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.

The Homer Public Health Center is closed Friday in observance of Independence Day. The center will reopen Monday at 8:30 a.m. Call 235-8857 for more information or to make an appointment.

A debate of the candidates running for the Republican Party nomination for U.S. Senate is 7-9 p.m. July 15 at Land’s End Resort. Candidates Joe Miller, Dan Sullivan and Mead Treadwell have been invited. There is a $25 fee to cover the cost of the venue and dessert.  

Homer’s Big Brothers Big Sisters program is selling raffle tickets to support its local program and 45 matches. A raffle is held for a double-bed size quilt made by Eileen Wythe Size. Tickets are $5 each. Buy four and get a raffle ticket for a separate wall hanging size quilt, the only way to get raffle tickets for the wall hanging. Tickets are on sale through Nov. 30. Another raffle is held for Alaska Airlines miles, with first place 100,000 miles, second place 50,000 miles and third place 25,000 miles. Tickets are $10 each or six for $50. Tickets are on sale in Homer through Sept. 5. Raffle tickets can be purchased through BBBS Staff and Leadership Council Members Sue Alexander, Lee Alexander, Colleen Carroll and Lisa Rich. For more information, call 235-8391. Pictures of the quilt and wall hanging can be found on the BBBS Facebook group page at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Homer,  Alaska.

Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic seeks volunteers to help with door-to-door outreach this summer. Outreach Advocates connect with women at their homes to help them get no-cost breast cancer screenings and annual exams. Volunteers are needed for three to five hours at a time. To volunteer or more information, contact Susan Kaplan, outreach manager, at 235-3436 or email outreach@kbfpc.org.

Cooperative Extension Service

Wondering what that insect or weed is? Does your plant have a nutrient deficiency? The Cooperative Extension Service will host a Plant Clinic at the Homer Farmers Market from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. July 12. Bring bagged insects, weeds, pictures and questions for identification and information. Janice Chumley, invasive pest management tech for the Cooperative Extension Service, will be on hand to assist with gardening questions and pest concerns. For more information or questions, call 907-262-5824.

4-H youth are working hard to raise awareness about responsible use of public lands and recreational areas, and encourage people to play a role in helping keep important and scenic areas free of trash and litter. For those dipnetting on the Kenai please remember to respect the community and dispose of fish and camping waste appropriately so all can enjoy the beach together. In August, 4-H clubs across the peninsula will be cleaning litter from public highways, beaches and lands. Show support by sponsoring a club in local communities or by signing up to help with trash pick-up. Call 262-5824 to learn more about how people can join with 4-H in ongoing conservation projects and goals.

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, roast beef; Friday, closed for Independence Day; Monday, baked chicken; Tuesday, pork marsala; Wednesday, beef tacos.

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/searchable_schedule.

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. The Pratt is the first stop of the tour, with artifacts, multimedia and text that explores the past and present Dena’ina culture. Meet the Dena’ina through film, life-size recreations, images, hands-on learning stations, audio and more than 40 artifacts. Visit the Pratt Museum website, www.prattmuseum.org, for a schedule of related special events.

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.