Darien Morning Briefing, Oct. 21

Today is Friday, Oct. 21, the 294th day of 2011.

HEADLINES

EVENTS & REMINDERS

• Miss Marcia: At 10 a.m., will perform for pre-schoolers at the , part of the DCA's Mom's Morning In series. The cost is $10 per child.
• The Trip: At 7:30 p.m., the hosts a free screening of The Trip. The 2010 film stars Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, and Claire Keelan.
• Fashion Transformed: From now until Jan. 27, the y hosts ." The exhibit features 17 costumes from the era. The center is open Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Linda George paintings: From now until Nov. 9,  by Linda George will be on display in the library's art gallery.
• Children of the Desert: From now until Oct. 29, the  hosts "Bana Ba Motlhaba: Children of the Desert," featuring photographs by Dave Hamman and Botswanan crafts. The center is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.

DARIEN PLAYHOUSE SHOWTIMES

• The Ides of March: 7:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m. (1 hr. 38 min.)
• The Big Year: 9:30 p.m. (1 hr. 40 min.)
• Real Steel: 7:00 p.m. (2 hr. 7 min.)

GOVERNMENT MEETINGS

• None scheduled

FORECAST

• Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. West wind around 14 mph. 
• Friday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45. West wind between 9 and 13 mph. 

TIDES & TIMES

• Low tide: 12:46 a.m. (0.7')
• High tide: 6:49 a.m. (6.8')
• Sunrise: 7:12 a.m.
• Low tide: 1:09 p.m. (0.9')
• Sunset: 6:05 p.m.
• High tide: 7:10 p.m. (7.1')

TODAY IN HISTORY

• 1797: In Boston Harbor, the 44-gun United States Navy frigate USS Constitution is launched.
• 1805: In the Battle of Trafalgar, a British fleet led by Vice Admiral Lord Nelson defeats a combined French and Spanish fleet off the coast of Spain under Admiral Villeneuve. It signals almost the end of French maritime power and leaves Britain's navy unchallenged until the 20th century.
• 1854: Florence Nightingale and a staff of 38 nurses are sent to the Crimean War.
• 1959: In New York, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, opens to the public.
• 1983: The metre is defined at the seventeenth General Conference on Weights and Measures as the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second.

Forecast obtained from the National Weather Service; tide information obtained from saltwatertides.com (calibrated to Long Neck Point); 'Today in History' items compiled from Wikipedia and other sources.