Quick hits

Boat course offered in Pasadena May 8

Pasadena Power Squadron is offering a four week Boat Smart Safety Course starting on Tuesday, May 8 from 7 to 9 p.m. The class is being held on four consecutive Tuesday evenings at the Pasadena Assistance League building at 820 E. California. The class offers training on boat handling for both sail and power boats. There is a nominal fee. For more information and to register, call (818) 957-6357 or e-mail AJGero@sbcglobal.net.

JPL’s Open House is this weekend

Jet Propulsion Laboratory opens its doors this weekend to the public with its annual Open House. The event is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission is free. Visitors can watch 700-pound robots glide under artificial stars in JPL’s Robodome, get an up-close view of full-scale models of Mars rovers and learn how spacecraft are prepared for their journeys in special clean rooms. Parking is free; all vehicles entering JPL property are subject to inspection. JPL is located at 4800 Oak Grove Drive.

Making quilts to help others for Big Sunday

Patchwork Penguin is hosting a quilt-making event Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the Los Angeles Veterans Administration. Quilts will be distributed to wounded veterans at the West Los Angeles and Sepulveda centers. Volunteers need not be experienced and do not have to know how to quilt but can help by ironing or encouraging others. The event is part of the annual Big Sunday effort in L.A. County which began as a way to bring communities together to help others in need. All materials for the quilts will be provided; all that is needed are helping hands and a giving heart. Patchwork Penguin is located at 6477 Foothill Blvd., Tujunga.