Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events October 26 to November 1

Here are events scheduled Saturday, Oct. 26, to Friday, Nov. 1.

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

Celebrate Dia de los Muertos / Day of the Dead on Big Bang Theory Way (near 93 E. Green St.) in Old Pasadena Saturday, Oct. 26, from 1 to 7 p.m. Enjoy live marimba and mariachi music, craft-making, calavera face painting, a community altar dedicated to loved ones and more.

A classic science fiction double feature will be shown Saturday, Oct. 26, from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. The first feature will be "When Worlds Collide" (1951, G) starring Richard Derr and Barbara Rush. When a new star and planet hurtle toward Earth, a worldwide lottery is held to determine who will be rescued from oblivion and allowed to board a spaceship for a new home. The film is based on the 1932 novel by Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer. The second feature will be "The Time Machine" (1960, G) starring Rod Taylor and Yvette Mimieux. A time traveler invents a machine that transcends the boundaries of time and space, and when he advances several millennia into the future he finds people enslaved to the powers of an underworld. The film is based on the 1895 novel by H.G. Wells.

The family-friendly Fall Festival at Victory Park Saturday, Oct. 26, from 2 to 6 p.m. will feature live entertainment, carnival games, face painting, arts and crafts, tiny tot area, costume contest, scareventure hunt, fitness zone, free raffles and more. Tickets will be sold onsite for pony rides, train rides and big slide, and food will be available for purchase.

The Dia de los Muertes / Day of the Dead celebration in the Playhouse District Saturday, Oct. 26, from 2 to 9 p.m. on El Molino Avenue between Colorado Boulevard and Green Street will include decorative altars by local artists, chalk artists creating masterpieces on sidewalks, giant games, children's activities, live entertainment by Mariachi Hermanos Morales, Ballet Folklorico Quetzal, Chroma Haze, Bob Baker Marionette Theater and much more.

Children 5 to 12 are invited to make their own personalized trick-or-treat bags Saturday, Oct. 26, at 3 p.m. at San Rafael Branch Library. Bags and decorations will be provided.

Bring your dog(s) to the Growl-O-Ween costume contest and parade for canines and their human companions Sunday, Oct 27, from 9 to 10 a.m. at the Dog Bakery on Mills Place. To reserve a free goody bag for your pooch, RSVP here (click on Going) or call (626) 440-0443.

"Roma, Città Aperta" (Rome, Open City) (1945, NR, Italian with English subtitles) starring Anna Magnani and Aldo Fabrizzi will be shown Monday, Oct. 28, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. During the Nazi occupation of Rome in 1944, the resistance leader evades the Gestapo and their Italian collaborators and finds refuge with a priest while he plans his escape. "Open City," which Martin Scorsese calls "the most precious moment in film history," is considered the founding film of Italian Neorealism and was shot on the devastated streets of Rome just two months after the Nazis had been driven out. The screening will be followed by an audience discussion. This event is for adults 18 and older. See the trailer here.

Zombies will invade La Pintoresca Branch Library Tuesday, Oct. 29, from 3 to 5:30 p.m. when children of all ages and their families will be encouraged to come in their grubbies for the filming of the zombie western "The Good, The Bad and the Zombies." T-shirts and zombie makeup will be provided.

Classical and jazz guitarist Stephen Dick will perform Wednesday, Oct. 30, from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. for the popular Music at Noon concert series at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

Two creepy classic films will be shown Wednesday, Oct. 30, beginning at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. First up will be "The Invisible Man" (1933, NR) based on the H.G. Wells novel and starring Claude Rains and Gloria Stewart. A mysterious doctor discovers a serum that makes him invisible and then slowly drives him to terrorize people. Next up will be "The Invisible Man Returns" (1940, NR) starring Cedric Hardwicke and Vincent Price. A man framed for murder uses a serum to become invisible, then sets out to find the real killer.

Children and their families will enjoy an afternoon of spooky stories, creepy crafts and tasty treats Wednesday, Oct. 30, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Hill Avenue Branch Library. Costumes are encouraged.

"The Nightmare Before Christmas" with the voice talents of Chris Sarandon and Catherine O'Hara will be shown Thursday, Oct. 31, at 3:30 p.m. at Villa-Parke Branch Library. Jack Skellington the Pumpkin King is bored with the same old scare-and-scream routine and longs to spread the joy of Christmas, but his merry mission puts Santa in jeopardy and creates a nightmare for good little boys and girls everywhere. Popcorn will be provided. See the trailer here.

Children, teens and adults are invited for an afternoon of spooktacular Halloween crafts that will bring out the boo in everybody Thursday, Oct. 31, from 4 to 5 p.m. at Hastings Branch Library.

"The Nightmare Before Christmas" with the voice talents of Chris Sarandon and Catherine O'Hara will be shown Thursday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m. in the courtyard at One Colorado. Jack Skellington the Pumpkin King is bored with the same old scare-and-scream routine and longs to spread the joy of Christmas, but his merry mission puts Santa in jeopardy and creates a nightmare for good little boys and girls everywhere. RSVP here, and see the trailer here.

Admission is free to the Norton Simon Museum the first Friday of every month. On Friday, Nov. 1, from 5 to 8 p.m. enjoy the current exhibitions "By Day & By Night: Paris in the Belle Epoch" and "AIR LAND SEA: A Lithographic Suite by William Crutchfield" and everything else the museum has to offer.

Celebrate the centuries-old Latin American holiday Dia de los Muertos / Day of the Dead at Villa-Parke Community Center Friday, Nov. 1, from 5 to 8 p.m. with dance performances, arts and crafts, ofrendas (elaborately decorated altars) and more. Food will be available for purchase.

Teens 13 to 18 are invited to a Roaring '20s dinner party and murder mystery Friday, Nov. 1, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Central Library. They will solve the crime by prowling the stacks, hunting for clues and unveiling the truth, and they might apprehend the culprit before he or she strikes again. Costumes are encouraged but not required. Register here.

Photo credits: Old Pasadena Management District, Paramount Pictures, George Pal Productions, City of Pasadena, Playhouse District Association, Gifts.com, Excelsa Film, Kid 101, Touchstone Pictures, Tostadora, Norton Simon Museum, My Mystery Party.

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

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

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

The Latino Heritage Parade Saturday, Oct. 19, will begin at 10 a.m. at Los Robles Avenue and Prescott Street and end at Villa-Parke where a festival will continue from noon to 4 p.m. with art exhibits, artisans, educational and historical displays, entertainment, cultural food, community booths and much more. 

Susie Glaze will perform new and traditional folk songs Saturday, Oct. 19, at 11 a.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. This event is sponsored by the Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest.

"Seconds" (1966, R) starring Rock Hudson and Frank Campanella will be shown Saturday, Oct. 19, at 2 p.m. at Allendale Branch Library. A banker agrees to a procedure that will fake his death and provide him with a fresh start, complete with a new face and lifestyle, but it comes with its own price, and his second thoughts may be too late. The film's cult status has grown over the years, and Hudson's performance is now widely considered one of the finest of his career. The screening will be followed by a discussion; light refreshments will be served. See the trailer here. 

The bold women of Shrew: Improvised Shakespeare will weave vibrant, hilarious and completely improvised tales full of heart and mischief in the style of the bard Saturday, Oct. 19, at 3 p.m. at Lamanda Park Branch Library. All ages are welcome.

Third@First presents "Magnificent Mozart," a concert of the composer's Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat and his Requiem with soloists, choruses and orchestra Saturday, Oct. 19, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church.

The family-friendly Pumpkin Festival at Brookside Park directly in front of Kidspace Children's Museum is Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 19 and 20, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Festival admission is free to enjoy musical and dance performances, a costume parade, take-home seasonal craft activities and photos at the pumpkin patch; tickets will be sold for several other attractions such as pony rides, carnival games and food.

On Monday, Oct. 21, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center, an LA Opera community educator will share insights into the upcoming production of Adam Guettel's "The Light in the Piazza" starring Renee Fleming, Dove Cameron and Brian Stokes Mitchell. The story is set in the 1950s and revolves around a wealthy Southern woman and her developmentally disabled adult daughter who spend a summer in Italy where the daughter falls in love with a young Italian man, forcing her mother to reconsider the young woman's future as well as her own deep-seated hopes and regrets. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend, but you do have to be 50 or older.

Teens are invited to make clocks from recycled books Monday, Oct. 21, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Studio on 4th (fourth floor) at Central Library. All materials will be provided.

Children are invited by the Southern California Children's Museum to create Halloween-themed crafts Tuesday, Oct. 22, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the courtyard at One Colorado. While the event is free, RSVPs are requested.

Jacqueline Petitto and Susan Kim-Pedroza will perform piano for four hands Wednesday, Oct. 23, from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. for the popular Music at Noon recital series at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

"Eight Men Out" (1998, PG) starring John Cusack and D.B. Sweeney will be shown Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. When a gambling syndicate gets wind of Chicago White Sox players' discontent with their low pay, it offers a select group of the baseball stars more money to play badly in the 1919 World Series than they would have earned if they had won. The film is based on true events, which led to the infamous "Black Sox" scandal.

Boo! Flights of Fantasy Story Theatre presents "Spiders and Monsters and Ghosts, Oh My!" a concoction of folk tales, fables and rhymes, Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 3:30 p.m. at Santa Catalina Branch Library. All ages are welcome.

Berman Board is an ongoing exhibition at Armory Center for the Arts through Jan. 12 that considers the future of 11 objects that originated from regions and cultures across Africa, Asia, Oceania and North America. On Wednesday, Oct. 23, from 7 to 9 p.m., artist Fiona Connor will lead visitors through the exhibition, then guide them to look, study and draw objects under consideration by the Berman Board. Participants will have the option of contributing their drawings to a growing archive that is part of the exhibition.

The Hollow Trees will perform folk, country, blues and jazz for children and families Thursday, Oct. 24, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the courtyard at One Colorado. While the event is free, RSVPs are requested.

"As Good as It Gets" (1997, PG-13) starring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt will be shown Friday, Oct. 25, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. An obsessive-compulsive, homophobic romance novelist is compelled by circumstances to get to know his gay neighbor next door and the waitress who puts up with his abuse every morning at a nearby restaurant. 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 family-friendly Fall Festival at Victory Park Saturday, Oct. 26, from 2 to 6 p.m. will feature live entertainment, carnival games, face painting, arts and crafts, tiny tot area, costume contest, scareventure hunt, fitness zone, free raffles and more. Tickets will be sold onsite for pony rides, train rides and big slide, and food will be available for purchase.

Photo credits: Latino Heritage, Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble, Joel Productions, Shrew: Improvised Shakespeare, Halidon Music, LA Opera, PRWeb, Ela Area Public Library, Flights of Fantasy Story Theatre, Armory Center for the Arts, The Hollow Trees, TriStar Pictures.

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

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

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

Some of Southern California's best visual artists will showcase their works in a juried art festival during Pasadena ARTWalk Saturday, Oct. 12, 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 more.

The San Gabriel Valley Pride Festival Saturday, Oct. 12, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Central Park will feature a photography exhibition, live music, car show, drag queen performances and more.

The second Sunday of every month is Free Admission Day at the USC Pacific Asia Museum. On Sunday, Oct. 13, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. learn to bind your own journal and fill it with art and personal memories, take a docent-led tour of galleries and special exhibitions, bring the kids for a special storytime and more.

If you've never been to the elegant headquarters of the Carnegie Observatories on Santa Barbara Street -- and even if you have -- don't miss the annual open house Sunday, Oct. 13, from 2 to 5 p.m. Meet the astronomers, learn about exciting discoveries underway, see a photo exhibition of Carnegie's Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, see a display of historical astronomical images on glass plates, bring the kids to make their own constellations and other fun astro activities, view the sun through a solar telescope, tour the historic Hale Library and learn about more than a century of pioneering achievements by Carnegie scientists, enjoy ice cream, beverages and live music in the beautiful courtyard, get the latest update on the Giant Magellan Telescope and much more.

The Second Sunday Concert with the theme "An Afternoon with The Three Cellists" Sunday, Oct. 13, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library will feature cellists In Hee Na, Wonson Keem and Ashley Kim performing works by composers from Bach to Piazzolla.

"La Scaphandre et la Papillon" (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) (2007, PG-13, French with English subtitles) starring Mathieu Amalric and Emmanuelle Seigner will be shown Monday, Oct, 14, at 1 p.m. in Studio on 4th (fourth floor) at Central Library. Jean-Dominic Bauby, editor-in-chief of French "Elle," suffers a rare stroke to the brain stem that paralyzes every part of his body except his left eye, and somehow finds the strength to journey from this prison, or as he calls it, his "diving bell," with no means of escape. He finds his only solace in the "butterfly" of his seemingly depthless fantasies and memories. He authors an autobiography by moving and blinking his eye for every letter of every word. The film is based on true events. The screening will be followed by an audience discussion. This event is for adults 18 and older. See the trailer here. 

The BeatBuds will perform children's music with a contemporary sound the whole family will enjoy Tuesday, Oct. 15, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the courtyard at One Colorado.

Virtuoso saxophonist Andrew Harrison and piano accompanist Jason Lo will perform Wednesday, Oct. 16, from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. for the popular Music at Noon recital series at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

"An Ideal Husband" (1999, PG-13) starring Rupert Everett and Julianne Moore will be shown Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. A young Brit provides an Austrian baron with secret Foreign Office information for which he is paid handsomely, and the money becomes the basis of his fortune and his sterling government career. Years later he is blackmailed by a mysterious woman, and his fear of confessing everything to his wife has unexpected consequences. See the trailer here. The film is based on the 1899 play by Oscar Wilde.

Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek will reveal the two selections of the novels for the 2020 One City, One Story community reading celebration Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 1 p.m. in the fountain courtyard at Central Library. Click on the One City, One Story link above to learn about the eight finalists as chosen by a community committee. One novel will be selected for spring and another for summer.

Martin Chalifour, principal concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, will perform in a chamber music concert with the Caltech Chamber Ensemble Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. in Dabney Hall (Building #40 on this map) at Caltech. The program will include compositions by Beethoven and Brahms, plus Baroque music. Reservations are required: email cdemesa@caltech.edu or call (626) 395-3295. Parking in Caltech lots and structures is free after 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Christopher T. Musician will entertain children and families with his not-so-traditional magical shenanigans Thursday, Oct. 17, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the courtyard at One Colorado.

"Easy Rider" (1969, R) starring Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper will be shown Friday, Oct. 18, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. Two Harley-riding bikers complete a drug deal in Southern California and decide to travel cross-country in search of spiritual truth. Along the way they experience bigotry and hatred from small-town America and meet other travelers seeking alternative lifestyles. See the trailer here. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend, but you do have to be 50 or older.

On Friday, Oct. 18, at 3:30 p.m. at the Pasadena Senior Center, guest performing artists from MUSE/IQUE will explore how shoes really do make the woman (and the man, too) when they STEP/LIVELY. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend, but you do have to be 50 or older. A limited number of complimentary tickets to the Oct. 20 MUSE/IQUE concert at the Athletic Garage Dance Center in Pasadena will be available to people who attend the Oct. 18 event and register in advance at Welcome Desk.

Photo credits: Playhouse District Association, Andrew Spartari, USC Pacific Asia Museum, Carnegie Observatories, Paddy Shaffer, KTLA, Andrew Harrison, Arts Council of England, City of Pasadena, Martin Chalifour, One Colorado, Pando Company Inc., MUSE/IQUE.

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

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

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

Each week, Family Fun Saturday at Eaton Canyon Nature Center includes activities for all ages. On Saturday, Oct. 5, from 9 a.m. to noon, enjoy a family nature walk, Nature Tails Storytime, a presentation with a live wild animal and creating a nature craft to take home.

Children 5 to 12 are invited to read books to gentle, well-trained dogs at Barks and Books Monday, Oct. 7, at 1 p.m. at San Rafael Branch Library, Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 3:30 p.m. at Hastings Branch Library and Thursday, Oct. 10, at 4 p.m. in the Children's Room at Central Library. Barks and Books continues at various branch libraries throughout October.

KPCC Radio will host a community open house with LAist Sunday, Oct. 6, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Mohn Broadcast Center and Crawford Family Forum at Southern California Public Radio. Tour the broadcast studios, record a testimonial, take photos with your favorite KPCC hosts and reporters, meet and mingle with fellow public radio fans, connect with community partners, enter to win giveaways and much more. RSVP here.

The Billy Bonkers show for children will be filled with amazing magic, slapstick comedy and much more Tuesday, Oct. 8, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the courtyard at One Colorado.

Violinist Aya Kiyonaga will perform classical works Wednesday, Oct. 9, from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. for the popular Music at Noon recital series at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

"The Legend of Lizzie Borden" (1975, TV-14) starring Elizabeth Montgomery and Fionnula Flanagan will be shown Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. New England spinster Lizzie Borden was acquitted of the charge of murdering her father and stepmother in 1892, but the popular consensus was that she was guilty. With scenes written directly from original court transcripts, this made-for-TV film adheres to the popular opinion.

During the Serbian siege of Sarajevo in the early 1990s, residents faced the danger of sniper fire and mortar attacks. One such attack killed 22 civilians waiting in line at a local bakery. For each of the following 22 days Vedran Smajlovic, a cellist, played alone in the town square, with a performance for each victim. Join the Pasadena Conservatory of Music, KUSC Classical Radio's Brian Lauritzen and musicians from Salastina Music Society for a program about this remarkable man and his classical memorial to the victims Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 7:30 p.m. at Vroman's Bookstore. A discussion about the novel "The Cellist of Sarajevo," inspired by the true events, will begin at 6:30 p.m.

The Great American Songwriters Series presents "They Reinvented the Broadway Musical: Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II" Thursday, Oct. 10, at 2 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. Join pianist Bob Lipson and commentator/performer Saul H. Jacobs as they feature songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein's hit Broadway shows including "Oklahoma," "The Sound of Music," "South Pacific," "The King and I" and more. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend, but you do have to 50 or older.

Andrew & Polly will perform for children Thursday, Oct. 10, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the courtyard at One Colorado.

The documentary film "Amazing Grace" (2018, G) will be shown Friday, Oct. 11, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. The documentary includes 1972 concert footage of Aretha Franklin performing songs from her best-selling gospel album at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend, but you do have to be 50 or older.

Enjoy an evening of art, music, dance, drama and more when ArtNight Pasadena returns Friday, Oct. 11, from 6 to 10 p.m. when nearly 20 arts and cultural institutions will open their doors for free! Hop on/hop off shuttles at every venue will take you door to door, or you can drive, ride your bike or amble at your own speed. Here's the lineup of venues. (Websites with information about their ArtNight Pasadena offerings are linked):

* A Room to Create

* Armory Center for the Arts
* Art Center College of Design

* ArtWorks Teen Center

* Boston Court

* The Gamble House

* Jackie Robinson Center

* Kidspace Children's Museum

* Light Bringer Project at Day One

* Norton Simon Museum

* One Colorado

* Pasadena Central Library

* Pasadena City Hall

* Pasadena Conservatory of Music

* Pasadena Museum of History

* Red Hen Press

* Side Street Projects

* SP[A]CE

* USC Pacific Asia Museum

SAVE THE DATE!

The Latino Heritage Parade and Festival Saturday, Oct. 19, will begin at 10 a.m. at Los Robles Avenue and Prescott Street and end outdoors at Villa-Parke where a festival from noon to 4 p.m. will feature art exhibits, artisans, educational/historical displays, live entertainment, cultural food and more.

Photo credits: Eaton Canyon Nature Center, Arcadia's Best, Southern California Public Radio, Billy Bonkers Magic, Aya Kiyonaga, George LeMaire Productions, NBC News, The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization, Andrew & Polly, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, City of Pasadena.