The Homer Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center is hosting the second annual Homer Peony Celebration July 9-24. Known as the “City of Peonies,” Homer has 25 peony farms producing the flowers. Visit homeralaska.org for more information. The Homer-Kachemak Bay Rotary Club has partnered with the Alaska Beauty Peony Co-op to sell bouquets of peonies for $20 at the Homer Chamber of Commerce. The peonies will be sold from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 22-24 and 21-31. Proceeds will go to the rotary club and the peony growers.
Are you a photographer or videographer who enjoys capturing Homer’s beautiful landscape and people? Be sure to enter your best photo/video in the Homer Photo Contest by Sept. 10 for the chance to win a $100 prize! Visit www.homerphotocontest.co for more information.
Come join Katie Jo Gamble and Jessi Hahn at 5 p.m. Friday, July 30, for a Super Mega Zumba Party to benefit the Kachemak Community Center. Zumba is an easy-to-follow dance workout. You’ll sweat, smile and dance for a good cause! Suggested donation of $10. All proceeds will go to the Kachemak Community Center and the renovation of the Alice Witte Park. For more information, contact Katie Jo Gamble at ktjo722@yahoo.com.
Anchor Point Group of Alcoholics Anonymous continues to meet in person at the Anchor Point Chamber of Commerce at 34175 Sterling Highway (north of Chapman School) on Wednesday and Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. These are open meetings, and alcoholics and non-alcoholics are all welcome. For more information, call 907-223-9814. The group has a mitigation plan in place to ensure proper distancing between participants.
The Cottonwood Horse Park will be closed to the public on these days for Kachemak Pony Club events: July 20-22 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. for Beginner Camps. If interested in riding at the park, please keep these closures in mind.
Step into Freedom is a narcotics anonymous group that will be held at 7 p.m. every Thursday at the Glacierview Baptist Church “Big House” next to the main church. This group is for both women and men, and is open to non-addicts who would like to sit in on the meetings. For questions, call Jaclyn at 907-756-3530.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Solid Waste facilities are now open on Sundays. For more information, contact the KPB Solid Waste Department at 907-262-9667 or check their webpage at https://www.kpb.us/swd-waste/about-solidwaste.
The nonpartisan Homer Legislative Information Office at 270 W. Pioneer Ave. is closed for the first session of the 32nd State Legislature.
Sandhill Crane colts are in flight training! It takes 60-70 days from hatching to fledging (fully flying). Some may even fledge by the end of July.
Please report any fledged Crane colts to Kachemak Crane Watch. Let us know where and when the colts were able to fly off with the adults. Please include the specific location and other information.
If the colts you have been watching have disappeared or died, please report how they died. Successful fledging and mortality reports help Kachemak Crane Watch determine nesting success for the year compared to previous years.
Your Citizen Science reports are vital to KCW monitoring of the nesting season. Send reports to reports@cranewatch.org or call 907-235-6262. Enjoy the summer and the cranes!
Anchor Point Senior Citizens
The Anchor Point Senior Center on Milo Fritz Avenue serves take-out meals on Thursday evenings with pickup from 5-6 p.m. Helping Hands Thrift Store is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. and donations can be dropped off any time. The office staff are at work and available by phone for addressing needs. For information, call 235-7786.
Homer Senior Citizens
Homer Senior Citizens, Inc. has reopened to the public. We are being very COVID-conscious due to the vulnerability of the people we serve. Please follow the signage on entrance doors, which follow mitigation efforts based upon the community levels of positive cases.
Friendship Center Adult Day Services is now open six days per week. Call 235-4556 for more information.
The Homer Senior Citizen’s congregate dining has a new menu! Reservations to dine in the Silver Lining Café can be made by calling 235-7655.
The Homer Area Caregiver Support Group has resumed its monthly meetings on the second and fourth Thursdays in the Senior Center Multi-purpose room. Enter through the main entrance on Svedlund Street. This group provides support, information, referrals and friendship with other caregivers. Speakers on related topics are scheduled. For more information, call Pam Hooker at 907-299-7198 or Janet Higley at 907-235-4291. Newcomers are always welcome!
HSC is hosting AARP Veteran’s webinars specific to their needs. Aug. 10, from 10-11a.m. – What Programs does the VA provide for Veterans who wish to stay in their own home? Presented by Nicki Addonisio. Aug. 18, from noon to 1 p.m. – What can Veteran Service Organizations do for me? Presented by Verdie Bowen. Need more information, contact HSC at 235-7655.
Coming soon Parkinson’s Support Group – stay tuned. Strong Women and Zumba will resume once the virus case counts lower in our community.
Hospice of Homer
The Bereaved Parents Support Group is a support group and mutual assistance self-help group offering friendship, understanding, hope, encouragement and healing to all bereaved parents. Our purpose is to provide support, share and emotionally assist parents through their grief. The group is intended to serve both newly bereaved parents and those who are continuing on their grief journey. Anyone that has lost a child knows, you don’t just stop grieving. A parent’s grief is as timeless as their love. For more information, please email thomasklingensmith@yahoo.com or call 303-949-8969.
Widows Group: Losing a partner is one of the most devastating things a person can experience. Hospice of Homer has resumed its monthly Widows Support Group. This group is a place for those who have lost their partner to share and heal. It is a safe place for coming to terms with the powerful feelings and experiences only those who are walking the same path can truly understand. Participants will be following all COVID-19 protocols. RSVP is required if you plan to attend so organizers may plan accordingly for social distancing and group size limitations. Call 907-235-6899 to respond.
Homer Council on the Arts
Join HCOA for peony-themed art classes during Homer’s Peony Celebration, including a Pressed Peony Luminaries class Saturday, July 24 at 1 p.m. We’re also offering classes in plein air painting, Chinese brush painting and crepe paper peonies. Learn more and register at www.homerart.org/calendar/2021-peony
We are in need of volunteers for assistance with the following tasks: installing cabinetry, hanging fliers around town, and gallery exhibit installation. Let us know if you can help. Call 907-235-4288 or hcoa@homerart.org
Registration is open for HCOA’s youth summer camp, Art in the Park! Need-based scholarships are available. Learn more and register at www.homerart.org/calendar/summer-camp
HCOA Members are invited to create artwork for this year’s Member Showcase, our September gallery exhibit. We look forward to highlighting local talent during the Alaska World Arts Festival! Artwork submissions are due to HCOA by 5 p.m. Aug. 30. Visit homerart.org/calendar/member-show for more information.
Kachemak Bay Campus
Registration for fall classes is open. For fall 2021, Kachemak Bay Campus will be offering several in-person courses, which were traditionally offered before the pandemic, as face-to-face/hybrid classes with safety protocols in place. A limited number of on-campus/in-person seats will be available for each class while the remaining spots will be offered online/in-person via Zoom. We will continue to offer exceptional online-only classes for students who prefer managing their own schedules. Registering early offers the best chance of being in the classroom with other students and your professors. Call (907) 235-7743 to be connected with an adviser who will help you determine which classes are best for you.
Pratt Museum & Park
The Pratt Museum & Park is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.
The latest Pratt Museum & Park exhibit is “Microbial Worlds,” a close-up look at the hidden world of microscopic organisms through the lens of art. The exhibit is on display through Sept. 25. A Collaborative Arts-Humanities-Science exhibit, 14 artists and writers magnify the microbiome in this collaborative exhibit sponsored by the Fairbanks-based arts-humanities-science consortium, In a Time of Change. The exhibit includes original art works and writings by Alaska artists Susan Campbell, Annie Duffy, Nancy Hausle- Johnson, Jessie Hedden, Eric Henderson, Mariah Henderson, Margo Klass, Debbie Clarke Moderow, Jennifer Moss, Ree Nancarrow, Gail Priday, and Sara Tabbert, as well as San Diego artist Charlotte Bird and Brooklyn artist Stephanie Rae Dixon. Mary Beth Leigh, a professor of microbiology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, directed the project.
Alaska Positive is displayed in the People and Place Gallery. Now in its 49th year, Alaska Positive is a statewide juried photographic exhibition organized and toured by the Alaska State Museum. Its purpose is to encourage the practice of photography as an art form in Alaska.
Finding Home in Homer is a new project hosted by the Pratt Museum for young people (ages 14-24) who have lived experience with homelessness, housing insecurity/at risk, couchsurfing, unstable home environments or car camping, or teens seeking emancipation due to parent relations. The goal of this project is to connect young people in the community with local artist mentors, workshops, and a group of peers to create art, music and writing in response to the question “what is home?” The hope is the project provides a platform for young people in the community to share stories, make connections and call Homer to action to work to end youth homelessness. Concluding this year’s program, youth participating have the option of submitting their artwork for the Finding Home in Homer exhibit. Come see what they have created.
Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center
The Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center is now open to the public. Throughout the summer, it will be open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., including all federal holidays. Summer Ranger Programs are in full swing, so check out the website alaskamaritime.fws.gov/ for updates and program schedules. To reach refuge staff, call 907-235-6546 or email alaskamaritime@fws.gov.
South Peninsula Hospital
South Peninsula Hospital offers free testing and vaccinations for COVID-19. Free testing is offered daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the test site on Bartlett Street. No appointment is necessary. Vaccines are offered walk-in or by appointment as supplies permit from Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Appointments can only be made online at www.sphosp.org. Vaccinations are open to anyone 12 years and older for Pfizer, and 18 years and older for all other brands. Call the COVID nurse at 235-0235 to discuss symptoms, or the COVID vaccine info line at 435-3188 for recorded updates. Free testing is now offered for anyone who recently attended a social gathering or who was in a crowded indoor space and close to others. Details are in the weekly newspaper ad, at www.sphosp.org or at 907-435-3188.
Vaccination supports a fast and safe return of our economy by protecting the health of employees and eliminating the need to quarantine for two weeks after coming in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. That matters because two weeks is a large part of our short summer season. Vaccines are the best assurance that the short summer season will not be impacted.
