Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events February 29 to March 6

Here are arts and cultural events scheduled Saturday, Feb. 29, to Friday, March 6.

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, Feb. 29, from 9 a.m. to noon, enjoy a family nature walk, Nature Tails Storytime, a presentation with a live wild animal, and create a nature-themed craft to take home.

The Black History Festival in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library Saturday, Feb. 29, 1 to 4:30 p.m. will feature African American poetry readings, a presentation about 200 years of African American pioneers and communities in Southern California, and more. The festival has been coordinated by Dave Nufer, program developer and researcher for Pasadena Heritage and The LA Conservancy.

Children 5 to 12 are invited to read books to gentle, well-trained dogs during Barks and Books Monday, March 2, at 1 p.m. at San Rafael Branch Library. Barks and Books continues at various branch libraries throughout March.

Children and families are invited to a t-shirt painting party to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday Monday, March 2, at 4 p.m. at Villa-Parke Branch Library. All materials will be provided. Call (626) 744-6510 to sign up.

Espionage, intrigue and strong women, oh my! 

March is One City, One Story month -- our community reading celebration with events that include book discussions, films, presentations, special programs and more. 

Have you read the current selection "The Secrets We Kept" by Lara Prescott yet, which is inspired by true events? (I have!) At the height of the Cold War, two female secretaries are pulled out of the typing pool at the CIA and given the assignment of a lifetime, filled with intrigue and risk: smuggle Boris Pasternak's manuscript for his epic novel "Doctor Zhivago" out of the USSR, where no one dares publish it, and help it make its way into print around the world. The story is intertwined with that of the decades-long affair between Pasternak and his mistress/muse, Olga Ivinskaya, who was dragged off to the Gulag for her involvement in the book and inspired the "Doctor Zhivago" heroine Lara. One City, One Story events are scheduled all month long. Here are events scheduled this coming week:

• If you are in your 20s or 30s and have read or are reading "The Secrets We Kept" in its Apple iBook version, join the book discussion Tuesday, March 3, at 2 p.m. at Hastings Branch Library.
• Everyone is invited to join a book discussion about "The Secrets We Kept" Tuesday, March 3, at 6:30 p.m. at Hastings Branch Library.
• "Doctor Zhivago" (1965, PG-13) starring Omar Sharif and Julie Christie will be shown Wednesday, March 4, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. Yuri, a physician and poet, finds romance with Lara amid the turbulent political turmoil of the Russian Revolution and its aftermath, and although they lose touch with each other for many years, Yuri can't shake his memories of Lara, which he commits to poems that become national treasures. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture. See the trailer here.
• Lara Prescott, author of "The Secrets We Kept," will speak to the community about her historical novel Thursday, March 5, at 7 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. The program will be moderated by Pasadena Public Library Director Michelle Perera, followed by an author Q&A with the audience and book signing.
• Click here for the full calendar of events.

The first Tuesday of every month is Free Family Night at Kidspace Children's Museum. On Tuesday, March 3, from 4 to 8 p.m. create your own Art Nouveau masterpiece. Materials and instruction will be provided.

PasadenaPhotographyArts presents Kristine Schomaker, who will present and discuss her photographic series "Plus" and "Losing Weight," both of which are based on body image, Thursday, March 5, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Armory Center for the Arts. Register here.

"Harriet" (2019, PG-13) starring Cynthia Erivo and Leslie Odom Jr. will be shown Friday, March 6, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. Harriet Tubman risks her life to escape from slavery, then risks it again and again as she leads hundreds of slaves to freedom and safety as the most famous so-called conductor of the Underground Railroad. The film is based on true events. 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.

The first Friday of every month is Free Admission Day at the Norton Simon Museum. On Friday, March 6, from 5 to 8 p.m. enjoy the current exhibitions "By Day and By Night: Paris in the Belle Époque," "Paul Gauguin's 'The Swineherd,' 1888, on loan from LACMA," "Beyond the World We Know: Abstraction in Photography" and "Raphael 2020" plus everything else the museum has to offer.

The opening reception for the exhibition "Duo" by Laura and Carolie Parker -- two sisters, both Francophiles, one a photographer, the other a painter -- is Friday, March 6, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Alliance Française de Pasadena. The exhibition, which commemorates the month of La Francophonie, will continue through April 17.

SAVE THE DATE!

Enjoy an evening of art, music, dance, drama and more when ArtNight Pasadena returns Friday, March 13, from 6 to 10 p.m. and 20 of our community's arts and cultural institutions open their doors for free! 

Photo credits: Eaton Canyon Nature Center, Neighborhood North, U.S. Postal Service, City of Pasadena, Kidspace Children's Museum, Martin Chase Productions, Norton Simon Museum.

Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events February 22 to 28

Here are arts and cultural events scheduled Saturday, Feb. 22, to Friday, Feb. 28.

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

Now that the books are closed on the 2020 Tournament of Roses events, tour season has begun at the Tournament House! Come along any Thursday at 2 p.m. or 3 p.m. through the end of August. Owned by the City of Pasadena, the former Wrigley Estate is home to the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association. A docent will lead you through the 18,500-square-foot Charles Frederick Holder-designed Italian Renaissance mansion built for the chewing gum mogul in 1906. In addition to 21 magnificent rooms, you'll experience new touch screens highlighting Rose Bowl Hall of Fame inductees, a Pac-12 and Big Ten helmet wall, video playback of Rose Bowl Game history, a celebration of the annual B-2 flyover, displays related to Rose Queens and their Courts as well as grand marshals through the years and plenty of other fascinating memorabilia. Then visit the Wrigley Gardens adjacent to the mansion that feature a vast floral display of roses, camellias and annuals.

The opening reception for the exhibition "In Verbis Artis" (In Words Art) is Saturday, Feb. 22, from 4 to 7 p.m. in the gallery at ArtCenter College of Design's South Campus. The group exhibition explores the relationship between typography, design and fine art through the works of seven Los Angeles-based artists who examine the fluidity of written words and address myriad potential interpretations of language at this critical time for communication throughout contemporary culture. 

The annual Mentoris Vocal Competition finals provides valuable opportunities to advance the careers of future opera stars. This year's finalist competition Sunday, Feb. 23, at 2 p.m. in Westerbeck Recital Hall at Pasadena City College's Center for the Arts (Building CA on this map) will feature eight classical singers ages 20 to 32 who will have competed during the semifinals earlier in the day, vying for a position to sing in the final round of eight vocalists and combined prizes of $20,000 funded by the Pasadena Area Opera Trust. Although the semifinals in another location are not open to the public, the final competition at PCC is, and admission is free.

On Monday, Feb. 24, 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 Gaetano Donizetti's Tudor-period opera "Roberto Devereux," based on the true history and relationship of Queen Elizabeth I and the 2nd Earl of Essex.  Amid rumors about his relationship with the queen, Devereux faces whispers of treason due to an unauthorized peace treaty he signed with Ireland, and Queen Elizabeth is forced by her advisors to confront a no-win choice between love and country. 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 documentary film "Animation Outlaws" will be shown Monday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m. in the Los Angeles Times Media Center at ArtCenter College of Design's Hillside Campus. It tells the story of the Sick and Twisted Festival that was known as much for the radically experimental breakthrough animation it presented as it was for the outrageous antics of the founders, Spike and Mike, who threw away the traditional cartoon rulebook and wrote their own, influencing animators of "Adult Swim," "Nightmare Before Christmas," "Wallace and Gromit," "Finding Nemo," "Monsters Inc.," "Beavis and Butthead" and many more. Kat Alioshin, producer/director of the documentary, will answer questions from the audience following the film screening. See the trailer here.

The Avanti Trio will perform works for flute, violin and viola Wednesday, Feb. 26, from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. for the popular Music at Noon recital series at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

This year is the 25th anniversary of the PBS documentary "One Woman, One Vote" (1995, TV-PG) narrated by Susan Sarandon, which will be shown Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. The film documents the 70-year struggle for women's suffrage that culminated in the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. Discover why the crusaders faced entrenched opposition from men as well as women, and why so many feared what might happen to the American way of life if women won the right to vote. See the trailer here.

SAVE THE DATE!

March is One City, One Story month -- our community reading celebration with events that include book discussions, films, presentations, special programs and more all month long, beginning Tuesday, March 3. Have you read the current selection "The Secrets We Kept" by Lara Prescott yet, which is inspired by true events? At the height of the Cold War, two secretaries are pulled out of the typing pool at the CIA and given the assignment of a lifetime, filled with intrigue and risk: smuggle Boris Pasternak's manuscript for "Doctor Zhivago" out of the USSR, where no one dares publish it, and help the epic novel make its way into print around the world. The story is intertwined with that of the decades-long affair between Pasternak and his mistress/muse, Olga Ivinskaya, who was sent to the Gulag and inspired Zhivago's heroine Lara. Check the book out from a local library, purchase your very own copy at Vroman's Book Store or other online source, or go for a digital version.

Photo credits: Tournament of Roses Association, ArtCenter College of Design, MentorisVoice, LA Opera, Avanti Trio, National Archives.

Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events Feb. 15 to 21

Here are arts and cultural events scheduled Saturday, Feb. 15, to Friday, Feb. 21.

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

The 38th annual Black History Parade and Festival -- the largest in California -- is Saturday, Feb. 15. The parade, with more than 80 entries, will begin at 10 a.m. at North Fair Oaks Avenue and Figueroa Drive in Altadena, travel south on Fair Oaks and end at Robinson Park in Pasadena where there will be live entertainment, fun activities for all ages, food available for purchase, and much more from noon to 4 p.m.

In commemoration of Black History Month, the documentary film "Phunny Business: A Black Comedy" (2011, TV-14) will be shown Saturday, Feb. 15, at 2 p.m. at Allendale Branch Library. The fast-talking, sharp-witted film chronicles the rise and fall of All Jokes Aside, Chicago's first black-owned comedy club that gave early exposure to talented African American comedians, including Steve Harvey, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Jamie Foxx, Mo'Nique, Bernie Mac and many more. John Davies, the documentary's producer, writer and director, will be on hand to introduce the film. See the trailer here.

Third@First presents the concert "Stories in Music" Saturday, Feb. 15, from 4 to 5 p.m. at First United Methodist Church. Pianist Junko Ueno Garrett presents the back stories about music by Bach, Schumann, Granados and Ravel.

The Screening Mimis Film Discussion Group presents the documentary film "The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club" (2009, NR) Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 1:30 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. A Pasadena society girl turned adventurer and aviator, Florence "Pancho" Barnes was the first female stunt pilot in Hollywood in 1929, shattered Amelia Earhart's air speed record in 1930, entertained the most famous test pilots in the world at her Happy Bottom Riding Club guest ranch near Edwards Air Force Base and was a swaggering, ill-behaved woman whose exploits and accomplishments are truly the stuff of legend. See the trailer here. 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. Free popcorn will be available. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend, but you do have to be 50 or older.

"Wilson" (1944, NR) starring Alexander Knox and Charles Coburn will be shown Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. Woodrow Wilson makes his name in politics by proving he is his own man in the face of political pressure, first as president of Princeton University, then as governor of New Jersey and finally as the 28th president of the United States. 

Children and families are invited to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year with an interactive storytime, crafts and a special surprise Wednesday, Feb. 19, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at Hastings Branch Library.

The opening reception for the "SKY" exhibition in the Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery at Art Center College of Design's Hillside Campus is Thursday, Feb. 20, from 7 to 9 p.m. An immersive examination of how humans have conceptualized the sky through history, this group exhibition will demonstrate how the unfolding realities exposed by new science are affecting change in our understanding of ourselves, our planet and beyond. The exhibition will continue through Aug. 30. Part of the gallery's ongoing series that examines the intersection of contemporary art and science, SKY brings together works by west coast artists with objects and artifacts from various museums and scientific archives, including The Caltech Archive, Carnegie Observatories Mount Wilson Archive, Santa Barbara Museum of Art and the European Space Agency.

"Ragtime" (1981, PG) starring James Cagney and Harold E. Rollings Jr. will be shown Friday, Feb. 21, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. A young black pianist becomes embroiled in the lives of an upper-class white family in early 1900s New York City, amid racial tensions, infidelity and dirty politics. 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.

Photo credits: Southern California Newspaper Group, 2DS Productions, Junko Ueno Garrett, PBS, Twentieth Century Fox, Sad Poetry Club, Dino De Laurentiis Company.

Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events Feb. 8 to 14

Here are arts and cultural events scheduled Saturday, Feb. 8, to Friday, Feb. 14.

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

The opening reception for the exhibition "John Ziqiang Wu: Art Making" is Saturday, Feb. 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Armory Center for the Arts. The exhibit will be in place through March 29.

The second Sunday of every month is Free Admission Day at USC Pacific Asia Museum. On Sunday, Feb. 9, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. enjoy a relaxing afternoon of mindfulness as you create meditative drawings inspired by the special immersive exhibition "Oscar Oiwa: Dreams of a Sleeping World," participate in a family-friendly meditation in the galleries and listen to stories about finding inner peace.

Art Center College of Design's annual Spring Open House Sunday, Feb. 9, from noon to 5 p.m. will feature works of current students in the fields of entertainment design, film, photography, product design, industrial design, transportation design and more at the Hillside Campus; and the fields of fine art, advertising, graphic design, illustration and more at the South Campus.

The Black History Month Film Showcase Sunday, Feb. 9, beginning at 2 p.m. at Jackie Robinson Center will include the 2016 award-winning short film "90 Days" starring Teyonah Parris and Nic Few. A couple makes a life-altering decision after 90 days of dating. See the trailer here.

Tuesday Musicale presents the Second Sunday Concert Sunday, Feb. 9, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library featuring the Caltech Clarinet Choir and Caltech Slide Rule Trombones performing the world premieres of works written for their groups.

Jazz guitarist Riner Scivally and an ensemble will perform Wednesday, Feb. 12, from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. for the popular Music at Noon recital series at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

"Jenny's Wedding" (2015, PG-13) starring Katherine Heigl and Tom Wilkinson will be shown Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. Jenny Farrell has led an openly gay life, unbeknownst to her conventional family, so when she decides to marry the woman they thought was just her roommate, the small, safe world inhabited by Jenny's family changes forever. See the trailer here.

The Great American Songwriters series continues Thursday, Feb. 13, at 2 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. Join pianist Bob Lipson and commentator/singer Don Snyder for a fun and interactive journey through the life of Cole Porter, whose many hits include "Night & Day," "I Get a Kick Out of You," "You're the Top," "Don't Fence Me In" and more. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend, but you do have to be 50 or older.

Children and families are invited to get crafty for Valentine's Day. All materials will be provided.

• Make an adorable heart-shaped animal card for someone special Thursday Feb. 13, at 3:30 p.m. at Hill Avenue Branch Library. 
• Create a bracelet as a Valentine's Day gift for a friend or loved one Thursday, Feb. 13, at 3:30 p.m. at San Rafael Branch Library. Spell out their name or make matching friendship bracelets.
• Celebrate Valentine's Day by making crafts and valentines for the special people in your life Thursday, Feb. 13, at 4 p.m. at Hastings Branch Library.
• Solve Valentine's Day word puzzles Friday, Feb. 14, at 2 p.m. at Villa-Parke Branch Library.
• Make a valentine to give to some special Friday, Feb. 14, at 3:30 p.m. at Santa Catalina Branch Library.

The documentary film "Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice" (2019, PG-13) will be shown Friday, Feb. 14, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. At the height of unprecedented success, Linda Ronstadt turned away from rock and roll to explore other genres and eventually was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, which silenced her magnificent singing voice but has not stopped her from telling her own story in her own words. 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.

SAVE THE DATE!

The 38th annual Black History Parade and Festival is Saturday, Feb. 15, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The parade, with more than 80 entries, will begin at 10 a.m. at North Fair Oaks Avenue and Figueroa Street in Altadena, travel south on Fair Oaks and end at Robinson Park in Pasadena where there will be live entertainment, fun activities for all ages, food available for purchase, and much more from noon to 4 p.m.

Photo credits: John Ziqiang Wu, USC Pacific Asia Museum, Art Center College of Design, iN-Hale Entertainment, Aqus Cafe, MM Productions, PBS, WebStockReview, CNN Films