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.
Quilters can enter their quilts, wall hangings and wearable art for the Kenai Peninsula State Fair in Ninilchik. Register entries in Homer from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. Aug. 8 at Ulmer’s. For more information call Karrie Youngblood at 399-2085.
Science professor and former Homer resident Kelly Cline presents a free public lecture, “Studying Super Earths” at 7 p.m. today at the Homer United Methodist Church Sun Room. Cline is an associate professor at Carroll College in Helena, Mont., where he teaches physics, astronomy and math.
In 2005, astronomers discovered a completely new type of planet which is more massive than the Earth but less massive than the gas giants: super-earths. Kline will discuss these questions: What would these super Earths look like? What sorts of atmospheres could be found on such a massive a planet with double or triple the mass of the Earth? Are there plate tectonics or volcanic activity on these worlds? Could life have formed on any of them?
Philosophy professor and former Homer resident Erin Cline presents a free public lecture, “Real Tiger Mothers of Ancient China: Why Chinese Philosophy Matters for Parents and Children Today” at 7 p.m. July 31 in the Homer United Methodist Church Sun Room. The publication of “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” stirred controversy among American parents. In this talk, Cline, an associate professor in comparative ethics at Georgetown University, discusses her forthcoming book, “Families of Virtue: Confucian and Western Views on Childhood Development,” which explores what traditional Chinese philosophers really thought about parenting.
The weeping icon from Hawaii of the Christ child and His Mother arrives at 7:30 p.m. Monday at All Saints Orthodox Church off East Skyline Drive. To learn about weeping icons and the history of this icon, a talk is held at 4 p.m. Sunday at a private home near the church; look for signs. For more information, call Susan at 832-294-1451.
Nancy Dodge speaks on ShelterBox at the 6 p.m. Wednesday meeting of the Rotary Club of Homer Downtown at the Homer Council on the Arts. ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity that delivers emergency shelter, warmth and dignity to people affected by disaster worldwide.
Ed Berg speaks on lichens and moss on a 1.5-mile hike at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Calvin and Coyle Trail. The walk through spruce and alder forest and wetlands contains a variety of interesting lichens and moss. To get to the trailhead, drive to Mile 1.5 East End Road to Mariner Drive and turn south on Mariner Drive. There is limited parking at the trail. For more information, email jwoodring@alaska.net or call 235-9344.
The Omicron chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma is putting together backpacks with school supplies for clients of the Homer Community Food Pantry. To help, look for the decorated receptacle at Ulmer’s on Lake Street. The receptacle lists needed supplies; supplies can be dropped off at the receptacle. More than 120 children in the lower Kenai Peninsula benefit from this service.
POP411.org
Agencies and organizations can add or update their listings to POP411.org, an online resource directory for the southern Kenai Peninsula. Developed three years ago as a virtual community center based on a need identified in the community health needs assessment, POP411 offers free listings for agencies, organizations, businesses and service providers. It is free to be listed on the site, and free to use.
Listings include information on the listing agency that is useful for site users when trying to find local services or resources. POP411 is meant to be one-stop shopping for community resources and is open for any listing related to a broad definition of health. Some of the more well-used categories on the site are related to educational services, children and youth resources, community action, social services and health.
The deadline to update listings is Aug. 1. To update or add a listing, visit pop411.org and log in. New listings are welcomed and can be done easily by selecting the “Create an Account” on the website. For assistance, contact Jamie Powell, the site administrator, at Jamie@homerpreventionproject.org or 235-0570. POP411 is a cooperative effort between the Homer News and MAPP of the Southern Kenai Peninsula, a local coalition working together to improve community health.
Cooperative Extension Service
It’s blooming time again for the invasive orange hawkweed plant that is spreading across the Kenai Peninsula, changing habitats in its wake. This weed also has a yellow species that is found on the Kenai Peninsula and spreading quickly like its orange counterpart. Learn more about this noxious weed from the Cooperative Extension Service’s free publication, “Orange Hawkweed.” Help to stop its spread by learning these plants biology and habits. The Cooperative Extension Service is a year-round resource for a variety of topics. Visit the service at www.uaf.edu/ces/districts/kenai/ to find this publication and more, or stop by at the Doors and Windows Building on Kalifornsky Beach Road 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. 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, ham and scalloped potatoes; Friday, cod humboldt; Monday, baked chicken teriyaki; Tuesday, lasagna; Wednesday, curried chicken.
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/searchableschedule.
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. Visit the Pratt Museum website, www.prattmuseum.org, for a schedule of related special events.
Museum interns from 3:30-4:30 p.m. July 30 present “The Object at Hand.” Interns select and research an item from the Pratt’s collection and discuss it.
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.
South Peninsula Hospital
South Peninsula Hospital Education Department offers Safe Sitter classes this summer in Homer and Ninilchik. Designed for 11- to 13-year olds, the class teaches basic child care, infant and child CPR, first aid, safety for the sitter, behavior management and business etiquette. The two-day class runs from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. both days. The cost is $75 per person. The two-day course in Ninilchik is July 31 and Aug. 1 and in Homer it is Aug. 7 and 8. Space is limited and registration is required. Call the hospital education department to register at 235-0258.
South Peninsula Hospital holds a sports physical clinic for high school students needing a physical for participation in school sanctioned activities. The clinic is 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Aug. 2 at Homer Medical Center. Exams that day will be provided by volunteer health care workers from around the community.
No appointments are offered. However, students are asked to stagger arrival according to the following schedule: Last names beginning in A-E arrive at 8 a.m.; last names beginning in F-J arrive at 9 a.m.; last names beginning in K-O should arrive at 10 a.m.; last names beginning in P-T should arrive at 11 a.m., and last names beginning in U-Z should arrive at noon.
This is a fundraiser for the local Booster Club; therefore, a $10 donation is requested, made payable to the Booster Club. However, no one will be turned away for lack of money. In an effort to speed the process along, parents are asked to please complete page one of the two-page exam form prior to presenting at the clinic. The form can be found at www.sphosp.org. All students must bring or wear loose fitting shorts for the screening. For more information or questions about this event, contact Derotha Ferraro at South Peninsula Hospital, 235-0397.
SVT Health & Wellness
SVT Health & Wellness offers a series of classes covering all aspects of wellness every Thursday at 6 p.m. Today’s class is “Adrenal Fatigue,” with Dr. Rob Downey. Learn more about adrenal fatigue and its role in energy and vitality. The classes are open to the public. For more information, call 226-2228 ext. 660.
