This sounds great!

http://www.renegadecraft.com/los-angeles?site=la

And it’s free!

Learn how to make a linoelum block print and other arts/crafts for free!  There will be bands too.  And it all takes place on the penthouse level of California Market Center with 360-degree views of downtown L.A.

 ****  UPDATE***

We went to this.  It was very cool to see all the great craft-y stuff people made.  Creativity was everywhere.  It was nice to see that there were people who weren’t technologically obsessed and still making things by hand.  Practically everyone was a hipster there in a craft-y sense and no grandma dollies or doilies were around.  Most of the vendors were quite shy and that was cute to see, though that probably doesn’t help their businesses.  One of the coolest things I saw was The Weekend Store which made vintage recycled jewelry from old typewriter keys.  Pics to come.

These bloggers have nice posts about the event:

http://apatchworkworld.blogspot.com/2009/07/renegade-swap-o-ramarama-recap.html

http://milkandeggsco.com/index.php?_a=viewBlog&blogId=34

 

 

Tonight kicks off the Levitt Pavilion’s free outdoor concert series in Pasadena.  http://www.levittpavilionpasadena.org/summer-calendar-2009.html

And this Friday begins Free Shakespeare in Barnsdall Park. http://www.independentshakespeare.com/box-office/box-office.html

You can picnic at both of these places.  When I first started this blog, I was majorly enamored by both these events and wrote about them here and here.  The Levitt Pasadena is the Hollywood Bowl without the Bowl.  Both series are a great way to have fun on a dime. 

Mark your calendar - August 21 is Bollywood Night at the Levitt!!!

The Pasadena Waldorf School is hosting its second annual Festival of Art on Saturday, April 25, 2009, 10 am to 5 pm.  I’ve been curious about Waldorf schools ever since I read that its students learn how to knit and weave even before writing.  The thinking behind this is if a student knows how to make clothes, she’ll be empowered.  I could have this all wrong though.  Please enlighten if you know.  Nonetheless, the festival gives outsiders a chance to tour the school’s wooded grounds.

http://www.pwsfestivalofart.com/

209 E Mariposa Street, Altadena, CA 91001

***** UPDATE ****

I went to this and it was great, very peaceful and relaxing.  The campus is idyllic with its shady trees and bungalows.  I was impressed by the selection of artists too; they seemed to be representing higher quality work than what I’ve seen at other art fairs (i.e. South Pasadena’s).  Also the food, though just with two vendors, was great:  vegetable fritters, healthy vegetable chow mein, potato latkes, gourmet pizzas, and more.  This was a zero-waste event, meaning all trash was either recycled or composted.  I was impressed.  I also got to visit a very cheerful, yellow classroom and see the handiwork of the students.  Yes, they do learn knitting and then progress to making clothes, dolls, and animals.  They also have a school period called "games."  The school just seemed like a really safe, protected place.  I couldn’t tell if the kids did computer projects or had computers.  A place without texting - could it be?

is Friday, March 13, 2009.

Here are the deets.

The new Samurai exhibit at the Pacific Asia Museum is free on this night too.

The Pacific Asia Museum is hosting a free family day this Saturday, March 14, 2009, from 12 - 4 pm.   The exhibit is "The Samurai Re-Imagined: From Ukiyo to Anime" and features samurai, manga comics, armor, and robots.   The day includes free admission to the galleries plus crafts, performances, demonstrations, and more fun.

Also part of the exhibit are a series of related events; one about game design.

Saturday, March 21, 2-5pm
Discussion, Games People Play
Join game designer Alexei Othenin-Girard as he discusses the history and development of game design. The event is followed by a workshop on the fundamentals of game design.
  

Pacific Asia Museum

46 N. Los Robles Avenue

Pasadena, CA 91101

(626) 449-2742

www.pacificasiamuseum.org

Just take the Gold Line to Memorial Park.

 

The Riverside Dickens Festival is this weekend, February 6-8, 2009.  Have tea with Queen Victoria, enjoy a Victorian Era fashion show, performances, and much more.

I’ve never been to the Doo Dah Parade, so don’t know what it’s like.  Here’s their press release:

 Doo Dah Parade on Heels of Rose Parade!

WHAT: The 32nd “OCASSIONAL” PASADENA DOO DAH PARADE celebrates the post-holiday season in its typically loud, irreverent style on SUNDAY, JANUARY 18th, stepping off at 11:30am. The boisterous, twisted sister to Pasadena’s prim and proper Rose Parade is expected to draw an estimated 45,000 fun-lovers from all over Southern California and parts unknown. Since 1978, Doo Dah has received national attention and has been named “Best Parade in America” by Readers’ Digest, and is included in the book 50 Places To See Before You Die.

WHERE: The OLD PASADENA historic retail and entertainment district. Convenient parking is located in structures adjacent to the parade route. Metro Gold Line stops nearest to the Parade are Del Mar and Memorial Park stations. Lawn chairs are encouraged!

WHO: Over 1,500 revelers will be led by 2009 Grand Marshal Charles Phoenix, loved by fans for his live, hilarious Retro Slide Show performances, fun-filled School Bus Field Trip Tours, crazy kitchen experiments and colorful coffee table books. Charles will be perched atop a bright red fire marshal’s station wagon towing a classic trailer followed by a troupe of colorfully coutured roller skaters.
 

www.pasadenadoodahparade.info

January 25th is the Whale Fiesta at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.  Look at the nifty whale sand sculptures on the beach.  Also admission to the aquarium is free that day.  I predict lots of youngsters will be at the event as this looks extremely family friendly.  Their website write-up is funny:

"Join us for tons of fun as we celebrate the migration of the Pacific Gray Whale past our shores and the start of the Whalewatch season at the annual Whale Fiesta on Sunday, January 25, 2009 from 10 am to 4:30 pm. Co-sponsored by CMA and the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Cetacean Society, it’s a family day filled with activities and exhibits for all. We’ll have our famous Duct Tape Whale Sculpture Contest, games, arts and crafts, puppet shows for children of all ages, talks by whale experts, food and gift vendors, marine awareness organizations and music! This year we are building a life-sized rare Cuvier’s beaked whale out of sand on our beach. Grab your shovels and come lend a hand! Admission is free and a 25-cent park and ride shuttle is available at 22nd and Miner Streets (at the end of Harbor Blvd.). For more information, please call Larry Fukuhara at (310) 548-7562 x223."

 

The American Cetacean Society and duct tape whale sculptures?  Who can resist that? 

 

This Saturday, November 15, the City of South Pasadena will be hosting its Fall Arts Fest, featuring artist open houses, holiday boutiques, art-making workshops, music performances and much more.  Check out the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce’s site for details.  Mission Tile West (853 Mission) will host a free tile-making workshop from 2 pm to 5 pm.  Woopie!

Location:  Mission Street between the Meridian Iron Works Museum Plaza (at the Gold Line Station) and Fair Oaks Avenue.

Learn about the Port of Long Beach at the Green Port Festival, Saturday, October 4, 2008.  Free boat and train rides and a WHOLE LOT MORE.  Visit the site for details.

http://www.polb.com/community/portfest.asp 

Go ride a stagecoach!

Los Encinos State Historic Park

On Sunday, October 19th, Los Encinos State Historic Park in Encino will host a unique living history event. It will be "Stagecoach Day", which celebrates the 150th Anniversary of the start of scheduled stagecoach service in California.

This program will feature an actual stagecoach with horses, traveling the old Overland Mail route (Ventura Blvd) from Campo de Cahuenga in Universal City to Los Encinos and then to the Leonis Adobe in Calabasas. It is scheduled to arrive at Los Encinos around mid day.

In addition, the program at Los Encinos will feature two 19th Century style bands (Los Californios and the Band of the California Battalion), Victorian dancing, a blacksmith, a telegraph office, children’s games, tours of the restored 1849 adobe and participants in authentic Victorian costume.

Pack a picnic and stay the day–admission is free. Old West attire is encouraged (no weapons please)

Los Encinos Website
(Directions, park history and archives of historic photographs)

"Stagecoach Days" are being celebrated throughout the California State Parks system. Ft.Tejon State Historic Park is having their "Overland Mail Day" on Saturday, October 4th.
Print a flier

 

From the Pacific Asia Museum: 

Sunday September 28, 11:00am-5:00pm
Free Family Day - Himalayan Festival We’re celebrating the people of the world’s highest region with the biggest FREE Family Festival of the year! Enjoy hands-on crafts, music, dance, exhibitions, demonstrations, and food and crafts for sale from Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Tibet. The Himalayan Festival is presented in association with the Tibetan Association of Southern California and is made possible in part by the City of Pasadena Arts and Culture Commission and Cultural Affairs Division, Pasadena Art League, Target, Dharma Arts, Tibetan Arts, India Sweets and Spices and Bodhi Tree Bookstore. In-kind support provided by Dolphin Rents, Sierra Club, and Whole Life Times. Special thanks to the volunteers of Pacific Asia Museum’s Himalayan Arts Council and Pakistan Arts Council.

Four days of Korean madness…

The 35th Annual Los Angeles Korean Festival…

September 25 - 28, 2008

with a Korean traditional marketplace, tea ceremony, parade, wrestling demo and

A SENIOR CITIZENS FOLK SONG CONTEST!

www.lakoreanfestival.com 

Lotsa free parties are happening Thursday night (8-28-08) to celebrate Barack’s acceptance of the Democratic nomination.  Just plug in your zip code here and you’ll get a listing. Many people are opening up their homes to strangers for the event. This is all part of the community building Barack is pushing for. Locally, there’s going to be a big bash in Pasadena at Blair High School.  From PasadenaDemocrats.com:

Join the United Democratic Headquarters for a historic celebration as

BARACK OBAMA
Accepts the nomination for President of the United States
And We Honor
Dr. Martin Luther King
on the 45th Anniversary of His "I Have a Dream Speech"

Thursday, August 28, 2008
Time 6pm
Location: Blair High School
1201 S. Marengo Ave. Pasadena Live television feed from the Democratic Convention. If you’re interested in being a sponsor for the event, contribute online by clicking here.

*** UPDATE ***

We went to this and it was great fun and very inspirational.  It was also almost an aerobic workout with how many times people got up and clapped.  CNN was there to get Pasadena reaction coverage, and this absolutely delighted the audience at Blair H.S. when we saw our images on the monitor during Barack’s speech.  For my photos click here.

 

I love watermelons and find it really funny that there is a 3-day festival dedicated to them in Tujunga - Sunland, starting August 8th.

Info here:  Watermelon Festival

and from Yelp: 

Featuring Free Watermelon for all, a Watermelon carving display, a Watermelon eating contest with exciting prizes, and a Watermelon seed spitting contest!  Can you break the world record of 68 feet, 91/2 inches, set in Luling, Texas?  

Also, a Watermelon hat decorating contest, and the much anticipated Watermelon Festival Queen contest. International food court, beer and wine gardens, festival marketplace featuring arts and crafts vendors and live musical entertainment and dancing each day.

It’s their 47th annual festival ode to the melon.  $1 admission, benefits charity. 

This Sunday, July, 20, the City of South Pasadena will be sponsoring their 2nd Annual Clean-Air Car Show and Film Festival.   Here’s your chance to learn about environmentally friendly cars that are currently on the market and in development; over 30 cars will be there (sans pushy car sales people I hope).  The City will also be showing eco-movies at the Rialto; the 11th Hour by Leonardo Dicaprio plays at 11 am and 3:30 pm, with mini-seminars and guest speakers in between. Sounds like a good, learning time.  There’s free food and give-aways to boot. I feel so yesterday driving a gas-guzzling car.  It’s time to learn my options.

South Pasadena’s 2nd Annual Clean-Air Car Show and Film Festival
Sunday, July 20, 2008
11 am - 6 pm
El Centro Street and Fair Oaks Avenue
Free Admission!

Here’s an article on the event from Pasadena Now, from which I learned about the event.  Thanks PN!

 

 

This sounds interesting and it’s in a little town called Fawnskin near Big Bear.  It’s the Fawnskin Victorian Festival on July 5th and 6th.  From their website http://www.fawnskinvictorian.com/:

July 5th and 6th, 2008

The Big Bear Valley Renaissance Society, Inc. is delighted to announce our first Victorian Festival on July 5th and 6th, 2008, at our permanent site on the north shore of Big Bear Lake!

Hosted in the lovely little town of Fawnskin, the Victorian Festival is a day in Charles Dickens’ London – a city filled with lively and colorful characters from both literature and history. Come join us for an adventure in this elegant era with hundreds of costumed players in music halls, pubs and dance parties. Explore our winding lanes, finding trinkets and treasures while surrounded by enticing aromas of hearty foods and the joyous sound of music in the air.

Some of the activities will include a Victorian Tea, Tea with the Queen, and readings by Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, and other literary artists of the 19th century. We will have demonstrations of the Gatling gun, cannon, and a battle of the Queen’s Royal Army! Entertainment will also be provided on five stages throughout the day. And, for the younger set, we will have the children’s craft & game area.

While not all visitors come in costume, a great many do. The highlight of the event, the Grand Masque Ball under the stars on Saturday night, is a costumed affair, although a non-costumed gallery is available, if you would like to witness the glamorous spectacle.

More info on their site.   Fawnskin, sounds like a magical place.  Perhaps this could be another staycation of sorts.

Try heading up into the San Gabriel mountains and enjoying Wrightwood in the off-season.  You’ll see lots of trees and nice town folk; however, it could still be hot up there.  Check the weather report.  Wrightwood has its charms and surprisingly a lot of free summer programming. It’s about a one hour drive from L.A. 

 

 

I wish I lived in Chicago so that I could go to the free Saturday Millenium Park Workouts, June 7 to September 27.  The schedule sounds so fun:  Yoga - 8 am, Pilates - 9 am, Dance - 10 am, Tai Chi -7 am, and Kids and Family workouts at 11 am.  Just click this link to see the great pictures of happy Chicagoans working out in their fabulous Millenium Park.  Pictured above.  This is what L.A. needs - one big happy family workout.

The Dance workouts feature different styles of dance: hip hop, salsa, modern, and in September, it’s four Saturdays of the Chicago Bollywood Explosion with Shamila Khetarpal.  There are also workouts called Body Combat, Kung Fu Hustle, and Get Moving with Ronald McDonald.  Way to do some public programming Chicago! 

Wouldn’t you like to workout in front of this thingy?   Frank Gehry of L.A.’s Disney Concet Hall designed this outdoor concert hall in Millenium Park. 

 

(Source: Flickr) 

Click here for another post on Millennium Park with pictures.

with Jazz Fest Weekend, June 21 - 22.  You can’t go the summer without stopping by the Levitt at least once, where you can picnic, boogie, and listen to great music.  It’s a free concert season five nights a week in Pasadena, with over 50 concerts planned.  Wednesday is Children’s Night, Thursday is American Music, Friday is World Beat (my favorite night), Saturday is Musica Latina, and Sunday is the popular Jazz Night.  But it all kicks off this weekend with a Saturday and Sunday Jazz fest.  Last year, I had a fabulous time listening to DJ Cheb i Sabah.  Check out that post for tips and where to park for free.

http://www.levittpavilionpasadena.org/summer-programs.html 
The Levitt Pavilion is located at 85 E. Holly St. in the heart of Old Pasadena at Memorial Park, right off the Fair Oaks exit from the 210 freeway, and on the corner of Walnut and Raymond.

Here’s a video on youtube.com about the Levitt.

Here’s Cheb i Sabbah last summer.  Good times.

 

I was a Shakespeare fiend last summer.  Click on my Theatre link for all the madness.  Here’s the Bard line-up for this summer.  A few of the productions have already started!

http://www.shakespearebythesea.org/calendar.html
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Antony & Cleopatra. Venues all throughout Socal.

http://www.independentshakespeare.com/box-office/box-office.html
Excellent theatre company with attractive actors.  Probably the best Shakespeare ensemble in L.A.  At Barnsdall Art Park in Hollywood.  Picture below and my previous post here with tips.

Woops!  I put the wrong Levitt Pasadena Link here.  It doesn’t look like the Levitt is doing Shakespeare this year.  What a shame.  When I hear otherwise, I’ll post it.  Sorry!  *** UPDATE ***  The LATimes has a listing of Shakespeare productions this summer.  There are free performances in Culver City, Downtown, and Long Beach, and in Orange/San Diego Counties.  Woopie!  Click here.  Also, the LATimes has an article about Summer Shakespeare in L.A.  If you’re overwhelmed by all the freebie Shakespeare offerings, I recommend just checking out the Independent Shakespeare Co. at Barnsdall. 

Not free, but a beautiful venue.  Macbeth’s on the line-up.
http://www.theatricum.com./   Topanga Canyon.

 

 

I had a great time at this last year.  Click here to see my pics of this mongo living history festival. If you like festivals, this is the festival of festivals, and it’s a good walking day because it covers a lot of ground and is right next to the ocean.  It’s worth the $10.  If you want to save some money, bring your own grub and avoid the food lines and prices. 

http://www.ftmac.org/OFMD2008.htm  

(From their website) 

Old Fort MacArthur Days 2008
Sponsored by Associated Foundations Inc.

Welcome to the home page of the west’s largest continually running re-enactment and living history timeline event!

For more than twenty years now the Fort MacArthur Museum has sponsored what has turned into the west’s largest multicultural celebration of world military history. What began as a small gathering of cannon enthusiasts has blossomed into a truly spectacular event showcasing the history of military activity from around the world and across time.

When & Where?
Saturday & Sunday
July 12 - 13, 2008
10am - 4pm both days
The Fort MacArthur Museum
3601 S Gaffey St. San Pedro
California, 90731
310-548-2631

Admission:
$10.00 Adults
$ 5.00 children under 12
 Your admission fee helps support the Preservation,
Restoration, & Interpretive programs of the museum

 

 

Info from http://makemusicpasadena.org/about.html 

Make Music Pasadena is a FREE musical celebration throughout the main districts in Pasadena, including Old Pasadena, One Colorado, the Playhouse District, and throughout the city.

Make Music Pasadena takes place on World Music Day, the Summer Solstice, Saturday, June 21, 2008. On that day, sidewalks, parks, courtyards, alleys, building lobbies and other unconventional performance spaces will become spontaneous musical stages and social gathering places. Amateur musicians will bring their musical talents to the streets of Pasadena and perform to new crowds. Top selling and internationally known artists will perform at SIX themed main stages. What better way to jump start the summer than by dancing in the streets, throughout the day, to these wonderful music performances. All performances are free and open to the public.

Make Music Pasadena is presented in part by Levitt Pavilions Free Music across America and is produced by One Colorado, Old Pasadena Management District, Playhouse District Association, Pasadena Arts Council, Pasadena Convention and Visitors Bureau, Armory Center for the Arts, the Alliance Française de Pasadena, French Cultural Services in Los Angeles and FLAX, France Los Angeles Exchange. Bringing Music to the Streets The purpose of Make Music Pasadena is to encourage the community to find their inner artistic talents, and to unite them with new audiences. From professional musicians performing on main stages, to amateur musicians taking to the streets to showcase their talents, to people whistling while they walk, our mission is to encourage the community to Make Music where ever and how ever they can.

Where Will Musicians Play? On city streets, sidewalks, alleyways, parks, museums, courtyards, rooftops, in private homes, on balconies, in lobbies, in gardens, at bus stops – or wherever a person decides to display their musical talent.  

For the schedule, click here.  Sounds like a fun day! 

….is BOOKEXPO!   It’s coming to the L.A. Convention Center, May 29 - June 1st.  It’s a book publishing trade show.  Tons of book publishers come out and give out FREE copies of their new books.  There is also a HUGE authors’ petting zoo, where you can get autographed copies of new books for $1.  BookExpo is primarily for publishing industry professionals and costs $50 - 65 per day.  You can also buy 3-day passes. 

http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/ 

The last time BookExpo was in L.A. was about 6 years ago.  It was massive fun and I almost got a hernia from all the books I lugged out.   This is like the L.A. Times Festival of Books but all the books are freeeeee!

This Sunday…..this sounds great!

http://www.museumsofthearroyo.com/ 

If you’re going let me know. 

******UPDATE*******

We went to this - loads of fun despite the 100 degree weather.  I sweated my way through the Heritage Square Museum and the Southwest Museum and then got respite at the air conditioned Police Historical Museum.  All three stops were vastly different and taking the yellow school bus between them was great fun.  It totally brought back memories of school field trips and elementary school.  Back then we could fit three to a seat, now it’s two.

So yah, the Heritage Museum which is a collection of Victorian-era houses to traipse through was really interesting. The Southwest was beautiful but most of the collections were closed.  My favorite though was the Police Historical Museum.  What a setup, a well-designed space with jail cells to try out, displays of handcuffs and deadbolts, and a seat to take mug shots.  There was also a rather morbid display of the North Hollywood shootout, the shot up cars and tanks used, the bullet-proof clothing the assailants wore, and much more.  It was freaky.  L.A.’s finest also offerred free hotdogs and lemonade.  A secure feeling of macho men prevailed.

I’m so glad I got to try out these three off-beat museums without paying!    

Mac Photog tipped me off to this delicious sounding (free) festival:

LA Curry Festival
The largest international Curry Festival in California is taking place in Los Angeles! 
All things curry from main dishes to desserts, from mild to flaming hot, from savory to sweet, from soupy to crispy…
will absolutely stimulate your senses and wet everyone’s appetite. 
FEATURING:

INTERNATIONAL FOOD, CURRY KING CONTEST, RAFFLE DRAWING, and COOKING
DEMONSTRATION. 

The Thai New Year Day’s Songkran Festival will also be taking place – with more
opportunities for other exciting activities and diverse cultural experiences!
WHEN?
SUNDAY, APRIL 13, 2008. 10:00 AM-7:00 PM

WHERE?
Hollywood Blvd. from Western Ave. to Vermont Ave. (Thai Town)
Los Angeles, CA 90027

Event Map
HOW?
1) Hollywood/Western Metro Red Line.  Miss Traffic. Go Metro!
2) Free parking at Kaiser Permanente (accessible on Vermont Ave. via Barnsdall Drive)
and take free shuttle to our event site.  Parking Map

HOW MUCH?
FREE ADMISSION!

http://www.thaicdchome.org/cms/la-curry-festival 

Happy Chinese New Year!  It’s the Year of the Rat.  Reader C told me about the New Year’s Eve celebration happening at the beautiful Thien Hau Temple in Chinatown, L.A., so I went down to check it out last night. The festivities included a lion dance and martial arts demonstration, which were excellent and very fun, and throngs of Buddhists burning incense and offering prayers.  Too bad my camera did not capture it well. I did get some great video of a paparazzi-like crush upon the lions as people tried to pet them. I’ll load it once I figure out how to. Petting the lions was a highlight, also was stuffing money into a lion statue’s mouth. 

 

Look in the back to see the lion with bills in its mouth.

Petting the lions who have entered the temple.  Come back for my video of the mosh-pit like atmosphere.  Very fun!

Lions dancing in the dark. 

The San Gabriel Valley has a huge Lunar New Year Parade and Festival on Saturday, February 16, 2008, from 10 am to 5:30 pm on Valley between Almansor and Garfield, with the parade starting at 11 am.  Don’t miss this!  www.lunarnewyearparade.com/city_parade.htm

From the site:

The Festival will be held in the heart of one of the largest Chinese / American commercial districts in the southland. The one-day festivities attract about 50,000 people and consist of more than 250 booths.  There are many theme-oriented venues giving attendees a taste of the Chinese culture. The food court is an ideal place to sample dishes from different regions. Admission is free.

This Saturday, January 26, 2008, San Marino unveils its new $16 million dollar public library.  The festivities start at 9:15 am and last all week.  Larry Mantle of KPCC’s AirTalk will be the MC.  Authors Eve Bunting, Tony Johnston, Lisa Yee, and more will be on hand.  Curious George will make an appearance at 3 pm and Ben Franklin before him at 1 pm.  Woopie!  I love libraries and this one looks great, chock full of resources and amenities galore. 

Visit the site for more information.

Crowell Public Library, City of San Marino
1890 Huntington Drive
San Marino, CA 91108
626.300.0777
Email: smpl "at" ci.san-marino.ca.us

On Friday, November 2, Caltech will have their first annual Olive Harvest Festival when the whole campus will be picked clean of its olives.  Then the olives will be pressed and sold as olive oil for a campus fundraiser.  The day will be full of olive picking, demonstrations, and food tastings.  Sounds very weird and interesting - this is part of Caltech’s efforts to be a green campus.  You can be part of the festivities by clicking here.  Volunteer pickers are needed and ladder safety training is on Thursday. 

*** UPDATE:   Here are some photos of the olive harvesting from Tableau Vivante.  It looked like fun; I wish I could have made it.  ***

Then in the evening, head over to the Norton Simon where the first Friday of the month is free admission from 6 pm - 9 pm.  What a nice way to wind down the work week - with ancient scupltures from India and a great art collection.  The Norton Simon has a very surprising collection and the space is truly beautiful.    www.nortonsimon.org

The Pasadena art community is about your epidermis this October.  Discover all the skin-related exhibits and activities going on now by clicking here.  It sounds great!

I had a great time at Under Spring the first time I stumbled upon it.  It’s an unusual public space underneath a bridge in downtown L.A, a former hangout of drug users.  And now Farmlab is hosting a basket-making workship there to celebrate Native American heritage month.  I find this a very odd yet intriguing pairing: baskets and urban bridges.  Stop by, breathe in smog, learn about the Tongva people, and weave something - it’s free!

TONGVA
Saturday, October 13, 2007 10am-12noon
Tongva Cultural Workshop | Stories/Songs/Basket Making
Join us for the fourth and final workshop held at Farmlab to honor November as Native American Heritage month. The workshop will be led by the descendants of the Tongva people, of the Los Angeles.  Click the link for info.

The Alhambra Recycling Fair will be this Saturday, October 13, 9 am - 1 pm, at Granada Park, 2000 W. Hellman Ave, Alhambra.  Have anything you need to shred?  Bring it.  Have cans and bottles?  Bring them. Have an old computer sitting in your garage?  Bring it.  You’ll get a Fosseleman’s ice cream coupon in exchange for your recyclable waste!  Woopie!  Time to try their pumpkin flavored ice cream.  Here’s the City’s blurb on the fair:

Saturday, October 13 – Alhambra Recycling Fair co-sponsored by the City of Alhambra and Allied Waste Services (AWS) – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Encourage your family to recycle by gathering unwanted plastic bottles and aluminum cans, as well as electronic waste items. Bring the items to the Fair for collection by AWS, then while at the event pick up free recycling and conservation information, free crime prevention information (including a Child “Kidprint” ID Kit), and utilize free onsite document shredding services. Bring 20 aluminum and/or plastic beverage containers, or an electronic waste item and receive a certificate for one free scoop of Fosselman’s ice cream (one scoop per customer, and only while supplies last). For more information, call (626) 570-5010.

This Friday through Sunday (Oct 12,13,14), Pasadena’s celebrating the arts, with free activities on each night.  There will be free museum admissions (Friday, 6-10pm), an arts market, band performances (Dengue Fever), theatre, and a Latino history parade. Wow!  Pasadena is doing it up.

Click here for the fantabulous schedule:
www.pasadenaARTweekend.com 

Though summer’s over, L.A.’s still having fun.  Here are some free things happening around town this weekend.

Friday, October 5, 2007
Bird walk and documentaries at the Audubon Center at Debs Park in Highland Park. Yah, I know this doesn’t sound too crazy, but I betcha it would make a nice date outing.  7 pm walk; 8 pm outdoor film.

Saturday, October 6, 2007 
Eagle Rock Music Festival featuring 40 bands in Eagle Rock.  Cambodian American Band Dengue Fever is one of the headliners, and haz-mat suit-wearing, percussion ensemble GLANK will be performing.  I enjoyed them at the Farmlab event I posted about a few weekends ago.  They’re quite a spectacle.  The night’s line-up also includes puppetry.  5pm till midnight. 

Rockin’ the Pines Music Festival and Market night in Wrightwood, about a one hour drive from L.A. up in the San Gabriel mountains. 

Sunday, October 7, 2007 
Meet Smokey the Bear at a Safety Fair at the Descanso Gardens. 10 am - 3pm.