by Andrew Alonzo | calendar@claremont-courier.com

What’s Happening Claremont?

Friday, July 15

• Today is the deadline to donate new, unused school backpacks to the Children’s Foundation of America, a Claremont-based nonprofit that provides educational support and supplies to local foster youth. Backpacks can be dropped off at the nonprofit’s Claremont Village offices at 201 N. Indian Hill Blvd., Suite 200 (door code:1966). To donate monetarily, visit childrensfoundationofamerica.org. For more information, call (909) 426-0773.

• Every Friday at 9 a.m., an art group meets on the Joslyn Center patio, 660 N. Mountain Ave. The free group session is open to all levels of artists, who are invited to bring their current works in-progress or start new ones. Attendees must wear masks while indoors. For more information, contact the center at (909) 399-5488.

Saturday, July 16

• The Claremont High School cross-country team will conclude its annual 24-hour relay, a decades-long tradition which helps raise donations for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training. This year’s relay will start at 8 a.m. sharp on Friday, July 15 at Claremont High School’s track, and end 24-hours later, on Saturday. For more information or to make a donation to the cause, visit pages.lls.org/tnt/calso/yourway22/CXCP24HourRelay2022.

• Kick off Latinx Conservation Week with a Baja California plant walking tour at 8:30 a.m. at the California Botanic Garden with Grow Native Nursery Manager, Mariana Ramirez Rodriguez. Join Rodriguez to learn about amazing Baja native plants like the endangered desert rose and the funky Boojum tree. This tour will be given in Spanish. For more details or to register for the free walk, visit calbg.org/event/caminata-guiada-plantas-nativas-de-baja-california. 

Sunday, July 17

• Every Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Claremont Farmers and Artisans Market is held in the Village. The weekly market is the perfect place to find unique crafts made locally as well as organic food, clothing and jewelry. For more information, visit claremontforum.org/claremont-farmers-market-2.

• Polyhedra will perform live jazz at College Center, 665 E. Foothill Blvd., at 2 p.m. The concert will last approximately three hours and is free. For more information or to view the monthly jazz lineup, visit jazzatcollegecenter.com.

Monday, July 18

• Every Monday at 9:35 a.m., an active adult chair exercise group meets at the Alexander Hughes Community Center, 1700 Danbury Rd. The group session is free and lasts about an hour. Attendees must wear masks while indoors. For more information, contact the center at (909) 399-5490.

• California Botanic Garden membership holders are invited to its free Magical Monday event from 6 to 8 p.m. The event includes an evening stroll through the garden, 1500 N. College Ave., and live music in the newly remodeled California Courtyard. Boxed dinners and beverages will be available for purchase starting at $20. Individual CalBG memberships begin at $50 and can be purchased on the CalBG’s website. For more details visit calbg.org/event/magical-mondays-member-exclusive-0718.

• The city’s annual Monday night concert series continues tonight at Memorial Park, 840 N. Indian Hill Blvd., with a performance by Motown tribute group Kulayd. The free concerts begin at 7 p.m. and are presented by the City of Claremont and the Kiwanis Club of Claremont. Crowds are invited to come early to set up on the grass and enjoy concessions. For more information call (909) 399-5490.

Tuesday, July 19

• Whether you are looking for ways to develop your observational skills, find a vehicle for artistic expression, or experience a more personal connection to nature, the city’s latest course, journaling nature, will guide you with friendly instruction and practice sessions to help you become a proficient nature journal writer. The course concludes today with the final class in the Eucalyptus Room at the Joslyn Center, 660 N. Mountain Ave., from 10 to 11:30 a.m. All levels of experience are welcome to this free class. Pre-registration is required by calling (909) 399-5488.

• Join the Claremont Chamber of Commerce today at Blossoming Lotus Gyrotonic and Pilates, 445 W. Foothill Blvd., Suite 106, for a 5 p.m. ribbon cutting. To register for this event, visit https://business.claremontchamber.org/events/details/ribbon-cutting-blossoming-lotus-gyrotonic-and-pilates-40243. 

Wednesday, July 20

• Join AgingNext and Women Rise at 10 a.m. over Zoom for Seasons Change and So Do We: a series for women, the third lecture in a four-part series with the CEO of Women Rise, Dr. Janiel Henry, Psy.D. The summer topic is “Tools for calm: strategies for managing stress and anxiety.” The discussion is free to the community. To register, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/seasons-change-and-so-do-we-a-series-for-women-tickets-375279550237.

• Avid young readers ages eight to 12 are invited to join the Claremont Helen Renwick Library’s classic readers book club. The meeting starts at 2 p.m. and readers will share their thoughts on some of the best stories of all time. July’s book is “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry,” by Mildred D. Taylor, and can be checked out at the library, 208 N. Harvard Ave. Registration is required at https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/6787906.

• Tri-City Mental Health will host a discussion about the mental health and wellbeing of Black, Indigenous, and people of color as well as other historically marginalized populations, including the LGBTQ+ community, via Zoom starting at 2 p.m. Spanish translation will be provided. For more information email aespinosa@tricitymhs.org.

• Claremont’s annual tradition of movies in the park continues tonight with a showing of Walt Disney Pictures’ The Lion King (1994) at Wheeler Park, 626 Vista Drive. Movies begin at 8 p.m., but families are invited to stop by the park early to enjoy concessions and preshow activities. All showings are free and open to the community. Residents are reminded to bring blankets or lawn chairs to avoid sitting on the ground. For more details call (909) 399-5490.

Thursday, July 21

• The Community Heart drive-thru food pantry, located at 10871 Central Ave., in Ontario, takes place every Thursday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. The pantry is there to “help all families and individuals in need.” For information on the food panty, visit communityheartfeedtheneed.org.

• At 10 a.m., musicians of all kinds are invited to jam with one another at the Joslyn Center during its Joslyn Jammers session, which are held every Thursday through August 25. Though sessions are free to the community, pre-registration is required at (909) 399-5488.

• A free bereavement support group, hosted by VNA Hospice and Palliative Care of Southern California, is held every Thursday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the Joslyn Center, 660 N. Mountain Ave. Experienced and trained facilitators lead this group to offer support, education, and a chance to connect with others who have lost a loved one. The group exists to provide hope and comfort in the grief journey through the experience of a supportive community that gives space and time to process feelings of loss to bring healing. For more information or to join, call (909) 399-5488.

• The Pomona Concert Band continues its 75th annual free summer concert series this week with Carnival of the Animals and other fun music. Concerts are held at the G. Stanton Selby Bandshell, behind the community center building at Ganesha Park, 1575 N. White Ave., and begin at 7:30 p.m. every Thursday through August. For more information, visit pomonaconcertband.org. 

Friday, July 22

• Children ages five to 12 are invited to learn about the amazing life of the sea star and how it survives in the ocean, courtesy of Claremont Helen Renwick Library’s Lifestyles of Slimy and Squishy. Experience marine life up-close with live tidepool animals, including sea stars, urchins, slugs, hermit crabs, and more at the library, 208 N. Harvard Ave. To register for this free event, go to visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/6787889.

• Friday Nights Live performers include The Dogs at Shelton Park, Dr. Seth and Ollie at the Village Plaza, and Good Music with Elizabeth Hangan outside of the chamber of commerce offices. The free performances take place from 6 to 9 p.m. For more details visit claremontchamber.org.

• A special performance by rock band Arrow Highway will take place at 6 p.m. outside of the Ahmad Shariff Gallery, on the corner of First St. and Harvard Ave.

Saturday, July 23

• Fourth Saturdays Poetry is back to meeting in-person at the Claremont Helen Renwick Library, 208 N. Harvard Ave. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed. Today’s reading, set to begin at 2 p.m., features Nikia Chaney and Karen Greenbaum-Maya. Chaney is the author of “us mouth” (2018, University of Hell Press) and two chapbooks, “Sis Fuss” (2012, Orange Monkey Publishing) and “ladies, please” (2012, Dancing Girl Press). Greenbaum-Maya is a retired psychologist, former German major and reviewer of restaurants, and two-time Pushcart and Best of the Net nominee. Fourth Saturdays reading series is supported by Friends of the Claremont Library and with grants from Poets and Writers. For more details, contact the library at (909) 621-4902.

Sunday July 24

• Today is the deadline to return backpacks for the Shoes That Fit back-to-school backpack campaign. Backpacks should be dropped off at the donation center from where they were taken. For details about this year’s campaign, visit claremont-courier.com/latest-news/shoes-that-fit-back-to-school-backpack-campaign-is-back-66474.

• Ophelia’s Jump Productions’ Midsummer Shakespeare Festival concludes today with an 8 p.m. performance of William Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale,” at Pomona College’s Sontag Greek Theater. General admission begins at $30. To purchase tickets, visit https://opheliasjump.org.