Summer Movies, Music and Magic--and It’s All for Free : Entertainment: You don’t have to drive to Los Angeles to have fun. San Gabriel Valley cities are offering a picnic basketful of family programs.

Let the rest of Los Angeles County brave the crowds, expense and traffic jams of the Hollywood Bowl. Without spending a dime, San Gabriel Valley residents can watch movies, picnic and listen to music under the stars in their own hometowns.

Cities from Alhambra to Monrovia to Claremont are hosting free concerts, movies, puppet shows and moonlight walks.

“There are lots of things going on right here,” said Lisa Jeffery of the Pasadena Parks and Recreation Department. “You don’t have to drive to Los Angeles to have fun.”

In Monrovia, for instance, a summer dinner theater program begins tonight and runs through July 31. The series will feature a magician, marionettes, a comedy act and a children’s concert at Monrovia Library Park band shell. Beginning Sunday, the city also will launch an eight-week music series with concerts ranging from country-Western to Big Band to jazz.

“We think it’s important to provide good family activities for our residents,” said Lisa Hansberger, who coordinates summer programs for the Monrovia Recreation Department. “People visit with each other and run into neighbors they haven’t seen in a while. It promotes community spirit.”

Other cities, including Alhambra, Claremont, Glendora, South El Monte, West Covina, La Verne, Pomona, Monterey Park and Diamond Bar, offer outdoor evening concert series. Residents pack picnic dinners and bring their beach chairs, blankets and kids.

“Swarms of people turn out,” said Paula Baker, who works for the city of Glendora and attends most of the summer concerts at Finkbiner Park. “They don’t have to travel outside of the city, it’s outdoors, it’s free, there’s a playground for the kids, and you get to see all your friends. It’s great.”

In Claremont, the summer concert series includes music for adults, teen-agers and children. At the band shell in Memorial Park on Mondays there will be concerts featuring the Claremont Symphony and March Air Force Band, as well as steel drum music and a Dixieland band.

“It’s a summer social event for the whole family,” said Kathy Ables, who works in the city’s Human Services Department. “A lot of people call our series ‘Hollywood Bowl East.’ ”

On Tuesdays at Cahuilla Park in Claremont there are concerts for teen-agers featuring alternative music and rock ‘n’ roll bands. On Wednesday evenings the city has concerts and puppet shows for small children at Memorial Park.

If you want to dance to a different tune--or, for that matter, don’t want to dance at all--then head for the movies instead.

In Alhambra, residents can bring picnic dinners or homemade popcorn to munch while watching movies at the Alhambra Park band shell. There are 750 seats and room for about 300 more people to spread blankets out on the grass.

Some of the movies that will be shown this year include “The King and I,” “Hello, Dolly!” and “Splash.”

“You can always go to a movie theater and sit in the air-conditioning,” said Karen Radcliffe, who works in Alhambra’s Cultural Arts Office. “But it’s special to be able to pack a picnic and bring your family to hear music or see a movie outside. It’s kind of old-fashioned.”

Other cities that show movies in their parks are El Monte and Pasadena.

Although movies and concerts seem to be the most popular form of outdoor entertainment, at least two cities offer evening nature walks.

In Arcadia, the “Nature Under the Stars” series features moonlight walks that begin at Wilderness Park. No picnic baskets are needed here--just flashlights and sturdy shoes.

And in Pasadena there are twilight and moonlight walks at Eaton Canyon Park. There is a $2 charge per person at Eaton Canyon--an exception to the free admission policy at most summer evening events.

Donations from corporations, local businesses and civic groups help pay the costs of the movie and concert series in most cities. In some cities, such as Glendora, West Covina and La Verne, civic organizations sell food and drinks.

“We’ve been getting calls about our concert series from people in Walnut, Hacienda Heights and Covina,” said Jan Garcia, who works for the Recreation Department in West Covina. “It gets more popular every year. It’s something to do in the evenings. It’s free and it’s easy.”

Where to Go

For more information about summer concert, movie and nature walk series, call the telephone numbers listed below, or check with the parks and recreation department in your city.

Concert Series Alhambra: Alhambra Park, 500 N. Palm Ave. (818) 570-3243. Claremont: Memorial Park, 840 N. Indian Hill Blvd. (714) 399-5496. Cahuilla Park, 1717 N. Indian Hill Blvd. (714) 399-5496. Diamond Bar: Sycamore Canyon Park, 22930 Golden Springs Drive (714) 396-5695. Glendora: Finkbiner Park, 159 N. Cullen Ave. (818) 914-8228. La Verne: Heritage Park, 5001 Via de Mansion Ave. (714) 596-8700. Monrovia: Monrovia Library Park, 321 S. Myrtle Ave. (818) 357-5046. Monterey Park: Barnes Park, 350 S. McPherrin Ave. (818) 307-1388. Pomona: Ganesha Park, 1575 N. White Ave. (714) 620-2331. South El Monte: Dean L. Shivley Park, 1402 Lerma Ave. (818) 579-2043. West Covina: Civic Center, 1444 W. Garvey Ave. (818) 338-8496.

Movie Series Alhambra: Alhambra Park, 500 N. Palm Ave. (818) 570-3243. El Monte: Mountain View Park, 12127 Elliot Ave. (818) 580-2200. Zamora Park, 3820 Penn Mar Ave. (818) 580-2200. Pasadena: Victory Park, 2575 Paloma St. (818) 798-0865.

Nature Walks Arcadia: Wilderness Park, 2240 N. Highland Oaks Drive (818) 355-9938. Pasadena: Eaton Canyon Park, 1750 N. Altadena Drive (818) 398-5420.