VIRTUAL HAPPENINGS

BY ROHIT LAKSHMAN

Pasadena Digital History Ongoing as of February Free | pasadenadigitalhistory.com

Pasadena Digital History may be a website to explore, as it is a fascinating deep dive into the city and contains many high-quality photos of the city’s past. Established in 2010, Pasadena Digital History seeks to bring alive the not-so-distant past of Pasadena, all over a virtual screen.

Arcadia Contemporary: “Flower + Power” Virtual Exhibition Ongoing as of February Free | arcadiacontemporary.com

Arcadia Contemporary offers a stunning collection of oil paintings with one central element: flowers. This virtual exhibition contains works from a multitude of talented artists, and with a seamless online service, “Flower + Power” is a great way of getting out of the house without leaving.

Gamble House Virtual Tour Ongoing as of February gamblehouse.org/virtual-tour

Built in 1908, the Gamble House was the home of David B. Gamble of Gamble and Proctor fame. Known for its natural flourishes, the Gamble House is the epitome of the American Craftsman style — and even under virtual circumstances, the Gamble House is still a wonderful home wander. The attention to detail that the virtual tour gives is astounding.

Old Pasadena Virtual Tour 10 a.m. Saturday, February 6 $12 to $15 | eventbrite.com

Due to the complications of touring Old Pasadena in person during the pandemic, the Old Pasadena Walking Tours were suspended. However, starting in February, virtual tours will begin.

Tours will take place every other month, and each will focus on a different theme. The first tour will celebrate Black History Month, looking at the African American influences in the first commercial district.

The tours are given over Zoom with trained docents who will lead guests on a visual presentation through the history district and reveal its unusual architectural details, alleyways and historic signs.

Andromeda Romano-Lax and Gayle Brandeis 6 p.m. Thursday, February 11 Online | Free | register at crowdcast.io/e/bqz5fige

Vroman’s Bookstore presents Andromeda Romano-Lax in conversation with Gayle Brandeis, discussing “Annie and the Wolves.” Ruth McClintock is obsessed with Annie Oakley. For nearly a decade, she has been studying the legendary sharpshooter, convinced that a scarring childhood event was the impetus for her crusade to arm every woman in America.

This search has cost Ruth her doctorate, a book deal and her fiancé — but finally it has borne fruit. She has managed to hunt down what may be a journal of Oakley’s midlife struggles, including secret visits to a psychoanalyst and the desire for vengeance against the “wolves,” or those who have wronged her.

Valentine’s Day REC-tivity Bags Noon Friday, February 12 Free | register at bit.ly/3iFbaIw

The South Pasadena Recreation Division is offering a Valentine’s Day REC-tivity — a lovable monster craft that residents can make at home. Space is limited.

Katherine Seligman and Hillary Jordan 6 p.m. Tuesday, February 16 Free | register at crowdcast.io/e/10cqtgvm

Vroman’s Bookstore and Friends in Deed present Katherine Seligman in conversation with Hillary Jordan, discussing “At the Edge of Haight.”

Maddy Donaldo, homeless at age 20, has made a family in the dangerous spaces of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. When she unwittingly witnesses the murder of a young homeless boy and is seen by the perpetrator, her relatively stable life is upended.

Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi 6 p.m. Thursday, February 18 Free | register at crowdcast.io/e/5e31r18m

Vroman’s Bookstore hosts Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi discussing “Kingston and the Magician’s Lost and Found.”

Magic has all but disappeared in Brooklyn, but one tenacious young magician is determined to bring it back in this exciting middle-grade mystery.

Nicole LaPorte and Jeff Selingo 6 p.m. Wednesday, February 24 Free | register at bit.ly/3a09EN9

Vroman’s presents Nicole LaPort and Jeff Selingo discussing “Guilty Admissions: The Bribes, Favors and Phonies Behind the College Cheating Scandal.”

The book weaves the story of an unscrupulous college counselor named Rick Singer, and how he preyed on the desperation of some of the country’s wealthiest families living in a world defined by fierce competition.

Ioan Grillo 6 p.m. Friday, February 26 Free | register at bit.ly/3sWt3Ya

Vroman’s Bookstore presents Ioan Grillo, who discusses “Blood Gun Monday: How America Arms Gangs and Cartels.”

The gun control debate is revived with every mass shooting. But far more people die from gun deaths on the street corners of inner-city America and across the border as Mexico’s powerful cartels battle to control the drug trade.