The Homer Legislative Information Office at 270 W. Pioneer Ave., is now open for the second session of the 29th State Legislature. At the office, citizens can participate in the legislative process by obtaining public documents, attending committee meetings telephonically and by submitting testimony on legislation. The LIO also has Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend application forms and can help people apply for their PFD online. Normal office hours are 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, and closed for lunch from noon-1 p.m. For more information, call 235-7878.
The annual winter conference of the Alaska Peony Growers Association will take place in Homer at Land’s End Resort from Jan. 28-30. With more than 27 sessions and 23 speakers, there is something for everyone, from the experienced peony grower to grower schools for the beginners. For further information, visit alaskapeonyconference.com.
The Kachemak Bay Masonic Club holds a spaghetti feed fundraiser from 5:30-8 p.m. Friday at the Homer Elks Lodge. All proceeds benefit Hospice of Homer and the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Children 8 and under are free. Advance tickets may be purchased by calling Hospice of Homer at 235-6899, the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies at 235-6746 and the Kachemak Bay Masonic Club at 235-3677.
The Homer Seventh-day Adventist Church invites the public to a discussion of an in-depth study written by Don and Marjorie Gray on The book of Genesis. The discussion is 10-11 a.m. Feb. 6 at the Homer Seventh-day Adventist Church, 210 E. Pioneer Ave. This is a free event; childcare will not be available.
Starting in February, the Homer Public Library is the host of a monthly “Lunch With a Council member.” This will be an opportunity for community members to bring their questions and ideas to their elected representatives. One or two council members will visit each month for informal conversation over brown bag lunches. In the first lunch from noon-1 p.m. Feb. 8, the library invites citizens to meet with council members David G. Lewis and Catriona Reynolds.
KBBI Public Radio AM 890 holds Trivia Night at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 10 at Alice’s Champagne Palace. The talk starts promptly, so please arrive early. There is limited seating. Call 235-7721, ext. 224, or email rose@kbbi.org to reserve your seat. Tickets are $10 per person, cash or checks only (payable to KBBI) at the door. Teams will be from four to six people. There is a grand prize for the winning team and prizes for second and third place. For more information, visit www.kbbi.org or KBBI’s Facebook page.
The 2016 Homer Winter Carnival and Homer Events seeks people to participate in the Outhouse Races and the Mr. Homer Pageant. The Outhouse Race is a great way for any family, group, business or organization to have some laughs as a team. The entry fee is $100 which goes to defraying costs involved, with any extra given to a local charity. The Mr. Homer Pageant is open to men and women. People can nominate any amazing personalities to enter by submitting a paragraph or two explaining why that person is qualified to represent Homer as an “exemplary example of extraordinary-ness.” The entry fee is $25. The carnival also seeks businesses or organizations to sponsor events. To register for either event, or to sign up as a sponsor, go to Homer Events on Facebook or call Dax Radtke of Homer Events at 299-0319.
The Alaska Democratic Party holds its Presidential candidate caucuses at 10 a.m. March 26 statewide. The House District 31 caucus is held in Homer at the Kachemak Bay Campus. Voters must be registered members of the Democratic Party to participate. Alaskans not registered as Democrats can change their party affiliation or register to vote at the caucus. To help party officials plan for caucuses, voters are encouraged to preregister for the caucuses by visiting www.akdems.org or calling 907-258-3050. Democrats will elect delegates to the state convention in proportion to the votes each candidate receives. The state convention is May 13-15 in Anchorage.
Anchor Point Senior Citizens
The Anchor Point Senior Center on Milo Fritz Road is open for winter hours 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 10 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. 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 Service
The snow and ice are still here, but it is never to early to start planning for this year’s crop. Now is a good time to be thinking about purchasing seed and planning your vegetable or flower garden. If you have never done it before, this year might a good opportunity to try seeding and growing transplants. You can learn about seed starting and transplanting in the free publication, “Seed Starting and Transplanting,” available from your local Cooperative Extension Service or online. Your local Cooperative Extension Service is your year round resource for a variety of topics. To find this publication and for more information, visit www.uaf.edu/ces/districts/kenai or stop by the Cooperative Extension Service office at 43961 Kalifornsky Beach Road, Suite A from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
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, roast pork loin; Friday, fried shrimp; Monday-Wednesday, to be announced.
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 Bay Campus
Registration for the following classes and workshops for community education, job training and recreation is now open. Upcoming classes include 6-Pack Boat License Preparation (starts Feb. 2 ), Biology of Sharks, Polar Bears, Birds of Kachemak Bay, Cyanotype Printmaking, MS Excel, Outboard Engine Repair, Deck Handling Job training, Boat DC Electrical Basics (Feb. 1-15), How To Handle a Skiff, Lines, Rigging and Gear, and more. Register in advance at uaonline.alaska.edu. Check out most of the KBC opportunities at www.kpc.alaska.edu/files/resources/spring-2016-kbc-schedule.pdf.
A Community Memorial Reading in Honor of Eva Saulitis is 6:30 p.m. Friday. Come any time after 6:30 p.m. after the Homer Council on the Arts Arts Award ceremony starting at 5:30 p.m. at HCOA.
Photographer Joe Kashi holds an opening reception, “Promises of Spring,” from 5-6:30 p.m. Feb. 5 in the commons, Pioneer Hall.
Marilyn Nelson, a finalist for the National Book Award and winner of the Newbery and Coretta Scott King awards, does a public reading at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 13 and a poetry workshop Feb. 13-14. She is the author or translator of 15 poetry books for adults and children and five chapbooks. In 2014 Nelson published a memoir, “How I Discovered Poetry.” In her workshop, students will create several poems using as prompts imagery, language and poetic techniques from Lao-Tzu, Rumi, San Juan de la Cruz, Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz, Emily Dickinson, Gary Snyder, Lucille Clifton, Naomi Shihab Nye, Joy Harjo, Pattianne Rogers and Jane Hirschfield.
Pratt Museum
The museum gallery is closed for January. Business offices are open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. The museum gallery reopens at noon Tuesday, with hours noon-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, closed Sundays and Mondays.
Tuesday is the museum’s annual meeting, starting with a reception at 5:30 p.m., the business meeting at 6 p.m., and a presentation by Grant Hilderbrand, “Bear necessities: calories as currency and the economics of Alaska brown bears from the Katmai Coast to the Arctic.”
