Public testimony is taken starting at 9 a.m. today on Senate Bill 24, Marine Transportation Advisory Board, at the Homer Legislative Information Office, 270 W. Pioneer Ave. For more information, call 235-7878.
The Kachemak Emergency Service Area Board holds its board meeting at 7 p.m. today at the McNeil Canyon Fire Station, 53048 Ashwood Ave. (Mile 12 East End Road). The public is welcome. For more information, call 235-9811.
Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer, will hold town hall meetings in District 30 at these times and places: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. March 23, Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly Chambers, Soldotna, (with House Speaker Mike Chenault and Rep. Kurt Olson); 4-5 p.m. March 23, Ninilchik Senior Center; 2-4 p.m. March 24, Homer City Hall, Cowles Council Chambers. Seaton will give an update on the legislative session and listen to constituent concerns.
The Pioneers of Alaska are hosting a free community dinner at 5:30 p.m. today at the Homer United Methodist Church. Everyone is welcome.
The Board of Game meets in Kenai at the Kenai Cultural Center to deliberate on the Southcentral Region proposals starting at 8:30 a.m. Friday to Tuesday.
The Homer Foundation’s Youth Advisory Committee, or YAC, announces the availability of grant funds to support projects that will be used to promote fun, affordable, easily accessible and healthy activities for youth ages 10 through 18. The Youth Advisory Committee is a committee of the Homer Foundation made up of young people whose mission is to promote philanthropy and improve the quality of life for the youth of our community.
Nonprofits providing programs and/or services for youth must submit a letter of intent to the Homer Foundation by March 29. Guidelines for the letter of intent are available from the Homer Foundation. For more information, contact Joy Steward at 235-0541 or email jsteward@homerfund.org.
An “Almost Spring Fling” craft fair to benefit Special Olympics is 10 a.m.-6 p.m. March 22 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 23 at the Homer United Methodist Church. The fair features products and services from consultants as well as lots of handmade items. Space is available at $50 a space. Tables can be provided. For more information, contact Joyce Shuler at (907) 398-6712 or email joyce.shuler@yahoo.com.
Alaska Bible Institute holds its graduation ceremony at 6 p.m. March 28 at the campus at 1295 Mission Road. Due to space constraints, guests are limited to high school age students and older, with no child care available. For more information, call 235-8648.
Registration has started for the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival, to be held May 8-12. This year’s keynote speaker is Jeffrey Gordon. For a list of events and presentations, visit www.kachemakbayshorebirdfestival.org. For more information, email shorebird@homeralaska.org or call the Homer Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center at 235-7740.
The Mindfulness Meeting is a group for cultivating wisdom, gratitude and serenity through skills and practice that meets weekly on Fridays. The meeting is from noon to 1:30 p.m. Friday in the conference room at 3691 Ben Walters Lane, next to Sprout and Harbor School of Music. 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.
Anchor Point Senior Center
The Anchor Point Senior Center is open at 8 a.m. Monday through Thursday for coffee. Enjoy coffee and conversation. The senior center also is open 7-9 p.m. Tuesday nights for game night. Enjoy cards, chess, dominoes, cribbage, checkers and pool. Regular hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m.-noon Friday. For more 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.
Homer Senior Citizens
Homer Senior Citizens lunch is open to seniors and their guests and is served 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday through Friday. The lunch menu for this week is: Thursday, roast beef and mashed potatoes; Friday, blackened catfish; Monday, baked chicken teriyaki; Tuesday, lasagna; Wednesday, curried beef.
Strong Women classes at Homer Senior Citizens Recreation Room are 2-3 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Cost is $3 for members and $6 for nonmembers per class.
Tai Chi classes are Thursday at 3 p.m. Cost is $3 for members and $6 for nonmembers per class. For more information, call Daniel at 235-7655.
Kachemak Bay Campus
Registration is being held for these upcoming classes: beginning fly fishing, begins March 22; creative food writing, begins March 28; birding workshop, begins April 2; garden design with Brenda Adams, meets April 6 and 13; botany of Kachemak Bay, begins April 11; organic gardening, meets April 19-20; watercolor workshop with artist Jan Peyton, meets May 31, June 1 and 3. Computer classes offered include Excel, MS Word and Quickbooks, all starting in April. Registration also is open for a special personal narrative workshop from May 3-5 with visiting memoirist Debra Gwartney, finalist for the National Book Critics Award. Enrollment is limited; register early. For a list of all courses, visit www.kpc.alaska.edu/kbc. Call 235-7743 for information.
KBC psychology professor Brian Partridge presents “The Biology of Stress: What Do We Know Now?” at 6:30 p.m. March 20. He conducts a presentation and discussion on current research in neuroscience and health psychology. The lecture is free and open to all.
At 6:30 p.m. March 29, author Tom Kizzia and historian Steve Haycox present “Seward: Alaska’s Indispensible Man – A Commemoration of Seward Day” at the college.
At 6:30 p.m. April 4, visiting fiction writer Nancy Zafris does a public literary reading.
The Kachemak Bay Campus Community Advisory Board seeks new members. For more information, call 235-1656 or send a letter of interest to KBC, 533 E. Pioneer Ave., Homer AK 99603.
Registration has started for the 2013 Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference, to be held June 14-18 at Land’s End Resort. Poet Naomi Shihab Nye is the keynote presenter. The early registration fee is $375, space available, with a special student rate. For program and registration information, visit writersconference.homer.alaska.edu.
Pratt Museum
Regular hours are Tuesdays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Free Winter Wednesdays with free admission to the museum continues in March. “Encounters: Whales in Our Waters” is on exhibit until July 21.
In conjunction with this special exhibit, the Pratt holds a series of talks relating to whales and whale research. The first talk is at 5 p.m. March 23. Dena Matkin, who has studied killer whales in Southeast Alaska since 1987, will present “Transient Killer Whale Predation Trends in Southeast.”
Summer high school interns are wanted. The paid internship runs June 3 through Aug. 9. For more information, call Ryjil Christianson, director of education, at 235-8635 or email education@prattmuseum.org.
R.E.C. Room
The R.E.C. Room (Resource and Enrichment Co-op) is a multipurpose space for youth ages 12-18 as a safe environment to hang out with friends. Hours are 3-6 p.m. Monday-Friday in the lower level of the Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic outreach building on Nielsen Circle. Visit www.recroom.kbfpc.org or call Anna at 235-OPEN (6736).
Seldovia Village Tribe Health & Wellness Center
The SVT Health & Wellness Center offers a series of classes covering all aspects of wellness every Thursday at 6 p.m.
Today and on March 21 and 28, Jenifer Dickson, a certified nutritional therapist, will lead Part 2 of her “Spring Cleanse and Sugar Detox” class. Participants will discover the health benefits of cleansing and detoxification.
The SVT Health & Wellness Center is located at 880 East End Road. The classes are open to the public. For more information or to suggest topics for future classes, call Amy Rattenbury at 226-2228, ext. 660.
South Peninsula Hospital
Nurses Mary Fries and Peggy Ellen Kleinleder offer “Living Well, Better Choices, Better Health,” a six-week chronic disease self management class, beginning Friday. It will be taught at the South Peninsula Hospital Training Center. Participants will acquire tools and learn techniques to manage their chronic conditions and experience a better quality of life. Participants learn how to work more effectively with their physicians, manage their symptoms and make small, achievable changes that add up over time. Family members and support persons are encouraged to take part in the workshop as well. The class fee is $10 for the entire session, with scholarships available. Registration is required and space is limited. To register or for more information, call 235-0369.
