Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events March 23 to 29

Here are events scheduled Saturday, March 23, to Friday, March 29.

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

March is One City, One Story month -- our community reading celebration! Have you read this year's selection "In the Distance," the Pulitzer Prize finalist about a Swedish boy in the Old West, yet? One City, One Story events are scheduled all month long. Here are the remaining events:

• Community book discussion about "In the Distance" Saturday, March 23, at 10:30 a.m. at Hill Avenue Branch Library.
• Community book discussion about "In the Distance" Saturday, March 23, at 11 a.m. at San Rafael Branch Library.
• During a presentation titled "Not So Far in the Distance: True Legends of the California Gold Rush" Saturday, March 23, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Pasadena Museum of History, storyteller Ed Landler will relay accounts of the discovery of gold in California, the naming of Death Valley, exploits of legendary bandit Joaquín Murrieta and more. While this event is free, reservations are recommended,
• "True Grit" (2010, PG-13) starring Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon will be shown Wednesday, March 27, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. A 14-year-old girl joins an aging U.S. Marshal and another lawman in tracking her father's killer into hostile territory,
• "Shane" (1953, NR) starring Alan Ladd and Jean Arthur will be shown Thursday, March 28, at 6 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. A mysterious drifter rides into a tiny homesteading community where he accepts the hospitality of a farming family, is idolized by a young boy and faces down the minions of a land baron. The film will be introduced by Carl Koslowski, Pasadena Weekly film critic and arts editor, and will be followed by a Q&A with the audience. The evening will also include a western singalong with country-Americana band McMains.
• "How the West Was Won" (1962, PG) starring James Stewart and Gregory Peck will be shown Saturday, March 30, at 2 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. Three families travel from the Erie Canal to California between 1839 and 1889 as part of the western expansion. The film will be introduced by Carl Koslowski, Pasadena Weekly film critic and arts editor, and will be followed by a Q&A with the audience. The evening will also include a western singalong with country-Americana band McMains.
• See paintings of African American cowboys by artist Emerson Terry on display at Hastings Branch Library through March 31.
• If you have a Pasadena Public Library card, present it at the Autry Museum of the American West through March 31 for free admission.
• Click here for a full calendar of One City, One Story events.

Enjoy a concert by the East L.A.-based Cambalache featuring traditional Son Jorocho music of Veracruz, Mexico, and cultural dances by Xochi Flores Saturday, March 23, from 11 a.m. to noon in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library, sponsored by the Pasadena Folk Music Society. Everyone in the audience will have an opportunity to sing and dance, or you can just sit back and enjoy the entertainment. All ages are welcome.

Two cult film classics featuring the fantastic special effects of Ray Harryhausen will be shown Saturday, March 23, beginning at 2 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library.

• "Jason and the Argonauts" (1963, G) starring Todd Armstrong and Nancy Kovack. The legendary Greek hero leads a team of intrepid adventurers in a perilous quest for the legendary Golden Fleece.
• "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" (1958, G) starring Kerwin Mathews and Kathryn Grant. When a princess is shrunken by an evil wizard, Sinbad must undertake a quest to an island of monsters to cure her and prevent a war.

The inaugural concert of Laemmle Live Pasadena will feature musicians from the Pasadena Conservatory of Music's Los Angeles Youth Guitar Orchestra Sunday, March 24, from 11 a.m. to noon in the courtyard between Laemmle's Playhouse 7 and Vroman's Bookstore. While the concert is free, reservations are recommended.

Guest performing artists from MUSE/IQUE will explore how to improvise, create, experiment, express and find the voice that is uniquely you Friday, March 29, at 3:30 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. Participants who register in advance at the Welcome Desk and attend this event will be eligible for a limited number of tickets for the orchestra's March 31 "UNRESTRAINED/REFRAINS" concert at the former Pasadena Museum of California Art.

SAVE THE DATE!

Students in grades 6 to 12 from 150 schools will showcase their inspiring investigative skills and creativity to compete for awards and scholarships during the Los Angeles County Science and Engineering Fair Saturday, March 30, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Pasadena Convention Center. Chat it up with students and catch some of the enthusiasm they have for their fascinating research and projects.

Photo credits: City of Pasadena, Cambalache, Columbia Pictures, Laemmle Playhouse 7, MUSE/IQUE