Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events April 27 to May 3

Here are events scheduled Saturday, April 27, to Friday, May 3.

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

The annual Jackalope Indie Artisan Fair will include live musical performances and plenty of fun, family-friendly activities as well as browsing and people-watching Saturday and Sunday, April 27 and 28, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Central Park. Purchase of artisan items is not required to attend.

Live Music at One Colorado presents Americana singer/songwriter Tom Freund Sunday, April 28, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the courtyard.

Children 5 to 12 are invited to explore Asian cultures, arts and practices Monday, April 29, at 3:30 p.m. at Central Library's Studio on 4th (fourth floor) where educators from USC Pacific Asia Museum will present storytelling, hands-on artmaking, folklore and more. To sign up, call (626) 744-4066, option 4.

Live Music at One Colorado presents country rock band Neon West Monday, April 29, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the courtyard.

Violinist David Stenske, accompanied by pianist Neil Stipp, will perform sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven and Claude Debussy Wednesday, May 1, from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. for the popular Music at Noon recital series at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

Live Music at One Colorado presents classic soul/pop singer Nina Storey Wednesday, May 1, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the courtyard.

Musicians from Salastina Music Society will join the Pasadena Conservatory of Music in performance of works by composers who benefited from the patronage of salonniere Winnaretta Singer Thursday, May 2, at 7 p.m. in the conservatory's Barrett Hall. While the concert is free, click in here for your tickets.

The 2015 documentary film "To Climb a Gold Mountain" will be shown Thursday, May 2, at 7 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. The film relays the stories four women of Asian descent who lived in America from the 1850s to the present day, each from different backgrounds and each of whom made a difference in her own way.

Live Music at One Colorado presents pop singer Malynda Hale Thursday, May 2, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the courtyard.

Live Music at One Colorado presents pop/soul singer Holland Greco Friday, May 3, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the courtyard.

Photo credits: Jackalope Arts, Tom Freund, Cool Kids, Karl Jäger, Nina Storey, Salastina Music Society, Crystal Sphinx Productions, Malynda Hale, Holland Grego

Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events April 20 to 26

Here are events scheduled Saturday, April 20, to Friday, April 26.

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

Children will love hopping on over to search for colored eggs outdoors at One Colorado Saturday, April 20, beginning at 10:30 a.m. (it will be smart to arrive no later than 10 a.m. because the egg hunt will be while supplies last only). Children must bring their own baskets. Before the after the egg hunt, the Easter Bunny will be available for photo opps and selfies. Stick around afterward for the Bob Baker Marionette Theater's Springtime Review at 11:30 a.m. 

All ages are welcome to a concert by Sandii Castleberry Saturday, April 20, at 11 a.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. She performs everything from blues and bluegrass to jazz standards and rockabilly, traditional folk and country, and children's favorites. This event is sponsored by the Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest.

The annual Egg Bowl at the Rose Bowl Stadium is the largest egg hunt in the region! This year's is scheduled Saturday, April 20, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. when three egg hunts will feature 80,000 eggs plus plenty of other family-friendly activities. There are nominal fees for food and certain attractions such as rides, but all other activities are free, including face painting, arts and crafts, entertainment and more. Children should bring their own baskets.

Children, teens and adults are invited to celebrate Earth Day by creating upcycled bird feeders using bird seed and recycled materials Tuesday, April 23, at 4 p.m. at Hastings Branch Library. All materials will be provided. 

"On a Clear Day You Can See Forever" (1970, G) starring Barbra Streisand and Yves Montand will be shown Wednesday, April 24, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. A woman visits a psychologist for hypnotherapy to help her quit smoking, then finds herself reliving a tragic Victorian romance from a past life.

Festival del Dia Niño/Day of the Child will be celebrated with music, books, crafts, games and fun for the entire family Wednesday, April 24, at 3:30 p.m. at La Pintoresca Branch Library.

Wearing traditional regalia, renowned Navajo Indian dancer Ben Hale will entertain and educate children, teens and adults about native American dances, songs and stories from the 1400s to modern-day pow-wows Wednesday, April 24, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Santa Catalina Branch Library.

Photo credits: Left Coast Estate, Sandii Castleberry, City of Pasadena, HGTV Handmade, Paramount Pictures, Ben Hale

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

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

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

The 19th annual Caltech Jazz Festival Saturday, April 13, from 1 to 6 p.m. at the Gates Annex Patio (#26 on this map) will feature the Caltech Jazz Band and special guest artists. Feel free to bring blankets and food for picnics on the lawn. Parking is free in Caltech lots and parking structures on weekends.

The second Sunday of every month is Free Admission Day at USC Pacific Asia Museum. On Sunday, April 14, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. celebrate the Southeast Asian New Year as you make your own ceremonial banner, build a sand pagoda, throw paint-filled balloons at a collaborative mural, make a Myanmar-inspired shadow puppet, take a docent-led tour of the museum's galleries and more.

Tuesday Musicale presents a program of classical music Sunday, April 14, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library featuring trumpeter Trevor Johnson and pianist Hosanna Anjiki performing works by Torelli and Peaslee; tuba player Clayton Dungey playing a horn concerto by Richard Strauss and the Romance for Tuba by Raum; and pianist Shot Homma will perform works by Bach, Schumann and Danielpour.

An LA Opera community educator will guide participants through Manuel Panella's groundbreaking 1916 zarzuela (Spanish opera) "El Gato Montés" Monday, April 15, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. The opera was wildly popular in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries, then was produced in English as "The Wild Cat" in New York City in 1921. The opera saw a revival beginning in 1992. 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 Screening Mimis Film Discussion Group presents the documentary "Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood" (2017, NR) featuring Scotty Bowers Tuesday, April 16, at 1:30 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. The ex-Marine landed in Hollywood just after World War II and became confidante, aide de camp and lover to many of Hollywood's male and female stars, then waited 60 years to spill his secrets. Popcorn will be served. The Screening Mimis Film Discussion Group 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.

Classical and jazz guitarist David Rogers will perform Wednesday, April 17, from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. for the popular Music at Noon recital series at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

"Resurrection" (1980, PG) starring Ellen Burstyn and Sam Shepard will be shown Wednesday, April 17, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. A woman briefly enters the afterlife after a car crash that kills her husband, but she survives and finds herself possessing strange powers.

Families are invited to join in the egg hunt extravaganza Thursday, April 18, at 4 p.m. at Hastings Branch Library.

The National Geographic documentary film "Free Solo" (2018, PG-13) will be shown Friday, April 19, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. Climber Alex Honnold prepares to achieve his lifelong dream of climbing the face of the 3,000-foot El Capitan in Yosemite National Park -- without a rope -- and the result is a triumph of the human spirit.

SAVE THE DATE!

The annual Egg Bowl at the Rose Bowl Stadium is the largest egg hunt in the region! This year's is scheduled Saturday, April 20, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. when three egg hunts will feature 80,000 eggs plus plenty of other family-friendly activities. There are nominal fees for food and certain attractions such as rides, but all other activities are free. Children should bring their own baskets.

Photo credits: Freepik, Pacific Asia Museum, Amagico, Universal Pictures, Kid 101, David Rogers, Altimeter Films, Deutsche Grammophon, Itinerant Films

Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events April 6 to 12

Here are events scheduled Saturday, April 6, to Friday, April 12. 

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

The next Explore JPL event at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory will be Saturday and Sunday, May 18 and 19, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. YOU MUST HAVE A TICKET TO ATTEND! Online ticket registration will begin Saturday, April 6, at 8 a.m., and tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are not required for children younger than 2. You'll see special exhibits indoors and outdoors, 3-D movies and multiple unmanned spacecraft on display, learn about space missions, chat it up with JPL scientists and engineers and much more. 

It's Family Fun Saturday at Eaton Canyon Nature Center Saturday, April 6, with a guided family nature walk at 9 a.m., Nature Tails Story Time at 10:30 a.m., a presentation with live animals at 11 a.m. and a nature craft at 11:30 a.m. Family Fun Saturdays are scheduled every week.

Special guest Richard Maxwell will speak in the Los Angeles Times Media Center at Art Center College of Design's hillside campus Tuesday, April 9, at 7:30 p.m. for the ongoing Graduate Art Seminar, to which the public is invited. Maxwell is a playwright, theater director and the artistic director of the New York City Players. The Graduate Art Seminar is a forum for Art Center graduate students and members of the community to dialog with internationally recognized artists, critics and art historians.

"Forever Amber" (1947, NR) starring Linda Darnell and Cornel Wilde will be shown Wednesday, April 10, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. Suppressed by her 17th century British Puritan upbringing, Amber St. Clair moves to London where she becomes a courtesan, gets pregnant by a dashing soldier and has encounters with other uncaring men, including the King of England, while true love eludes her.

Part of Los Angeles's radiance comes from streets lined with signs from the gold age of neon from 1925 to 1965. On Wednesday, April 10, at 5:30 p.m. at the Women's City Club, photographer and historian Tom Zimmerman will show images that depict what Raymond Chandler, F. Scott Fitzgerald and countless other writers have tried to put into words about a city that has carried a very special glow for decades. Reservations are encouraged for this Book Club of California presentation. You do not have to be a member of BCC to attend.

The six-part Great American Songwriters series continues Thursday, April 11, at 2 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center with a focus on Dorothy Fields and other women who write hit songs including "Lovely to Look At," "On the Sunny Side of the Street," "A Fine Romance," "You Ought to Be in Pictures" and many more. Join pianist Bob Lipson and commentator/performer Saul H. Jacobs for this fun, interactive program. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend but you do have to be 50 or older.

It's a poetry party! Celebrate National Poetry Month by creating your own poetry Thursday, April 11, from 4 to 5 p.m. at Hastings Branch Library. Write a poem, make a blackout or collage poem and/or hang your poem on the Poet Tree. All ages are welcome.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" (2018, PG-13) starring Rami Malek and Lucy Boynton will be shown Friday, April 12, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. The film is a foot-stomping celebration of the rock group Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury who defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet. The film is based on true events.

Photo credits: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Oregon Zoo, The New Yorker, Twentieth Century Fox, Design: A Beginner's Handbook, Library of Congress, Flocabulary, GK Films