Please report sandhill crane sightings to Kachemak Crane Watch at 235-6262 or reports@cranewatch.org. Date, time, location, behavior, and number of cranes is helpful. Leave a name and number in case they need more details.
Kachemak Emergency Service Area Board will be holding its regular monthly board meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 9, at the McNeil Canyon Fire Station, 53048 Ashwood Ave. (Mile 12 East End Road). The public is welcome to attend. Call 235-9811 for more information.
Birds, Brats and Beer is 5- 7 p.m. Saturday at Grace Ridge Brewing. Brats and sides are $10. Proceeds benefit AKtoDC 2020. AKtoDC2020 is a program that will send 8th grade students at Homer Middle Schoolers on a trip to Washington, D.C., Williamsburg, Virginia, and New York City with Close Up, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group. For more information, call Kristi at 907-441-5411.
The annual Kachemak Bay Quilters Mother’s Day weekend quilt show is 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 11, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 11, at the Homer Elks Lodge downstairs. Several categories of quilts will be on display, including Alaska birds, and there will be silent auction and “cash and carry” items for purchase. Several Viewer’s Choice awards will be announced on Sunday afternoon.
The Anchor Point Fire & Emergency Medical Service Area Board will hold its next board meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 15, 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 Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA) will offer a Fishing Vessel Drill Conductor class in Homer from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 25 at the Best Western Bidarka Inn. This class is free to commercial fishermen, thanks to support from the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community & Economic Development, the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health, and AMSEA members. The cost is $175 for all others. Interested mariners may register at www.amsea.org or call 907-747-3287.
This marine safety training course will cover cold-water survival skills; EPIRBs, signal flares, and mayday calls; man-overboard recovery and firefighting; flooding and damage control; dewatering pumps, immersion suits and PFDs, helicopter rescue, life rafts, abandon ship procedures, and emergency drills. There will be and in-the-water practice session, giving participants practical experience with PFDs and immersion suits, employing survival techniques, and righting and boarding an inflatable life raft.
AMSEA Drill Conductor classes meet the U.S. Coast Guard training requirements for drill conductors on commercial fishing vessels, 46 CFR 28.270 (c). This class is an excellent opportunity for commercial fishermen and other mariners to gain hands-on training with marine safety equipment and learn best practices for surviving emergencies at sea.
Kenai Peninsula Votes tidbit:
How did we come up with the decision that 18-year-olds have the right to vote? For the longest time, the legal age to vote was 21. The decision to change the voting age was made in 1971 with the 26th amendment that made it legal for 18-year-olds to have the right to vote. A major reason behind this amendment was that we were involved in a war where so many 18-year-olds were being drafted and dying for our country.
In May of 2013, Takoma Park, Maryland voted to have 16 and 17-year-olds vote in local elections. Even though many people were opposed to this decision, the mayor felt that this would help young voters establish life long habits for voting. We can argue about what the appropriate age to vote is, but having the discussion allows us to support the importance of voting. Let’s keep talking. Where do you stand on this issue?
Ultimate Frisbee group meets Mondays and Thursdays from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at the SPARC.
Kenai Peninsula Borough Solid Waste facilities are now open seven days a week through September. Hours are 8 a.m.-5:45 p.m. Monday-Friday and noon-4 p.m. Sundays.
For more information, contact the KPB Solid Waste Department at 907-262-9667.
Anchor Point Senior Citizens
The Anchor Point Senior Center on Milo Fritz Avenue, is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m. to noon Friday.
The center serves Thursday night dinners starting at 5 p.m. Everyone is welcome.
Bingo is at 6:30 p.m. with doors opening at 6 p.m. on Friday nights. The Helping Hands Thrift Store is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Exercise sessions are at 10 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. For information, call 235-7786.
Friendship Center
Friendship Center Adult Day Services is open 9 a.m. to 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
The Caregiver Support Group meets 2-3:30 p.m. the second and fourth Thursday in the senior center conference room. Call Pam Hooker at 299-7198 or Daniel Weisser at 235-4555.
Homer Senior Citizens lunch is open to seniors and guests and is served noon-1:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Lunch costs $7 for seniors age 60 and older, and $15 for those under 60.
Strong Women classes are 1:30-2:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Homer Senior Center.
Zumba Gold classes with Maria are 11 a.m.-noon Tuesdays and 1:30-2:30 p.m. Thursdays at the Homer Senior Center.
Tai chi classes are Thursdays at 3 p.m.
Duplicate Bridge meets at 1 p.m. Thursdays. Call Daniel Weisser at 235-4555. Duplicate Bridge is $3 for members and $5 for non-members.
Strong Women, Zumba and Tai Chi are $5 for members and $7 for non-members.
Pratt Museum
Galleries are closed for renovations until May 2019.
The business office is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Kachemak Bay Campus
Registration is now going on for the 2019 Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference being held June 14-18. An optional post-conference workshop is at Tutka Bay Wilderness Lodge. The keynote speaker is author Diane Ackerman along with 16 other poets, essayists and novelists. The four-day conference with meals is $425. For information visit http://writersconference.homer.alaska.edu.
Register for fall 2019 classes now. Save your space and register early. Payments aren’t due until September.
The last marine technology class of the season is Deckhand Skills on May 18 and 19. Visit https://kbcnoncredit.asapconnected.com for more information or call 235-7743. The class is only $85. Ask about scholarships.
South Peninsula Hospital
Teams are being solicited for the annual Homer Steps Up community walking challenge which has the goal of 100 million steps in the month of May.
The annual event, sponsored by South Peninsula Hospital in partnership with numerous local agencies, is May 1-28. Teams are asked to enroll in advance and as soon as possible.
Individual registration begins in April. Individuals can already join the team “Individual Steppers,” and if your team is already registered, you can enroll at homerstepsup2019.challengerunner.com by checking the box next to “Homer Steps Up! 2019,” clicking the “Enroll” button and following the prompts.
Contact Maggie Wyatt at South Peninsula Hospital Health and Wellness at wellness@sphosp.org or 235-0970 for more information or to enroll your team.
Alaska Islands and Oceans Visitor Center
Exhibits and gift shop at Alaska Islands and Oceans Visitor Center are open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to next Saturday.
Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival events are held Thursday to Sunday at Islands and Ocean. Choose from more than 100 events, including a variety of workshops, lectures, and family friendly programs in celebration of the 130 plus migratory and resident bird species that can be spotted in Homer’s seaside setting each spring. Find more about where to see these birds and events details at the Visitor Center or at http://kachemakshorebird.org.
