Around & About
ACTIVITIES
GONE ( Group Outdoor Nature Experience) — March 29. Meet for a bike ride of the Santa Fe Dam and San Gabriel River Trail. Great for all non-century riders! This free event is open to the community. Contact Dodie Hall at dodiespin@hotmail.com for additional information.
BOOK READINGS
Marla Frazee — March 30 at 1 p.m. National bestselling author/illustrator Marla Frazee will introduce and sign her latest children’s book “A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever.” Once Upon A Time bookstore, 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose. For information, call (818) 248-9668.
Friday Storytimes — April 4 through May 30. The La Cañada Flintridge Library for Friday Storytimes in April and May. Toddler storytimes are at 10:15 a.m., and preschool storytimes are at 11 a.m.
La Cañada Flintridge Library, 4545 Oakwood Ave, La Cañada Flintridge. For more information about the library and its programs, call (818) 790-3330 or visit www.colapublib.org.
CLASSES
Baby-sitting classes — March 29 or April 26, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Verdugo Hills Hospital Beginnings Family Education Program offers baby-sitting classes designed for boys and girls ages of 11-15.
The class is an interactive course that teaches participants skills including infant/child CPR, basic first aid, home/auto safety, accident prevention, telephone skills, safety tips, when to call 911, poison control, fire/earthquake plans and other helpful child care advice.
The class is held at the hospital, 1812 Verdugo Blvd., on the 4th floor. Class fee is $35 per person. Reservations are required. For more information or to register, call Teri Rice at (818) 952-2272.
For a list of additional classes offered by the Family Education Program, visit www.vhhospital.org.
Class in Landscape Painting — Thursdays, 6 to 9 p.m. from April 3-24. Instructor Ray Tucker will teach a four-week course at Descanso Gardens in how to paint landscapes using acrylics. Students will learn how easy it is to pick up a brush, tap into their creativity and paint in acrylics. Tucker will introduce new projects and painting techniques each week. Participants will work on a new piece of art during each session. Minimum supplies to complete each project and a materials list will be provided.
Tucker has been painting for more than 30 years and has exhibited award winning work. Fees: $65 ($55 Descanso members), plus a $25 materials fee payable to the instructor at the first class session. Reservations requested. Walk-in space is not always available. To register, call (818) 949-7980. Descanso Gardens is at located at 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge.
Tai Chi Class — Tuesdays, April 8 to June 10 at 8:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The Rose Pavilion at Descanso Gardens is the setting for tai chi on Tuesdays, “meditation in motion,” tai chi emphasizes complete relaxation. It is characterized by slow, flowing-yet-precise movements that emphasize force rather than brute strength. Its philosophy is based on the free flow of ‘chi,’ a form of energy or breath.
Instructor Laura Gloster studied martial arts for 20 years, expanding her studies into the internal art of T’ai Chi Ch’uan before beginning teaching. Students should wear exercise clothes and shoes. Single sessions are not available.
Fees: $130 ($110 Descanso members). Reservations required. No walk-ins available. To register, call (818) 949-7980.
EVENTS
Descanso Spring Plant Sale — March 28 and 29 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Descanso Garden’s 28th annual Spring Plant Sale held in the Lake House Nursery. This popular event draws gardeners from far and wide. Many edibles will be for sale in honor of Descanso’s Edible Estates Demonstration Garden in the Center Circle, as well as rooted cuttings from the rose garden, warm weather lilacs developed at Descanso, native plants, and rare plants of all kinds. Parking is available in the auxiliary lot for easy access to the nursery.
Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge. For information, call (818) 949-4200 or visit www.descansogardens.org.
Firefighter Recruitment Fair — April 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sponsored by California Commission to recruit women for the fire service. Meet women firefighters and fire department recuiters. Learn about a career in the fire service. The fair will be held at 626 N. Eckhoff St., Orange. For information, call (916) 648-1717.
EXHIBITIONS
“An Artful Spring Exhibit” — Through April 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Descanso Gardens presents “An Artful Spring Exhibit,” a fine art exhibit of three artists: oil paintings by Trish Kertes of La Cañada, ceramics by Rick Drobner of La Crescenta, and watercolor paintings by Belinda Del Pesco of Santa Clarita. The exhibit is being held in the Carriage House Gallery at Descanso Gardens. Descano Gardens is located at 1418 Descanso Drive in La Cañada and is open daily. For more information, call (818) 949-4200 or (818) 949-0125.
PERFORMANCE
American Ballet Theatre “Swan Lake” — March 27 and 28 at 7:30 p.m., March 29 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., March 30 at 2 p.m. Led by artistic director Kevin McKenzie, the ABT returns to the Dance at the Music Center series with Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake.” Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles.
Tickets: $25-$95, Ticketmaster phone charge (213) 365-3500 or (714) 740-7878 or online www.ticketmaster.com. For information, visit www.musiccenter.org/dance.
TO YOUR HEALTH
Free Healthy Eating Lifestyle Classes — Thursdays: April 3rd – 24th. The YMCA Learn healthy diet tips from a Nutritionist that includes food label reading and portion sizes, dining out and recipes and the motivation to make changes. Register for this free class at (626)397-8647. Crescenta-Cañada YMCA, 1930 Foothill Boulevard, La Cañada Flintridge.
Cancer Workshop: “Music Heals” — April 3, from 6 to 7 p.m. The Wellness Community-Foothills (TWC-F) will host a free workshop titled “Music Heals” featuring cellist Peter Kibbe. Before the performance, Jane Kim, coordinator and founder of Music Heals, will speak about the program.
For more information, visit www.twcfoothills.org online or call (626)796-1083.
Fading Vision Seminar — Beginning April 4, from 10 a.m. to noon. Braille Institute will offer a series of free seminars at the Crescenta-Cañada YMCA to help people with fading vision learn how to live independently despite loss of sight. The classes will be conducted on four consecutive Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon. The Crescenta-Cañada YMCA is located at 1930 Foothill Blvd. in La Cañada.
Participants will learn new ways of doing daily tasks including managing the home, using visual aids and learning how to receiveother free services. For more information or to sign up, call Sharon Ziegler, field services coordinator, at (323) 663-1111, ext. 1252.
Free Blood Pressure Screening — Every Monday, 9 to 11 a.m. Community members can take advantage of Verdugo Hills Hospital’s free blood pressure screenings.
Verdugo Hills Hospital is located at 1812 Verdugo Blvd., Glendale.
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