What's Happening
Best Bets
First Thursday events in Soldotna include an opening reception for Homer potter Don Bartos at Art Works and a bluegrass jam from 6:30 to 9 p.m. today at Christ Lutheran Church in Soldotna.
Jason's Casino in Kenai by Paradisos Restaurant presents a comedy show with Griff at 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $25 in advance and $35 at the door. A barbecue will be held at 8 p.m. for $10 per person. For more information, call 283-6646.
Events and Exhibits
The Kenai Visitors and Cultural Center's upcoming summer interpretive programs include a presentation about finding and fishing Kenai lakes by Dave Atcheson at 3 p.m. Friday; a power rocketry presentation by Tamra Wear at 3 p.m. Monday; a presentation by artist Natasha Ala Johnson at 3 p.m. Wednesday; and an "Ancient Voices, Future Visions" presentation by Bunny Swan Gease at 3 p.m. July 9.
"Wild Alaska: Bounty of the Sea," including artwork by 75 Alaska artists, is on display at the Kenai Visitors and Cultural Center. Admission is $3 for adults and free for students. Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The Ninilchik Senior Citizens Center hosts square dancing at 7 p.m. every Thursday. The event is casual dress and there will be a caller and instructor.
The Soldotna Animal Hospital, 42479 Sterling Highway, has an exhibit by Ron Yandell on display in the upstairs gallery through July.
Artwork by Kenai Peninsula artists can be viewed and purchased at the following area businesses: Art Works, Birch Tree Gallery, Claudette's Folk Art and Collectibles, Donna's Country and Victorian Gifts, Frames and Things, Malfunction Junction Gifts, Northcountry Fair and Tammy's Flowers and Gifts in Soldotna; Alaskan Gift and Gallery, Beluga Lookout Gifts, Fireweed Herb Garden and Gifts, Kenai Fine Arts Center and Kenai Visitors and Cultural Center in Kenai; and Peninsula Furs Inc. in Sterling.
The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Information Center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The center is on Ski Hill Road near the intersection of the Sterling Highway and Funny River Road in Soldotna. For more information, call 262-7021.
Entertainment
Mykel's Restaurant in Soldotna presents music by Dave Unruh from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
The Que'Ana Bar at Mile 122.5 of the Sterling Highway will have a pirate party from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday with food, games and a treasure hunt. Hats will be provided and costumes are encouraged. Admission is $25, which includes entertainment.
Kaladi Brothers in Soldotna presents music by Nancy Anderson from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday.
Hooligans in Soldotna presents music by Blues Zen on Thursdays from 9 p.m. to 1 p.m. and the Alaska Dinner Show starring Hobo Jim and the Klondike Girls. Show times are Mondays and Thursdays at 5 p.m. The price, which includes dinner and the show but not gratuity, is $42 for general admission, $39 for seniors 62 and over, $35 for children under 12 and free for children under 2 and seniors over 80. For reservations, call 262-9951.
The Rainbow Bar in Kenai presents music by The Mabrey Brothers at 10:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
The VFW post in Soldotna has karaoke at 8 p.m. Fridays and bluegrass jam sessions at 7 p.m. Wednesdays.
The Riverside House in Soldotna presents "After 10," a dance party, Friday and Saturday nights. A DJ plays favorite Top 40 dance music until 5 a.m.
The AMVETS Post No. 4 in the Red Diamond Center on Kalifornsky Beach Road has karaoke at 8 p.m. Saturdays.
The Maverick Saloon in Soldotna has karaoke at 9 p.m. Mondays.
BJ's Lounge in Soldotna presents music by Hobo Jim on July 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 29, 30 and 31; and Aug. 12, 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21.
Upcoming Events
"Proof," by David Auburn, winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize, will be staged starting July 9 at Pier One Theatre on the Homer Spit. "Proof" is a family drama about the relationship between fathers and daughters, genius and madness. Catherine is a 25-year-old who dropped out of college in order to take care of her father, Robert, an eminent mathematician on the faculty of the University of Chicago, who retreated into a sort of schizophrenic dementia. Catherine worries whether she has inherited her father's instability. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. July 11, 15 and 18 and at 8:15 p.m. July 9, 10, 16 and 17. Tickets are $13 for general admission, with discounts for seniors, students, families and Raven's Club members. Tickets can be purchased at The Homer Bookstore. Reservations and information can be obtained by calling Pier One at (907) 235-7333.
The Sing From The Heart singing contest will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. every Saturday through Aug. 21 starting July 10 at the Peninsula Center Mall in Soldotna. Ten finalists were chosen from tryouts who now will compete for a trip to Hawaii or to the American Idol tryouts in Anchorage this winter. For more information, call Karen Cowan at 260-1929 or 394-2429.
World Music for the Kenai and KDLL 91.9 FM present a performance by New York City acoustic guitarist Kaki King on July 15 at Morgan's Moose Pasture in Kasilof. Opening for King will be area musicians Katie Skrha and the Couzinz, Nancy Anderson and others. The show begins at 5 p.m., with King appearing at 8:30 p.m. The concert site is near Mile 106.5 of the Sterling Highway. Directional signs will be posted on the highway on the day of the concert. Bring blankets, chairs, pillows, coolers, food and beverages. Barbecue grills will be available for your use. The concert will go on, rain or shine. Tickets will be available at the door on the day of the show and will be $25 for general admission; $23 for seniors, students and KDLL members; $15 for teens accompanied by parent; and free for children 12 and under. Family discounts will be available. For more information, call or e-mail Mike Morgan well before July 15 at 262-6548 or mjmor gan@gci.net. For more information on King, visit her Web site at www.kakiking.com.
Catalyst, a contemporary dance company based in Minneapolis, will perform at the Que'Ana Bar, Mile 122.5 of the Sterling Highway, at 8 p.m. July 16. The performance is part of a two-week residency in Alaska where eight dancers, a musician, a filmmaker and a small crew will create a new dance piece in Homer, take part in a Yupik dance workshop and film a movie for their newest piece on site on the Kenai Peninsula. For more information on the group, visit its Web site at www.catalyst dance.com.
Films
Call Orca at 262-7003 for weekly listings and show times.
Call Kambe Cinemas at 283-4554 for weekly listings and show times.
Down the Road
The Open Air Gypsy Fair will be held Saturday and Sunday in Homer at the lot adjacent to Timeless Toys at 3657 Main St. The Wild Rovers gypsy troupe will provide entertainment of juggling, face painting, singing, games, fortune telling, dancing and improvisation. Food vendors, crafts for sale and children's game also will be available.
Pier One Theatre in Homer will host performances by Anchorage magician Steve Pradell this weekend. Reservations and information can be obtained by calling Pier One at (907) 235-7333.
The Pratt Museum in Homer presents "Kachemak Bay: An Exploration of People and Place" exhibit, a "SeeBirdCam" broadcasting live video of nesting shorebirds from Gull Island and "Bears, Beetles and Darkened Waters," a stewardship exhibit. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Fish feedings are at 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays.
Historic Harbor Walking Tours on the Homer Spit will be offered from 3 to 4:30 p.m. during the summer. Tickets are $5 and tours start at the Pratt Museum's wheelhouse booth next to the Salty Dawg on the spit.
Anchorage Events
On display at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art is contemporary Alaska Native art through Sept. 5; a retrospective exhibit of Alaska artist Fred Machetanz featuring 150 of his oil paintings, drawings and prints, through Sept. 12; and "Points of View V" where a guest curator chooses work from the collections department to be displayed in the galleries through Sept. 25.
If you have an event to include in our Thursday InSide section, send the information to the Peninsula Clarion, Box 3009, Kenai, AK 99611, fax it to 283-3299 or send it by e-mail to clarion@alaska.net. For more information, call Jenny Neyman at 283-7551.