What’s happening Claremont?

by Andrew Alonzo | calendar@claremont-courier.com

Friday, February 28

• Entries for California Botanic Garden’s 2025 bird photography contest are due today. Email photocontest@calbg.org with the subject “Bird Month Photo Contest 2025” and include your name, phone number, email, the bird species depicted, and the date the photo was taken. Winners will be named by Monday, March 10. More info is at calbg.org.

 

• Today is the final day to RSVP at admissions.cgu.edu/register for Claremont Graduate University’s free 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 1 spring centennial celebration at 150 E. 10th St.

 

• Fairplex, 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona, hosts the free big spring home and garden show in expo hall four, opening at noon today and 10 a.m. March 1-2. Parking is $20.

 

• Sopranos Michaela Kelly and Anne Harley join harpist Alison Bjorkedal, clarinetist Brian Walsh, and pianist William Chiang for a free and open to the public 12:15 p.m. concert at Balch Auditorium, 1030 N. Columbia Ave.

 

• Claremont McKenna College’s free and public Athenaeum speaker series continues at 12:45 p.m. with the 11th Annual Green Careers Conference at Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum, 385 E. Eighth St., Claremont. More info is at cmc.edu/athenaeum.

 

• Yarn in the Yuccas, a fiber arts group free with garden admission, meets at 1:30 p.m. at California Botanic Garden, 1500 N. College Ave., Claremont. Register at calbg.org.

 

• RSVPs are due today at events.cmc.edu/e/sojourner-truth-lecture for the Intercollegiate Department of Africana’s 37th annual Sojourner Truth Lecture. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, associate professor of physics and astronomy at University of New Hampshire, will speak on “The Cosmos is a Black Aesthetic” at 5 p.m. Friday, March 7 at Claremont McKenna College’s Pickford Auditorium, 888 Columbia Ave.

 

• Pomona Concert Band’s free and open to the public 7:30 p.m. winter concert, “The Great USA,”takes place at Palomares Park Community Center, 499 E. Arrow Hwy., Pomona.

 

• Ophelia’s Jump Productions opens “Helvetica” at 8 p.m. at 2009 Porterfield Way, Suite H, Upland. Tickets are $47 at opheliasjump.org.

 

• Singer-songwriter Jessica Fichot and guest artist Annie Zhou perform “From Paris to 上海Shanghai,” at 8 p.m. at Lewis Family Playhouse, 12505 Cultural Center Dr., Rancho Cucamonga. Tickets, $34-$45, are at lewisfamilyplayhouse.com.

 

 

Saturday, March 1

• Today is the first night of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month marked by daily fasting from sunrise to sunset.

 

• California Botanic Garden Restoration Propagation Manager Anthony Perez and Nursery Coordinator Hugo Sopeña lead a 9 a.m. to noon propagation workshop at 1500 N. College Ave., Claremont. Tickets are $50, CalBG members $40, at calbg.org.

 

• Keck Graduate Institute hosts Laurie Fowler, Jessica Bugarin, and Sean Riley from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at 517 Watson Dr., Claremont, in observance of rare disease day. RSVP at kgi.edu/calendar. Questions? Email nord@kgi.edu.

 

• The Claremont City Council, city staff, and representatives from Los Angeles County Fire Department and local utilities host a free 9 a.m. hybrid workshop on wildfire preparedness and prevention at council chambers, 225 W. Second St., Claremont, and via Zoom. The panelists will take questions after the workshop. The workshop will be recorded and posted at claremontca.gov.

 

• American Museum of Ceramic Art celebrates the opening of“ SoCal Critters” with discounted $5 admission from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 399 N. Garey Ave., Pomona. Visit amoca.org/events for more info or to RSVP.

 

• A free 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. volunteer income tax assistance clinic open to those with a gross income of less than $60,000 takes place every Saturday through March 29 at Pomona Public Library, 625 S. Garey Ave. Visit pomonaca.gov for more info.

 

• Musicians Paul Rodriguez and Adrienne Selina combine with arts and crafts vendors for a free and open to the public 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. first Saturday market at the Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts, 5131 Carnelian St., Rancho Cucamonga.

 

• People 15 and over can create a linocut print during a free noon Studio Saturday session at Ontario Museum of History and Art, 225 S. Euclid Ave. RSVP at ontariomuseum.org/programs.

 

• Pick up or drop off a plant during Claremont Helen Renwick Library’s free and public 1 to 3 p.m. adopt-a-plant event at 208 N. Harvard Ave. Info is at visit.lacountylibrary.org/events.

 

• Jonathan Lethem and Solomon Salim Moore host a free and open to the public 1 to 7 p.m. writing-out-loud event at Benton Museum of Art, 120 W. Bonita Ave., Claremont. Learn more at pomona.edu/museum.

 

• Celebrate the beginning of Women’s History Month with a free and open to the public 1:30 p.m. art event at Ovitt Family Community Library, 215 E. C St., Ontario.

 

• Browse artwork around the City of Trees during the free 6 to 9 p.m. Claremont Art Walk. Info is on page XX. Email claremontartwalkinfo@gmail.com for more info.

 

• Tickets are $50 for Claremont Meals on Wheels’ 6:30 p.m. 2025 party parade fundraiser Mardi Gras event at 1651 Danbury Rd., Claremont. RSVP at facebook.com/claremontmealsonwheels.

 

 

Sunday, March 2

• The Pomona swap meet and classic car show at Fairplex, 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona, runs from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is $15. Children under 12 are free. Parking is $20. Call (714) 538-7091 or visit fairplex.com for details.

 

• Admission is free at Claremont Lewis Museum of Art, 200 W. First St., from noon to 4 p.m. the first Sunday of the month. Children’s activities are led by students of the museum’s Project ARTstART program.

 

• Vinyl, print and student vendors will be on hand at KSPC Claremont’s noon to 4 p.m. music and art mart fundraiser at Smith Campus Center, 170 E. Sixth St., Claremont. Tickets are $2, free for Claremont Colleges students.

 

• A noon to 5 p.m. quinceañera expo takes place at Fairplex expo hall 7, 1101 W. McKinley Ave. Pomona. Tickets are $12. RSVP at eventbrite.com, search “quinceañera Expo.”

 

• Homero Chavez and Una Noche play from 2 to 5 p.m. at Jazz at College Center, 665 E. Foothill Blvd., Claremont. More info is at jazzatcollegecenter.com.

 

• American Museum of Ceramic Art, 399 N. Garey Ave., Pomona, hosts a 2 p.m. panel discussion on its current exhibition, “Architectural Pottery: Ceramics for a Modern Landscape” and its accompanying book, with a Q-&-A to follow, free with admission. Visit amoca.org/events to learn more or RSVP.

 

• The Claremont Concert Choir and High Notes of the Pasadena Chorale combine for a free and open to the public 3 p.m. winter concert at Garrison Theater, 231 E. 10th St., Claremont. Program info is at scrippscollege.edu/events/calendar.

 

• Tickets are $25-$100 for Pomona Valley Pride’s 4 to 7:30 p.m. Oscars viewing party fundraiser at PianoPiano, 555 W. Foothill Blvd., Claremont. Find “Oscars Viewing Party Fundraiser” at facebook.com/pomonavalleypride for tickets.

 

• Harvey Mudd College welcomes musicians Stephan Moss and Rachel Huang for a free and open to the public 7 p.m. concert at Drinkward Recital Hall, 320 E. Foothill Blvd., Claremont. More info is at arts.hmc.edu.

 

 

Monday, March 3

• A veterans service officer provides free assistance to veterans and families every Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at La Verne Community Center, 3680 D St. Visit cityoflaverne.org for info.

 

• Chess for fun, a chess group for players beginner through advanced, meets from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mondays at Joslyn Center, 660 N. Mountain Ave., Claremont.

 

• Ovitt Family Community Library hosts family-friendly reading activities from 4 to 5 p.m. in observance of Read Across America Week at 215 E. C St., Ontario.

 

• Learn about Claremont’s Mountain View Commercial Center during a 6 to 8 p.m. informational session at Alexander Hughes Community Center, 1700 Danbury Rd., Claremont. The event repeats from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 4 at Carnegie Library Building, 123 D St., Upland.

 

• Matthew Garcia, professor of history, Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies, and human relations at Dartmouth College, speaks on “Padua Hills — Redux” at 6:45 p.m. as part of CMC’s free and public Athenaeum speaker series at Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum, 385 E. Eighth St., Claremont. More info is at cmc.edu/athenaeum.

 

 

Tuesday, March 4

• Beatrice Magistro, a postdoctoral research scholar at California Institute of Technology, speaks at noon over Zoom on “Attitudes Toward Artificial Intelligence and Globalization: Common Microfoundations and Political Implications” as part of CGU’s Tuesday Talks series. Learn more or sign up at research.cgu.edu, click “Division of Politics & Economics,” then “Tuesday Talks.”

 

• California Botanic Garden staff host a monthly run group at 4 p.m. at 1500 N College Ave., Claremont which is included with the day’s admission. Register or learn more at calbg.org.

 

• Panelists Steve Eggert, Sue O’Bannon, and Riley Lewis continue Claremont McKenna College’s free and public Athenaeum speaker series with at 5:30 p.m. with “Inaugural Real Estate Finance Conference” at Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum, 385 E. Eighth St., Claremont. More info is at cmc.edu/athenaeum.

 

 

Wednesday, March 5

• Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.

 

• Sowing Seeds for Life’s free 8 to 11 a.m. food pantry takes place at Charisma Life Church, 305 E. Arrow Hwy., Pomona, while supplies last. Visit sowingseedsforlife.org for details.

 

• American Museum of Ceramic Art hosts resident artist Stephanie Kim for a free noon to 1 p.m. virtual talk. Register at amoca.org/events.

 

• Meditation and mindfulness instructor Sudesh Kannan will speak on “Make Stress Your Friend” during Rotary Club of San Dimas’ noon Zoom meeting. Email aandimasrotary@gmail.com for an invite.

 

• Rancho Cucamonga Fire Department personnel lead a 6 to 10 p.m. course to certify adults on cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator exercises, valid for two years, at All-Risk Training Center, 11285 Jersey Blvd., Rancho Cucamonga. Register for $60 at cityofrc.us/events.

 

• Funie Hsu/Chhî, associate professor of American studies at San Jose State University, speaks at 6:45 p.m. on “Buddhist Ceremony and Chanting as Connection to Ancestors: May We Gather as a Response to Anti-Asian Violence” at Claremont McKenna College, as part of its free and public Athenaeum speaker series at Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum, 385 E. Eighth St., Claremont. More info is at cmc.edu/athenaeum.

 

 

Thursday, March 6

• Book Place at Pilgrim Place, 625 Mayflower Rd., Claremont, is open from 9 to 11 a.m. every Thursday, with used books 50 cents to $2.

 

• Ajit Singh, Artiman Ventures partner, and Mellody Hobson, CEO/president of Ariel Investments, speak with Harvey Mudd College President Harriet Nembhard on  “Entrepreneurship for Social Good,” a free and public 11 a.m. program part as of the 2025 Annenberg Leadership forum at Shanahan Center, 320 E. Foothill Blvd., Claremont. The forum continues with a 5:30 p.m. dinner program at Platt Campus Center, 340 E. Foothill Blvd. RSVP at hmc.edu/calendar.

 

• Highpoint Brewing Company, 402 W. Arrow Highway, San Dimas, hosts brew and cans, a 5 to 7 p.m. food donation drive for military families facing food insecurity. Bring six cans of food and receive a complimentary beer. Info is at chambermaster.sandimaschamber.org/events.

 

• In observance of Women’s History Month, artist Duan Kellum and poet Micah Tasaka lead a free and public 5 p.m. screen printing workshop at Ontario Museum of History and Art, 225 S. Euclid Ave. More info is at ontariomuseum.org/programs.

 

• Scripps College Music Department students play a free and open to the public 7:30 p.m. concert at Boone Recital Hall, 241 E. 10th St., Claremont.

 

• Yasmin Vafa, executive director of Rights4Girls, and activist Melanie Thompson speak at 6:45 on “Prostitution Policy: Global Perspectives on Legislating the Sex Trade” as part of Claremont McKenna College’s free and public Athenaeum speaker series at Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum, 385 E. Eighth St., Claremont. Info is at cmc.edu/athenaeum.

 

• Pomona College Theatre Department mounts “The Moors,” directed by Talya Klein, at 7:30 p.m. tonight and March 7-8 at Seaver Theatre, 300 E. Bonita Ave., Claremont. Additional 2 p.m. matinees are set for March 8-9. General admission is $12 at the box office. More info ins at pomona.edu.

 

 

Friday, March 7

• Upland Chamber of Commerce’s 7 a.m. networking breakfast at Landecena Community Building, 1325 San Bernardino Rd., Upland, is $23 for members, $28 for non-members. RSVP at uplandchamber.org/events.

 

• The war and existentialism book club meets at Joslyn Center, 660 N. Mountain Ave., Claremont, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. the first Friday of each month. March’s read is “The Sirens of Titan” by Kurt Vonnegut.

 

• Claremont Helen Renwick Library hosts a free 10:30 a.m. book club at 208 N. Harvard Ave. This month’s book is “H is for Hawk” by Helen Macdonald.

 

• RSVPs are due today for The Woman’s Club of Claremont’s 11:30 a.m. luncheon at 343 W. Twelfth St., Claremont, on March 12. Tickets is $21 for members, $25 for guests, $10 for first timers at womansclubofclaremont.com/luncheons.

 

• Cornucopia Baroque Ensemble perform music by Telemann, Purcell, and Buxtehude during a free and public 12:15 p.m. concert at Lyman Hall, 340 N. College Ave., Claremont. Doors open at noon.

 

• Pitzer College’s Chicanx/Latinx Student Affairs team hosts a free and open 3 to 5 p.m. Guatemalan flower festival at Pitzer Mounds, 1050 N. Mills Ave., Claremont.

 

• Children 8 and up are invited to a5:30 p.m. St. Patrick’s Day themed dance hosted by Rancho Cucamonga’s IncredAbles Friday night fun club at Central Park, 11200 Baseline Rd. Admission is $6 at cityofrc.us/events.

 

• The City of Claremont’s free 6 to 9 p.m. St. Patrick’s Day dance for special needs people will include a family dance for the first hour and a teen and adult dance for the final two hours at Youth Activity Center, 1717 N. Indian Hill Blvd. RSVP at anc.apm.activecommunities.com/claremontrecreation, search “St. Patrick’s Day dance.”

 

• Dancers from Village Dance Arts perform “An Evening of Dance for Humanity” at 7:15 p.m. at the Woman’s Club of Claremont, 343 W. 12th St., with proceeds benefitting artists impacted by the January fires in Los Angeles County. Seating is limited. Email villagedancearts@gmail.com for tickets.

 

 

Saturday, March 8

• The City of Upland’s fourth annual Lemon Zest 5K and children’s 1K takes place at Magnolia Park, 651 W. 15th St. The registration fee for the 7:30 a.m. 1K for children 9 and under is $25. The 5K, $35, starts at 8 a.m. Day of registration is by credit card only. Call (909) 931-4280 for more info.

 

• Herbalist William Broen leads a 9 to 11 a.m. herb walk at California Botanic Garden, 1500 N. College Ave., Claremont. Tickets are $30, $25 for CalBG members, at calbg.org.

 

• The Satellite Rotary Club of Military Family Support hosts its semi-annual feeding military heroes food drive from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at San Dimas Masonic Lodge, 220 N. Monte Vista Ave. Donation info is at chambermaster.sandimaschamber.org/events.

 

• Children ages 2 to 6 are invited to Celebration Park North, 4980 S. Celebration Ave., Ontario, for the 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Tot Olympics, featuring mini track and field events and a tot-sized obstacle course. Admission is $10 for residents, $12 for non-residents. Call (909) 395-2020 for more info.

 

• The Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology’s hosts Fossil Fest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1175 W. Baseline Rd., Claremont. Admission is $12, free for kids 4 and under, California teachers, and Museums for All members. More information is at alfmuseum.org.

 

• Ontario Museum of History and Art, 225 S. Euclid Ave., hosts free a noon Studio Saturday session. RSVP at ontariomuseum.org/programs.

 

• Mikel Jollett, author of “Hollywood Park,” the On the Same Page Committee’s 2024-25 community read, will speak with Emily St. Martin, digital features editor for Southern California News Group, at a free and open to the public 2 p.m. event at Alexander Hughes Community Center, 1700 Danbury Rd., Claremont.

 

• Tickets are $100 at facebook.com/claremontmealsonwheels for Claremont Meals on Wheels’ 6 p.m. poker night at Claremont Manor, 650 Harrison Ave., as part of its 2025 party parade fundraiser.