The Kachemak Emergency Service Area Board will hold its regular monthly board meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14.

The meeting will be held at the McNeil Canyon Fire station, 53048 Ashwood Ave. ( Mile 12 East End Road). The public is welcome to attend. Please call the station at 235-9811 for more information.

Dave Erikson, long-time local birder, will be teaching “Winter Bird Identification,” a class on the identification of the birds that winter in Homer. This class will be from 6-7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14 at the Islands and Ocean Visitor Center in the Seminar Room.

It is free and open to the public and is cosponsored by the Kachemak Bay Birders and the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.

For more information, contact Dave Erikson, 907-441-7931 or Lani Raymond, 907-399-9477.

Homer’s Audubon Christmas Bird Count will be on Saturday, Dec. 16. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at Islands and Ocean Visitor Center in the Seminar Room to get assigned to a team and area to count.

There will be coffee, tea and breakfast goodies available.

Count birds all day and then return to Islands and Ocean Visitor Center at 4:30 p.m. to compile the birds seen and enjoy a potluck dinner.

Bring a dish to share.

These events are free and open to the public and are cosponsored by the Kachemak Bay Birders and the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. For more information, contact Dave Erikson, 907-441-7931 or Lani Raymond, 907-399-9477 or email lanibirder@gmail.com.

Experience an evening of free holiday fun for the entire family hosted by Bear Creek Winery from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Dec 15 and Saturday, Dec. 16, and from 5-7 p.m. Dec 22-23.

Come take a stroll through a winter wonderland filled with delightful holiday displays.

Warm up by the toasty fire pit with a cup of hot cocoa and enjoy Christmas music at the pavilion.

Multi-Groups Meeting of Progressives and Moderates will be held from 1:30-6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16 at the Kachemak City Community Center, 59906 Bear Creek Drive Homer, near Mile 4 East End Road across from the Highland Auto Body &Glass.

Please contact: Ron Keffer – Citizen AKtion Network (Can), 907-299-0821 central@citizensaktionnetwork.org, or Taz Tally, Democratic Party District 31 Chair, 907-435-7906, taztally@me.com.

Key topics to be discussed include: multiple progressive and moderate groups working together, presentations by various speakers including Rep. Paul Seaton, upcoming elections, discussion of key policy initiatives, and upcoming caucuses.

Please bring one to three cans of food for the Homer Community Food Pantry. There will be a holiday table for meeting treats.

The Procrastinators Fair in Homer is a two-day event, from noon to 5 p.m. on Dec. 16 and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Dec. 17 at the Homer Middle School. There will be a kid craft and cookie booth and a free Christmas tree drawing. The things donated by vendors will provide a free drawing every 15 minutes for those who are there. There will be live music, a ton of different booths, and anything that would qualify as a last-minute holiday gift.

There will be an area to change diapers and for new moms to relax with their little ones, and free apple cider for everyone.

There will be activities and fun physical things for people of all ages to enjoy at the SPARC center.

For more information, visit the Procrastinators Fair on Facebook.

The Homer High School Nordic ski team will hold a fundraiser from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, offering lessons for children and adults at the Lookout Mountain trails.

Megan Corazza and Alison O’Hara will be conducting the adult lessons. The cost is $10 for kids and $20 for adults. To register text Alison at 299-6275.

The LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and queer) Teen Support and Discussion Group meets at 4 p.m. every Tuesday at the REC Room, 3957 Neilsen Circle. The private group is for ages 12-18. For more information, contact Anna Meredith at the REC Room, 235-3436, or Irene Saxton-Opatz at the Center, 235-7701.

The Exchange, a syringe exchange program, offers free syringe exchanges the first and third Tuesdays of the month at the South Peninsula Hospital Training Center, 203 West Pioneer Avenue, in the southwest corner of the building. Exchanges are held 5-7 p.m. The next clinic is Dec. 19.

The Anchor Point Fire &Emergency Medical Service Area Board will hold its next board meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday Jan. 17, 2018 at the Anchor Point Fire Station, 72440 Milo Fritz Ave.

The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.

For more information, call 235-6700.

Anchor Point Senior Citizens

The Anchor Point Senior Center on Milo Fritz Road is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m.-noon Friday.

The center serves Thursday night dinners starting at 5:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

Bingo is at 6:30 p.m. with doors opening at 6 p.m. on Friday nights. The Helping Hands Thrift Store is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Exercise sessions are at 10 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. For information, call 235-7786.

Friendship Center

Friendship Center Adult Day Services is open 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday with extended hours for special situations. Programs are offered daily, including story time, crafts and musical performances. Call 235-4556.

Homer Senior Citizens

The Caregiver Support Group meets 2-3:30 p.m. the second and fourth Thursday in the senior center conference room. Call Pam Hooker at 299-7198 or Daniel Weisser at 235-4555. Homer Senior Citizens lunch is open to seniors and guests and is served noon-1:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Strong Women classes are 1:30-2:30 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 for members, $6 for nonmembers.

Duplicate Bridge meets at 1 p.m. Thursdays. Tai chi classes are Thursdays at 3 p.m. The cost per class is $3 for members and $6 for nonmembers. Call Daniel Weisser at 235-4555.

Pratt Museum

Winter hours: Galleries are open from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

Current Exhibits:

ROOT by Lynn Marie Naden shows through Dec. 30. On display in the Special Exhibits Gallery, ROOT by Lynn Marie Naden is a sculptural installation premiering at the Pratt Museum, exploring the artist’s roots. The central structure is built up from strips of paper containing community-sourced perspectives on roots.

ROOT International Mail Art Exhibition shows through Dec. 30. On display in the Pratt’s lower level, ROOT International Mail Art Exhibition features submitted artwork from around the world.

All works that were sent in for this show are considered a donation and will be on auction November-December to support the Pratt Museum (a tap root of our community), with starting bids set at the cost of postage.

Bidding on exhibited works closes with a reception from 5-7 p.m. on Dec. 30.

Kachemak Bay Campus

Registration is now open for all winter and spring class at KBC. The course schedules are online to review at https://www.kpc.alaska.edu/academics/schedule/ and at https://kbcnoncredit.asapconnected.com/

Classes begin Jan. 16. Classes include Scientific Illustration, Medical Terminology, Welding, Private Pilot Ground School Prep., Biology of Sharks, QuickBooks, East Asian History, Beginning Sculpture, Glaciology of Kachemak Bay, Intermediate Hatha Yoga, Color Theory workshop, Flash Fiction Writing and Home and Cabin Building, and more.

Registration is open for newly approved USCG Able Seaman and 100-ton license classes along with Marine Electronics, RSW for Vessels, Deckhand Training, Navigation and our maritime classes at https://kbcnoncredit.asapconnected.com/

It’s not too late: Advising services are available for individuals wishing to start or continue earning a two- or four-year degree and register for January classes. Call 235-7743 for an appointment.

KBC offers free GED, ESL, college preparation and life skills courses and individual assistance. Call 235-7743.

KBC will be closed Dec. 23- Jan. 3 for the holidays.

Brown Bag Lunch Travelogue Public Talk is at noon on Jan. 5, with “Traveling Across Kenya” presented by Paula Martin.

Civil Right’s Day Public Talk: at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 15, “Where is the Village – Native Corporations Move Toward Urban Ownership” by Tim Troll, Executive Director of the Bristol Bay Heritage Land Trust.

South Peninsula Hospital

The South Peninsula Hospital Annual Craft Fair is from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15 and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16 in the conference rooms on the lower level.

It will include local handmade items, artists, food and much more.