The next Kachemak Bay Birders’ meeting is 4:30 p.m. today at the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center. Following the regular meeting, birder Aaron Lang presents a talk on shorebird identification.
District 31 members of the Alaska Democratic Party hold a follow-up meeting to the presidential caucus at 6 p.m. Monday at the Kachemak Bay Campus. They will elect district officers, discuss the party platform and conduct other party business. For more information, email Liz Diament at Lizdiament@yahoo.com.
The Anchor Point Fire and Emergency Medical Service Area Board holds its board meeting at 6:30 p.m. April 20 at the Anchor Point Fire Station, 72440 Milo Fritz Ave. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. For more information, call 235-6700.
Author and speaker Tim Kimmell visits Homer with a seminar, Grace Based Parenting, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. April 23 at the Mariner Theatre. The talk is sponsored by the Homer Ministerial Association. Kimmell is the author of the books “Grace Based Parenting,” “Connecting Church and Home” and “Grace Filled Marriage.” Kimmell develops resources for families and churches and conducts conferences across the country on the unique pressures that confront today’s families. “Every Parent wants to raise great kids, yet often we fall short of our dreams. Sometimes we’re just too busy and distracted,” the association said in a press release. “Some of us had less than ideal role models. Some of us are working at it, but we just don’t have a good game plan. Are you willing to invest one day in order to empower your kids — forever?” Admission is $100 a couple, $55 a person and $15 per child for childcare. Purchase tickets in advance at familymatters.net/events. Tickets at the door are $60 a person.
Registration is now open for the 24th Annual Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival, to be held May 12-15. You can register on-line at kachemakshorebird.org.
Individual sightings of sandhill cranes have been reported and large numbers may start arriving soon. Please report sandhill crane sightings to Kachemak Crane Watch at 235-6262 or email reports@cranewatch.org. Please leave a name and number so Crane Watch can call for more information.
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 p.m. with play starting at 7 p.m. on Friday nights. There will be a special $1,000 three-day bingo event at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday. 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 more information, call the senior center at 235-7786.
Cooperative Extension
Calcium may be the most abundant mineral in the body but many individuals, especially seniors, do not have adequate levels to support healthy bone structure. Research has found that bone resorption and formation is balanced for about the first three decades. After that, our bones break down faster than they rebuild, which can result in a loss of bone density and put us at an increased risk for osteoporosis.
To keep our bones strong, we need to ensure we are taking in enough calcium to replace that which is lost. Think of making more deposits in your bone bank than withdrawals. This is easily accomplished by consuming three servings of dairy or other calcium-rich foods each day. Low-fat or fat-free milk, yogurt and cheese are all tasty ways to ensure adequate levels of calcium. Cream, cream cheese and butter don’t count as they have little to no calcium and lots of fat.
Not a dairy fan? No problem. Beans, dark leafy greens, whole grains, nuts, calcium-fortified juices, cereals, breads, non-dairy milk beverages and tofu, as well as canned salmon with bones, are all good alternatives and will help you build a handsome balance in your bone bank.
For more information, visit www.uaf.edu/ces/districts/kenai. Your local Cooperative Extension Service is your year-round resource for a variety of interesting topics. They have copies of this publication and many others at the extension office from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday in the Doors and Windows Building, 43961 Kalifornsky Beach Road, Soldotna.
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
Homer Senior Citizens lunch is open to seniors and guests and is served noon-1:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. The lunch menu for this week is: today, turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy; Friday, shrimp scampi; Monday, plum glazed Cornish hens; Tuesday, spaghetti and meatballs; Wednesday, Cuban pork; next Thursday, roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy.
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.
Caregiver Support Group meets 2-3:30 p.m. the second and fourth Thursday in the senior center conference room. Call Jacquie Thaute at 299-2924 or Daniel Weisser at 235-4555.
Kachemak Advocates of Recycling (KARe)
The Kachemak Advocates of Recycling will meet from 4:30-6 p.m. Tuesday at the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies Headquarters at 708 Smokey Bay Way.
Please join them if you have an interest in recycling and would like to help them out. For more information, contact Lani Raymond at 399-9477 or lani67@alaska.net. For more information on recycling, also visit Kachemak Advocates of Recycling (KARe) on Facebook.
Kachemak Bay Campus
“Deckhand on Fishing Vessels” is 9 a.m.-5 p.m. April 9-10, with a fee of $60. Aluminum Fabrication is April 8-9 and April 15-16. MS Excel class is 10 a.m.-1:15 p.m. Saturdays, April 9-30. U.S. Coast Guard Onboard Drill Conductor Training is 8 a.m.-7 p.m. April 20; Vessel Stability Training is 8 a.m.-3 p.m. April 21, and Ergonomics for Fishermen is 3-4:30 p.m. April 21. Register in advance at uaonline.alaska.edu.
Registration for fall classes begins in April. Advising appointments are available for degree-seeking students. Call 235-7743.
A closing reception and artist’s talk for Joe Kashi’s show is at 5-6:30 p.m. April 12.
Pratt Museum
Business offices are open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. The museum gallery is open noon-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, closed Sundays and Mondays. Admission is free on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in March.
“Living Alaska: A Decade of Collecting Contemporary Arts for Alaska Museums” is on exhibit.
South Peninsula Hospital
South Peninsula Hospital offers training for opioid overdose response at 10 a.m. Saturday at the SPH Training Center at 203 W. Pioneer Ave. Dr. Sarah Spencer, board certified in addiction medicine, offers a one-hour training on how to recognize signs of an opioid overdose and what you can do to help. This training will include instruction on administering Naloxone, a drug to treat overdoses which is safe and has no potential for abuse.
All attendees will leave with the knowledge, a training certificate and a complete Naloxone rescue kit, and be prepared to respond to an overdose. The cost is $90 which covers the cost of a complete Naloxone Kit (two doses). Preregistration is required and space is limited. Call South Peninsula Hospital’s education department at 235-0285 to register.
