FAMILY RESOURCE FAIR
The MOMS club of the Foothills presents a free family resource fair on Saturday, April 22 from 10 a.m. to noon at the La Cañada Presbyterian Church.
The special event will showcase local classes, groups and organizations that focus on families and children in the local community. All proceeds from this event will be donated to local charities including the Bailey Center for Human Care in Tujunga.
Visitors will enjoy a bake sale, kids’ crafts, raffle prizes, glitter tattoos, a mini fashion show and a dance performance. Bring a canned good to be donated to the local food pantry. The first 25 families to attend will receive a swag bag from Bellies, Babies & Bosoms.
La Cañada Presbyterian Church is located at 626 Foothill Blvd. in La Cañada Flintridge.

‘VAVILOV’S GARDEN’ AT CALTECH
In an exciting Earth Day event at Caltech on Saturday, April 22, Theater Arts Caltech presents a staged reading of a new play that dramatizes the plight of scientists in WWII Russia who starved to death while protecting the edible seeds and tubers of an irreplaceable seed and gene bank. The play is written by Mark Eckard (“The Nevsky Wall”), directed by Joshua Wolf Coleman (“Grey’s Anatomy”), and stars Caltech students, alum and Caltech/JPL scientists Peter Basch, Ben Cassese, Carol Elaine, Lydia Kivrak, Amit Lakhanpal, Stephen Kellogg, and Teagan Wall.
In the midst of mass hunger in Russia, biologist Nikolai Vavilov “scoured the world for crop specimens that might grow in the harsh Russian climate or provide genetic material to make existing plants hardier,” Eckard explained. Yet he ran up against the pseudo science of Marxist Trofim Lysenko, who was embraced by the Soviet propaganda machine.
The preshow, “Science Under Siege,” is at 6 p.m. and includes a lobby display and conversation with the playwright, and free coffee from Rose City Coffee plus food trucks; at 7 p.m. is the staged reading of “Vavilov’s Garden” followed by post-show discussion.
The reading is at Ramo Auditorium, Caltech campus.
Purchase tickets at the door. Suggested donation to Theater Arts Caltech is $5 to $25.
EARTH DAY CELEBRATION
On Saturday, April 22 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. celebrate Earth Day at a joint event held at Finn Community Garden, the Sunland-Tujunga Public Library and North Valley City Hall at 7747 Foothill Blvd., Tujunga. Talk to native plant experts, Sierra Club reps and experts on sustainability. Learn how to protect the environment and enjoy the outdoors with free shade tree and vegetable plant giveaways, the first Kids Gardening Club meeting, and a make-your-own-owl-box demonstration. Co-hosted by the Sunland Tujunga Neighborhood Council’s reps for the Sustainability Alliance, Animal Issues, Regions 1 & 4, the Howard Finn Community Garden & Sunland-Tujunga Public Library.
FREE WOMEN’S HEALTH SEMINAR
USC Verdugo Hills Hospital will host a free women’s health seminar and luncheon on Saturday, April 22 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the hospital’s council rooms. Physicians and health professionals will cover a wide variety of topics including work-life balance, overactive bladder, coronary conditions, skin care and aging, HPV vaccine, arthritis, Eastern medicine/acupuncture and chiropractic care. RSVP requested to cecilia.pyzow@med.usc.edu or (818) 952-4729.
‘PASSING OF THE LAURELS’
Sunland-Tujunga’s Poetry & Literature Committee invites the community to attend its “passing of the laurels” induction ceremony for Pamela Shea, the newly selected Sunland-Tujunga Poet Laureate for 2017. The event will take place on Sunday, April 23 at the McGroarty Arts Center in Tujunga. All are invited to honor Elsa Frausto, the outgoing poet laureate, and welcome the new poet laureate. This festive and celebratory event will include presentations by dignitaries or their representatives, music and poetry, and refreshments.  
Admission is free. See http://www.villagepoets.blogspot.com for more details.
McGroarty Arts Center, 7570 McGroarty Terrace, Tujunga
 
CALTECH SYMPHONY TO PERFORM
The Caltech Symphony under the direction of Allen Robert Gross will present an afternoon of concerto movements featuring Caltech student soloists on Sunday, April 23. The concert will be in Ramo Auditorium at 3:30 p.m. Admission is free and no tickets are required.
Cellist Joe Iverson will perform the first movement of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto. Pianist Jared Filseth will perform the first movement of Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano concerto. Violinist Sean Symon will play the third movement of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. Hornist Jamie Sue Rankin will perform Richard Strauss’ Horn Concerto No. 1.
The concert opens with Mozart’s overture to Cosí fan tutte.
For more information, call (626) 395-3295.
GHS PRESENTS RESTORATION EXPO
A fun and instructive day of exhibitors, guest speakers, and tours of an authentically restored Victorian home will highlight The Glendale Historical Society’s second annual Restoration Expo at the Doctors House Lawn and Gazebo at Brand Park, 1601 W. Mountain St. in Glendale. The event will take place on Sunday, April 23, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The 2017 Restoration Expo includes informative talks led by preservation experts as well as exhibits by dozens of restoration specialists and contractors, landscape and interior design professionals, period and reproduction tile and hardware suppliers, and many other valuable resources.
At this event, owners of older properties will have a unique opportunity to learn practical information from a variety of sources that will assist them in what can be a challenging task: how to restore and rehabilitate historic structures to meet the needs of 21st century living. The afternoon will feature presentations in the Doctors House Gazebo on such topics as energy efficiency and sustainability; preserving vintage tiles and woodwork, such as original windows and doors; and restoring California native landscapes.
 Tours of the Doctors House Museum, a fully restored 1890 Queen Anne-Eastlake Victorian home, will be provided to participants throughout the day.
 The event is free and open to the public. Parking is available at Brand Park and on Mountain Street and adjacent streets.
FOOTHILLS COMMUNITY TOASTMASTERS CLUB
Foothills Community Toastmasters Club is having an open house and potluck on Monday, April 24 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. All are invited.
For more information, call (818) 749-6483 or email fctm.club@gmail.com.
The event takes place at 10700 Hillrose Circle in Sunland.
NEXT MEETING OF MONTROSE AFRICAN VIOLET SOCIETY
The Montrose African Violet Society is having its next club meeting on Wednesday, April 26 at 10 a.m. at Descanso Gardens (Birch Room). The program will be a discussion in the final preparations for the upcoming AVSA judged shown and sale.
Guests are always welcome to attend the meeting. Refreshments are served and friendships are made.   
For more information, call (323) 236-0104 or visit  www.montroseafricanviolets.weebly.com.
Descanso Gardens (Birch Room) 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge
GLA READIES FOR MIXER
The Glendale Latino Assn. is hosting its next mixer on April 27. “Carnaval in Glendale” will be held at Gauchos Village from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is $10 for members, $15 for non-members. All contributions and sponsorships benefit the GLA annual scholarship fund.
Gauchos Village is located at 135 N. Maryland Ave. in Glendale.
 
‘DREAM PORTAL’ AT ADAMS SQUARE
The Adams Hill Neighborhood Association is hosting “Dream Portal: Once Upon a Time” by artist Colleen M. Kelly at the Adams Square mini-park at 1020 Palmer Ave. in Glendale.   
Kelly’s site-specific installation is the sixth art installation to be mounted inside the landmark gas station by City of Glendale Library, Arts and Culture in cooperation with Community Services and Parks. The city program was initiated in 2015. The exhibition will be on view through April 27.
Kelly’s installation utilizes objects that are mostly older than the 1930s era gas station itself and the objects are meant to evoke personal memories. Kelly will ask reception attendees of all ages to write their dreams and wishes on pieces of paper and she will place them in small bottles as part of the exhibition – a tactile approach to personal expression serving as an antidote to the many electronic devices we now use to communicate.  
BINGO TO BENEFIT LCFTRA
A bingo game is being held at Community Center of La Cañada Flintridge on April 28 at 5:30 p.m. to benefit the La Cañada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Assn.
Tickets cost $40 per player that includes social hour snacks, one bingo book, dauber, dessert, coffee and tea service. Dinner is also available for $10 from Dinah’s Chicken.
Mail checks to LCFTRA, P.O. Box 253, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91012 or pay online at lcftra.org.
Community Center of La Cañada Flintridge, 4469 Chevy Chase Drive
COLLEGE PLANNING 101
There will be an informative presentation on how to apply for college financial aid from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 29 at North Valley City Hall in Sunland-Tujunga.
Are you doing everything possible to prepare for your children’s future?
Come and learn: How to help your student get on the right career path, how to qualify for more financial aid and scholarships and how to prepare for your children’s education without sacrificing your retirement.
Presented by STNC’s Women’s Issues Committee.
North Valley City Hall, 7747 Foothill Blvd, Sunland-Tujunga
CALTECH JAZZ BAND TO PERFORM
The Caltech Jazz Band will present its 17th Annual Caltech Jazz Festival on Saturday, April 29 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event takes place at Gates Annex Patio, on the Caltech campus, just west of Dabney Lounge. It is open to the public and will feature headliner San Gabriel 7 with special guest Dawn Bishop, as well as the Adam Hersh Project, The Nightblooming Jazzmen and The Caltech Jazz Band, directed by Barb Catlin.
Food and beverages will be available for sale. The audience is welcome to bring a lawn chair or blanket, and food and beverages.
Admission is free. No tickets are required, but limited seating is available. For more information, visit bands.caltech.edu or call (626) 395-3295.
CELEBRATING INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE DAY
On Saturday, April 29, from 10 a.m. to
5 p.m., Flintridge Bookstore & Coffeehouse at 1010 Foothill Blvd., La Cañada celebrates Independent Bookstore Day with activities for all ages. Visit the store’s website www.flintridgebooks.com or Facebook page for detailed information.
At Once Upon A Time bookstore, 2207 Honolulu Ave. in Montrose there will be a book signing with author Susan Bernardo and illustrator Courtenay Fletcher for “The Big Adventures of Tiny House” at 11 a.m.