Looking for Something to Do? Free Events June 3 to 9

Here are events scheduled Saturday, June 3, to Friday, June 9.

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

Track and field competitions at Caltech are the most popular spectator sports every year during the Pasadena Senior Games. On Saturday, June 3, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. come watch remarkable athletes ages 50 to 90+ as they compete in javelin throw, pole vault, long jump, discus, shot put, high jump, runs, dashes and grandparent/grandchild relay, Caltech's South Field/Fox Stanton Track is just south of the baseball diamond behind the Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics on California Boulevard across the street from the main campus. Access to parking lots and underground parking is via South Wilson Avenue as well as the roadway adjacent to the east side of the Cahill Center.

Don't throw that out! Get it fixed at Pasadena Repair Cafe, a roving, all-purpose repair shop for the community. It will be at All Saints Church Saturday, June 3, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. In the spirit of zero waste, bring appliances, clothing, toys, electronics, bicycles and jewelry for repair, plus dull tools and knives for sharpening.

Meet local artists Saturday and Sunday, June 3 and 4, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the Open Studios Tours. Experience an intimate view into the artists' lives and studios and how their creative ideas are conceived and developed, plus enjoy live entertainment and much more.

Reading by Design, Pasadena Public Library's summer reading program, kicks off Saturday, June 3, with something for everyone: children, teens and adults. Register online, at Central Library or any branch library beginning that day. There will be a special kickoff from noon to 3 p.m. at Hastings Branch Library with Pasadena firefighters, the Santa Anita A's Auto Club, the L.A. Kings mascot Bailey, giant Jenga and checkers, face painting, library bingo and much more!  The summer reading program continues at all libraries through July 29.

KCRW will kick off its eighth season of Summer Nights at One Colorado Saturday, June 3, from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. with a live concert by Chico Mann & Captain Planet with Afro-Latin rhythms and contemporary dancefloor beats. KCRW DJ Marion Hodges will open and close the evening with DJ sets of some of her favorite tracks.

Music Under the Stars in Centennial Square in front of Pasadena City Hall is the annual gift to the community from the Pasadena Symphony and Pops. This year's concert on Saturday, June 3, at 8 p.m. will feature music from Broadway, Hollywood and the Great American Songbook, with guest vocalists and the JPL Chorus. Come as early as 6 p.m. for a musical instrument petting zoo and other pre-concert family fun. Bring a lawn chair (or rent a chair for $3) and a picnic or purchase dinner at one of the food trucks that will be stationed there.

Violist Noelle Martinez will perform in recital Saturday, June 3, at 7 p.m. in Barrett Hall at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music with works composed by Schumann, J.S. Bach and J.C. Bach.

Swim meets during the Pasadena Senior Games are the second most popular spectator sports! On Sunday, June 4, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center, come cheer on incredible swimmers ages 50 to 90+ as they compete for medals in freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and individual medley. (Pictured above is Vivian Stancil, whom I featured in this blog post.)

"Outdoor Overtures" is the title of the PCC Lancer Concert Band spring concert Sunday, June 4, at 6 p.m. in the Jameson Amphitheater (adjacent to Building V on this map) featuring works by John Williams, Artie Shaw, Carter Pann, Alfred Reed, Frank Ticheli and several other composers.

The Pasadena City College Jazz Guitar Ensemble will perform works by Grant Green, Wes Montgomery and others Monday, June 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the Westerbeck Recital Hall at PCC's Center for the Arts (Building CA on this map).

The final Tuesday Musicale concert of the season Tuesday, June 6, at 12:30 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library will include a piano trio by Dvorak, a piano quartet by Mozart, opera arias sung by Marina Battifora and special violin solos.

The first Tuesday of every month is Free Family Night at Kidspace Children's Museum. On Tuesday, June 6, from 4 to 8 p.m. children will  celebrate gardening by planting flowers and herb seeds to take home, and meet some of the animals that help the Kidspace gardens grow. Don't miss a special performance at the Stone Hollow Amphitheater at 6 p.m.

Jeanne Sakata, whose award-winning play "Hold These Truths" is onstage at the Pasadena Playhouse through June 25, will share insights Wednesday, June 7, at 11 a.m. at the Pasadena Senior Center into the inspiring true story of Gordon Hirabayashi, the subject of the play, who took his fight against Japanese American internments during World War II all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend.

"Choices of the Heart: The Margaret Sanger Story" (1994, NR) starring Dana Delany and Rod Steiger will be shown Wednesday, June 7, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. Margaret Sanger publishes a booklet of birth control techniques in 1914 that flies in the face of a federal law prohibiting the dissemination of information about contraception, then becomes a pioneering crusader for women's reproductive rights and cofounds Planned Parenthood.

The first Friday (and third Thursday) of every month is Free Admission Day at the Pasadena Museum of California Art. On Friday, June 9, from noon to 5 p.m. enjoy the current exhibitions and everything else the museum has to offer.

"La La Land" (2016, PG-13) starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone will be shown Friday, June 9, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. An aspiring actress and a dedicated jazz musician struggle to make it -- professionally and personally -- in Los Angeles. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend.

SAVE THE DATE!

Former NFL players Marcus Robertson and Chad Brown, who are John Muir High School alumni, will lead a youth football clinic Saturday, June 10, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for children ages 6 to 13 at the Rose Bowl Stadium with drills, skills lessons, challenge matches and obstacle courses. Register now because participation is limited to the first 250 applicants.

Everyone is invited to the Pasadena Museum of History for Happy Birthday Pasadena: Chalk Up Another Year Sunday, June 11, from 1 to 4 p.m. with live entertainment, free entry to gallery exhibitions, craft workshops, face painting, balloon artists, magicians, scrumptious birthday cake and much more.


Photo credits: Pasadena Senior Center, Repair Cafe Stuttgart, Azul Amarel, Pasadena Symphony and Pops, City of Pasadena, Pasadena Conservatory of Music, Kidspace Children's Museum, Pasadena Playhouse, MPI Media Group, Pasadena Museum of California Art, Imposter Pictures/Gilbert Films.