The annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony will be 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, at the Homer Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center. See the tree light up, meet Santa Claus, enjoy a performance by the Homer High School choir and enjoy s’smores, hot cocoa and cupcakes.
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 (CoDa) meets at 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays and 6:30 p.m. Sundays in the Hillas Building, 126 W. Pioneer Ave., Suite 1 (next to the Homer Theatre). The contact number is 907-756-3104.
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 Homer Area Caregiver Support Group meets in the activity room at the Homer Senior Center from 2-3:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. This group is for family caregivers of individuals suffering from a debilitating illness and requiring full-time care, either in the home or in a facility; caregivers who assist with care of a loved one who lives out of state are also welcome. This is a time to receive support and wisdom from others who are on the same journey as well as to benefit from presentations provided by speakers well versed in subjects related to care giving, such as exercise, communication, self-care and available resources. Newcomers are welcome, always. For questions, please call Pam Hooker at 907-299-7198 or Louise Rempel at 907-399-1262. Remember: You are not alone.
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 soup night, serving from 4-6 p.m. 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 Silver Linings Cafe offers congregate meals with COVID-19 protocols. Resident dining is 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and public dining is 12:30-1:30 p.m. If there is any overlap between the residents and the community, they are asked to wear a face mask until they are seated. Today the kitchen is serving chicken alfredo spaghetti; Friday is cheesy turkey meatloaf day; Monday will be spaghetti and meatballs; Tuesday roast pork shoulder is served; Wednesday its teriyaki chicken; Next Thursday the meal is roast beef sandwich.
Homer Council on the Arts
Community Jam Sessionsare coming to HCOA. Grab your instrument and join us in the gallery on Mondays from 6:30-8:30 p.m. FREE! All skill levels welcome. More info at homerart.org.
Help us celebrate our local art heroes by nominating your favorites for HCOA’s 2022 Arts Award. Please return by Dec. 7, 2022. Paper forms available at the gallery at 355 West Pioneer Ave. Homer, AK 99603 or online at https://homerart.org/event/homer-council-on-the-arts-awards/ .
Join us for a fun adult geared ceramic project just in time for the winter holidays. Create your own Holiday Tree Light with instructor Krista Etzwiler. To find out more and register, visit homerart.org/education/ceramics/.
We are in need of volunteers for a variety of tasks at this year’s Nutcracker Faire. Let us know if you can help out with this event or other volunteer opportunities by completing the form at homerart.org/volunteer
It’s time for the 25th Kenai Peninsula Writers’ Contest, open to KPB residents of all ages. For contest rules and entry visit homerart.org. The deadline to participate is 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 16.
Homer Foundation
YAC is back!: Homer Foundation Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) is back for fall 2022. The YAC has begun meeting to formulate their grant program for this year. Each year this youth lead and youth focused program establishes their objectives for granting to youth related issues. This year the YAC will again have $10,000 to grant in the Foundation’s service area. Thank you to all of the funds which contribute to this award winning program. If you want be a part of youth focused philanthropy you can give to support the YAC Grants. please follow the link below and when asked “What is your donations for?” make sure you select “Youth Advisory Committee ” the or call the office at 907-235-0541.
The Pratt Museum & Park
The Pratt Museum & Park is open to the public from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
“Salmon Culture” runs through Dec. 17 and is a visually rich exhibit that celebrates the connections between salmon and Alaska Native peoples through contemporary, historical and archaeological works of art. A complementary exhibit, “Salmon Culture: Kachemak Bay Connections,” shares stories of salmon connections the have helped shape the culture, economy and ecology of Kachemak Bay.
Glacier Salon: Please join us for our third annual Glacier Salon featuring Homer’s own Glacier Salon Quartet for a performance of Hayden String Quartet Op. 76 #4 “The Sunrise” and Dvorak String Quartet Op. 96 “The American,” at 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10, at the Pratt Museum & Park. Members of the Glacier Salon Quartet are Marcio Candido on Violin I, Daniel Perry on Violin II, Nancy Darigo on Viola, and Mannfried Funk on Cello. Wine and dessert will be available following the performance. RSVP to communications@prattmuseum.org. A suggested donation is $100 per person, but more importantly, every gift is needed and appreciated. Seating is limited so please RSVP today.
The Pratt Museum & Park, located at 3779 Bartlett Street in Homer, Alaska, is open 11 a.m to 4 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
South Peninsula Hospital
The South Kenai Peninsula Hospital Service Area Board will hold its regular monthly meeting via ZOOM at 6:30 pm, Thursday, Dec. 8. The Committee of the Whole will meet at 5:30 p.m. before the regular meeting. The South Kenai Peninsula Hospital Service Area Board is an elected board that oversees local tax dollars for a healthier community. Learn about the workings of your hospital and your Service Area Board.
All are welcome to attend either or both meetings. 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.
A Safe Sitter Class is at 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 22 and 23. Safe sitter is designed to prepare students in grade six through eight to be safe when staying home alone, watching younger siblings, or babysitting. This fun instructor-led class if full of game, activities and even includes CPR and choking rescue practice on medical manikins! Email wellness@sphosp.org for registration information.
South Peninsula Hospital’s COVID-19 Test and Vaccine Clinic at 4201 Bartlett Street is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and closed on weekends.
PCR COVID-19 testing is offered at the walk-up clinic, no appointment necessary. PCR Testing at the SPH COVID-19 Test and Vaccine Clinic is no longer free. Insurance will be billed for testing. Those uninsured or not using insurance will be charged $50, and can pay at time of service or be billed. Test results will be provided on South Peninsula Hospital’s electronic health portal, and are normally available within 24 hours.
Testing is recommended for individuals experiencing COVID-like symptoms, for those with known exposure to an individual who tested positive for COVID-19, for travel requirements, with a provider referral and in advance of medical appointments. In addition to the PCR testing offered at the hospital’s walk-up clinic, free home-test kits are available at the hospital’s main entrance 24/7, at the Homer Chamber of Commerce, and for purchase at numerous local retailers.
COVID-19 vaccinations are offered for free at the site on Bartlett Street by appointment only. Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are available for individuals ages five and over, and boosters are offered to eligible groups as recommended by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and as made available by FDA under emergency use authorizations.
The SPH COVID-19 Test and Vaccine Clinic also is offering free COVID-19 bivalent booster shots by appointment. These mRNA boosters contain vaccines against the original strain of the virus that causes COVID-19, and the newest Omicron BA.5 variant. Anyone over 12 years of age is eligible for the new booster, so long as they have completed the primary vaccine series and it has been more than two months since their last dose of any COVID vaccine (primary series or booster). Pfizer is approved for individuals 12 years of age and older, and Moderna for 18 years and older. Both of these bivalent boosters are available under FDA Emergency Use Authorization and recommended by the Centers for Disease Control as a way of staying “up to date” in a person’s vaccination status.
Appointments are required and can be made at www.sphosp.org for the SPH Vaccine and Testing Site. Appointments at the Vaccine and Testing Site are available Tuesday-Saturday, and can be made by clicking here and scrolling down to Bivalent Boosters.
In addition to the stand-alone clinic on Bartlett Street, both COVID-19 testing and vaccinations are offered by appointment at Homer Medical Center and the hospital’s Family Care Clinic. For more information on SPH Covid-19 services and care, visit www.sphosp.org and click on the covid tab, or call 907-235-0235.
Free Flu Shots offered with deeply discounted blood tests
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.
Beta Sigma Phi
Anchor Point Christmas Tree Lighting is at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3 at the Anchor Point Chamber parking lot. After the tree lighting, all are invited to the VFW post for cookies, hot cocoa, Christmas carols, and pictures with Santa!
Kachemak Gun Club
The 2022-2023 Membership Meeting is at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2022 at the club house, 35640 Ibensen Road, Anchor Point. Election of officers and budget discussion. All members and past members urged to attend, and its open to the public — great opportunity to join! Dedicated to safe and responsible firearms use. For information call Doug at 907-435-4006.
Hospice of Homer
Hospice volunteers and staff are busy making this holiday season a little brighter. Check out our events and fundraiser below, or find more information on Facebook or on our website!
Going on NOW!
Women of Worth, the 2023 Hospice Calendar will be available in early December. Pre-order on our website or at the office and we’ll call you when they arrive. We’ve already sold over 75 copies!
Holiday chocolate fundraiser! Visit participating businesses to purchase something sweet: Classic Cook, Homer Bookstore, Homer’s Jeans, Lisa Ann’s Grooming, North Wind Homer Collection, Petro Marine, The Art Shop Gallery.
Luminaria fundraiser! Celebrate the light of someone you’ve lost by purchasing a luminary. You’ll tell us what message you’d like to share and we’ll light the luminary at our Light Up A Life event on Dec. 15.
Little Wishes can be found on the silver stars at the Homer Truffle Co. and our office. Purchase the item and drop it off at either location so that Hospice volunteers can fill up gift boxes and deliver them to clients in need.
Acts of Kindness – Commit an act of kindness in memory of someone you love who has died. Share an act of kindness anonymously in the community and leave behind a card saying it was done in memory of a child, spouse, friend and even a pet. Act of Kindness cards are available at Hospice of Homer or can be printed off of Facebook.
Upcoming Events!
6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 8 – Join us at the Homer Theatre for Love Actually. Admission is by donation, and all proceeds benefit Hospice of Homer. We are thrilled for the support our community has shown for this film series which is raising awareness and money for Hospice.
3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 11 – Into the Dark: An Open Mic on Grief and Loss. Join us for exceptional coffee and catharsis at Ano Kissaten.
6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15 – Join us for our third annual Light Up a Life event. Celebrate a loved one who has died or share a message of hope with your community by purchasing a luminaria. Last year we lit 100 luminaria and came together to bring light to the darkness. This year we’re hoping for 200!
10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17 – Hospice of Homer teams up with Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska for the second installment of Talking Dementia, Dementia and the Holidays. You’ll find the Zoom link on our website and Facebook.
Services and Gratitude
Are you experiencing grief? Hospice of Homer offers our Widow’s group weekly every Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., and we have our Conversations on Loss on the first and third Saturdays at 1 p.m.
Thank you to KBBI for inviting us to join last week’s Coffee Table. You can find the recording for Grief and the Holidays on their website. Links to this discussion and November’s episode of Talking Dementia will be available on our website.
For more information please visit the Hospice of Homer website at www.hospiceofhomer.org, our Facebook page, or call the office at 235-6899.
Share the Spirit
Here it comes! The holiday season is in full swing and as promised, here are the dates and details for Share the Spirit, in this; our 30th year!
Adopt-A-Families are needed. Would you, your family, business or friends group like to take care of a household in need? This is a delightful and fulfilling way to help your community during the holiday season and it’s completely anonymous. You can fill out an application in the foyer at Wells Fargo or just call 907-235-7466 and we will call you back.
Gift Trees are up now at Captain’s Toy Chest, The Homer Bookstore, Ulmer’s, Kachemak Gear Shed and Homer’s Jeans. The ornaments on these trees represent the wish or need of a needy child or their household. Visit a tree and choose one or two ornaments, follow the instructions and bring a Christmas smile to the child’s face.
The Spaghetti Feed is back! It will be held Wednesday, Dec. 14 at the local Elks lodge from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. To-go orders will be available and can be ordered the day of, from 8:30 a.m. to noon by calling 235-2127. but better yet come join us for lunch or dinner, or both and enjoy local entertainment, including the wonderful Homer High Swing Choir! Many volunteers are needed for this event and volunteers are asked to call 907-235-7466, leave your contact information, we will call you back!
Volunteers are also needed Tuesday, Dec. 20 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (the earlier the better). Join us at the High School via the back loading dock and help pack the food and gift baskets. This is a heartwarming, back-straining day and it takes many hands to complete. So gather your children and come as a group to help us weave the community donations together to share OUR spirit with those in need.
If you are in need this holiday season, applications are available now at local Human Service agencies, including the AP & Homer Food Pantries and at many houses of worship. Please reach out to one of those and get your application completed, so we can help your children and household for Christmas.
Thank you all, and please always remember to Share the Spirit.
Kenai Peninsula College, Kachemak Bay Campus
General registration for the Spring 2023 semester is now open and the Spring, 2023 searchable schedule is available online. Visit https://kpc.alaska.edu/academics/schedule/. To find classes offered at Kachemak Bay Campus select “Kachemak Bay” in the “Delivery” drop-down menu.
The KBC Scholarship Packet for Spring 2023 is available now. Scholarship Application deadline is 5 p.m. on Jan. 9, 2023. For information please call (907) 235-7743 or email kbcinfo@alaska.edu
First Friday, Dec. 2 , 4 – 7 p.m., Communicating Science through Art the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve, KBC/Semester by the Bay and Homer Flex High School in Pioneer Hall Commons. For more information contact Ingrid Harald at ieharald@alaska.edu or 907-299-4370.
Rich Chiappone and Justin Herrmann teach Writing the Micro Memoir: Friends, Family, and Food from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Jan. 14, 21 and 28. Join this hands-on writing workshop exploring the possibilities of extremely short personal essays. Write the experiences of your lives when these three things have come together to make memories worth sharing. For more information or to register call 907-235-1674 or visit http://kpc.alaska.edu/communitycourses. You can also email KBC Programs Coordinator, Jill Burnham at jmburnham@alaska.edu
Outdoor Adventures in All Kinds of Weather meets Saturdays, Jan. 14 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. and Jan. 21 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Field Trip. Are you interested in exploring the beauty of winter but are intimidated by the conditions and the potential dangers involved? Join local outdoor explorer, adventurer, geologist, and photographer Taz Tally for this two-day workshop in the classroom and for a field trip in the great outdoors on how to competently and safely engage and enjoy the outdoors in all sorts of weather conditions, and have fun doing it! $89 if registered by Jan. 3, $120 thereafter. For more information or to register call 907-235-1674 or visit http://kpc.alaska.edu/communitycourses. You can also email KBC Programs Coordinator, Jill Burnham at jmburnham@alaska.edu.
Nighttime Photography – Classroom at 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 20. Field Trip at 5:30 – 10:00 p.m. in February (transportation provided if desired). Our ability to capture amazing images with our iPhones now extends well into the evening and nighttime hours and yes, astrophotography, including auroras. During this two-day, hands-on class you will learn how to optimize your iPhone setup, settings, and shooting techniques to maximize your ability to great capture images in low-light conditions. $89 if registered by Dec. 23, $120 thereafter. For more information or to register call 907-235-1674 or visit http://kpc.alaska.edu/communitycourses. You can also email KBC Programs Coordinator, Jill Burnham at jmburnham@alaska.edu.
