Saturday is Groundhog Day and Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday – but perhaps even more important for your weekend event enjoyment is the weather forecast…not just for whether or not the groundhog will see its shadow in Punxatawney, PA, but because here in L.A. it’s supposed to start raining around 10 p.m. tonight and not stop until sometime on Tuesday. So there’s that.
One event (or at least your enjoyment of it) that could definitely be affected by the rain forecast is the monthly walking event sponsored by Everwalk, a new organization from famed distance swimmer Diana Nyad and her Cuba expedition leader, Bonnie Stoll, that promotes the health and social benefits of walking. This month’s walk is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday at Pan Pacific Park (enter from the parking lot of the Fairfax branch library, 161 N. Gardner St.), and Nyad says it will proceed rain or shine. They’ll start with some inspiring words from Nyad, and some yoga stretching with Stoll…and then everyone will begin walking around the park – up to 10 one-mile loops (or as few or as many as you choose to do). It’s free, and you can RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/everwalk-los-angeles-first-saturdays-tickets-55384178569
Later, if – like Punxatawney Phil – you’d rather keep your head dry on Saturday morning, the Petersen Museum is hosting two screenings of Incredibles 2, one starting at 11 a.m. and one at 3 p.m. The event is free with museum admission, and light refreshments will be provided. Seating is subject to availability, so it’s a good idea to RSVP at https://www.petersen.org/events/2019/2/2/free-movie-night-incredibles-2
And speaking of museums…this weekend also brings us the huge SoCal Museums Annual Free-For-All Day(s), in which dozens of museums of all kinds (art, cultural heritage, natural history, and science), all across the Southland, will provide free general admission. The list of participating museums is huge…but a few close(ish) to us include:
Saturday Only
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Museum (opening later this year, but a free-for-all pop-up will be accessible via Los Angeles County Museum of Art)
Autry Museum of the American West
Japanese American National Museum (Free tickets available at janm.org/freeforall.)
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum (General admission only; free tickets available at tarpits.org/freeforall.)
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Wende Museum of the Cold War
Sunday Only
Museum of Latin American Art
Museum of Tolerance
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (General admission only; free tickets available at nhm.org/freeforall.)
Zimmer Children’s Museum by Sharewell
Both Saturday and Sunday
California African American Museum
California Science Center (General admission only. A timed reservation with a convenience fee is required for Space Shuttle.)
Craft Contemporary
Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
See the main event link above for the full list of participating museums, and see the individual museum websites for further details on each location. Also, do note that only admission is free; special events/exhibits and parking will be charged at normal rates.
Meanwhile, much easier to navigate, the Friends’ of John C. Fremont library, 6121 Melrose Ave., will hold its monthly book sale starting today (Friday) from 12-4 p.m., and continuing on Saturday from 12-5 p.m. This month, the sale honors the upcoming Academy Awards, with “all things movie” (books, DVDs, etc.) on sale for 50% off their usually low prices.
Looking forward to another big February event, Surfas Culinary District, 3225 W. Washington Blvd., will provide a free demonstration on making “Valentine Cookies for Your Sweetheart” at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Chef Rush will be making beautiful and delicious heart-shaped, soft and chewy sugar cookies, with some holiday “pizazz” decor. It’s free to all, and attendees who RSVP will receive a cookie and the recipes.
On Saturday evening, the American Cinematheque gets creepy at the Egyptian Theatre, 6710 Hollywood Blvd., with a “Horror Noire” double-feature of 1995’s “Tales from the Hood” and “Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight.” There will be a discussion between the films with “Hood”‘s director Rusty Cundieff and writer Darin Scott, and “Crypt”‘s director, Ernest Dickerson.
And finally on Saturday, for those who prefer the 1980s to the 1990s, there will be 1980s Prom Party, starting at 9 p.m. at the The Fonda Theatre, 6126 Hollywood Boulevard. For $30, you can dust off your vintage duds and rock out to an ’80s video DJ, an ’80s cover band, and more.
Finally, it looks like our local event planners (probably wisely) avoided scheduling too many local events on Sunday. But if you’re not watching the big game, or would like a bit of a more creative outing before the 3:30 p.m. kickoff, you could head over to LACMA for a 1 p.m. talk with Artist Laura Anderson Barbata on “Social Justice and Artistic Practice: The Story of Julia Pastrana.” Barbata will discuss her decade-long journey to repatriate the body of Julia Pastrana (1834–60) to Mexico. According to the event description, Pastrana was a gifted singer and dancer, born in Sinaloa, Mexico, who also “had an unusually pronounced jaw and thick hair throughout her face and body. Her husband/manager exhibited her throughout Europe and the United States as “The Bear Woman—Half Human, Half Beast.” After her death, her embalmed body continued to be exhibited for more than a century, eventually disappearing from public view into the Schreiner Collection in the Department of Anatomy at the University of Oslo.” The story “highlights deeply relevant human issues related to race and science, the fascination and exploitation of so-called “others,” indigenous rights, memory, and the importance of cultural sensitivity.” The event is free, but tickets are required (see the link above).
So have fun, stay dry…and have a great weekend!
