Community Corner

Darien Morning Briefing: Dec. 12, 2011

Local information, events and reminders to start your day.

Today is Monday, Dec. 12, the 346th day of 2011, one day before the town Shuffle Referendum and 13 days before Christmas.

Tonight the "State of the Town" Representative Town meeting will be held in the Town Hall Auditorium at 8 p.m. It is open to the public and will feature "State of the Town" addresses from First Selectman Jayme Stevenson, Planning & Zoning Commission Chairman Fred Konze, Board of Education Chairman Elizabeth A. Hagerty-Ross and Board of Finance Chairman Elizabeth Mao.

Today is the 83rd birthday of Helen Frankenthaler, an internationally known artist who has lived in Darien. According to the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame, "she is widely considered to have had the longest, most productive, and most successful career of any woman artist."

Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Apologies for the annoying squishing of the picture for the top story on the main page. The Patch tech staff is working on the problem (but apparently hasn't been able to get it fixed since Friday).

 

Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

HEADLINES

  • SHUFFLE:
  • (Capitol Dispatch column)

Miss these from over the weekend?

  • SHUFFLE:
  • SHUFFLE:  

Holiday-related:

SHUFFLE REFERENDUM INFORMATION:

Websites for each camp:

From the town website:

EVENTS & REMINDERS

Adults:

  • Holiday Gingerbread Tree at Town Hall "decorated with colorful paper Gingerbread people describing various ways to help  children, families and seniors in Darien, who are in need.  There is also a Gingerbread tree at the Darien Rowayton Bank on the Post Road Pick a Gingerbread tag, fill a wish, and drop it off at Social Services, Rm. 109. For more information on making a donation you can call 203-656-7328."—Town website
  • TUESDAY: Hear Didi Emmons on "Talk, Taste and Sniff." The author of Wild Flavors, a cookbook about "the interconnection of nature, farms, animals, and ourselves," according to the DCA website, speaks at 9:30 a.m. at the .
  • THURSDAY: "Social Thinking" for parents of high school students: 10 a.m. to noon; registration required. "You’re invited to attend: Social Thinking is a curriculum for verbal students on the Autism Spectrum, including Asperger's However, the district has found that children with other disabilities and regular education students are responding to this unique curriculum."—Darien High School website. Held in the Boad Room at the Darien Public Schools' Central Office, Town Hall Annex (2 Renshaw Rd.). RSVP crobertson@darienps.org or 656-7469.
  • Dec. 28: "Stamford Hospital's Mobile Wellness Center, a clinic in a large bus, will visit the Darien Rowayton Bank for convenient, fast, digital mammograms from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 28."—from our events listing.

Kids:

  • IMAX movies at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk: 12 p.m.; , 1 p.m.
  • Preschool Time at Darien Library: "Storytime for preschoolers ages 3 to 5. Includes stories, songs, and act-outs," according to the library website. From 1:30 to 2 p.m. in the Storytime Room.

Teens:

Darien High School: 

  • Schedule: for an F Day, periods will be: 3 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 5
  • TUESDAY: Free tutoring: The Darien chapter of the National Honor Society offers free tutoring every Tuesday after school in the Math/Science Learning Connections Room, and after school every THURSDAY in the English/Social Studies Learning Connections Room. No appointments needed
  • WEDNESDAY: Holiday Spectrum Concert: 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.; doors open at 7 p.m.; no admission; auditorium: "One hour of uninterrupted holiday music favorites" (says the high school website) presented by the Darien High School Music Department.
  • "Theatre 308 will be holding two sessions of audition preparation —singing and dancing—for the upcoming musical, West Side Story. Sessions will be Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 19 and 20, after school in the Little Theatre. Please see the plasmas for details. Actual auditions for West Side Story will be held January 3rd and 4th, the first two days school days after the Holiday break." (Your humble editor played Lt. Schrank in the 1978 Theatre 308 production of West Side Story—and the reviewer thought the editor was an adult faculty member. Maybe it was the cigar your humble editor smoked on stage ...) 
  • WEDNESDAY: Community Council's Silent Auction: "Dec. 14 at 5:30 p.m. in the cafeteria. The proceeds will benefit Darien Youth Sevices. Items being auctioned include Rangers tickets, dinner for two, deluxe prom package and much more."
  • DHS Music Honors Society's Musical Instrument Drive: "Dec. 12-23 to benefit 'Horns for Kids.' Instruments may be dropped off before school to the DHS Band Room or MMS Rotunda. The will also accept instruments on Dec. 17-18."

The Depot: Closed today

Darien Library:

DARIEN PLAYHOUSE SHOWTIMES

GOVERNMENT MEETINGS

All meetings take place in Town Hall, 2 Renshaw Rd., unless otherwise noted.

  • Special Education Committee of the Board of Education, 7:45 a.m., Board Meeting Room, Darien Public Schools' Administration Offices in the Town Hall Annex (agenda).
  • Darien Beautification Commission, 9:30 a.m., Room B3
  • RTM District V, 7:30 a.m., Room 213: "The purpose of this meeting is to interview prospective candidates for the open position in District V.
    Candidates should be in attendance to meet with District V RTM members to discuss their interest in the position and answer questions. Questions should be directed to James Patrick, District Chair, at 203-655-4465."—from the agenda
  • RTM District II, caucus, 7:30 p.m., Room 119
  • Representative Town Meeting (RTM) regular annual State of the Town meeting. See top of page for description, 8 p.m., Auditorium

FORECAST as of 6:12 a.m., Monday (update)

  • Monday: "Sunny, with a high near 44. West wind between 3 and 6 mph."
  • Monday night: "Mostly clear, with a low around 31. West wind between 3 and 6 mph."

INTERSTATE 95 TRAFFIC CAMS

TIDES & TIMES

  • High tide: 12:05 a.m. (6.8') 
  • Low tide: 6:10 a.m. (0.4')
  • Sunrise: 7:09 a.m.
  • High tide: 12:10 p.m. (7.5')
  • Sunset: 4:25 p.m.
  • Low tide: 6:45 p.m. (-0.2')

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


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