Here are events scheduled Saturday, Feb. 17, to Friday, Feb. 23.
All events are free, so take a look -- and don't you dare say there's nothing to do in Pasadena!
The 36th annual Black History Parade and Festival Saturday, Feb. 17, will begin at 10 a.m. at Charles White Park in Altadena and end at Robinson Park in Pasadena where a festival will continue until 4:30 p.m. with live music, fun activities for children and much more.
Hidden Histories is a series of short films about the World War II internment of Japanese Americans, each telling a personal story dramatizing a different situation during this period in history. The films will be shown Saturday, Feb. 17, beginning at 10:30 a.m. in the Donald Wright Auditorium at Central Library, followed by a discussion with the filmmakers.
Dr. Bonnie Buratti, director of the Asteroids, Comets and Satellites Group at JPL, will discuss the search for life in our universe -- from our solar system to the stars -- Saturday, Feb. 17, at 11 a.m. at Linda Vista Branch Library.
Celebrate the Year of the Dog during USC Pacific Asia Museum's annual Lunar New Year Festival Saturday, Feb. 17, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with free admission to galleries, performances, artmaking workshops and more.
Panic Duo (Nic Gerpe on piano, Pasha Tseitlin on violin) presents works by women composers including Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Higdin Sunday, Feb. 18, at 4 p.m. in Barrett Hall at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music.
Professor Amy Essington, historian and executive director of the Historical Society of Southern California, will lead a discussion titled "The Robinsons in Pasadena: A Life Between Segregation & Integration" Tuesday, Feb. 20, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. While the program is free, reservations are required. The program is sponsored by the Pasadena Museum of History.
"Snow Falling on Cedars" (1999, PG-13) starring Ethan Hawke and Yûki Kudô will be shown Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. During a murder trial in 1950, the seemingly simple story of a man's death at the hands of a Japanese American fisherman unravels to reveal a haunting mystery and an extraordinary tale about the persistence of hate and the power of love.
Children ages 5 to 12 are invited to celebrate the Lunar New Year -- the Year of the Dog -- Wednesday, Feb. 21, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Hastings Branch Library with a special storytime, a craft and a traditional Lion Dance.
Children ages 5 to 12 are invited to read books to gentle, well-trained dogs at Barks and Books sponsored by the Pasadena Humane Society Thursday, Feb. 22, at 3:30 p.m at Lamanda Park Branch Library.
Children ages 9 and older will learn how to make robots, beginning with the very simplest of circuits, Thursday, Feb. 22, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Hastings Branch Library, then create a motorized robot arm (a claw bot) that can grab objects. Call (626) 744-7262 to sign up.
Calling all teen writers: Are you a novelist or poet or do you simply love writing? Meet other teen writers, take part in a few writing exercises, talk about your experiences and goals related to writing, and share your work Thursday, Feb. 22, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Teen Central at Central Library.
Photo credits: Pasadena Weekly, California Perspectives on American History, NASA, USC Pacific Asia Museum, Panic Duo, Universal Pictures, Boulder Daily Camera, Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA, VEX Forum, Pasadena Public Library, Pasadena String Quartet,
The Pasadena Conservatory of Music presents An Evening of String Quartets Thursday, Feb. 22, featuring Hugo Wolf's "Italian Serenade" and Johannes Brahms's "String Quartet in B Flat Major, Op. 67." A 7 p.m. wine and cheese reception in the conservatory's Kelly Library will precede the recital, which will take place in Barrett Hall. Members of the Pasadena String Quartet will share insights into the pieces and offer historical context and biographical background on the composers. While the event is free, reservations are required.
The InSight Mission, scheduled for launch in May, will be the first NASA mission to observe the deep interior of Mars. On Friday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. in the Vosloh Forum (building UU on this map) at Pasadena City College, Troy Lee Hudson, an instrument systems engineer on the InSight Mission team, will explain the workings of Earth's next trip to the Red Planet in a program titled "Looking Deep: The InSight Mission to Mars."
