With Halloween behind us now, and Daylight Savings Time ending on Sunday, it feels like we’re really moving into the final weeks of the year…but not quite into the hectic “holiday” season yet. So enjoy your extra hour, and the much more leisurely feel of this between-holidays weekend.
You can start with two big events starting tonight (Friday, November 2) and running all weekend.
The first is the Petersen Museum’s “The Spirit of Monozukuri,” a celebration of its new exhibit, “The Roots of Monozukuri: Creative Spirit in Japanese Automaking,” which examines the unique characteristics of lean manufacturing in an automotive context. Throughout the weekend, the museum will feature various artisans, craftsmen, and performers, demonstrating how each one uses monozukuri in the pursuit of their art. Friday, Saturday and Sunday events include calligraphy art demonstrations, a singing bowl meditation, a Taiko drum performance, an Odori dance performance, and much more. See the link above for the full schedule and tickets.
The second three-day event is the 2nd Biennial Scent Fair LA, at the Craft and Folk Art Museum, which “brings together experimental fragrance makers for a weekend-long event featuring the craft of perfuming.” It’s presented in collaboration with The Institute of Art and Olfaction, and ” features an international selection of thirty artisan, independent, and experimental scent practitioners who will be exhibiting and selling their fragrances. The fair will also include hands-on perfume workshops, a keynote talk and panel discussion, and a preview party featuring DJ Devendra Banhart.” Events run from 7 p.m. tonight through Sunday afternoon, so see the event link above for the full schedule and tickets.
Moving on to single-day events, on Saturday morning, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., teens can attend a free SAT prep workshop at Memorial Branch Library, 4625 W. Olympic Blvd., covering the basic skills needed for the Reading and Math portions of the SAT, and helping teens gain more confidence about taking the big test.
A bit north, at the John C. Fremont Library, 6121 Melrose Ave., the Friends of the Library will host its monthly Book Sale both today (Friday 12-4 p.m.) and Saturday (12 to 5 p.m.) You can pick up some great bargains – most items are priced just $.10 to $1.00…and there is a special 50% discount on all history, biography, politics, plays, poetry, cookbooks and CDs this month. Also,  if you’d like to get rid of some clutter before the holidays, you’re welcome to donate some gently used books for the Friends to sell. All funds raised benefit the library and its programs.
Next, for some more fun bargains, head over to Ampersand Boutique, 658 N. Larchmont Blvd., which is having a big weekend sale….with all jackets, “from Zara to Chanel,” 25% off. Weekend hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and 12-5 p.m. on Sunday.
If you’re looking for some great family fun on Saturday, the Nine O’Clock Players Theatre for Children, 1367 N. St. Andrews Pl., will debut its new production, “Oz!” with a performance at 2 p.m. It’s a great opportunity to introduce your youngest family members to this classic family favorite, in which Kansas farm girl Dorothy and her dog Toto are whisked away by a tornado to the magical land of Oz, where they meet “a rubber-legged Scarecrow that needs a brain, a kindly Tin Man missing a heart, and a lovable Cowardly Lion who wants courage.” They all band together in a journey to meet the great and powerful Wizard of Oz…with lots of songs, dancing and “thrill after thrill” along the way. (The Nine O’Clock Players is part of the Assistance League® of Los Angeles Theatre for Children, and is the oldest children’s theatre in Southern California, producing plays since 1929.)
For even more wonderful performing arts on Saturday, head downtown for the 4th annual Grand Ave Arts: All Access day, during which ten major area arts organizations, including the Colburn School, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Los Angeles Public Library, L.A. Opera, L.A. Philharmonic, MOCA, the Music Center and REDCAT all open their doors for family-friendly activities, interactive workshops, performances, tours and more. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and all events are free and open to the public, rain or shine. See the link above for the full schedule and individual venue details.
Sunday’s a bit quieter this weekend, which gives you a chance to enjoy the hour you gain when we fall back to Standard Time at 2 a.m.
So use the day to catch up on the two-day events above…or you can also celebrate Veteran’s Day at LACMA, which will hold a Veterans in the Arts and Humanities Day—Celebration and Film Screening starting at 11:30 a.m. in the Bing Theater. Creative contributions of military veterans will be celebrated through a series of “compelling short films created in the Veterans Make Movies program, a series of workshops presented by LACMA in collaboration with the Los Angeles Public Library.” Veterans and their guests will also receive free admission to the museum all day.
And finally, going back to that time change…LADWP reminds everyone to not only set their clocks back an hour on Sunday, but also to reset lawn sprinkler timers and programmable thermostats. And as long as you’re tinkering with such things, take some time (like that extra hour you just gained) to change out old incandescent or CFL lightbulbs for LEDs, and change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. They’re simple chores, and well worth your time.
Have a great weekend!
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