Community Calendar

Purchase and entry and check the clues, take pictures of your guesses and submit them. If you get 10 out of 12 correct you are entered into a weekly prize drawing during Yappy Hour at Grace Ridge Brewery every Sunday in August from 4-6pm. All correct entries are then put in for the Grand Prize drawing on August 30th!

Homer Animal Friends has been around Homer since 1984 and we are able to do what we do, such as spend over $1 Million on assisting with the cost of spay/neuters within our community, through fundraisers like this one.

For more information on how to play:
https://www.homeranimals.org/homer-animal-friends-scavenger-hunt-fundraiser/

Announcement: Report Fledging Sandhill Crane Colts
Please run this announcement through August 15.

Roughly 2 months after hatching, colts begin taking short flights with their parents. By mid-August, serious flight training starts. As the colts get stronger, these families may join gathering flocks of non-breeders. Migrational unrest is infectious, and the cranes take nearly daily training flights all around Kachemak Bay, returning to their resting areas exhausted.

Let Kachemak Crane Watch know when and where you see your colts flying off with the adults. That is when the colts are fledged. Please include the specific location and other helpful information, as well as your contact information.

Kachemak Crane Watch also keeps track of colts that disappeared or died. Successful fledging and mortality reports help Kachemak Crane Watch calculate nesting success for the year and compare it to previous years. Send your reports to:

reports@cranewatch.org or call 907-235-6262.

Enjoy the rest of summer and the cranes! Nina Faust ###

This is an open time to come walk or run indoors and not have to worry about the conditions outside. We will have background music playing over the speakers. Come get your stroll on!

Open to adults & teens (12+) Mon-Fri from 8:30-9:30am and Mon-Fri from 11:45am-12:45pm. *Our Monday afternoon class will be FREE throughout the year as well! (sponsored by & thanks to SPH!)*

***Please bring a pair of clean indoor shoes for you & your child to change into (in the entryway). Thank you for helping to keep our new floor looking good!***

Pickleball is a paddleball sport that combines elements of badminton, table tennis, and tennis. Two or four players use solid paddles made of wood or composite materials to hit a ball over a net. The sport shares features of other racquet sports: the dimensions and layout of a badminton court, and a net and rules somewhat similar to tennis, with several modifications. Pickleball was invented in the mid 1960s as a children's backyard game. ***ALL SKILL LEVELS ARE WELCOME!***

Classes are available for adults and teens (12+) on Tues/Thurs/Fri from 9:30-11:30am, Tuesdays from 6:45-8:45pm, Saturdays from 5-8pm. & Sundays from 9:30am-12pm. We suggest look at our current schedule online for any possible time changes.

***Please bring a pair of clean indoor shoes for you to change into (in the entryway). Thank you for helping to keep our new floor looking good!***

BOTANICAL GARDEN, HOMESTEAD GARDEN, AND FOREST TRAIL TOURS

FREE // May 30 – August 30 // Thursdays and Saturdays , 11am – Noon

Join the Pratt Museum Garden Crew for guided tours of the Botanical Gardens, Homestead Garden, and Forest Trails.

We will offer an interpretive introduction to the broader ecology of the Kachemak Bay region and describe the ways that we incorporate the plant communities of the region into the Botanical Garden at the Museum. Botany experts and novices alike can find delightful insights as we explore the interactions and dynamics of our local ecosystem.

The Homestead Garden is an ever-evolving exhibit featuring many classic fruits and vegetables and a few specific local varieties that have been treasured by the local community for generations. We will explore some of the basics of plant propagation, discuss the benefits of perennial food crops and talk about food preservation and storage. Snacking is encouraged! Throughout the season, something is always worth sampling from the garden, though the real delight is black currant season in late autumn.

The Forest Trails showcase the ecological context in which the Museum is embedded. These trails wind through one of the larger remaining wild spaces in downtown Homer, and have some of the largest remaining trees in the area. Wildlife is abundant and the plant communities are diverse. There are several loops of varying distance that wind through the nearly 10 acre forest. A meander through these woods with one of our guides will offer an opportunity for wildlife sightings, listening to songbirds, and discussing the ethnobotanical and historical uses of plants that live in our region.

Homer, Alaska – Steve Gordon exhibits at Bunnell Street Arts Center from August 7 – September 1, 2026. The exhibit opens on First Friday, August 7 from 5-7pm with an artist talk at 6pm. Special early exhibit access is available virtually to Bunnell donors at the Enthusiast ($250+) level on Monday, August 3.

Statement:

“When I’m mindfully moving through nature my senses are alive to color, pattern, shapes, movement, flow, and contrasts. Being in nature while fully present to the experience is a spiritual and life giving experience for me. I feel more deeply connected to myself and to God….My style of painting could be described as a painterly realism. I try to reproduce the particularity of light, color and shapes but I want the energy and movement of the brushwork to still be there. That’s what gives life to a landscape in my opinion. It is my hope that my paintings would help the view to re-experience the life-giving energy of God’s creation.”

This is an open time to come walk or run indoors and not have to worry about the conditions outside. We will have background music playing over the speakers. Come get your stroll on!

Open to adults & teens (12+) Mon-Fri from 8:30-9:30am and Mon-Fri from 11:45am-12:45pm. *Our Monday afternoon class will be FREE throughout the year as well! (sponsored by & thanks to SPH!)*

***Please bring a pair of clean indoor shoes for you & your child to change into (in the entryway). Thank you for helping to keep our new floor looking good!***

Kathy Morton: A Life Retrospective is on display in the HCOA Gallery now through August 29th

This retrospective is a sampling of the works of long-time resident, Kathy Morton (1954-2025). This exhibit conveys not only the evolution of time, but also a journey from life in New England to the wilderness of western Alaska and, finally, to the beautiful coastal town of Homer.

HCOA Gallery Hours:
Tuesday - 1 to 5 pm
Wednesday - 1 to 5 pm
Thursday - 1 to 5 pm
Friday - 1 to 6 pm
Saturday - 1 to 6 pm

Ceramics Afterschool Session on Tuesdays and Thursdays with Ella Blanton-Yourkowski

Kindergarten- 2nd Grade from 3:15-4:15pm
3rd-6th Grade from 4:30-6pm

In these 10-session courses over 6 weeks, students will explore making functional and decorative ceramics using coil, pinch, and slab hand building methods. They’ll learn about the stages that clay goes through – from wet, to leather-hard, to bone-dry and about the hand-tools used for trimming, shaping and creating texture on pots. After pieces are bisque fired students will have a variety of glazes to decorate their creations. All glazes are food safe. Class fee includes clay, glaze, tools, and all firings.

Scholarships available.

Session Dates:

Classes on August 25th, 27th, September 1st, 3rd, 8th, 10th, 15th and 17th

No Classes September 22nd and 24th ( Bisque Fire Week)

Last Classes on September 29th and October 1st (Glazing Week)

August- September Homeschool Session's on Monday and Wednesday with Ella Blanton-Yourkowski

Grade K-2 Homeschool Ceramics: 10am-11am starting on August 24th
Grade 3-6 Homeschool Ceramics: 11:30am-1pm starting on August 24th
Grade 7-12 Homeschool Ceramics: 1:30-3:30pm starting on August 24th

In these 10-session courses over 6 weeks, students will explore making functional and decorative ceramics using coil, pinch, and slab hand building methods. They’ll learn about the stages that clay goes through – from wet, to leather-hard, to bone-dry and about the hand-tools used for trimming, shaping and creating texture on pots. After pieces are bisque fired students will have a variety of glazes to decorate their creations. All glazes are food safe. Class fee includes clay, glaze, tools, and all firings.

Scholarships available.

Possible Projects Include:

Bird Feeder, Bird House, Relief Artwork, Cup/Mug, Tic-Tac-Toe Board, Ocarina, and more!

Session Dates:

Classes on August 24th, 26th, 31st, September 2nd, 7th, 9th, 14th and 16th

No Classes September 21st or 23rd ( Bisque Fire Week)

Last Classes on September 28th and 30th(Glazing Week)