Looking for Something to Do? Free Events May 19 to 25

Here are events scheduled Saturday, May 19, to Friday, May 25.

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

Pasadena Fire Station 37 will host an open house with a water conservation theme Saturday, May 19, from 9 a.m. to noon to show off the station as well as the drought-tolerant garden and other conservation-oriented features, plus a plant scavenger hunt for kids, raffle prizes, refreshments and a chance to meet and greet firefighters and see big red fire engines.

The Young Meteorologist Program WeatherFest Rally Sunday, May 20, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Lot 3 (lower left on this map) and Creveling Lounge (Building CC on this map) at Pasadena City College will feature special activities with KABC-TV chief meteorologist Dallas Raines and other TV meteorologists from across the nation, the Extreme Weather Zone with digital games, the Science Zone with STEAM programs, books and games, the Response and Recovery Zone featuring big-rig emergency vehicles and an opportunity to meet first responders, and much more.

LitFest Pasadena returns for its seventh year Saturday, May 19, and Sunday, May 20, from 1 to 10 p.m. in the Playhouse District and will feature readings, workshops, performances, panel discussions, children's programs, celebrity guests and more.

The Gamble House and the Pasadena Museum of History will be among six institutions that will open their doors for free on Museums of the Arroyo Day Sunday, May 20, from noon to 5 p.m. 

Armory Center for the Arts will host a papier mache mask workshop based on mythological Japanese characters Sunday, May 20, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Armory's La Casita Neighborhood Center. 

An LA Opera community educator will explore the reasons Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has been beloved by people from all walks of life for more than 200 years Monday, May 21, at 1 p.m. at the Pasadena Senior Center. You do NOT have to a member of the senior center to attend, but you do have to be 50 or older.

Children ages 5 to 12 are invited to an Elephant and Piggie party Monday, May 21, at 3 p.m. at Hill Avenue Branch Library where they will read some Elephant and Piggie books, create a craft and enjoy snacks. 

Arty Loon will entertain young children with magic, juggling, puppetry and silly fun Tuesday, May 22, from 10:30 a.m. to noon in the Garfield Promenade on the street level at Paseo Colorado.

Classical clarinetist Jennifer Showalter will perform Wednesday, May 23, from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. for the popular Music at Noon recital series at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

The silent swashbuckling classic "The Mark of Zorro" (1920, NR) starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Marguerite De La Motte will be shown Wednesday, May 23, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. The seemingly weak and silly son of a wealthy landowner is actually the mask-wearing, sword-wielding Zorro, scourge of local oppressors in the days of Old California. 

Wearing traditional regalia, renowned American Indian dancer Ben Hale will entertain and educate children ages 5 to 12 about native American dances, songs and stories from the 1400s to modern-day pow wows Thursday, May 24, at 3:30 p.m. at Santa Catalina Branch Library. For more children's activities at Pasadena public libraries, click here.

The Pasadena Historic Preservation Commission will bestow 2018 Historic Preservation Awards to nine recipients Thursday, May 24, at 7 p.m. in the Fowler Garden, located behind Ambassador Auditorium at the former Ambassador College west campus. A reception, including light refreshments will begin at 6 p.m. Also enjoy a self-guided tour of Ambassador Gardens. (The photo above shows a portion of the restored 1930s-era mural in the McKinley School Library, the subject of one of the 2018 awards. See all recipients here.)

The sixth annual Jazz on Hill at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music is Friday, May 25, from 1 to 9 p.m. Learn about jazz history (1 p.m.), sit in on a master class (4 p.m.), enjoy a concert led by renowned film composer Peter T. Myers  (7:30 p.m.) and more. While the event is free, reservations are required.

Photo credits: Getty Images, Pasadena Now, The Gamble House, Pasadena Museum of History, Masterpieces of Classic, Mo Willems, Arty Loon, Jennifer Showalter, Toronto Film Society, Ben Hale, Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe.