Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events October 13 to 19

Here are events scheduled Saturday, Oct. 13, to Friday, Oct. 19.

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

Take a 2.5-mile guided walking tour of some of Pasadena's public art installations, including some hidden gems you may not have noticed before, Saturday, Oct. 13, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. (meet at Pasadena City Hall). The walking tour will be conducted by Meriel Stern, a local artist and the chair of the Pasadena Arts & Culture Commission, who will explain the history, artistry and meaning behind various installations.

With the theme Honoring Latinos and Latinas in Entertainment, the Latino Heritage Parade Saturday, Oct. 13, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. will begin at Los Robles Avenue and Prescott Street and end with a festival at Villa Parke Community Center that will include live entertainment, dance demonstrations, car show, children's activities, art exhibits, historical displays and much more.

Some of Southern California's best visual artists will showcase their works in a juried art festival during Pasadena ARTWalk Saturday, Oct. 13, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Playhouse District. Pasadena ARTWalk also features live entertainment, interactive art, activities for all ages and much more. 

The San Gabriel Valley Pride Festival Saturday, Oct. 13, from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Central Park will feature live entertainment, photography exhibition, drag queen performances and much more.

Admission to the USC Pacific Asia Museum is free the second Sunday of every month from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Sunday, Oct. 14, enjoy Weaving & Film @ PAM. Artist Yan Zhang will demonstrate Li brocade weaving (and you'll try some decorative weaving yourself); filmmaker Xiaowen Zhu will screen his short film Oriental Silk, a documentary about the history of the first silk importing company in Los Angeles; and you'll experience everything else the day has to offer.

The Second Sunday Concert in Central Library's Donald R. Wright Auditorium Sunday, Oct. 14, at 2:30 p.m. will include a piano trio by Beethoven, piano duos by Brahms and Dvorak, and Rhapsody in Blue for two pianos by Gershwin. 

An LA Opera community educator will lead guests through the enchanting opera Hansel and Gretel Monday, Oct. 15, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. Based on the beloved tale by the Brothers Grimm, the opera follows a young brother and sister who get lost in the woods where they discover a full-sized gingerbread house, but soon meet the owner of the house -- a witch who plans to turn Gretel into a servant and fatten up Hansel for the oven. Last-minute ingenuity saves the day, and the plucky children emerge triumphant in the heartfelt conclusion. You do NOT have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend but you do have to be 50 or older.

With plenty of props and costumes, Ruth and Emilia will perform for children Tuesday, Oct. 16, from 10 a.m. to noon in the Garfield Promenade on the street level at Paseo Colorado.

The Screening Mimis Film Discussion Club presents Once Were Warriors (1994, R) starring Rena Owen and Temuera Morrison Tuesday, Oct. 16, at 3 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. A family in New Zealand descended from Maoris lives in a slum where the father's alcoholism has affected his relationship with his wife and scarred their teenaged children emotionally. See the trailer here. 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.

Clarinetist Margaret Thornhill, accompanied by pianist Twyla Meyer, will perform classical works Wednesday, Oct. 17, from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. for the popular Music at Noon recital series at Pasadena Presbyterian Church. 

The Great Los Angeles Earthquake (1990, TV-PG) starring Ed Begley Jr. and Joanna Kerns will be shown Wednesday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library.  A seismologist tries to warn city leaders of the possibility that a powerful earthquake may strike Southern California. See the trailer here. The film will be shown in observance of the 2018 Great California Shakeout. 

William Shakespeare lived in a remarkable time -- a period now recognized as the first phase of the Scientific Revolution -- and yet "Shakespeare" and "science" are rarely uttered in the same breath.  During an illustrated talk titled The Science of Shakespeare: A New Look at the Playwright's Universe Wednesday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. in Caltech's Baxter Hall (#77 on this map), science journalist and author Dan Falk will discuss Shakespeare's interest in the scientific discoveries of his time, with a particular focus on the changing conceptions and understanding of the cosmos. Parking is free in Caltech lots and parking structures after 5 p.m.

Vatché Mankerian, instructor of music theory, history and composition at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music, will discuss composer Robert Schumann's inner circle of fellow composers, followed by performances by the Adamante Trio and pianist Leila Wu of some of the composers' works Thursday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. in the conservatory's Barrett Hall. Stay for a wine and cheese reception with the musicians after the performances. 

De Profundis, a long letter written by British playwright Oscar Wilde to his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, while Wilde was in prison for "gross indecency," will be read by resident actors at A Noise Within Thursday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. as part of the Words Within series. While admission is free, reservations are required.

Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018, PG-13) will be shown Friday, Oct. 19, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. The documentary takes an intimate look at the life, lessons and legacy of Mr. Rogers, America's favorite neighbor. You do NOT have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend but you do have to be 50 or older.

SAVE THE DATE!

The annual Fall Festival at Victory Park Saturday, Oct. 20, from 2 to 6 p.m. will be filled with plenty of free family fun, including live entertainment, costume contest for children and families, inflatable game row, art activities, toddler corral, Kreepy Kreatures and much more. There will be nominal fees for food and certain activities, such as train rides around the park and pony rides.

Photo credits: City of Pasadena, Playhouse District Association, Andrew Spartari, Edmodo Spotlight, USC Pacific Asia Museum,  C. Brasch, The Everett Collection, LA Opera, Ruth and Emilia, Communicado Productions, Margaret Thornhill, Von Zerneck Sertner Films, Caltech, Pasadena Conservatory of Music, A Noise Within, Tremolo Productions