Sen. Peter Micciche, R-Soldotna, invites District O constituents to a meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Homer City Hall, Cowles Council Chambers. The senator will also be available afterward to help with individual personal state issues.
A constituent teleconference for District O is from 6 to 7 p.m. March 14 at the Homer Legislative Information Office, 270 W. Pioneer Ave. Available will be Sen. Peter Micciche, R-Soldotna, Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, Speaker of the House Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski, Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer, and Rep. Kurt Olson, R-Soldotna. For more information, call the LIO at 235-7878. Rep. Seaton also will hold town hall meetings on the afternoon of March 23 in Ninilchik and the afternoon of March 24 in Homer at an exact time and place to be announced.
The Kachemak Bay Birders March birding trip meets at 11 a.m. Saturday. The trip is to Beluga Slough and Bishop’s Beach. Meet at Islands and Ocean Visitor Center at 11 a.m. Bring binoculars and a spotting scope if you have one. Dress warmly and expect icy conditions possibly. Everyone is welcome and there is no charge. All trips are cosponsored by the Kachemak Bay Birders and Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. For more information, contact the trip leader, Michael Craig, at 235-0631. Kachemak Bay Birders meetings are held on the last Monday of the month from August through May. Visit kachemakbaybirders.org.
Homer’s Christian Community Church is offering Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. The introduction to the course was held Monday. Classes are at 6:30 p.m. Mondays for nine weeks. Each class is about two hours and is held at the church, 3838 Bartlett St. For more information or to register for the Homer class, contact Huck Bishop at 299-4730. Late registration is possible. People do not have to belong to Christian Community Church to participate in the class. The cost for the class is $95 and includes a workbook, Dave Ramsey’s “Complete Guide to Money,” an envelope system for managing money and an audio CD library. Participants will also have access to budgeting forms and MP3s of all the lessons. To register for the class, go to www.daveramsey.com. The course, which was updated in the summer of 2012, provides families and individuals with practical tools to gain control of their finances and set themselves up for long-term financial success.
The Anchor Point Fire & Emergency Service Area Board will hold its board meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Anchor Point Fire Station, 72440 Milo Fritz Ave. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. For more information, call 235-6700.
The public is welcome to a free showing of the film “Heist: Who Stole the American Dream?” at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Homer Public Library Conference Room. The film is sponsored by the District 30 Democrats. For more information, contact Frank Vondersaar at vondersaar@hotmail.com.
The Pioneers of Alaska are hosting a free community dinner on March 14 at 5:30 p.m. at the Homer United Methodist Church. Everyone is welcome.
The Board of Game will be meeting in Kenai at the Kenai Cultural Center to deliberate on the Southcentral Region proposals starting at 8:30 a.m. March 15-19.
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 Friday, 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.
The Homer Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center seeks volunteers to help with everything from helping visitors to helping plan and execute community programs like Cleanup Day and the Fourth of July Parade. Call 235-7740 to figure out where the chamber can best use your talents and local knowledge.
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. Come by and enjoy coffee and conversation. The senior center also is open 7-9 p.m. Tuesday nights for game night. Stop by and 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.
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.”
Pratt Play Date, a family event geared toward babies and toddlers, is 10 to 11 a.m. Friday in the Marine Gallery.
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.
Tonight Dr. Rob Downey will talk about “HeartMath(R) for Improved Health, Performance and Well-Being.” Participants will find out about HeartMath’s(R) tools for transforming stress, regulating emotional responses and harnessing the power of the heartand brain communication.
On March 14, 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 March 18. 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.
Other upcoming training opportunities at South Peninsula Hospital include:
* The American Heart Association Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers Course on Friday from 8 a.m.-noon.
* The American Heart Association First Aid Class on Friday from 1-5 p.m.
* A Safe Sitter class on March 13 and 14. It is a course designed for 11-13 years olds to teach them basic child care skills. Space is limited. Registration is required
To register for any of these classes or for more information, call the hospital education department at 235-0258.
