. The fee is $10 per person.
South Peninsula Hospital
South Peninsula Hospital Education Department offers Safe Sitter classes this summer in Homer and Ninilchik. Designed for 11- to 13-year olds, the class teaches basic child care, infant and child CPR, first aid, safety for the sitter, behavior management and business etiquette. The two-day class runs from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. both days. The cost is $75 per person. The two-day course in Ninilchik is July 31 and Aug. 1 and in Homer it is Aug. 7 and 8. Space is limited and registration is required. Call the hospital education department to register at 235-0258.
South Peninsula Hospital holds a sports physical clinic for high school students needing a physical for participation in school sanctioned activities. The clinic is 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Aug. 2 at Homer Medical Center. Exams that day will be provided by volunteer health care workers from around the community.
No appointments are offered. However, students are asked to stagger arrival according to the following schedule: Last names beginning in A-E arrive at 8 a.m.; last names beginning in F-J arrive at 9 a.m.; last names beginning in K-O should arrive at 10 a.m.; last names beginning in P-T should arrive at 11 a.m., and last names beginning in U-Z should arrive at noon.
This is a fundraiser for the local Booster Club; therefore, a $10 donation is requested, made payable to the Booster Club. However, no one will be turned away for lack of money. In an effort to speed the process along, parents are asked to please complete page one of the two-page exam form prior to presenting at the clinic. The form can be found at www.sphosp.org. All students must bring or wear loose fitting shorts for the screening. For more information or questions about this event, contact Derotha Ferraro at South Peninsula Hospital, 235-0397.
SVT Health & Wellness
SVT Health & Wellness offers a series of classes covering all aspects of wellness every Thursday at 6 p.m. Today’s class is “Herbal Remedies from Alaska Plants, Part Two,” with Nancy Lee-Evans. Learn to make basic herbal teas and oils from Alaska wild medicinal plants. The classes are open to the public. For more information, call 226-2228 ext. 660.
