Looking for Something to Do? Free Events May 16 to 22

Here are free events scheduled Saturday, May 16, to Friday, May 22.

All events are free, so take a look -- and don't you dare say there's nothing to do in Pasadena!

PUSD students in grades 2 to 8 will compete in the PasadenaLEARNS Science Olympiad Saturday, May 16, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Blair east campus (across the street from Blair High School). Come out and see these whiz kids in action, followed by entertainment and an awards ceremony!

Caltech's 35th annual Bandorama Saturday, May 16, at 8 p.m. at Caltech's Ramo Auditorium (just south of Beckman Auditorium) will feature the Caltech Jazz Band performing music by west coast composers Bill Holman, Steve Hufsteter, Gordon Goodwin and others and the Caltech Concert Band performing works by Holst, Deutsch and Dvorak.

Holst, Deutsch and Dvořák.

Holst, Deutsch and Dvořák

Holst, Deutsch and Dvořák

The Pasadena Museum of History and The Gamble House will be among the six venues offering free admission on Museums of the Arroyo Day Sunday, May 17, during regular hours.

Chamber music fans will want to rush to Caltech's Dabney Hall (#40 on this map) Sunday, May 17, from 2 to 6 p.m. for the Chamber Music Marathon featuring works by Vivaldi, Quantz, Shostakovich, Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart, Haydn, Jacob, Schumann, Piazzola, Arensky, Mendelssohn and Copland.

Children ages 5 to 12 are invited to read books to gentle, well-trained dogs at Barks and Books Monday, May 19, from 3 to 4 p.m. at La Pintoresca Branch Library. 

Vie for prizes by answering trivia questions about music of the '40s and '50s while listening to some of the greatest hits of those eras Tuesday, May 19, from 9 to 10 a.m. at the Pasadena Senior Center. You do not have to be a member to participate. 

"Somewhere in Time" starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour will be shown on the big screen Wednesday, May 20, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. A Chicago playwright uses self-hypnosis to find the actress depicted in the vintage portrait in a grand hotel.

Analytical tools developed by chemists helped explain why the dramatic sky disappeared from Winslow Homer's For to Be a Farmer's Boy (above) and material scientists have uncovered the sources of color in ancient Chinese jades. Dr. Katherine Faber will examine the science behind these and other object-based studies Wednesday, May 20, at 8 p.m. at Caltech's Beckman Auditorium (#91 on this map) and discusss the links between art, science and engineering that build bridges between museums and universities. The event is titled "Watching Paint Dry and Colors Fade."

"Watching Paint Dry and Colors Fade: The Intersection of Art and Science" - See more at: http://www.caltech.edu/content/watson-lecture-katherine-t-faber-watching-paint-dry-and-colors-fade-intersection-art-and#sthash.1BcfcbSH.dpuf

Faber will examine the science behind these and other object-based studies and discuss the links between science, engineering, and art, which build bridges between universities and museums. - See more at: http://www.caltech.edu/content/watson-lecture-katherine-t-faber-watching-paint-dry-and-colors-fade-intersection-art-and#sthash.1BcfcbSH.dpuf

Faber will examine the science behind these and other object-based studies and discuss the links between science, engineering, and art, which build bridges between universities and museums. - See more at: http://www.caltech.edu/content/watson-lecture-katherine-t-faber-watching-paint-dry-and-colors-fade-intersection-art-and#sthash.1BcfcbSH.dpuf

Felix Bullock, chair of the Guitar Department at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music, will showcase his talented guitar quartet Thursday, May 21, at 4 p.m. at Allendale Branch Library.

Admission to the Pasadena Museum of California Art is free the third Thursday (and first Friday) of every month. On Thursday, May 21, from 5 to 8 p.m. see the current exhibitions and everything else the museum has to offer.

Learn the history of the Battle of Puebla through folk tales, songs and music Thursday, May 21, from 7 to 8 p.m. presented by Gloria Arjona in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library.


Photo credits: Caltech, Jeanette B., Art of Composing, Los Angeles Quickies, Elvis Collectors, Claratsi's Movie Reviews, Visual Art Encyclopedia, The Well-Tempered Ear, Pasadena Museum of California Art, Gloria Arjona.