Darien Morning Briefing: 4.9.12, Monday

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NO SCHOOL

Darien public schools are closed today for "staff development." The Darien Playhouse has several matinee showtimes (see below).

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"RED FLAG" FIRE WARNING

The National Weather Service says the risk of a fire starting in the current dry, windy conditions, is higher than normal. The warning is in effect from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. throughout the Metropolitan area and as far east as New London County.

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Today is Monday, April 9, 2012.

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HEADLINES:

Finance Board Contemplates Cuts in Education

EVENTS & REMINDERS

Adults

• Donation Drive: Gently used blankets and towels for pets: All day at The Hairy Barker Inn & Spa, 21 Tokeneke Rd. The store "is collecting GENTLY USED towels and blankets for BLANKETS AND BOWLS. These are among the most asked for items at shelters. Blankets and Bowls will distribute these items to any shelter in need."—the on Darien Patch.

• TUESDAY: in Stamford
• TUESDAY: Spring Gardening Workshop at the Darien Community Association: 9:30 a.m. 274 Middlesex Rd. "Learn from the pros as we wake up the DCA’s historic formal garden with this instructional workshop, free to the public. [...] Wear your boots, bring your gloves and clippers if you have them, and join us in at the DCA.  Children are welcome under your supervision.  Light lunch will be provided; please ensure we have nosh for you by reserving your space through the DCA at (203) 655-9050."—from on Darien Patch
• TUESDAY: Documentary: "Vanishing of the Bees": 7 p.m. Darien Library. (2009) Narrated by Ellen Page; Not rated; 99 minutes. "The event will include a presentation from a local Eagle Scout about building bee hives. [...] Honeybees have been mysteriously disappearing across the planet, literally vanishing from their hives. Known as Colony Collapse Disorder, this phenomenon has brought beekeepers to crisis in an industry responsible for producing apples, broccoli, watermelon, onions, cherries and a hundred other fruits and vegetables. Commercial honeybee operations pollinate crops that make up one out of every three bites of food on our tables."—from the Darien Library announcement.

Parents:

• TUESDAY: "Why Are Youth Sports So Intense and Specialized?: Keeping Sports Balanced and Fun" 7:30-9 p.m., Tokeneke Elementary School—Darien YWCA announcement
  

Kids:

• IMAX movies at the Maritime Aquarium: 10 North Water St., Norwalk. Sea Rex (11 a.m., 2 p.m.), Born to be Wild (noon), Search for the Great Sharks  (1 and 3 p.m.)—from an aquarium Web page

• Meerkats exhibit at the Maritime Aquarium: "These are active animals with very charismatic faces and highly interesting social structures, so they are a lot of fun for visitors to watch.”—Jack Schneider, the Aquarium’s curator of animals, quoted on this aquarium Web page.

• Storytelling Yoga: 1 p.m. Stepping Stones Museum for Children. "Parents and children together enjoy a short story while participating in yoga-based movement in the Performance Gallery."—museum website.

• Creative Dramatics 2:30 p.m.  Stepping Stones Museum for Children. "Two exhibit related performances, Energy Superheros and Super High Energy Workout, that pop on the museum floor at the ColorCoaster."—museum website

• Ceramic Studio: 3:30 p.m. Ages 3 and up. Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk. "Learn the basics and create your own masterpiece. Space is limited. $5 per child, museum admission required. Visit the Welcome Desk for details."—museum website

• Science Spot: 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. Stamford Museum & Nature Center. "Stop by the Overbrook Nature Center on your Monday afternoon visits to learn the science behind some of our favorite natural wonders. We'll study amphibians and make slime, discover color science through making our own watercolors, build with magnets and more! Each week will be a different theme and feature a take home project. Recommended for 5 and up."—from a museum Web page.

• "Harry Potter fans, rejoice! All seven books in the incredible and now-legendary series by J.K. Rowling are available as eBooks from Darien Library. Get ready to join Harry, Hermione, and Ron on an epic, magic-filled adventure. Please note: Kindle format is not yet available."—Darien Library announcement

Teens:

• Darien High School is closed.
• Movie Mondays: 3 p.m., Darien Library. "Stop by the Teen Lounge at 3 p.m. to watch a movie enjoy snacks!"—library announcement.
• The Depot is closed today: according to the Depot April Calendar

DARIEN PLAYHOUSE SHOWTIMES

Why are there matinees on a Monday? Probably because Darien public schools are closed for a "staff development" day.

• Mirror, Mirror: 1:30, 4:15, 6:30 and 8:45 p.m., PG (1 hr., 46 min.)—IMDb—trailer—Rotten Tomatoes
• The Hunger Games: 1, 4 7 and 9:45 p.m., PG-13 (2 hrs., 22 mins.)—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:

• Board of Selectmen, 7:30 p.m., Room 206 (agenda—PDF)

FORECAST as of 10:23 p.m. Sunday (update)

• "RED FLAG" FIRE WARNING: The National Weather Service says the risk of a fire starting in the current dry, windy conditions, is higher than normal. The warning is in effect from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday throughout the Metropolitan area and as far east as New London County.

• Monday: "Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. Breezy, with a west wind between 20 and 23 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph."
• Monday Night: "Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. West wind between 5 and 14 mph."

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: 6:23 a.m.
• Sunset: 7:28 p.m.

• High tide: 1:39 a.m. (8.9') 
• Low tide: 8:15 a.m. (-1.1')
• High tide: 2:13 p.m. (7.9')
  
• Low tide: 8:28 p.m. (-0.4)
  

HOW TO USE PATCH:

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