Looking for Something to Do? Free Events Feb. 25 to March 3

Here are free events scheduled Saturday, Feb. 25, to Friday, March 3.

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

Read, write and converse with writers whose works exist in the vibrant space between languages and in the multiplicity of Englishes that populate L.A. Saturday, Feb. 25, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Caldwell Gallery at Armory Center for the Arts. Bring an empty notebook, questions about a particular piece of writing and/or simply your desire to read in good company. This event coincides with the exhibition "Between Words & Silence."

Come join residents, artists, writers, students and others for an afternoon of hammock knitting, poetry and storytelling Saturday, Feb. 25, from 1 to 4 p.m. at La Pintoresca Branch Library. Hammocks will be installed in parks adjacent to Pasadena public libraries, a high school and Side Street Projects headquarters. 

Pianist Erica Lee will perform in recital Saturday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. in Barrett Hall at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music. The program will include Bach's Prelude and Fugue in A-flat Major WTC I, Haydn's Sonata No. 50 in C Major, Brahms's Intermezzi Op. 118 Nos. 1-3, Debussy's Jardins sous la pluie, Chopin's Etude Op. 25 No. 1 and Moszkowski's Etude Op. 72 No. 10.

Desire can be deadly! A Los Angeles Opera community educator will lead guests through the opera "Salome" Monday, Feb. 27, at 1 p.m. at the Pasadena Senior Center. Set in ancient Judea, this biblical tale of lust and betrayal is based on Oscar Wilde's scandalous play, with revolutionary music by Richard Strauss. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend.

Jenni Olson will perform on piccolo, flute, alto flute and bass flute Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. in Barrett Hall at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music as she takes guests on a musical journey of classic flute repertoire as well as new and exciting commissioned works. The program will include works by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Brandon, Fauré, Horsley, Montano, Prokofiev and Mancini. Olson will be accompanied by pianist Timothy Durkovic. Reserve your free tickets here.

March is One City, One Story month -- our community reading celebration! Have you read this year's Pulitzer Prize-winning selection The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen yet? OCOS events are scheduled all month long.

• "The Scent of Green Papaya" (1993, NR) starring Tran Nu Yên-Khê and Man San Lu will be shown Wednesday, March 1, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. A 10-year-old Vietnamese country girl goes to work as a servant for an affluent but troubled family in Saigon in the years prior to the war. The girl earns the fragile affection of the household's grieving matriarch while discovering beauty and epiphany in the lush physical details that envelope her. Vietnamese with English subtitles.

• Viet Thanh Nguyen will join Michelle Perera, director of the Pasadena Public Library system, Thursday, March 2, at 7 p.m. at All Saints Church to discuss his experiences writing the novel, followed by a Q&A with the audience.

Jazz guitarist Riner Scivally, pianist Jennifer Morris/Watts and bassist Michael Alvidrez will perform Wednesday, March 1, from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. for the popular Music at Noon recital series at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

Children are invited to Dr. Seuss's birthday party to enjoy some of the author's great classics, make a craft and enjoy tasty treats Wednesday, March 1, at 3:30 p.m. at Hill Avenue Branch Library and Thursday, March 2, at 3:30 p.m. at La Pintoresca Branch Library. 

"The Accountant" (2016, R) starring Ben Affleck and Anna Kendrick will be shown Friday, March 3, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. A mathematics savant with more affinity for numbers than people works as a freelance accountant for some of the world's most dangerous criminal organizations, then takes on a legitimate client to try and keep the feds from closing in on him. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend.

The first Friday of every month is Free Admission Night at the Norton Simon Museum. On Friday, March 3, from 5 to 9 p.m. enjoy the current exhibition "Serial Flirtations: Rotari's Muses," Van Gogh's 'Bedroom' on loan from the Art Institute of Chicago and everything else the museum has to offer.

The opening reception of the Valerie Daval exhibition "Entendez-voux le Murmure..." Friday, March 3, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Alliance Francaise de Pasadena will feature paintings inspired by the works of renowned French writers Jean Giono and J.M.G. Le Clezio. There will be a conversation with the artist at 7 p.m. The exhibition will continue through March 31.

Now that the books are closed on the 2017 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. A docent will lead you through the 18,500-square-foot Italian Renaissance mansion built for the chewing gum mogul in 1906. In addition to 21 magnificent rooms, you'll see displays related to Rose Bowl Games, Rose Queens and their Courts, Grand Marshals and plenty of historical memorabilia from football trophies to tiaras. Then visit the adjacent Wrigley Gardens with 1,500 varieties of roses.

Photo credits: Armory Center for the Arts, Erica Lee, Los Angeles Opera, Ron Luxemburg, U.S. Postal Service, Warner Bros., Norton Simon Museum, Valerie Daval, Pasadena Tournament of Roses.