Princeton’s pottery painting shop is turning five, and the community can help celebrate on Saturday, March 15 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. with fun activities like a craft station for kids, free pottery painting, a photo booth, and more.

There will also be treats from LiLLiPiES, giveaways, and a ribbon-cutting with Mayor Mark Freda to add to the festivities. more

 March has many milestones: the Ides of March, the first day of spring, seasonal holidays, and for basketball fans, March Madness, in which college teams play for the NCAA championship. (Selection is Sunday, March 16).

The Yankee Doodle Tap Room at The Nassau Inn, 10 Palmer Square East, is featuring Hoops and Hops, when, during all March Madness games, March 18 through April 7, the pub is offering $5 Voodoo Ranger IPA, Yankee Doodle Ale, and Lightstrike. Also, make a shot in the mini-hoop behind the bar to win prizes! The Pub Grub Menu will also be available during all games. more

 Princeton’s most famous resident, Albert Einstein, was born on March 14,^, the numeric equivalent of pi, and the town is ready for its annual Pi Day Celebration, including a Pie-Eating Contest, Pi Recitation Contest, Einstein Look-Alike Contest, tours, and more. (Pi is a mathematical constant, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter).

For the non-competitive among us, there are Dinky Rides with Einstein (featuring Bill Agress, a professional reenactor), a Pi-Rade, author presentations, family-friendly self-guided Albert Einstein tours, and a Genius Pub Crawl for adults. more

For that serendipitous bargain book, or an intriguing, rare book, the 94th Annual Bryn Mawr-Wellesley Book Sale may be the browsing space you need.

The book sale is March 12-16 at Stuart Country Day School, 1200 Stuart Road, in Princeton. Over 60,000 books, sorted into categories from Anthropology to World History, will be on sale, with most hardbacks priced at $4. Children’s books start at $1. Three special collections are featured this year from the estates of local scholars in Native American studies, British art, and archaeology. more

Boheme Opera NJ, now in its 36th season, presents Il Trovatore, Verdi’s tale of love, lust, and revenge, on Friday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 23 at 3 p.m. at the Kendall Main Stage Theater on the campus of The College of New Jersey.

In the classic opera stars tenor John Kum Park as Manrico, soprano Ashley Galvani Bell as Leonora, contralto Alison Bolshoi as Azucena, and features baritone Daniel Sutin as Count di Luna. more

Award-winning travel writer Gary Lee Kraut, a Paris-based specialist on travel and touring in France, will offer a series of March events about Paris bistro life and the Notre Dame Cathedral restoration.

Kraut, originally from Mercer County, is an award-winning travel writer, the editor of the web magazine France Revisited, and author of the critically acclaimed guide Paris Revisited: The Guide for the Return Traveler. His experience and knowledge as a France travel and tour specialist has also made him “the go-to guy” for those seeking personalized tours, advice, and tailor-made events in Paris and throughout France, via the website garysparistours.com. He has lectured extensively in the U.S. and France about insights from his travels, travel writing, wine regions, and American war sites in France. more

 Second through sixth graders can drop into Saturday chess sessions at the Princeton Public Library, on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. A session will be held Saturday, February 22 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on the third floor of the library in the STEAM Studio. more

​​Join in the fun of an old-fashioned barn dance with live music and professional calling when the Princeton Country Dancers get together for their March 9 dance from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Suzanne Patterson Center, 1 Monument Drive.  All dances are taught; no experience or partners are necessary, and all ages are welcome. more

Prepare to explore the flavorful restaurants of Princeton as a growing list of some 32 restaurants with varied cuisines have lined up to present Princeton’s Restaurant Week, March 1 to 7.

Participating eateries will offer prix fixe Restaurant Week lunch menus for $25, dinner menus for $45, and/or special deals. The participating restaurants will be listing their Restaurant Week menus at Experience Princeton. more

Hollywood’s awards ceremony is coming up on March 2, and you can celebrate the best films at the Princeton Garden Theatre’s Hollywood Awards Party.

The popular annual watch party returns to the theater, 160 Nassau Street, for a festive way to enjoy Hollywood’s biggest night on the big screen. Tickets are $13.75 general admission and $8.50 for members, and come with bottomless popcorn and fountain sodas. Local vendors will be in the lobby with other treats for sale. Dress in a tux or come cozy in your PJs — both are acceptable.
The Garden Theatre notes that the actual awards are starting an hour earlier this year. Timed to the earlier start time, a local Red Carpet Reception will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m., before the ceremony. This portion of the party will be held in the Palmer Room at the Nassau Inn and feature a wine and beer bar and light bites. Reception tickets, $50 for general admission and $40 for members, also include reserved seats for the Awards Party at the theater. Tickets for the reception are limited, and can be reserved at Red Carpet Tickets. more

If you want Valentine’s Day to last a little longer, complete your Valentine’s weekend celebrations with a one-of-a-kind shopping experience for two on Sunday, February 16, from 1 to 4:30 p.m., where you can discover gifts and specials like a secret drink at Winberie’s, a jewelry party at Dandelion, and pop-up discounts and treats from Halo Fete, Maman, Lilly Pulitzer, The Bent Spoon, and more. more

Join HomeFront for a jam-packed week of opportunities that help local families impacted by poverty and homelessness. To sign up for events online, visit: bit.ly/hopeweek25

Create a Welcoming FreeStore Experience (five slots per day) is on Monday, February 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., and Thursday, February 13, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 1000 Division Street, Trenton. Help HomeFront sort incoming donations and organize the store to ensure it is accessible and inviting. more

Princeton Public Library is setting the mood for the 97th Academy Awards on March 2 with a weekly program, Oscar Winners through the Decades. Best Picture winners from the 1930s through the 1980s are screened on Wednesdays through February 26, from 3 to 5:15 p.m. The films are shown in the Community Room in the library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Light refreshments are served starting at 2:45 p.m.

The films, which began with the Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) on January 22, continue with The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) on January 29, On the Waterfront (1954) on February 5, The Apartment (1960) on February 12, The Sting (1973) on February 19, and Rain Man (1988) on February 26. more

 For the first time, the Princeton Recreation Department is going to Broadway — specifically to bring residents and guests to see The Lion King musical on March 2.

The trip is open to Princeton residents and non-residents ages 6 and up — per Broadway policies, participants under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. more

Shop Small Business Saturday in Princeton at stores like the independent The Cloak & Dagger Bookshop, 349 Nassau Street, on November 30. All over Princeton small businesses are preparing to celebrate Small Business Saturday with specials and events. Check Experience Princeton’s website for special promotions as the day approaches at experienceprinceton.org.

At Cloak and Dagger, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., all in-store book purchases at the mystery bookshop will be discounted by 10 percent when the customer says “I love small shops” at checkout. more