Things to Do: January 2011 Archives

Make a weekend of free family activities with Science Saturdays at the Western Science Center in Hemet--held on the first Saturday of each month-- and then Riverside's First Sundays at several downtown museums and art galleries.

The Feb. 5 Science Saturday family day will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Activities will include playing a traditional Luiseño game, weaving a place mat and the popular "cookie excavations," that teach children how archaeologists work in a tasty, creative way.

Arrowhead replication specialist Jim Bowden will also perform a live flint knapping demonstration.

All activities are free and open to the public.

For more information on the downtown Riverside family activities the following day, read The Guide or visit Inlandsocal.com/iguide/family.

SCIENCE SATURDAY
Where: Western Science Center, 2345 Searl Parkway, Hemet
When: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 5
Cost: Free
Information: 951-791-0033, www.westerncentermuseum.org

After a break in January, First Sundays family activities in downtown Riverside are coming back Feb. 6. Several downtown organizations will hold free family-friendly activities from 1 to 4 p.m. Here are the details:

Mission Inn: Chinese New Year Paper Lanterns
Celebrate the Chinese New Year by viewing the Inn's collection of Asian artifacts and then participating in a Chinese paper lantern craft.

Riverside Art Museum: Art and the Science of Illusion
Graduate Fellow Hannah Schwadron will lead the GLUCK Undergraduate Dance Ensemble in an original choreographed show at 1 p.m. Then, storyteller Karen Rae Kraut will perform "Six Statues," a Japanese New Years story in the traditional Kamishibai style at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Other activities will include facepainting from 1 to 4 p.m., a Valentine's Day craft and mini scrapbook craft.

UCR ARTSblock (Museum of Photography and Sweeney Art Gallery): Blue Valentine
Learn about the photographic process of cyanotype or blue print. Visitors can use interesting objects, light, water and more to create prints for valentines.

Riverside Public Library: Snow and Magic Show
Visitors can create their own UV beaded bracelet from 1 to 2 p.m. and 3 to 4 p.m. with a break between for the Great White Shark Expedition performance by the group Ocean Adventures from 2 to 3 p.m.

Riverside Metropolitan Museum: Little Museum on the Prairie
Decorate and adorn a variety of objects one last time before the museum's Adornment exhibit closes. Visitors can also get their faces painted and dress up with hats, gloves, and other accessories for a photo shoot.

The University of Redlands is getting a special visitor Wednesday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. - someone who's been on the New York Times best sellers list and has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

Sir Ken Robinson will present, "Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative" at the Memorial Chapel on the University of Redlands campus. The lecture is free and open to the public.

The evening event is presented by the Office of Campus Diversity & Inclusion at the University of Redlands, the Montessori school and The Grove School in Redlands, in conjunction with the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies and the University's School of Education.

Sir Ken Robinson is an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation, human potential and the people side of organizations.

Robinson's latest book, "The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything" (Penguin/Viking 2009), is a New York Times best seller and is being translated into 18 different languages. His TED Talk (http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html) has been distributed widely around the Web since its release in June 2006.

He works with governments in Europe, Asia and the U.S., as well as with international agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and some of the world's leading cultural organizations. In 1998, he led a national commission on creativity, education and the economy for the UK Government. The resulting report, "All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education" (The Robinson Report) was published to wide acclaim in 1999.

For 12 years, he was professor of education at the University of Warwick, where he is now professor emeritus. In 2005, he was named as one of Time/Fortune/CNN's "Principal Voices." In 2003, he received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for his services to the arts.

More information about Robinson can be found at his website: www.sirkenrobinson.com

The University of Redlands Summer Piano Camp is inviting the community to a benefit concert featuring University of Redlands faculty and Piano Camp faculty. The 4 p.m. concert will be held on Sunday, Jan. 30 in the Frederick Lowe Performance Hall of Watchorn Hall at the University of Redlands.

The proceeds of the concert will benefit the University's Summer Piano Camp Scholarship Fund. This event is being held in association with the Music Teacher National Association sponsored "Year of Collaborative Music."

Staying in theme with the "Year of Collaborative Music," this concert focuses solely on collaborative music making. Performers will include Erika and James Ramos, Julie Johnson, Sunja Kim, Angelica Prodan, Lara Urrutia, and - fresh from their first place win at the United States International Duo Piano Competition - Blanc Et Noir (Diana Muñoz and Jina Silva).

Composers to be featured include William Bolcom, Antonin Dvorak, Manuel Infante, Franz Schubert and Witold Lutoslawski.

About the Summer Piano Camp:
The fourth annual Summer Piano Camp will take place July 25 through Aug. 5 at the University of Redlands. The money raised from the concert will help to provide scholarships to deserving students who wish to attend the camp.

The University of Redlands Summer Piano Camp is a program focused on developing the whole musician through a comprehensive curriculum and focus on collaboration and creative music making in a fun and stimulating environment. In contrast to primarily providing solo instruction and structured practice time, the University of Redlands Summer Piano Camp instead is based on enriching students through courses from the wide spectrum of music education, such as music theory, composition, improvisation, music history, and ensemble skills.

Students all participate in an ensemble of anywhere from 2 to 11 pianists, often involving more than one piano. In addition, they have the opportunity to participate in other unique class offerings which change yearly, including explorations examining music and its relation to art, drama, and even multimedia. A final concert showcases the students' summer efforts, including a documentary which is primarily filmed by the students.

For more information on the Summer Piano Camp, please visit www.redlandspianocamp.com or visit the group on Facebook.

Cinderella is getting a little fresh competition from a new princess in town. Princess Mirabel, along with her herd of pigs, will be at LifeHouse Theater in Redlands with the youth theater group's new production, "The Princess and the Pigs." Feb. 5 through March 13.

Based on the Grimm Brothers fairy tale "King Thrushbeard," this original comedy brings to life the story of Princess Mirabel, King Atreo's rude and selfish daughter.

Special to The Press-Enterprise

Princess Mirabel (Kari Kennedy) reacts in disgust to the pig of the beggar Pauvel (Jonathan Blair) in LifeHouse Theater's new musical comedy "The Princess and the Pigs" (Feb. 5 - Mar. 13).

The king decides to pair her with a singing beggar and herd of pampered pigs, and Mirabel is never the same.

"The Princess and the Pigs" is written by Melissa Schwartzkopf and directed by husband and wife team, Chris and Cathy Flores.

The show features Kari Kennedy of Rancho Cucamonga as Princess Mirabel, and Jonathan Blair of Riverside will play King Elrick and Pauvel the Beggar.

'THE PRINCESS AND THE PIGS'The 7:30 p.m. performance Feb. 19 will feature an interpreted presentation for the deaf.
Where: LifeHouse Theater, 1135 N. Church St., Redlands
When: Feb. 5-March 13; 7:30 p.m. Fridays; 2:15 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays; 2:15 p.m. Sundays. There will be a special Thursday performance March 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: Advance: $14 or $18 adults and $7 or $9 children 3-11 (no children under 3 are admitted); tickets cost $1 more on the day of the performance
Information: 909-335-3037 ext. 21, www.lifehousetheater.com

Riverside City College Dance Department will present Lux Boreal Contemporary Dance at RCC's Landis Auditorium at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12.

Lux Boreal Contemporary Dance, based in Tijuana, Baja Calif., was founded in 2002. Directed by Angel Arambula and Henry Torres, the company arrived in the national dance scene shortly after. Their choreography exemplifies a style and personal language unique to the country's Northwest.

Professional choreographers and dancers from Tijuana and other cities have been drawn to work with Lux Boreal to create a refreshing on-stage language that is in contrast to surrounding reality. The company performs in major theatres throughout Mexico and has been developing a strong cultural exchange with California.

Lux Boreal has performed at international dance festivals in Chile, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Brazil, Spain, Latvia, and the U.S. Since 2007, as a result of their constant work in the Mexican national dance scene, Lux Boreal is one of the professional groups that is supported by grants from the National Fund for Arts and Culture through the program, Mexico on Stage.

Lux Boreal uses dance as a vehicle to generate performances that transform their environment through reflection. Through choreography, Lux Boreal seeks to communicate direct and honest themes that deal with obsessions and existential reality.

For tickets, call Landis Box Office at 951-222-8100 or go to www.landispac.com.

The War Between the States will being played out in the hills of Calico Ghost Town over President's Day Weekend, Feb. 19-21. The American Civil War Society, the largest Civil War re-enacting association in Southern California, will bring to life the troop drills, inspections, infantry, artillery and cavalry brigades, as well as the fashions, and soldier encampments depicting the life and times of this historic period.

Battles are scheduled twice daily on Feb. 19 and 20 at 11:45 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Among the war-specific drills, canon firings, and sharpshooter demonstrations, visitors will also experience the Civil War from the civilian point of view. There will be fashion shows, music -- from brass bands to guitars, banjos and flutes -- and townspeople displaying their crafts and trades. Each day, an Abe Lincoln re-enactor will deliver "The Gettysburg Address."

Calico Ghost Town has camp sites with full, partial or no hook-ups. Camping reservations can be booked directly online at www.sbcountyparks.com. Camping patrons receive up to six admissions per unit to the event. Individual admission for the event is: $10 adults; $5 youth 6-15; and free for ages 5 and under. Tickets can be purchased at the gate.

In addition to camping, Calico has cabins, mini-bunkhouse and a bunkhouse accommodations. Reservations for these must be booked by calling the park at 800-86-CALICO.

Calico Ghost Town is located off I-15 at the Ghost Town Road exit, ten miles north of Barstow.

The Art Institute of California - Inland Empire will host the Best Teen Chef Competition at the institute on April 30. High school seniors graduating in 2011 are invited to showcase their talents at the competition. Applications must be turned in by Feb. 4

Each participating Art Institutes school will crown a local Best Teen Chef and offer the winner a $5,000 scholarship towards a culinary degree program at The Art Institute.

The Best Teen Chef Competition, now in its 12th year, is an opportunity for high school seniors in the U.S. and Canada interested in pursuing a culinary career to experience the industry.

"Evert year we continue to be inspired by the talents of the emerging culinarians that enter the Best Teen Chef Competition. These students show a real love for the culinary arts and an enthusiasm for exploring fresh new meal ideas for friends and family," said Chef James Kellenberger, Academic Program Director of Culinary Arts at The Art Institute of California - Inland Empire.

To be eligible to enter the competition, high school seniors must first submit a completed Entry & Rlease form by Feb.4 to The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California - Inland Empire. Deadline for complete entries is Feb.25.

Selected entrants will progress to a local cook-off competition at the institute on April 30.

To learn how to enter the Best Teen Chef Competition 2011 and to view the competition rules, visit www.artinstitutes.edu/pr.aspx?ID=AI2127 or contact Vincent Japson, vjapson@aii.edu and 909-915-2107 at The Art Institute of California - Inland Empire.

The Banning Library will have a special guest Thursday night. Buster Balloon will entertain children with funny stories and activities at the library's Family Night from 5 to 6 p.m. All ages are welcome to the free event.

Family Night
Where: Banning Library, 21 West Nicolet St.
When: 5-6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 13
Information: www.banninglibrarydistrict.org

Have you ever wondered why it rains so much during the winter and not at all during the summer? Especially lately?

Families are invited to visit the Highland Sam J Racadio Library and Environmental Learning Center for Family Science Exploration on Saturday, January 15 at 10:30 a.m. to explore the Water Cycle.

The entire family will journey to the Science Lab where a silly song will help everyone remember the cycle and the different forms water can take. Children can "get their feet wet" building models to explain how water travels through the air and back to the ground.

The program begins promptly at 10:30 a.m. and children must be accompanied by an adult.

For more information about this Family Science Exploration visit http://www.sbcounty.gov/library.

If you like trains, this is the weekend to visit the San Bernardino County Museum. The museum's annual "Train Days" will take place Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 15-16 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The museum will be filled with large and small model train layouts, real railroad artifacts, and activities for the whole family. The Pacific Coast Modular Club, Orange County Modular Railroaders, Antelope Valley N-Scalers, and Southern California Traction Club will install huge layouts with running trains, scenery, and miniature buildings. Other models will include a traveling circus, a monorail, trolleys, and an American Flyer train.

"Visit the circus, operate a little locomotive, and design a logo for your own train," said museum educator Nancy Kirkwood. "Folks will also enjoy seeing historic and recent railroad artifacts, including tools, train lanterns, and switch stands. We will have real train engineers and railroad workers for visitors to talk to as well."

Families can play "The Train Game" and learn about train signals, and can create their own paper locomotive and train logo to take home. Visitors will also see the restoration progress being made on the museum's Southern Pacific locomotive 2825 and AT & SF caboose 1333 in the courtyard.

The San Bernardino County Museum is 2024 Orange Tree Lane in Redlands. Admission is $8 (adult), $6 (senior or military), $5 (student), $4 (child aged 5 to 12), and children under five and Museum Association members are admitted free. Parking is free. Food will be available from 9am to 5pm. For more information, visit www.sbcountymuseum.org.