Planet Weekend Picks, Jan. 13-16

 

Andy Akiho and Friends will perform at Infini-T Cafe tonight.

Friday, January 13

YWCA Princeton MLK Celebration –  In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., children from the YW’s after-school program will display their art and the YW will serve a birthday cake. YWCA all-purpose room, 12:30 p.m. Free.

Wine Tasting at CoolVines – Explore the grenache grape. Store located at 21 Spring Street in downtown Princeton. Tasting 5-7 p.m.

Andy Akiho and Friends at Infini-T Cafe – Andy Akiho on steel pan, Paul Hofreiter on bass, and Sean Dixon on drums at the cafe that has quickly become a Princeton favorite. Infiniti is located at 4 Hulfish Street in downtown Princeton. Music begins at 7:30 p.m. Free.

“The French Connection” by Westminster Community Orchestra, Westminster Choir College – Concert features works written by French composers or with a French theme, including works by Mozart and Franck. 8 p.m. at Princeton High School on Walnut Lane. Tickets $15.

The Convert, McCarter Theater  – World premiere of Danai Gurira’s new play set in the region that would become Zimbabwe circa 1895. Directed by Emily Mann. 8 p.m. at Berlind Theatre, tickets $20-$60., www.mccarter.org.  (Also on Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.)

Saturday, January 14

Dream Bags Project at the Historical Society of Princeton – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?'” In response to that question, children of all ages can combine arts and crafts with community service in the creation of “dream bags” filled with treats for patrons of the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen. Children can decorate their bags with drawings and words of MLK’s famous speech, as well as their own dreams and aspirations for the future. Cost is $5 per person  (ages 3 or older), $8/for 2, $10/for 3, $15/for 4. Free for Historical Society members. Takes place at the Updike Farmstead at 354 Quaker Road from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.. For more info. call (609)921-6748 ext. 102.

Book Sale at Westminster Conservatory – Sale benefits the onservatory’s scholarship fund. Runs from 9 a.m.-4p.m. in the playhouse at 101 Walnut Lane.

Winter Farmers Market with Slow Food Central New Jersey – Slow foods and artisan products for sale at the D&R Greenway’s Johnson Education Center on Rosedale Road, 10a.m.-2p.m.

Science on Saturday at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory – “What is the Universe Expanding Into? And Other Perfectly Reasonable Questions” presented by David Goldberg, department of physics at Drexel University. Register on site beginning at 8:15 a.m. For students, parents, teachers, and community members. Photo ID required. Free. At Forrestal Campus, Route 1 North, Plainsboro, Program starts at 9:30 a.m.

Mozart Masterpieces at the Princeton Public Library – 90-minute multi-media lecture featuring Mozart’s important works, 3 p.m. at the fireplace on second floor. Free.

Wine Tasting at CoolVines – Explore the aged port. CoolVines is located at 21 Spring Street. Tasting 2-5p.m.

Princeton University Orchestra All Handel Concert – A selection of arias performed by winners of the Handel singing competition, 8 p.m. at Richardson Auditorium, free with registration, www.princeton.edu/puconcerts.

B.D. Lenz at Small World Coffee – The funky jazz trio performs at the 14 Witherspoon Street location from 8:30-10:30 p.m.

Sunday, January 15

Evans

The Dryden Ensemble Visits the Princeton Public Library– Free concert featuring works by J.S. Bach on Baroque instruments. Bach arias, a violin sonata, and a harpsichord solo with baritone Charles Wesley Evans; Vita Wallace, violin; Jane McKinley, oboe; Motomi Igarashi, viola da gamba; and Alexandra Snyder Dunbar, harpsichord. 3 p.m., fireplace on the second floor of the library.


Monday, January 16

Princeton University King Day Celebration –  Princeton University will commemorate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. with its annual King Day celebration, which will feature keynote speaker Bob Moses, the 2011-12 distinguished visiting fellow in Princeton’s Center for African American Studies. Moses was a leader in the 1960s civil rights movement, serving as a key figure in the Mississippi Summer Project of 1964 to register black voters and protest racial discrimination. He is the founder and president of the Algebra Project, a national nonprofit organization that has helped thousands of students in urban and rural school districts develop essential mathematical skills. Free and open to the public. The celebration will be held in Richardson Auditorium of Alexander Hall. Doors open at 1 p.m. The program will begin at 1:15 p.m. with musical selections from A New Perspective Jazz Band, a youth quintet from Ewing. The ceremony will include the presentation of awards to student winners in grades 4-12 from area schools who entered an annual Martin Luther King Day-themed contest. The University also will present the MLK Day Journey Award, which recognizes a member of the Princeton faculty, staff or student body who best represents King’s continued journey.

Celebrating Dr. King Through the Arts – The Arts Council of Princeton, Kidsbridge and the Historical Society of Princeton are partnering to offer an afternoon of arts and crafts activities for children in honor of King Day.  The Arts Council will host and open house from 1-4 p.m. at the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts featuring creative hands-on workshops, student-led puppet shows and projects inspired by Dr. King’s words. The event is suitable for elementary and middle school students. The Princeton High School Community Service Group will assist with activities. The event is free and open to the public.

Princeton Interfaith Service – The Princeton Clergy Association will host its annual interfaith service in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King at 7 p.m. at Mt. Pisgah AME Church, 170 Witherspoon Street. The Rev. Robert Moore, executive director of the Coalition for Peace Action and pastor of the East Brunswick Congregational Church, will be the preacher. Faith leaders and choirs from a range of traditions will participate in the service. During the service a free-will offering will be received that will be split between the United Negro College Fund and the Princeton-based Coalition for Peace Action.