Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events September 29 to October 5

Here are events scheduled Saturday, Sept. 29, to Friday, Oct. 5.

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

Enjoy live entertainment by top-ranked L.A.-area musical groups, cooking demonstrations by renowned chefs and plenty of family-friendly activities at Tastes & Sounds, Pasadena's largest culinary and music celebration, presented by South Lake Business Association Saturday, Sept. 29, from noon to 5 p.m. (Most of the food is not free; purchase of food is not required to attend the event.)

Father Gregory Boyle, a Jesuit priest, best-selling author and founder of Homeboy Industries, has dedicated his life to helping the most marginalized people find a place in society. On Sunday, Sept. 30, from 1 to 5 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library he will talk about his experiences related to faith, caring and compassion, plus there will be a Q&A, book signing and reception.

Tuesday Musicale of Pasadena presents pianist Jennifer Watts playing works by Rachmaninoff, Chopin and Scriabin; cellist Sesun Park performing Chopin and Goens; soprano Virginia D'Auria performing works by Debussy and Bizet; and a piano trio by Haydn performed by violinist Betti Sirri, cellist Barbara Von Slomski and pianist Sharon Chan Tuesday, Oct. 2, at 12:30 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library.

The Screening Mimis Film Discussion Club presents The Triple Echo (1972, R) starring Glenda Jackson and Oliver Reed Tuesday, Oct. 2, at 3 p.m. at the Pasadena Senior Center. A British soldier during World War II wanders onto a woman's farm where they fall in love and he decides to desert, then disguises himself as a woman to escape detection by military police. The Screening Mimis Film Discussion Club features a provocative movie the first and third Tuesday of every month, preceded by a presentation about the film's hidden history and followed by a lively discussion. You do NOT have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend but you do have to be 50 or older.

The first Tuesday of every month is Free Family Night at Kidspace Children's Museum. On Tuesday, Oct. 2, from 4 to 8 p.m. celebrate the art of science fiction by joining an intergalactic parade dressed as your favorite science fiction character, build your own UFO and create fantastical alien creatures inspired by the natural world. Don't miss the music of The Amoeba People at 6 p.m. in the Stone Hollow Amphitheater.

The final free admission day at the Pasadena Museum of California Art is Friday, Oct. 5, from noon to 5 p.m. Come see the three current exhibitions Judy Chicago's Birth Project: Born Again, Grafton Tyler Brown: Exploring California and Brody Albert: Strata. The museum will close its doors permanently on Oct. 7. 

Youth (2015, R) starring Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel will be shown Friday, Oct. 5, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. While vacationing with a filmwriter friend, a retired classical composer ponders his life, legacy, wonders and complications experienced throughout his years. You do NOT have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend but you do have to be 50 or older.

Admission to the Norton Simon Museum is free the first Friday of every month. On Friday, Oct. 5, from 5 to 8 p.m. enjoy the current exhibitions and everything else the museum has to offer.

SAVE THE DATE!
ArtNight Pasadena, when more than a dozen arts and cultural institutions will open their doors for free, is scheduled Friday, Oct. 12, from 6 to 10 p.m.

Photo credits: The Regrettes, Homeboy Industries, Library of Congress, Ernst Burger, Hemdale, Costume.net, MetroShot, Indigo Film, Norton Simon Museum

Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events September 22 to 28

Here are events scheduled Saturday, Sept. 22, to Friday, Sept. 28.

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

Things to Come (1936, NR) starring Raymond Massey and Ralph Richardson will be shown Saturday, Sept. 22, at 2 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. A decades-long second world war leaves plague and anarchy, then a rational state rebuilds civilization and attempts space travel. The film is based on a 1933 essay by H.G. Wells that was ahead of its time. After the screening, Warren James of Hour 25 will discuss the film with the audience.

Red Hen Press presents Jazz and Abstract Truth: An Afternoon of Jazz and Poetry Saturday, Sept. 22, at 4 p.m. featuring readings by poets William Archila and Douglas Manuel plus jazz performed by Dr. Ray Briggs, the Pasadena Conservatory of Music's jazz studies department chair. Food and refreshments will be served.

In conjunction with her current solo exhibition Marta Chaffee: The Places We've Lived, the artist will discuss her works Sunday, Sept. 23, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Armory Center for the Arts. RSVPs are appreciated. The exhibition will continue through December.

Andrew & Polly will perform for young children Tuesday, Sept. 25, from 10 a.m. to noon in the Garfield Promenade on the street level at Paseo Colorado. 

Baritone Ralph Cato, accompanied by pianist Frank Fetta, will perform Wednesday, Sept. 26, from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. for the popular Music at Noon recital series at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

Leonard Bernstein: Larger Than Life (2016, NR) and Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts: The Latin American Spirit episode (1963 NR) will be shown Wednesday, Sept. 26, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. The first documentary shows why Leonard Bernstein was one of the most influential classical musicians, composers, conductors and educators of the 20th century; the second documentary, one in a series of episodes of the Emmy Award-winning series, features Latin American music.

Bring your young child(ren) to the courtyard at One Colorado for a singalong with Michal Karmi, AKA Peanut, Thursday, Sept. 27, from 4:30 to 5 p.m. RSVPs are encouraged.

One City, One Story is Pasadena's popular annual community reading celebration that focuses on one book and features dozens of related community events in March. On Thursday, Sept. 27, at 5:30 p.m., the selection for 2019 will be announced with a big unveiling in the fountain courtyard at Central Library. The finalists were The Ballad of Huck and Miguel, In the Distance, News of the World, There There and The Underground Railroad. Come see which one we'll all read next!

Clazzical Notes presents Women of Influence in Song and Dance, an homage to the female icons of jazz, blues, folk and dance during the 1960s, Friday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. at the Pasadena Museum of History. 

The Wizard of Oz (1939, PG) starring Judy Garland and Bert Lahr will be shown Friday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. in the courtyard at One Colorado. Kansas farm girl Dorothy Gale and her little dog Toto are carried by a tornado to the magical land of Oz where she journeys with the cowardly lion, tinman and scarecrow through emerald forests, yellow brick roads and creepy castles, all the while just wanting to return home. RSVPs are recommended.

Photo credits: London Film Productions, Texas Public Radio, Folsom Lake Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Michal Kalmi, Pasadena Public Library, kevingoesrawr, Live for Live Music, Twyla Tharp, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events Sept. 15 to 21

Here are events scheduled Saturday, Sept. 15, to Friday, Sept. 21.

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

The fifth annual Pasadena Loves YA teen book festival Saturday, Sept. 15, from noon to 4 p.m. at Central Library will feature 16 Young Adult genre authors in panel discussions and book signings, Q&A, YA book giveaways and more. 

Side Street Projects connects artists to the community through educational programs and interactive projects. Come to a community meeting Saturday, Sept. 15, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Side Street Projects to let the organizers know what they can do for you and for Pasadena. If you cannot attend, please take this short survey to let them know what you think is important about community arts programming.

A reception at Armory Center for the Arts Saturday, Sept. 15, from 4 to 6 p.m. will celebrate the exhibition Kim Abeles - Valises for Camp Ground: Arts, Corrections and Fire Management in the Santa Monica Mountains.  The mixed media valises were created during a long-term collaborative project between artist Kim Abeles and the female inmates of Camp 13, an L.A. County correctional facility for women who are trained and deployed to fight forest fires. At 3 p.m., just prior to the reception, a representative from the National Parks Service will make a presentation about our urban relationship to forests and wildlife.

An LA Opera community educator will lead guests through Don Carlo, one of Giuseppe Verdi's most dramatic and complex grand operas, Monday, Sept. 17, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. The grand opera is set in the 16th century during the Spanish Inquisition and based on actual historical figures. You do NOT have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend but you do have to be 50 or older.

This is Constitution Week! On Monday, Sept. 17, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Central Library, exhibits will include women involved in the American Revolution; members of the Martin Severance Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) will staff an information table where they'll provide free gift bags, each with a pocket-size U.S. Constitution, small American flag, U.S. Flag Code and Pledge of Allegiance bookmark; at 1 p.m. everyone will be invited to take turns ringing bells throughout the first floor in celebration of Bells Across America, a national commemoration of Constitution Week started in 1987 by late Chief Justice Warren Burger.

The BeatBuds will perform for young children Tuesday, Sept. 18, from 10 a.m. to noon in the Garfield Promenade on the street level at Paseo Colorado.

The Screening Mimis Film Discussion Club presents Two Women (1960, NR) starring Sophia Loren and Jean-Paul Belmondo Tuesday, Sept. 18, at 3 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. A widow and her teenaged daughter who struggle to survive the ravages of World War II in Italy. The Screening Mimis Film Discussion Club features a movie the first and third Tuesday of every month, preceded by a presentation about the film's hidden history and followed by a lively discussion. You do NOT have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend but you do have to be 50 or older.

Under the Same Moon (2007, PG-13) starring Eugenio Derbez and Kate del Castillo will be shown Wednesday, Sept. 19, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. After his grandmother dies, a young boy journeys across the Mexican border to find his mother in the U.S. 

On Thursday, Sept. 20, at 10 a.m. in Central Library's Donald R. Wright Auditorium, Kid Zorro, the Bilingual Puppet Musical will take children ages 5 to 12 back in history to Spanish California where Zorro must embrace his family's destiny to save the local mission from a corrupt politician with a diabolical plan.

Puppets and Players Little Theatre presents Musical Moments from The Wizard of Oz Thursday, Sept. 20, at 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in the courtyard at One Colorado, performed with classical marionettes, hand puppets and music staged in a Baroque-style theater fashioned after an Italian opera house. Reservations are encouraged.

Red Hen Press presents a closing reception Saturday, Sept. 20, at 4 p.m. in celebration of artwork that has adorned the walls of Red Hen Press since April by artists Sigrid Burton, Loran Calvin, Susan Connell, Catherine Partridge and Gretel Stephens. There will be readings by authors Ron Koertge and Kim Dower, and food and wine will be provided.

Calling all kids ages 10 to 14! If you've ever wondered what it's like to be a rock star, learn a little about the history of rock music, listen to Kimberly "KC" Allison play some rock tunes on an electric guitar, learn some easy rock riffs and take part in a rock jam session Thursday, Sept. 20, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. Electric guitars and amps will be provided. Call (626) 744-4066, option 4 to sign up.

The Playhouse District Association presents Third Thursday of the summer Thursday, Sept. 20, from 6 to 9 p.m. Have fun at USC Pacific Asia Museum's Harvest Moon Festival, hear a live recording at Pasadena Museum of California Art of Big Birth Junkie and then enjoy Judy Chicago's exhibition Birth Project: Born Again, enjoy live musical performances at Boston Court and Lyd & Mo Photography, rock side to side or spin around in red "spun chairs," chill with a refreshing Kona Ice (first 100 guests before 7 p.m.), get in the zone with a live DJ mix set, participate in a collaborative art project at the Pasadena Playhouse, play jumbo versions of classic games and see a photography exhibition at the Ice House's Un-Gallery.

Book Club (2018, PG-13) starring Diane Keaton and Jane Fonda will be shown Friday, Sept. 21, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. The lives of four mature women are turned upside down when they decide to tackle Fifty Shades of Grey, and in the process they inspire each other to make their next chapter in their lives their best chapter. You do NOT have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend but you must be 50 or older.

Photo credits: Pasadena Public Library, Side Street Projects, Armory Center for the Arts, Tenth Amendment Coalition, Compagnia Cinematografica Champion, The BeatBuds, Creando Films, Noteworthy Puppets, Puppets and Players Little Theatre, Red Hen Press, School of Rock, Pasadena Museum of California Art, Playhouse District Association, Apartment Story

Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events September 8 to 14

Here are events scheduled Saturday, Sept. 8, to Friday, Sept. 14.

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

Admission is free the second Sunday of every month at USC Pacific Asia Museum. On Sunday, Sept. 9, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. the Pakistan Arts Council will cohost a celebration of the arts and culture of that nation. Explore Pakistan's traditions, history and people, hear from artists and authors about their works, enjoy entertaining performances, participate in art activities, a special storytime for kids and more.

Children ages 5 to 12 are invited to read books to gentle, well-trained dogs at Barks and Books Saturday, Sept. 8, at 1 p.m. at Santa Catalina Branch Library; Monday, Sept. 10, at 1 p.m. at San Rafael Branch Library; Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 3:30 p.m. at Hastings Branch Library; Wednesday, Sept. 12, at 4 p.m. at Villa-Parke Community Center Branch Library; and/or Thursday, Sept. 13, at 4 p.m. in the Children's Story Room at Central Library.

The opening reception for Vibras, an exhibition of abstract paintings by Noemi Vega Saturday, Sept. 8, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Walt Girdner Studio & Gallery will feature works by the artist that stimulate the senses with their vibrating energy, waves of light, layered movement and colors. The exhibition will continue through Sept. 29.

The Amazing Dave will perform magic, juggling, balloon twisting and more for young children Tuesday, Sept. 11, from 10 a.m. to noon in the Garfield Promenade on the street level at Paseo Colorado.

The Bob Baker Marionette Theater performs in the courtyard at One Colorado every Tuesday in September. On Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 4:30 p.m., people of all ages will enjoy time-honored family entertainment. RSVPs are encouraged.

Laura (1944, NR) starring Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews will be shown Wednesday, Sept. 12, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. A police detective falls in love with the image of the elegant, highly ambitious and utterly mysterious woman whose murder he is investigating, and then the entire situation changes dramatically. The film is based on the 1943 suspense novel by Vera Caspary.

Children ages 5 to 12 are invited to celebrate the 114th anniversary of the ice cream cone by making bookmarks and greeting cards with ice cream themes Thursday, Sept. 13, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at Hill Avenue Branch Library.

Obediah Thomas, one-half of the music and comedy team Razzle Bam Boom, will amuse the younger set with goofy, giggle-inducing fun, including magic, trumpet playing and silly dancing Thursday, Sept. 13, from 4:30 to 5 p.m. in the courtyard at One Colorado. RSVPs are recommended.

The Los Angeles Chapter of Sisters in Crime publishes biannual anthologies by member women authors. Eleven of the authors will discuss their individual experiences, why the City of Angels serves as such a compelling backdrop for fiction related to crime and mystery, and more Thursday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library,

The Leisure Seeker (2017, R) starring Donald Sutherland and Helen Mirren will be shown Friday, Sept. 14, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. A runaway couple goes on an unforgettable journey in their beloved old RV and, along the way, recapture their passion for life and their love for each other. You do NOT have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend but you do have to be 50 or older.

Fiestas Patrias Friday, Sept. 14, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Villa-Parke Community Center will celebrate the historic independence of 18 Latin American countries with live music, dance performances, children's activities, food and much more.

Photo credits: Parhlo, Beale Public Library, Walt Girdner Photo Studio & Gallery, The Amazing Dave, Bob Baker Marionette Theater, Twentieth Century Fox, Newsela, McLean Emenegger, Sisters in Crime Los Angeles, Indiana Production Company, Women's West