The Seldovia Chamber of Commerce holds its fifth annual Human Powered Fishing Derby on Memorial Day weekend. The derby runs from 8 a.m. Friday to 4 p.m. Sunday. All kayaks, rowboats and other human powered craft are welcome, with no motors and no fishing from the shore.
The entry fee is $35 per fishing rod. Prizes will be awarded for the biggest halibut, salmon, cod and black rockfish. Anglers who weigh in any of these species will become eligible for the grand prize, a 17-foot EasyRider single kayak outfitted with all accessories. All entrants must depart from and return to the Seldovia harbor. Weigh-ins occur each day at 4 p.m. in the Seldovia harbor. To register call Tim Dillon at 299-3710 or register at the Seldovia harbor office during the three days of the event.
The derby will culminate with a community fish fry potluck at 4 p.m. May 26. Everyone is welcome to attend the fish fry. Last year 39 boats entered the derby and more than 120 people attended the fish fry.
Cottonwood Horse Park opens for the season at noon Monday at the park at Mile 1.7 East End Road. There will be equestrian demonstrations and fun and games for the entire family with face painting, pony rides, games, and chili and cornbread from The Saltry. Come watch as talented equestrians dazzle with their demonstrations.
Kachemak Bay Birders last meeting of the year is 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center. There will be a potluck following the meeting and slide show by members. Bring a dish to share. For more information, call Lani Raymond at 235-9477.
The Homer Garden Club’s annual plant sale is 11 a.m. to noon June 1 at the Homer Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center. Plants donated by members sell for $1 to $10, with annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, strawberries, roses, trees, shrubs, native plants and house plants. For more information, call Karen Howorth at 235-5253.
The Kachemak Celtic Club seeks artist and food vendors for its third annual Scottish Highland Games July 6 at Karen Hornaday Park. If interested, call Jewels at 235-2876 or homerart@ak.net. Vendor applications are at kachemakbaycelticclub.com. The deadline is June 20.
The sandhill cranes have started arriving. Please report sandhill crane sightings to Kachemak Crane Watch at 235-6262 or reports@cranewatch.org. Kachemak Crane Watch is especially interested in information about nesting pairs for its third year of the nesting ecology study. Please leave names and phone numbers in case more information is needed.
Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic seeks interested community members to serve on its board. For questions or to send a letter of interest, please contact Morgan Sicilia, board president, at msicilia33@gmail.com.
The Center reminds people dealing with mental health concerns that it offers 24-hour crisis services at 235-7701, walk-in services 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday at 3948 Ben Walters Lane, 235-0247 (South Peninsula Hospital) or 911 evenings, weekends and holidays, or walk into the hospital ER for an on-call clinician.
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: today, roast beef; Friday, breaded cod; Monday closed for Memorial Day; Tuesday, chicken picatta; Wednesday, zesty Cuban pork.
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 art classes: watercolor workshop with artist Jan Peyton meeting May 31, June 1 and 3, register by May 27, and a painting workshop with Asia Freeman meeting Tuesdays and Thursdays June 4 to July 9, register by May 29.
A master naturalist volunteer training workshop is 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. June 3-6 with a $45 fee. Sign up early. For a list of all courses, visit www.kpc.alaska.edu/kbc. Call 235-7743 for information.
Kachemak Bay Campus is currently searching for host families for Kachemak Bay Campus’s international exchange college students (through the Youth for Understanding program). Families are needed to host a student for a semester of the 2013-14 school year or for the entire year. Participating families will receive a monthly stipend of $200. Call 235-7743 for more information.
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 continues until spaces are filled 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 registration fee is $395, space available, with a special student rate, through June 10. For program and registration information, visit writersconference.homer.alaska.edu.
Registration for all fall workshops and classes is now being held. Register now and pay later. See schedule and course listings at www.kpc.alaska.edu/KBC.
Pratt Museum
Summer hours have started and are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. “Encounters: Whales in Our Waters” is on exhibit until July 21.
“Inspired by Place” opens with a reception 5 to 7 p.m. June 7. Guest curator Ron Senungetuk selected art from the museum collection inspired by a common theme. “It became clear that many works communicated a sense of place,” he said. The artists relate their works to daily activities like fishing, the environment and beauty of the local landscape. The exhibit runs through December 2013.
Since 1994 the Pratt Museum’s outdoor art exhibit, Facing the Elements, has been displayed along the Forest Trail from mid-June through September. This exhibition is completely exposed to the elements with the forest as a natural backdrop. Artists may register at the Pratt’s admission desk, 10 a.m. to 5:45 pm. Registration fee is $10, which is waived for students in grades K-12, but all participating artists must fill out a registration form. Artwork is installed between June 10 and June 12, with an opening reception from 5 to 6 p.m. June 14.
R.E.C. Room
The REC Room (a youth Resource and Enrichment Co-Op) provides teens with a safe space to foster healthy relationships and make healthy choices. Teens 12-18 spend time with friends and access information about the resources, activities and programs available for youth in the community — all with the guidance of a youth development staff member. The REC Room offers guitars, wifi, X-Box Kinect, air hockey, ping pong, board games, darts, rave gloves, movies, computers, art and craft supplies, and a lending library.
Staff are available to help youth connect with local resources for a variety of concerns, such as GED preparation, finding a summer job or homelessness. The REC Room, a program of Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic, is located at 3957 Nielsen Circle. Summer hours are 2 to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Friend the REC Room on Facebook at facebook.com/rec.room7 to learn about new summer programs.
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’s class is “Battling Seasonal Allergies” with Jenifer Dickson, certified nutritional therapist, with helpful tips on nutritional, herbal and lifestyle measures for prevention and treatment of seasonal allergies. 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.
