Curious about the place you call home?  Wondering about the origins of your workplace, the stores where you shop, the trails you hike, the scenery you enjoy?

Delve into the tantalizing tales and surprising stories of Pasadena/West San Gabriel Valley’s multifaceted history – and then share your knowledge with others by volunteering at the Pasadena Museum of History. Volunteer Information sessions are set for Friday, February 5 at 10:30 am and Friday, February 12 at 4:00 pm.  Reservations are requested; please contact Emily Leiserson at 626-577-1660, ext. 26 or eleiserson@pasadenahistory.org.

Each session includes a tour of the Museum and information about the following volunteer opportunities:

• Pasadena Patron Exhibition Docents
• Gallery Hosts
• Museum Store Assistants
• Research Library & Archives Volunteers
• Office, Garden & Grounds, Public Relations Assistants
• Junior Docents
• Special Events Volunteers

Additional service opportunities (weekday, weekend and evening) are available.  Whether your focus is art and architecture, science and technology, business, politics, sociology, astonishing accomplishments, colorful characters, tall tales, or cold, hard facts, there is a volunteer position suited to your interests

Image (above, right): 2009 docent training sessions

Who knew land scout Daniel Berry first investigated Sierra Madre's turf in seeking a site for the Indiana Colony (which grew into Pasadena) — but rejected it as too expensive? Or that the San Gabriel Valley Orange Grove Association sold the "wasteland" of Altadena for a song at $5 an acre the same year Lucky Baldwin fetched $40 an acre for the more remote site of the same size that became Sierra Madre? Or that the quest to reach the top of Mt. Wilson with a transportation system was the space race of its day?

Explore the rivalries, hierarchies, and inter-relatedness of San Gabriel Valley communities — and their part the greater Southern California Story: Seeking the Better Life in Sierra Madre, with author Michele Zack. 

Reception and booksigning following lecture.  Books will be available for purchase in the Museum Store.

Please join us as we celebrate the opening of the new exhibition Pasadena Patron:  The Life & Legacy of Eva Scott Fenyes, which will offer an in-depth examination of the life and legacy of one of early Pasadena's most prominent and influential women.  Exhibition highlights will include items from the Fenyes collection never before on public display.  Light refreshments will be served.

Image: Charles Frederick Ulrich (1858-1908). “Eva Scott Fenyes,” 1882. Oil on canvas, 36" x 22 ".

Special benefit screenings of The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club, a 64-minute feature documentary about the extraordinary life of Florence "Pancho" Barnes (1901-1975): adventurer, stunt pilot, bar owner, and one of the top female aviators of the 20th century.  Born into one of Pasadena’s most prominent families, Pancho was the granddaughter of Thaddeus Lowe, a famed Civil War balloonist, co-founder of CalTech and builder of the famed Mount Lowe Railway. Yet Florence refused to conform to Victorian high society and its rules.  Her gender-bending antics broke all stereotypes.  This Pasadena minister's wife was once quoted as saying “Flying makes me feel like a sex maniac in a whorehouse with a stack of hundred dollar bills.” Her feats in aviation were no less exhilarating, from becoming Hollywood’s first woman stunt pilot, to breaking Amelia Earhart’s speed record in 1930, to hosting the best pilots in the world at her “Happy Bottom Riding Club” guest ranch in the 40’s and 50’s.  A stunning force of nature, Pancho lived wildly, fully, and without an ounce of fear. 

The film features interviews with astronaut Buzz Aldrin, test pilots Bob Cardenas, Bob Hoover and Chuck Yeager, and biographers Lauren Kessler and Barbara Schultz.  Narrated by Tom Skerritt, with Kathy Bates as the voice of Pancho. Directed by Amanda Pope, and written and produced by Nick Spark.  Produced in affiliation with KOCE-TV, PBS of Orange County California.

Reception:  In conjunction with these screenings, there will be a reception beginning at 5:00 pm in Vroman's Bookstore, adjacent to the theater, featuring an appearance by the filmmakers at 6:00 pm.

Proceeds from these special screenings of The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club benefit Heritage Square Museum, the KOCE-TV Foundation, and Pasadena Museum of History.  Ticket purchases are non-refundable.

The name, image and likeness of "Pancho Barnes," as well as "The Happy Bottom Riding Club" are trademarks of Pancho Barnes Enterprises, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.  Used with Permission.

     $15 - 4:30 pm Matinee Screening

     $20 - 7:30 pm Evening Screening.

     This event is expected to sell out, reserve your seats today. 

     Purchase tickets online at www.legendofpanchobarnes.com (click on the "Screenings" link and then click on the Pasadena Screening button to be directed to Paypal).  Please note that a $1.00 surcharge per ticket will be added for online purchases.

     For telephone reservations and information, please call Heritage Square Museum, at 323.225.2700, ext. 221, or Pasadena Museum of History at 626.577.1660, ext. 15.

     All tickets (both online and telephone purchases) will be held at "Will Call" for pickup immediately prior to your selected screening.

The making of quilts has been a part of American culture from the very beginning of colonial history.  Bobbie Moon and Dorine Nieuwenhuijs will be speaking about the current state of quilting in America and the world and how it has grown from the making of beautiful and interesting utilitarian bed coverings to the production of fascinating and highly artistic textile wall hangings. 

Many quilts will be shown, both vintage and modern, to illustrate the beauty of the old and new artwork.

Image: Quilt, "Swimming Upstream"