What’s Happening

Events and Exhibitions

• Travel vicariously to the Galapagos Islands with Sammy and Bud Crawford as they share their January “bucket list” trip, retracing the steps of Charles Darwin. From Anchorage, they flew to Seattle, Miami, Guayaquil Ecuador, then San Cristobal Island, 600 miles from mainland Ecuador. They visited 6 Islands of the Galapagos, snorkeled, swam and hiked with giant tortoises, sea lions marine iguanas, penguins, wingless cormorants and many species of birds and fish. The program is today at 6 p.m., at the Kenai Fine Arts Center, 816 Cook in Old Town Kenai, next to the Historic Cabins. Free and open to the public. For more information, call 283-7040 or Marion Nelson, 398-8669.

The Kenai Watershed Forum presents the Wild and Scenic Film Festival, a fun evening of outdoor adventure films, from 6-9 p.m. Feb. 24 at Snug Harbor Seafoods on Kalifornsky Beach Road. Tickets are $25 per person and available at https://kenaiwatershed.org/event/wild-and-scenic-film-fesitval/ or at the door.

Kenai Performers present “Shrek, the Musical”, Book &Lyrics by David Lindsey-Abaire, music by Jeanine Tesori, directed by Terri Zopf-Schoessler and conducted by Kent Peterson. February 23, 24, 25 and March 1, 2, 3, and 4 at the Renee C. Henderson Auditorium, Kenai Central High School. 7 p.m. Thursday and Fridays; 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturdays; 2 p.m. on Sundays. $25 general admission and $20 students, seniors and military. Tickets available at Curtain Call Consignment Boutique in Kenai, River City Books in Soldotna, The Flats Bistro on Kalifornsky Beach Road and at the door. Tickets also available online at www.kenaiperformers.org. Presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).

The Kenai Peninsula Woodturners group will show their finely crafted turned wood creations through Feb. 23 at the Kenai Fine Arts Center. The show will have a wide variety of beautiful work in many sizes and varying degrees of complexity. The Woodturners group has members from all parts of the Peninsula and includes hobbyists and semi-professional members that get together to learn, trade ideas and socialize. The KFAC is located at 816 Cook in Old Town Kenai. Call 283-7040 for more information.

Rarefied Light 2017 photography exhibit is on display at the Kenai Peninsula College campus. The annual, traveling photography exhibit showcases Alaskan photographers shows through Feb. 23 in the G.L. Freeburg Gallery located in the Brockel lobby. For more information, contact Cam Choy, KRC associate professor of art, at 262-0274 or email cchoy2@alaska.edu.

Registration is open for the upcoming highly-acclaimed 2018 Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference to be held June 8-12 at Land’s End Resort in Homer and presented by Kachemak Bay Campus of Kenai Peninsula College-University of Alaska Anchorage. The conference will feature 17 other award-winning, nationally recognized authors, editors and agents whom will conduct creative writing workshops, readings, craft talks and panel presentations in creative fiction, nonfiction, poetry and the business of writing. This year’s keynote presenter will be Pulitzer Prize novelist Anthony Doerr. Other national and Alaskan presenting and visiting writers will be Jean Anderson, Rick Barot, Richard Chiappone, Bryan Allen Fierro, Diane Glancy, Ernestine Hayes, Jean Hegland, Erin Coughlin Hollowell, Barbara Hurd, Kevin Larimer, Nancy Lord, Peggy Shumaker, Floyd Skloot, Joe Wilkins and Sally Wofford-Girand. Optional activities include manuscript reviews, editor-agent consultations, receptions, a boat cruise and open mic. Evening readings on June 9-11 by visiting writers will be open to the public at no charge. A special post-conference writing workshop will be held across Kachemak Bay at Tutka Bay Lodge for conference registrants. The conference’s early registration fee is $395 and includes meals and workshops. Deadline for early bird registration is May 1. Advanced registration is required. For program and registration information see: http://writersconference.homer.alaska.edu.

ARTspace Drawer is on display at the Soldotna Library, the first annual collection of locally created 2D art. The first of its kind in Alaska, this display is made possible by a partnership between Soldotna Rotary, ARTspace Inc., and the Soldotna Public Library.

Entertainment

Veronica’s in Old Town Kenai has Open Mic from 6-8 p.m. Friday, and The Fisher Poets with live music by Keeley and Nelson on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Reservations encouraged. Call Veronica’s at 283-2725.

Acapulco, 43543 Sterling Highway in Soldotna, has live music at 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays starting at 5 p.m.

A bluegrass jam takes place on the first Sunday of the month at from 1-4 p.m. at the Mount Redoubt Baptist Church on South Lovers Loop in Nikiski.

The Flats Bistro on Kalifornsky Beach Road has live music with Daniel Tuttle Mondays from 6-8 p.m.; Pat Wendt on Wednesdays from 6-8 p.m.; Garrett Mayer on Thursdays from 6:30-8:30 p.m.; and Robb Justice on Fridays from 8-10 p.m.

An all acoustic jam takes place every Thursday. The jam is at Christ Lutheran Church in Soldotna on the first Thursday of the month, and at the Kenai Senior Center during the rest of the month. Jam starts at 6:30 p.m.

AmVets Post 4 has reopened in its brand new building on Kalifornsky Beach across from Jumpin’ Junction. Eligible veterans and their families are invited to stop by to find out more about AmVets and their involvement in the Veteran community. For members and invited guests, Friday night dance to “Running with Scissors,” and Saturday Burn your own steak and karaoke with Cowboy Don.

Odie’s Deli in Soldotna has live music Friday from 6-8 p.m. and Pub Quiz night every Wednesday from 6-8 p.m.

The Bow bar in Kenai has karaoke at 9 p.m. Thursdays and live music Fridays, Saturdays at 10 p.m.

The Duck Inn on Kalifornsky Beach Road has karaoke at 9 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and DJ Arisen on Saturdays.

Markets, Fairs and Bazaars

The Kenai Peninsula Homeschool Activities Committee with Bridges Community Resource Network presents a Fundraiser Vendor/Craft Fair from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. March 9 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. March 10 at the Kenai Visitors Center.

Films

Call Orca Theaters at 262-7003 or visit http://www.orcatheater.com for listings and times.

Visit Kenai Cinema at www.catheatres.com for listings and times.

Down the Road

The Pratt Museum in Homer is from noon-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. For more information and a schedule of events, visit www.prattmuseum.org.

Submissions may be emailed to news@peninsulaclarion. com. The deadline is 5 p.m. Mondays.

Ruby Fortune casino review
Signup Bonus: 100% Initial Deposit Bonus up to $750 FREE!
Get up to $1,650 More in Bonuses over your next 4 Deposits – Click here to go to Ruby Fortune Online Casio Website

Players from the canada accepted
Description: Ruby Fortune offers all new players a 100% initial deposit bonus up to $750 free. Double your money to play on their Slots, Keno and Scratchcard games! They also offer up to $1,650 more in bonuses over your next 4 deposits! Ruby Fortune offers over 70 of the top casino games including slots, progressive slots, table games, single line and multi-line video poker, and their unique i-slots. I-slots are a new interactive slot machine, which amplifies the fun of a regular multi-real multi-line slot game by adding incredibly interactive storylines. Other games include many versions of Video Poker, Baccarat, Craps, Blackjack, Roulette, and many, many more! This is Vegas also offers specialty games including Keno, Scratch cards, and Sudoku Box game. I-Slots include Hole in Won, As the Reels Turn episode 1, 2, 3, and Reel Crime episode 1 and 2. This is Vegas offers service with a smile! Their service team is available 24 hours a day and you can reach them by Phone, Email or Live Chat. Don’t hesitate to contact them if you have any questions about their casino games, casino bonuses, our online slot machines!
Purchase Methods: Credit Card, Neteller, Moneybookers, Click2Pay, EcoCard, eWalletXpress, Quick Tender, UseMyWallet, & Wire Transfer.
Software: Rival Software.

More in Life

Historic Elwell Lodge Guest Cabin is seen at its new spot near the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge’s Visitor Center. (USWS)
Around the peninsula

Local events and happenings coming soon.

Nián gāo is a traditional Lunar New Year treat enjoyed in China for over two thousand years. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
A Lunar New Year’s treat

This sweet, steamed rice cake is chewy, gooey and full of positivity.

This excerpt from a U.S. Geological Survey map shows the approximate location of Snug Harbor on lower Kenai Lake. It was in this area that William Weaver nearly drowned in 1910.
Ben Swesey: More to the story — Part 2

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Michigan’s hard-luck Swesey clan sprang into existence because of the… Continue reading

File
Minister’s Message: Rhythms and routines

Your habits are already forming you.

This dish is creamy, rich and comforting, and gets dinner time done fast. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
Full of mother’s love

This one-pot dish is creamy, rich and comforting, and can be ready in 30 minutes.

This screenshot from David Paulides’s “Missing 411” YouTube podcast shows the host beginning his talk about the disappearance of Ben Swesey and William Weaver.
Ben Swesey: More to the story — Part 1

More than a hundred years after Ben Swesey and Bill Weaver steered… Continue reading

Photo by Clark Fair
This 2025 image of the former grounds of the agricultural experiment station in Kenai contains no buildings left over from the Kenai Station days. The oldest building now, completed in the late 1930s, is the tallest structure in this photograph.
The experiment: Kenai becomes an agricultural test site — Part 8

Over the past 50 years or more, the City of Kenai has… Continue reading

File
Minister’s Message: So your life story can be better

Last month the Christmas story was displayed in nativity scenes, read about… Continue reading

These gyros make a super delicious and satisfying tofu dish. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
A new addition to the menu

Tofu gyros with homemade lentil wraps are so surprisingly satisfying and add extra fiber and protein to a meal.

Death notice: Marvin “Ted” Dale Smith

Marvin “Ted” Dale Smith passed on Dec. 27, 2025 in his home.… Continue reading

Photo courtesy of the 
Arness Family Collection
L. Keith McCullagh, pictured here aboard a ship in about 1915, was a U.S. Forest Service ranger charged with establishing a ranger station in Kenai, a task that led him to the agricultural experiment station there and into conflict with “Frenchy” Vian and his friends.
The experiment: Kenai becomes an agricultural test site — Part 7

AUTHOR’S NOTE: After the agricultural experiment station in Kenai closed May 1,… Continue reading

These treats are full of fiber and protein and contain less sugar than a Nutri-grain bar, so you can feel good about spoiling yourself a little. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
A treat for a new start

These cosmic brownies are a healthier, homemade version of the usual cafeteria currency.