Darien Morning Briefing: 3.16.12, Friday

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Oldest school building in Darien (that's still a school): Middlesex Middle School, built in 1937.

Second oldest: Hindley School, 1948.

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Today is Friday, March 16, 2012.

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HEADLINES:

• —ends at 9 a.m.

EVENTS & REMINDERS

Adults

• Play: "Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean": 8 p.m., Darien Arts Center. $25 for adults; $20 for seniors and students. "In a small town dime store in West Texas, the "Disciples of James Dean" gather for their twentieth reunion. Now middle-aged women, they were teenagers when Dean filmed Giant two decades ago in nearby Marfa. One of them, an extra in the film, has a child whom she says was conceived with Dean during the shoot."—from the on Darien Patch
• FILM: "The Way": 7:30 p.m., Darien Library, PG-13 (2 hrs. 3 mins.) (2011) Emilio Estevez, Martin Sheen, and Yorick van Wagenigen—IMDb—trailer—Rotten Tomatoes—library announcement
  
• SATURDAY: Darien Library Spring Book Sale: Starts 9 a.m. Saturday; half-price on Tuesday and Wednesday; dollar a bag on Thursday; ends at noon on Friday, March 23. "Looking to stuff your bookcases with new books, audiobooks, and DVDs this Spring? Then come to the Darien Library Spring Book Sale! Hardcover and softcover books, audiobooks, and DVDs are $1."—from the library announcement 

Parents:

• REGISTER: Prenatal Yoga: 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., April 2, 9, 23, 30. Darien Library. "Certified yoga teacher Shelly Ransom will guide you safely through this gentle meditative series, helping you find peace, calm, and strength. Register for this program at this library Web page or by contacting the Children’s Library at childrenslibrary@darienlibrary.org."—from the library announcement

• REGISTER: APRIL 2: TALK: "Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Lives of Boys": Free, 7 to 9 p.m., Monday, April 2, Darien High School Auditorium. "Michael Thompson, Ph.D. studies the risk factors that affect the lives of boys, from learning disorders to peer pressure. He will be presenting his findings and taking questions from parents, educators, and caregivers. Dr. Thompson is the author of several books on boys and childhood development and has appeared on The Today Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, ABC’s 20/20, and CBS’ 60 Minutes."—from the library announcement—Thompson's website—REGISTER HERE (free)

Kids:

• We've Got Game: 4:15 to 5:45 p.m., Darien Library. "Come into the Children's Library for an afternoon of gaming. Ages 7 to 12."—library announcement
• Preschool Time: 9:30 to 10 a.m. Storytime Room, Darien Library. "Storytime for preschoolers ages 3 to 5. Includes stories, songs, and act-outs."—library announcement

Teens:

• Darien High School schedule: "B" Day. Periods: 3 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 5
• Blue and White Dance is tonight in the Main Gym, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. The cost is $10. Doors close at 7:30 p.m. and reopen at 9 p.m.
  
• "Interested in being a part of the DHS-China Exchange next year? Applications are now available. Submit completed applications by April 4th. Contact Mrs. Armiger with questions."—Darien High School website
• LAST DAY for AP test registration: "Students who wish to take an AP test must register the week of March 12-16, in the cafeteria during lunch periods.  The registration fee is $95 per test; cash is accepted or a check can be made out to Darien High School.  The registration form should be downloaded, completed and brought with your registration fee.  Any registrations submitted after March 16th should be brought to Guidance and will have a $50 late fee, per test, added.  Please see your counselor or your AP teacher if you have any questions."—Darien High School website
• The March edition of Neirad
• Darien Depot March Calendar
  

DARIEN PLAYHOUSE SHOWTIMES

• John Carter: 7:15 and 9:45 p.m., PG-13 (2 hr. 19 min.)—IMDb—trailer—trailer—Rotten Tomatoes
• The Lorax: 7 and 9 p.m., PG-13 (1 hr. 26 min.)—IMDb—trailer—Rotten Tomatoes

GOVERNMENT MEETINGS

All meetings take place in , 2 Renshaw Rd., unless otherwise noted. Since Darien town government provides no reliable, centralized list of town government meetings, and there is not enough time in the day to go searching for them, this list may well be incomplete:

• No known meetings
  

FORECAST as of 12:33 a.m. Thursday (update)

• Friday: "A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 10am. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 52. East wind between 3 and 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms."
• Friday Night: "A slight chance of showers before 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45. Light north wind. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent."

INTERSTATE 95 TRAFFIC CAMS

See also Darien Patch's "Traffic & Gas Prices" page.

• Stamford: southbound, Exit 8 - Elm St.

• Stamford: northbound, south of Exit 9 - Lockwood Ave.

• Darien southbound, north of Exit 9 - Darien Service Plaza

• Darien northbound Exit 12 - Tokeneke Rd.

• Darien northbound, south of Exit 13 - Darien Service Plaza

• Darien southbound, Exit 13 - Rt. 1 (Boston Post Rd.)

• Norwalk southbound, Exit 15 - Stuart Ave.

• Norwalk Rt 7 south of Exit 1 - Connecticut Ave.

• Norwalk northbound, Exit 15 - Rt. 7

TIDES & TIMES

• Sunrise: 7:03 a.m.
• Sunset: 7:02 p.m.

• Low tide: 12:51 a.m. (0.5')
• High tide: 6:57 a.m. (7.1')
  
• Low tide: 1:36 a.m. (0.2')
• High tide: 7:36 p.m. (6.6')

HOW TO USE PATCH:

Forecast obtained from the National Weather Service; tide information obtained from saltwatertides.com (calibrated to Long Neck Point).