The staff of Sen. Lisa Murkowski will visit the Kenai Peninsula in late May and early June. The senator’s mobile office gives constituents a chance to meet with Sen. Murkowski’s staff, learn more about the services provided by the office, and ask questions. Staff will be at parking lots of local post offices at these times and places:
• Anchor Point, June 2, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Homer, June 2, 3-6 p.m.
• Seldovia, June 3, 1-3 p.m.
Community Engagements will have another Zoom episode from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 8, where Rep. Calvin Schrage will talk about his campaign finance bill that didn’t pass this last session, and ideas for campaign finance in Alaska. To register, either go to the Homer Public Library webpage https://www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/library or Kenai Peninsula Votes Facebook page and click the link to register.
The South Kenai Peninsula Hospital Service Area Board will hold a Zoom meeting Thursday, June 9 at 6:30 pm to consider the following resolution proposed by the South Peninsula Hospital, Inc. Board of Directors: A Resolution of the South Peninsula Hospital, Inc. Board of Directors Approving the Request of Unobligated Service Area Funds to Support Replacement of Domestic Water Tank. Learn about the workings of your hospital and your Service Area Board.
All are welcome to attend the meeting. The ZOOM link is available on the Kenai Peninsula Borough calendar found at https://www.kpb.us/service-areas/south-kenai-peninsula-hospital-service-area or by emailing Devony at dlehnerediting@gmail.com.
Loved & Lost Memorial Bench
A fundraiser for the Loved & Lost Memorial Bench, the Petals & Pastries Auction, opens online at 8 a.m. Friday, June 3, and ends 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 7. The auction features handmade a limited edition of 10 papercut lotus flowers made by artist Brad Hughes and desserts or gift certificates for desserts made by local businesses. To bid, visit www.32auctions.com/memorialbench.
Everyone is welcome for the dedication and community potluck for the Loved & Lost Memorial Bench dedication and memorial for Anesha “Duffy” Murnane at 1 p.m. Sunday, June 12, outside the Homer Public Library. Bring a favorite dish to share, hear and share stories and memories of Duffy, support Duffy’s family and families of other missing, taken and murdered loved ones, and celebrate the completion of the memorial bench.
If you have a missing, taken or murdered loved one, Duffy’s family would be honored to recognize them during the memorial and dedication event. Photos and stories will become part of a memory album; those are needed by June 10. Condolence cards to Duffy’s family can be sent to Sara, Gregory and Ed Berg c/o Drais, 426 E. Bayview Ave., Homer, AK 99603.
People who have memories or Duffy or what her disappearance has meant to them are welcome to share them for a video, “Duffy: Portraits of Love.” To contribute, contact Brian at sojourn53@gmail.com.
Individuals and families of missing loved ones are traveling to the memorial and host homes are needed for a night or two.
Donations are welcome to support the completion of the Loved & Lost Memorial Bench. To make donations online, visit Go Fund Me at http://gofundme.com/f/lovedandlostmemorial or Homer United Methodist Church, https://www.homerumcalaska.org/donate. Donations by check can be made payable to Homer United Methodist Church, 770 East End Road, Homer, AK 99603, with “memorial bench” in the memo line. Donation jars are around town at Chevron, Cole’s Market, Spenard Builders Supply, Safeway, Two Sisters, Ulmer’s and Wild Honey Bistro. Groups or individuals also can commission any of the figures on the bench. A preview of the bench, the “lost ones” side, is at Ulmer’s Drug & Hardware.
Want a bench for your community? The Loved & Lost memorial bench is reproducible for other communities who want to honor their own missing loved ones. Groups or organizations also are needed to host short presentation about the memorial bench to help spread the word about the Homer bench and help get benches into other communities
For more information or to help, call 907-435-7969, lovedandlostmemorial@gmail.com.
The sandhill cranes are nesting. Watch for the pair to start showing up alone, indicating one is sitting on the nest. An accurate count of nesting crane pairs helps Kachemak Crane Watch estimate the local crane population and provides an indication of annual reproductive success. Please report nesting sandhill crane pairs to Kachemak Crane Watch at reports@cranewatch.org or by calling 907-235-6262. Leave your name and number including location and date when nesting started. Thank you for participating in this Citizen Science effort. For more information, contact Nina Faust at 907-235-6262 or reports@cranewatch.org. Kachemak Crane Watch is a project of the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies.
Anchor Point Group of Alcoholics Anonymous continues to meet in person at the Anchor Point Chamber of Commerce at 34175 Sterling Hwy (north of Chapman School) on Wednesday and Friday at 7 p.m. These are open meetings, and alcoholics and non-alcoholics are all welcome. For more information, call 907-223-9814.
The Homer Unity Group of Alcoholics Anonymous meets every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 6:30 p.m. downstairs at Homer United Methodist Church, 770 East End Road. All meetings are open to anyone wanting to learn more about recovery from alcoholism. More information and online links to meetings can be found at www.aahomer.org.
The Homer End of The Road Group of Alcoholics Anonymous meets every day at noon and every evening at 8 p.m. at 126 W. Pioneer Ave., Suite 1. For more information, contact 907-283-5722.
Co-Dependents Anonymous is meeting in person at Homer Methodist Church, located at 770 East End Road. Please contact Kay at 907-399-6243 for more information. All are welcome.
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 is 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.
Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center
The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge visitor center is now open to the public. Visitor hours for this summer are May 26-28, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; May 29-30, closed; June 1, noon-4 p.m.; June 2-4, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; June 5-6, noon-4 p.m.; June 7, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; June 8 through Labor Day, open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Anchor Point Senior Citizens
The Anchor Point Senior Center on Milo Fritz Avenue serves take-out meals on Thursday evenings with pickup from 5-6:30 p.m. Tuesday is Kickin’ Fried Chicken night, serving from 4-6 p.m. with eight- and 12-piece piece buckets or three-piece meals, with or without coleslaw and biscuits. Walk ins are welcome or call ahead at 235-7786 to reserve. Thursday night is Home Cooked Dinner Night. Each Thursday is a different meal. Dine in or take out; served from 5-6:30 p.m. For reservations, call 907-235-7786. Visit www.anchorpointseniorcenter.com for more information. Meals and programs are open to the public and do not require membership. Call 235-7786 for more information.
Homer Senior Citizens
The Homer Senior Citizens Inc. Silver Linings Cafe has reopened. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m for high-risk seniors and 12:30-1:30 p.m., masks optional. Reservations are required 24 hours in advance; call 235-4555.
The Terrace Assisted Living welcomes visitors. Face masks and screening are required. All visits must occur in a resident’s apartment only.
Friendship Center Adult Day Services is open. Contact Liz, ADS Manager, at 235-4556 to register.
Hospice of Homer
At Hospice of Homer we believe in coming together with others, in a safe and non-judgmental setting, to explore the meaning of significant losses in our lives. Talking it out can release sorrow and provide comfort. It can help us to move forward and to regain a sense of serenity while honoring those we have lost to isolation, distance or death.
We fully understand how difficult taking that first step can be. For this reason, hospice offers a bereavement correspondence series. We will provide you, or your family members, with a monthly letter dealing with loss and the mourning process. These letters are designed to help you transition into the new reality which was created by loss.
At present hospice is offering opportunities to engage in conversation about our individual and collective grief experiences. You do not need to be a client of hospice to access these conversations. There is no charge for attending the meetings or for the correspondence program. See below for meeting times and call the office or email Office@hospiceofhomer.org to participate in the Correspondence program.
Widow/widower’s Group meets every Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. with Robin.
Conversations on Loss are the first and third Saturdays with Thomas and Maria.
Homer Council on the Arts
Registration is open for HCOA’s summer art camps, with one-week sessions in June, July, and August for ages 5-7 and 8-12. Details and registration at homerart.org/education/.
HCOA seekd volunteers for its annual Mary Epperson Day Celebration on Saturday, June 4. They especially need helpers for set up from 9 a.m. to noon and clean up beginning at 5 p.m.. Contact Amanda at office@homerart.org if you can help.
Tickets are on sale now for a performance by Endless Field in conjunction with the Spenard Jazz Fest. The show is a unique combination of live music and recorded performances in the wilderness. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit homerart.org/events/
Registration is open for HOA’s youth art camps as well as adult art classes in various mediums throughout the summer! Details and registration at homerart.org/education/
Kachemak Bay Campus
Registration is now open for the fall 2022 semester. The printed schedule is around town and in the mail. To view our searchable schedule visit https://kpc.alaska.edu/academics/schedule/.
The Pratt Museum & Park
The Pratt Museum & Park is now open to the public from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
“A Moveable Feast,” curated from the museum collection by Marilyn Sigman, is now on display.
David Rosenthal’s “Painting at the End of the Ice Age,” is on exhibit. At 5:30 p.m. Friday, June 3, he does an artist talk about his show. From 6-8 p.m. Friday or 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, he teaches a watercolor workshop. The workshops demonstrate three simple watercolor exercises that show how to use light, color and space to create realistic images. The fee is $48 a person; all materials are provided. Space is limited. Reserve your spot at davidrosenthalpratt.eventbrite.com.
South Peninsula Hospital
South Peninsula Hospital offers free wellness walks the first and third Saturdays of the month from 9-10 a.m. at SPARC. Please bring clean indoor walking shoes and be prepared to answer covid screening questions at the door. Free blood pressure checks and door prizes are offered at walks. Please bring indoor shoes, and refrain from attending if you are experiencing any covid-like symptoms. Masks are optional. Walks are at SPARC located at 600 Sterling Highway. For more information, call SPH Health and Wellness at 907-235-0285.
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 for testing. Vaccines are by appointment as supplies permit from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and Monday. Because of increased demand, it is asked that people make appointments. They can only be made online at www.sphosp.org. Vaccinations are open to anyone 5 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.
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10221
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10221 holds burger night from 5-7 p.m. every Friday. Monday night tacos is 5-7 p.m. The VFW is open to the public; you do not need to be a member to attend. Dine in or take out. Call 235-5582 to order ahead. The VFW is located at 72551 Milo Fritz Ave. in Anchor Point.