Free Events -- On Hold

My weekly free events blog posts are on hold until this coronavirus crisis is over.

Please stay safe, everybody!

Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events March 21 to 27

Here are arts and cultural events scheduled Saturday, March 21, to Friday, March 27.

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

Espionage, intrigue and strong women, oh my!

March is One City, One Story month -- our community reading celebration with 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 from 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, and then smuggle copies of the book translated into Russian back into the USSR. The story is intertwined with that of the decades-long affair between Pasternak and mis mistress/muse, Olga Ivinskaya, who was dragged to Gulags twice for her involvement in the book and who inspired the "Doctor Zhivago" heroine Lara. 

One City, One Story events are scheduled all month long. There are two events scheduled this upcoming week:

• Join a book discussion about "The Secrets We Kept" Saturday, March 21, at 10:30 a.m. at Hill Avenue Branch Library or 11 a.m. at San Rafael Branch Library.
• Click here for the full calendar of events.

"The Loved One" (1965, NR) starring Robert Morse and Jonathan Winters will be shown Saturday, March 21, at 2 p.m. at Allendale Branch Library. A British poet falls in love with a funeral-home cosmetician, who in turn is loved by a prissy funeral director. See the trailer here. This film is not for children.

Third@First presents American bass Nathan Stark in a program titled "From Opera to Broadway" Saturday, March 21, at 4 p.m. at First United Methodist Church. 

The PBS documentary film "Medal of Honor" (2008, TV-14) will be shown Wednesday, March 25, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. Some remarkable soldiers found the strength to face almost certain death to save the lives of others during wars spanning the Civil War to the Iraq War. Discover some of the most inspirational stories of bravery ever to emerge from the battlefield. See the trailer here. The Medal of Honor, first given during the Civil War, is the highest U.S. award for valor in combat. The film was produced by Ken Burns and narrated by Alfre Woodard.

"Ford v Ferrari" (2019, PG-13) starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale will be shown Friday, March 27, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. American car designer Carroll Shelby and British-born driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference, laws of physics and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary new race car for Ford Motor Company that will take on the dominating race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. 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.

Photo credits: City of Pasadena, Filmways Pictures, Nathan Stark, PBS, Chernin Entertainment.

Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events March 14 to 20

Here are arts and cultural events scheduled Saturday, March 14, to Friday, March 20.

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

Please note I have deleted events that have been canceled by the host organizations. Please click into links for the host organizations below for any updates on these events that are still scheduled.

Do you love movies and dream of writing the scripts that bring concepts to life? "How to Break Into Screenwriting" is a panel discussion presented by Scriptwriters Network in conjunction with the Pasadena International Film Festival Saturday, March 14, at 2 p.m. upstairs at Vroman's Bookstore in Playhouse Village (formerly called the Playhouse District). Panelists will include Tiegen Kosiak, an independent producer; Jorjeana Marie, a scriptwriter and storyteller; Bill Taub, a scriptwriter and producer; and Melessa Sargent, president and CEO of Scriptwriters Network. The discussion will be moderated by Jill Narciso, a scriptwriter and filmmaker. Come learn how to get started and make a career of it! Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Crown City Symphony will perform Mozart's overture to his opera "Don Giovanni," Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D with guest violin soloist Jacqueline Suzuki and Borodin's "In the Steppes of Central Asia" Sunday, March 15, at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Pasadena. 

An LA Opera community educator will host an interactive presentation Monday, March 16, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center to explain how being a professional opera singer takes much more than talent. 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 "Matewan" (1987, PG-13) starring Chris Cooper and James Earl Jones Tuesday, March 17, at 1:30 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. A union organizer comes to an embattled West Virginia coal mining town in 1920 where he is joined by a "scab," the sympathetic mayor and the police chief in a heroic fight against the mining company that has brutally and violently dominated, harassed and intimated workers for years. The film is based on true events. 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.

How to write a 10-minute play: Learn the elements of plot, conflict, dialog and resolution through writing exercises Friday, March 20, at 11 a.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center and connect with your creative side in an environment of support and feedback that will help you become a budding playwright. RSVP by calling (626) 795-4331. This workshop will be led by award-winning playwright Kurt Maxey. 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 Good Liar" (2019, R) starring Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen will be shown Friday, March 20, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. A career con man sets his sights on a recently widowed woman worth millions, but what should be a simple swindle becomes a potentially deadly cat-and-mouse game. 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: Poster's Garage, Crown City Symphony, Metropolitan Opera, Cinecom Entertainment Group, BRON Studios.

Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events March 7 to 13

Here are free arts and cultural events scheduled Saturday, March 7, to Friday, March 13.

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

Auditions for the next season of "America's Got Talent" will be taped on several dates this month at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Be part of the audience! Free tickets are going fast, so sign up for yours today! In addition to performers, you'll see host Terry Crews along with celebrity judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara.

Each week, Family Fun Saturday at Eaton Canyon Nature Center includes activities for all ages. On Saturday, March 7, from 9 a.m. to noon enjoy Nature Tails Storytime, create a nature craft to take home, see a presentation with a live wild animal and take a family nature walk.

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 twice for her involvement in the book and inspired the "Doctor Zhivago" heroine Lara. One City, One Story events are scheduled all month long. There is one event scheduled this coming week:

• Join a book discussion about "The Secrets We Kept" Saturday, March 7, at 10:30 a.m. at Allendale Branch Library. Also, local author Chip Jacobs will discuss his latest novel "Arroyo."
• Click here for the full calendar of events.

Enjoy Irish music, dance, storytelling and more by performers from the Contemporary Irish Arts Center Los Angeles Saturday, March 7, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the courtyard at One Colorado. RSVP here. 

The Caltech Orchestra presents "Masterworks" Saturday, March 7, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 8, at 3 p.m. in Ramo Auditorium at Caltech's Baxter Hall (#77 on this map). The program will include Debussy's Fêtes (from Trois Nocturnes), Bach's Concerto for 2 Violins in D minor and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5. The orchestra is comprised of professional-level musicians from Caltech and JPL. Parking is free in Caltech parking lots and parking structures on weekends.

 

The second Sunday of every month is Free Admission Day at USC Pacific Asia Museum. On Sunday, March 8, from noon to 4 p.m. celebrate the Hinamatsuri (Japanese Girls' Day) by creating your own traditional Japanese dolls, making and hanging decorations inspired by the festival, watching a Japanese tea ceremony, taking a tour of art in the museum's Japanese collection and attending a special storytime.

Teens are invited to build your own toy bear and make its clothes using no-sew methods Monday, March 9, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Studio on 4th (fourth floor) at Central Library. All materials will be provided. Call (626) 744-4066, option 4 to sign up.

Nathalia will perform bilingual (English/Spanish) music for infants and toddlers ages 0 to 5 as they sing and sway along Tuesday, March 10, from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library.

Children 5 to 12 are invited to read books to gentle, well-trained dogs during Barks and Books Tuesday, March 10, at 3:30 p.m. at Hastings Branch Library. Barks and Books continues at various branch libraries throughout March.

"The Greatest Show on Earth" (1952, NR) starring Betty Hutton and Cornel Wilde will be shown Wednesday, March 11, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. The general manager of the world's largest traveling circus struggles to keep it afloat financially while high drama abounds among the circus performers. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture. See the trailer here.

Children and families are invited to turn ordinary paper plates into wondrous, twirling rainbows with pots of gold at the ends Wednesday, March 11, at 3:30 p.m. at Santa Catalina Branch Library. All materials will be provided.

The Great American Songwriters series continues Thursday, March 12, at 2 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center with "Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer." Join pianist Bob Lipson and commentator/singer Don Snyder for a fun and interactive musical journey through the life and work of the songwriting team of composer Hoagy Carmichael and lyricist Johnny Mercer, whose songs include "Stardust," "That Old Black Magic," "Moon River," "Skylark," "Laura" 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 create one-of-a-kind works of art using their own fingerprints Thursday, March 12, at 3:30 p.m. at Hill Avenue Branch Library. All materials will be provided.

"Parasite" (2019, R) starring Kang-ho Song and Sun-kyun Lee will be shown Friday, March 13, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. A savvy, low-income South Korean family cons its way into working in the household of a wealthy family, but a parasitic interloper threatens their newfound comfort and endangers the fragile relationship between the two families. The film, in Korean with English subtitles, won the Academy Award for Best Picture. 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.

Editor's note 3/10/20: ARTNIGHT PASADENA HAS BEEN CANCELED.

Enjoy an evening of art, music, dancing, drama and more when ArtNight Pasadena returns Friday, March 13, from 6 to 10 p.m. and our community's arts and cultural institutions 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 speed from one location to another. Here's the lineup of venues (websites with specific information about their respective ArtNight Pasadena offerings are linked):

* Armory Center for the Arts

* Art Center College of Design Hillside Campus 

* Art Center College of Design South Campus

* artWORKS Teen Center

* Central Library

* City Hall

* The Gamble House

* Jackie Robinson Community Center

* Kidspace Children's Museum

* MUSE/IQUE

* Parson's Nose Theater

* Pasadena City College -- Gallery V and Boone Art Gallery

* Pasadena Museum of History

* Pasadena Unified School District at Paseo Colorado

* Red Hen Press

* Shumei Arts Council

* SP[A]CE

* USC Pacific Asia Museum

Members of Pasadena Conservatory of Music faculty will perform works by Cilèa, Bach, Mozart, Puccini, Schubert, Trenet and more Friday, March 13, at 7:30 p.m. in the conservatory's Barrett Hall. Reserve your free tickets here.

The Pasadena Community Orchestra presents "Vivaldi + Mozart + Weber" Friday, March 13, at 8 p.m. at First Church of the Nazarene featuring Vivaldi's Concerto alla Rustica, Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante and Weber's Symphony No. 1.

SAVE THE DATE!

The Pasadena International Film Festival is scheduled Thursday, March 12, through Thursday, March 19. One event is free and open to the public:

Do you love movies and dream of writing the scripts that bring concepts to life? "How to Break Into Screenwriting" is a panel discussion presented by Scriptwriters Network Saturday, March 14, at 2 p.m. upstairs at Vroman's Bookstore in Playhouse Village (formerly called the Playhouse District). Panelists will include Tiegen Kosiak, an independent producer; Jorjeana Marie, a scriptwriter and storyteller; Bill Taub, a scriptwriter and producer; Melessa Sargent, president and CEO of Scriptwriters Network. The discussion will be moderated by Jill Narciso, a scriptwriter and filmmaker. Come learn how to get started and make a career of it! Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Photo credits: City of Pasadena, Caltech, USC Pacific Asia Museum, Build A Bear, CD Baby, Burnish Creative, Paramount Pictures, Gallery Yopriceville, Raising Dragons, Barunson E&, Pasadena Community Orchestra.

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.