Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events January 26 to February 1

Here are events scheduled Saturday, Jan. 26, to Friday, Feb. 1.

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

Enjoy a good, old-fashioned science fiction double feature Saturday, Jan. 26, at 2 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. First up will be Doctor Cyclops (1940, NR) starring Albert Dekker and Thomas Coley. After a mad scientist in the South American jungle develops a way to shrink people to a minuscule size, he sets about inflicting his experiments on everyone he can find. This film will be followed by Fantastic Voyage (1966, PG) starring Raquel Welch and Stephen Boyd. A team of scientists is miniaturized and put in a minuscule submarine to relieve a blood clot in a colleague caused by an assassination attempt.

Armory Center for the Arts will host opening receptions for winter exhibitions Saturday, Jan. 26. Enjoy the reception for Serene for the Moment, an exhibition of works by the late Sara Kathryn Arledge, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Caldwell Gallery, then attend the reception for Sandra de la Loza's Mi Casa Es Su Casa from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Mezzanine Gallery.

Moonlighting (1982, PG) starring Jeremy Irons and Eugene Lipinski will be shown Monday, Jan. 28, at 1 p.m. in Studio on 4th (fourth floor) at Central Library. There will also be a discussion about the film, characters and more. During the Solidarity protests and strikes in Poland, a contractor leads a group of workers to London to provide cheap, illegal labor for a government official as they encounter western temptations, loneliness and separation from their families.

Children will learn about Asian arts and cultures through storytelling and crafts Monday, Jan. 28, at 3:30 p.m. in Studio on 4th (fourth floor) at Central Library, presented by educators from the USC Pacific Asia Museum. Call (626) 744-4066, option 4 to sign up.

Pianist Ovanes Arakelyan will perform classical works Wednesday, Jan 30, from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. for the popular Music at Noon recital series at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

The Longest Yard (1974, R) starring Burt Reynolds and Eddie Albert will be shown Wednesday, Jan. 30, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. An unethical prison warden convinces an inmate who is a former pro football quarterback to form a team with fellow inmates for a big game against a team of guards.

Children will enjoy a concert by The Brian Waite Band featuring their new hit Spelunkalicious! and other songs Thursday, Jan. 31, at 10 a.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library.

Colette (2018, R) starring Keira Knightly and Dominic West will be shown Friday, Feb. 1, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. At the beginning of the 20th century, a Parisian convinces his young wife to ghostwrite successful books under his name, leading to disputes over creative ownership and gender roles. The film is based on true events. 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 Friday of every month from 5 to 8 p.m. is Free Admission Night at the Norton Simon Museum. On Friday, Feb. 1, enjoy the exhibition Once Upon a Tapestry: Woven Tales of Helen and Dido, the Titian painting Portrait of a Lady in White, circa 1561, on loan from the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, and everything else the museum has to offer.

The Pasadena Playhouse and Playhouse District Association present The Soul of Ragtime concert series debuting with the Michael Higgins Band blending smooth jazz with funk, R&B and classic soul Friday, Feb. 1, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the courtyard adjacent to Vroman's Bookstore. The concert series will continue every Friday until Feb. 22.

SAVE THE DATES!

Armory Center for the Arts, Kidspace Children's Museum and USC Pacific Asia Museum are among 45 Southern California institutions that will open their doors for free during the annual Museums Annual Free-For-All Day Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 2 and 3. Some will be free one day only and others on both days, so double-check the website for specifics.

Photo credits: Paramount Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Armory Center for the Arts, Michael White Productions, Damon Pipitone, Ovanes Arakelyan, Brian Waite Band, Number 9 Films, Norton Simon Museum, Playhouse District Association.

Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events January 19 to 25

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

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

Children and families will rock out with School of Rock Pasadena Saturday, Jan. 19, from 10 a.m. to noon in the Garfield Promenade (street level) at Paseo Colorado. Enjoy a concert and then join the performers on stage for guided touch-and-learn instrument exploration.

View the works of Los Angeles-based fine artist Anto Jimenez and meet her during a reception Saturday, Jan. 19, at 2 p.m. at Vroman's Bookstore. 

The sonatas Beethoven composed for cello and piano are a journey through his creative life. Third@First presents Beethoven and His Life: Three Cello Sonatas Saturday, Jan. 19, at 4 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, featuring cellist David Garrett and pianist Junko Ueno Garrett.

Everyone is welcome to come be a listener or a reader at Let Freedom Ring, a continuous community celebration of the speeches, sermons and writings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Monday, Jan. 21, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at All Saints Church.

An LA Opera community educator will lead a celebration of operatic sopranos past and present Monday, Jan. 21, at 1 p.m. at the Pasadena Senior Center. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend, but you do have to be 50 or older.

Brazilian guitarist Hugo Nogueira will perform Wednesday, Jan. 23, from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. for the popular Music at Noon recital series at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

Superman: The Movie (1978, PG) starring Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder will be shown Wednesday, Jan. 23, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero.

Children and families will make heads using potting soil and grass seed Thursday, Jan. 24, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Hill Avenue Branch Library, then decorate them, water them and take them home to watch the "hair" grow 

The Caltech Chamber Music Ensembles will perform Friday, Jan. 25, at 8 p.m. in the Dabney Lounge at Dabney Hall (#40 on this map). The program will be announced. Parking is free at Caltech lots and parking structures weekdays after 5 p.m.

Pasadena Community Orchestra presents Mozart + Bach +Walton + Liszt Friday, Jan. 25, at 8 p.m. at First Church of the Nazarene Pasadena. Works will include Mozart's Symphony No. 40, Bach's Fugue in G Minor, Walton's Spitfire Prelude and Fugue and Liszt's Les Preludes.

Photo credits: School of Rock, Vroman's Bookstore, The Fact Site, NBC News, Tidelines, Dovemead Films, Caltech, Pasadena Community Orchestra

Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events January 12 to 18

Here are events scheduled Saturday, Jan. 12, to Friday, Jan. 18.

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

Emerging Urban Poets is an ongoing poetry writing workshop for adults the first and third Saturdays of every month. The next workshop is Saturday, Jan. 12, from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at Santa Catalina Branch Library. 

A musical program titled Opera Plus Sunday, Jan. 13, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library will feature sopranos Coril Prochnow and Samantha Aiko Kim and baritone Eric Castro performing works from operas by Mozart, Puccini and Webber as well as songs from West Side Story, Phantom of the Opera and South Pacific.

Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002, PG) starring Everlyn Sampi and Kenneth Branagh will be shown Monday, Jan. 14, at 1 p.m. in Studio on 4th (fourth floor) at Central Library. In the western Australian outback in 1931, three half aboriginal and half white girls run away from a government-run training settlement to escape a guaranteed life as domestic servants and laborers because of their mixed race, and they follow a 1,000-mile fence to get home to their parents while being pursued by a government official who believes "half castes" must be bred out of existence. The film is based on true events.

The Screening Mimis Film Discussion Group for adults presents Sinbad the Sailor (1947, NR) starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Maureen O'Hara Tuesday, Jan. 15, at 1:30 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. An ocean adventure awaits Sinbad as he sets out in search of the fabled lost treasure of Alexander the Great. The film will be preceded by a presentation about its 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.

Pasadena Presbyterian Church will be one of the venues for the annual Villa-Lobos International Chamber Music Festival. Cellist Lars Hoefs, pianist Rose Chen and clarinetist Karl Pasch will perform Brazilian works Wednesday, Jan. 16, from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m.

The Goodbye Girl (1977, PG) starring Marsha Mason and Richard Dreyfuss will be shown Wednesday, Jan. 16, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. A struggling Off-Broadway actor sublets a New York City apartment only to find that a former dancer and her 10-year-old daughter live there, so they find a way to make the best of a seemingly bad situation.

Musicians from the Pasadena Symphony and Pops will perform Thursday, Jan. 17, at 2 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend, but you do have to be 50 or older.

Romeo and Juliet (1936, NR) starring Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer will be shown Friday, Jan. 18, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. A teenage boy and girl discover young love despite an age-old vendetta between their respective noble families. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend, but you do have to be 50 or older.

Photo credits: Free Library of Philadelphia, San Francisco Opera, Rumbalara Films, RKO Radio Pictures, Lars Hoefs, Warner Bros., Pasadena Symphony and Pops, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).

Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events January 5 to 11

Here are events scheduled Saturday, Jan. 5, to Friday, Jan. 11,

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

Bring the kids for Nature Tails Storybook Time featuring books about animals and nature Saturday, Jan, 5, at 10:30 a.m. in the Children's Corner inside the Eaton Canyon Nature Center. Nature Tails are scheduled every Saturday morning.

Children ages 5 to 12 are invited to read books to gentle, well-trained dogs at Barks and Books Monday, Jan. 7, at 3 p.m. at La Pintoresca Branch Library Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 4 p.m. at Villa-Parke Branch Library and/or Thursday, Jan, 10, at 4 p.m. at Central Library. 

The first Tuesday of every month is Free Family Night at Kidspace Children's Museum. Since the first Tuesday in January is New Year's Day, Free Family Night will be Tuesday, Jan, 8, from 4 to 8 p.m. Explore folk art and create your own. At 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., watch folk dancing demonstrations. 

Children ages 6 and older will learn how to use woodworking tools safely, design and build a woodworking project in the SideStreet Woodworking Bus during a five-week workshop Tuesdays, Jan. 8 to 29 and Feb. 5, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at La Pintoresca Branch Library. Call (626) 744-7268 to sign up.

Classical flutist Michelle Matsumune, accompanied by pianist Galina Barskaya, will perform Wednesday, Jan. 9, from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. for the popular Music at Noon recital series at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

Written on the Wind (1956, NR) starring Rock Hudson and Lauren Bacall will be shown Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. A Texas oil family drives itself to ruin through lust, greed and relationships that wreak havoc on the dynasty.

Teens are invited to join the Tournament of Roses Royal Court for a delightful afternoon of tea, Q&As and photo opportunities Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 3 p.m. at Allendale Branch Library.

Pianist Bob Lipson and commentator/singer Saul H. Jacobs will lead a musical journey through the life and works of George and Ira Gershwin Thursday, Jan. 10, at 2 p.m. at the Pasadena Senior Center. 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 Great Gatsby (1974, PG) starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow will be shown Friday, Jan. 11, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. A man claws his way from rags to riches only to find his wealth complicates his life and cannot bring him happiness. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend but you do have to be 50 or older.

Learn about the latest missions on Mars, the biggest Martian storm in a decade, rolling and drilling on Rubin Ridge, a new rover under construction a a recent arrival on Mars that's preparing to get down to business Friday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m. in Caltech's Ramo Auditorium in Baxter Hall (#77 on this map). Parking in Caltech lots and parking structures is free after 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Photo credits: Child's Play International, Feiwel & Friends, Sleeping Bear Press, Spectrum News1, Foutz Trading Co., SideStreets Projects, Michelle Matsumune, Universal International Pictures, Pasadena Now, Gershwin Enterprises, Paramount Pictures, Jet Propulsion Laboratory.