Images of Albert Einstein are all over Princeton this weekend as the town celebrates its favorite resident and its annual geek day, Pi Day. Saturday, March 14, is packed with Pi Day events in Princeton beginning at 7 a.m. with a Pi Day walk. Other events include a pie eating contest, a violin exhibition, a KENKEN tournament for teens, a Pi bike tour, Dinky train rides with “Einstein,” a Pi recitation contest, and, of course, the annual Albert Einstein look-alike contest. For a full schedule of Pi Day Princeton events, visit the Princeton Pi Day website.

Several Princeton merchants are offering Pi Day specials, for example Small World Coffee is offering Brainiac Brew for $3.14 (a double joe with two extra shots of espresso), Triumph Brewery is offering $1 of your first pint, and the Ivy Inn is offering $3.14off of food orders, minimum $10 purchase.

Friday, March 13

Climate Change Cabaret with Planet Princeton’s Own Steve Hiltner – This evening at 7 p.m., an unlikely couple will meet at the Princeton Public Library: climate change and comic cabaret. Sponsored by the upcoming Princeton Environmental Film Festival, this is not the sort of comedy that makes light of its subject, but rather seeks to give a ponderous subject the lift it needs to rise into people’s thoughts. No other subject challenges our contentment with the status quo like climate change, nor offers as much angst from which to forge comedy.

“The environmental movement was built, in large part, on a fear of what is getting into our bodies. Chemicals, radiation—these are the nasties that threaten to invade. But climate change is driven by seemingly benign gases, invisible, odorless, with consequence often distant in place and time,” Hiltner says. “The usual buttons that traditionally trigger our concern and a sense of urgency are not being pushed.”

The challenge, then, Hiltner says, is to help climate change make the leap from the intellectual to the visceral, from whence it might more constructively drive our thoughts. Facts and figures, grim forebodings, accurate as they may be, have not been sufficient. Better to find in the subject something rewarding, even pleasurable, and ultimately empowering. Comedy seeks to do that through a belly laugh.

To quote loosely from some of the cabaret’s dialogue: “In the future, our cars will run on irony paradoxide. English professors will publish research on what sorts of irony yield the most energy per page. The humanities: Power for the future! You see, there’s hope after all.”

Princeton Special Needs Dance – Princeton Special Sports and the Princeton Recreation Department co-sponsor monthly dances for people with special needs ages 13 and up. 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Community Park School, 372 Witherspoon Street, Princeton. Admission $12.

Kinnara Ensemble Presents “LAMENT” – Join the Kinnara Ensemble and conductor JD Burnett for Monteverdi’s Sestina, a collection of six poems titled “Lament at the tomb of the beloved”, which forms the centerpiece of this hour of singing. This concert will also feature Ginastera’s Lamentations of Jeremiah and other choral works. Comprising 32 voices, KINNARA Ensemble is a professional choir based in the Princeton, NJ area. Singers hail from all over the country for a week in residency together. 8 p.m., Trinity Church, 33 Mercer St, Princeton. Admission $25.

Spring Awakening Musical at McCarter Theatre – The Tony Award-winning musical follows a group of late 19th-century German students on their journey from adolescence to adulthood. 8 p.m. Berlind Theatre. Tickets $10 and up.

Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, at McCarter Theater at Matthews, Sherlock Holmes is on the case. Comedic genius Ken Ludwig transforms Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic “The Hound of the Baskervilles” into a murderously funny adventure. 8 p.m. Matthews Theatre. Tickets $25 and up.

Saturday, March 14

Witherspoon-Jackson Neighborhood Meeting – Topics for discussion: Affordable Housing –Present and Future; The Possibility of a Witherspoon –Jackson Historic District, and Has Consolidation Worked for Princeton’s Citizens? The Public is Invited. Please come, bring your neighbor, and bring your questions. Continental Breakfast available. 9:30 a.m. First Baptist Church – Corner of Paul Robeson Place and John Street – use door on left and down the stairs. Free.

Annual Book Sale, Friends of The West Windsor Library – Fiction, non-fiction, and more. Great bargains and a wide selection of used books. 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday is half price day. West Windsor Branch Library, 333 North Post Rd, Princeton Junction.

Science on Saturday at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory – “Scientific Opportunities and Challenges in the Upgraded National Spherical Torus Experiments,” presented by Jonathan Menard, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. For high school students, parents, teachers, and community members. Photo ID required. Forrestal Campus, Route 1 North, Plainsboro.
9:30 a.m. Free.

Slow Food Central New Jersey Winter Farmers Market – Locally produce, baked goods, jams, mushrooms, cheeses, and more. Live music. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. D&R Greenway, 1 Preservation Place (just off Rosedale Road across from Johnson Park School), Princeton, Admission $3.

Mercer County 2015 Artist Homecoming – Seven painters will be featured in the Mercer County 2015 Artist Homecoming two-day fine art exhibition and sale that will take place Saturday, March 14th & Sunday, March 15 at the Ewing Mall. The mall is located at 1605 Calhoun Street. All of the artists to be featured have significant ties to the Greater Trenton area. Noon t0 7 p.m. Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

The Easter Bunny Visits the Quaker Bridge Mall – Hop over to the Quaker Bridge Mall to welcome the Easter Bunny to his photo set for this annual Easter tradition. Don’t forget to book your family’s reservation online for free to skip the line and capture a treasured snapshot. Begins at noon. Quaker Bridge Mall, 150 Quaker Bridge Mall, Lawrence Township.

Jazz and Beyond Series at the Arts Council of Princeton – RatioActivity Pi Day concert. Music by WilboWright and Eric Haltmeier. 7:30 p.m., 102 Witherspoon Street, Princeton. Admission $3.14.

Princeton Symphony Orchestra Bravo! Master It! Master Class with Zuill Bailey – Four students will be coached by the world-class cellist Zuill Bailey in PSO BRAVO! Master It!, presented by the Princeton Symphony Orchestra at the Institute for Advanced Study’s Wolfensohn Hall. Mr. Bailey is appearing as a guest soloist with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra the following day in the PSO Classical Series concert Soulful Reflections. Musicians and music enthusiasts will be fascinated by this public masterclass. March 14 @ 2:00 p.m. to 4 p.m. Institute for Advanced Study, Wolfensohn Hall, 1 Einstein Dr., Princeton. Free.

Princeton Pro Musica in Concert – The Princeton University Chapel will set the stage to display the unparalleled beauty of choral singing in this magnificent space. Arvo Pàrt’s Te Deum opens up vast musical spaces, marrying ancient chant with modern minimalism, and voices with haunting strings. Selections by Wadsworth and Allegri will create antiphonal experiences, and the concert will close with a sumptuous sonic feast — five ensembles filling the chapel from every direction with John Tavener’s sublime Song for Athene. 8 p.m. Princeton University Chapel, Princeton. Tickets $25 and up.

Irish Harp and Song – Voices presents the class Irish music program featuring the Jameson Sisters. 8 p.m., Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street, Princeton. Admission $25.

Sunday, March 15

Annual Book Sale, Friends of The West Windsor Library – Fiction, non-fiction, and more. Great bargains and a wide selection of used books. Sun. March 15, 12:30 – 5 p.m. Sunday is Bag ($4) and box ($5 and up) day. BYOB. Bag day continues thru March 17th during library hours. West Windsor Branch Library, 333 North Post Rd, Princeton Junction.

The Easter Bunny Visits the Quaker Bridge Mall – Hop over to the Quaker Bridge Mall to welcome the Easter Bunny to his photo set for this annual Easter tradition. Don’t forget to book your family’s reservation online for free to skip the line and capture a treasured snapshot. Begins at 11 a.m. Quaker Bridge Mall, 150 Quaker Bridge Mall, Lawrence Township.

Pruning Demonstration at Terhune Orchards – Gary Mount explains how to prune fruit trees and answers questions. Held in the orchards. Free cider and donuts. Free annual event. 1 p.m., 330 Cold Soil Road, Princeton.

ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life In “The Era of Endless” – Judith Kolberg, Author of the Best Selling Book, “ADD Friendly Ways to Organize your Life” and Founder of Fileheads Professional Organizers will be the speaker. We live in the Era of Endless, confronted by endless information. This poses new organizing challenges. Co-Sponsored by Chadd of Princeton-Mercer County and the Princeton Public Library. 3 to 5 p.m. Location: Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Free.

ArtJam – The last day of the gallery exhibit featuring local and national artists. Proceeds go to HomeFront’s ArtSpace. Stop in and see some fantastic art, jewelry and scarves for sale. 19 Hulfish St. Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Friday night reception 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday hours noon to 6 p.m.