This free demo class offers a chance for families to participate ina Kids' MusicRound class and for trainees to observe.

This class if for parents and children from infant to 5 years of age and includes s chance for young children to develop their music potential.

Includes singing, laughing, giggling, jiggling, clapping, dancing, bouncing, fun-filled, award-winning music and movement experience.

Team In Training (TNT) is the world's largest sports endurance training program as well as the largest fundraising campaign for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Our mission is to find a cure for blood cancers and support patient advocacy programs such as co-pay and financial assistance, support groups, and patient education.

TNT is recruiting for the Summer and Fall 2011 seasons which will be featuring many exciting events including the Fairfield Half Marathon & 5k, America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride, the Philadelphia Triathlon, the Westchester Triathlon, Nike Women's Marathon, and more.

Join us at B.J. Ryan's on February 24th for a free cocktail, appetizers, great company, and a chance to learn more about this unique program.

To RSVP or find out more information, e-mail Liz Robinson at liz.robinson@lls.org . We hope to see you there!

The 44th Annual Darien Antiques Show will benefit St. Luke’s LifeWorks and other local non-profits and is Staffed and managed entirely by volunteers from the congregation in support of the church's outreach efforts.

**March 4 will also include a special preview party DETAILS HERE.

The Junior League of Stamford-Norwalk's Spring Spirits Cocktail Party and Silent Auction benefits JLSN's community programming & initiatives throughout the year.

Join us for an evening of fun, food, drink, and silent auction bidding.

The Junior League of Stamford-Norwalk, Inc. is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.

This Friday night at 8 p.m. at CD & ME, from ABC-TV, Showtime, Comedy Central, and "The Bob and Tom Show," hilarious comedian Tim Cavanagh. Plus, perfoming with Tim, the very funny Bert Borth!! Plus, at 9:30 p.m. great music from the "Blood Lounge Duo."

Doors open at 7 p.m., Comedians at 8 p.m., Music at 9:30 p.m.

On Sunday, March 6 at 5:30 p.m., Darien Library will present a special screening of the documentary film “Bag It.” This event is co-sponsored by Choose to Reuse in Darien. Choose to Reuse in Darien promotes the use of reusable bags in every aspect of everyday life and seeks to eliminate disposable bags in Darien.

BAG IT – Documentary feature; Not rated; 65 minutes

Jeb Berrier is an average American guy who is admittedly not a “tree hugger.” He makes a pledge to stop using plastic bags. This simple action gets Jeb thinking about all kinds of plastic as he embarks on a global tour to unravel the complexities of our plastic world. When Jeb’s journey takes a personal twist, we see how our crazy-for-plastic world has finally caught up to us and what we can do about it. Today. Right now.

“Bag It” is a film that examines our society’s use and abuse of plastic. The film focuses on plastic as it relates to our society’s throwaway mentality, our culture of convenience, our over consumption of unnecessary, disposable products and packaging – things that we use one time and then, without another thought, throw them away. Where is AWAY?? “Away” is overflowing landfills, clogged rivers, islands of trash in our oceans, and even our very own toxic bodies. Jeb travels the globe on a fact-finding mission – not realizing that after his simple resolution, plastic will never look the same again!

Darien Library is located at 1441 Post Road, Darien, Conn.

For more information, visit darienlibrary.org or call 203-655-1234.

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen’s)

(Image attached: Poster for “Bag It”)

The Spring Book Discussion Series, “Extraordinary Lives, Extraordinary Times,” will begin at Darien Library on Tuesday, March 8 at 7 p.m. The series will consist of three critically-acclaimed books about those who have experienced the improbable, endured the unimaginable, and compelled us with their epic stories of cunning, tenacity, and hope. Library staff members will lead the discussions.

The first discussion book of the series is Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff.

Her life spanned fewer than 40 years, but Cleopatra was the last Egyptian pharaoh and one of the most influential women of the age. She married twice, each time to a brother; she poisoned one and waged a war against the other. To this day, the life of Cleopatra VII (69-30 B.C.) intrigues us. This adept biography by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff tells us why it should. It’s the true story of the woman behind the myth.

“It’s as though Cleopatra lives and breathes once again in the pages of Stacy Schiff’s exquisitely researched and well-written ‘Cleopatra: A Life.’ The book injects the Egyptian queen with a complexity and humanity that has long since been forgotten....[it] glows with details.” – Lisa Orkin Emmanuel, Associated Press

“[Cleopatra’s] first biographers never met her, and she deliberately hid her real self behind vulgar display. A cautious writer would never consider her as a subject. Stacy Schiff, however, has risen to the bait, with deserved confidence ....Schiff’s rendering of [Alexandria] is so juicy and cinematic it leaves one with the sense of having visited a hopped-up ancient Las Vegas, with a busy harbor and a really good library....It’s dizzying to contemplate the thicket of prejudices, personalities and propaganda Schiff penetrated to reconstruct a woman whose style, ambition and audacity make her a subject worthy of her latest biographer. After all, Stacy Schiff’s writing is distinguished by those very same virtues.” – Kathryn Harrison, The New York Times Book Review

The Library’s Spring Book Discussion Series will continue with The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer on Tuesday, April 5 at 7 p.m., and Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand on Tuesday, May 3 at 7 p.m.

The Library has copies of the books available for patrons to borrow, but prior reading of the books is not necessary to attend the discussions.

The Book Discussion Series is funded solely by contributions made to the Annual Campaign, and is co-sponsored by the Darien Community Association Book Group.

Darien Library is located at 1441 Post Road, Darien, Conn 06820. For more information, call 203-655-1234 or visit darienlibrary.org. 

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen’s)

(Image attached: Cover of “Cleopatra: A Life.”)

Everything You Want To Know About Gaming, But Are Afraid To Ask: The good, the bad and the ugly!

Wednesday, March 2 from  7 - 8:30 PM

Is my child spending too much time in front of the Xbox?  Will playing violent games make him/her more aggressive?  What is he/she getting out of playing these games?

Video games can challenge us to think about learning in different ways, and research shows that playing them can have many positive benefits for kids.  However, parents need to know what to watch out for, in order to help their kids game safely and behave within acceptable social boundaries.  In this presentation, we'll investigate both sides of video gaming to help parents ensure that their children are practicing healthy habits.

Panelists:

Luke Forshaw, Assistant Principal, Ox Ridge Elementary School, will present current research on how video games challenge kids to learn, as well as ways to help control your child's online gaming experience.

Edward Moran, Clinical Social Worker, Family Centers, Inc., will guide you through setting expectations and managing your child's gaming behavior to fit your family values.

This program is co-sponsored by Darien Library and the YWCA Parent Awareness Network, members of Thriving Youth; Connected Community.

Darien Library introduces “Multi-Media Narratives & Interactive Fiction: The New Reading Experience for Kids & Teens,” presented by Ariel Aberg-Riger, Chief Creative Officer at Fourth Story Media on Wednesday, March 9 at 7 p.m. in the Library’s Community Room.

 The media complains that kids don’t read anymore – they are too tired, too distracted, and too busy to read books for fun. In fact, in Darien, only 22.5% of students in grades 7 to 12 said they spent three hours a week reading for pleasure (Search Institute Youth Survey Results, 2008). Would that change if we changed the way we think about reading?

This talk will explore how an interactive fiction series for teens works – what’s in books vs. on the web, how the community interacts with a story and with each other, and present examples of members’ creative writing and  participation. There will also be a discussion focusing on exciting reading-based interactive projects and initiatives, and where the future of multi-media narratives for kids and teens is headed.

The program will occur in the Library’s Community Room. Registration is not required. Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs is on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen’s.) 

 For further information about the 21^st Century Parenting technology programs, please contact the Children’s Library at 203-669-5235, or visit the Library’s website at darienlibrary.org/events/calendar/kids.  

Raising a 21st Century Problem Solver:  A Recipe for Modern Parents

Thursday, March 24 at 7PM

Back in the good old days, school success was gauged largely by how well you did on the "three Rs".  Not anymore.  Raising a child who will thrive in  the 21st century means being a parenting pioneer, who can apply old-fashioned child development information to a completely new context that no other parenting generation has faced.   Come learn and share stories about how you can help a yound child navigate a world of video games, smart phones and social media to help your child grow up at ease with multiple streams of information, and who can excel as a self-learner of digital tools that have not yet been invented.

Educational psychologist and New York Times Gadgetwise blogger Warren Buckleitner (PhD) will share some of the strategies he used with his own children, who grew up swimming in their own sea of latest technology.  He'll provide a recipe for  success that you can implement on a shoestring, discuss how the Library can help, and reassure you that when it comes to raising a modern child, you probably know more than you think.

This program is co-sponsored by Darien Library and YWCA Parent Awareness Network, members of Thriving Youth;  Connected Community.

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).

Darien Library, in conjunction with Darien Book Aid, will hold a book drive from March 23 to April 6, 2011.

The Library will accept donations of new or nearly new children’s books, which will then be distributed to the local community, Peace Corps volunteers, libraries, and schools all over the world.

The Children’s Book Drive is part of Darien Library’s One Book, One Community experience, which encourages everyone in town to read the same book (“Countdown” by Deborah Wiles) and then come together to explore its themes.

Darien Library is located at 1441 Post Road, Darien. For more information, visit darienlibrary.org or call 203-655-1234.

The Republican Club of Darien invites all Darienites to come listen to guest speaker State Rep. Larry Cafero of Norwalk, a Republican leader of the State House and enjoy coffee, pastries, fruit, and conversation.

Please RSVP via E-mail.

On Friday, March 4 at 10 a.m., Darien Library will present “The Value of Clutter: A Panel Presentation.

 In January, as part of Get Organized Month, a national event sponsored by the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), Darien Library presented a program that featured a panel of organizing experts. The program was very well received in the community and the Library has now organized another panel presentation featuring F.O.C.U.S. (Fairfield Organizers Creating Ultimate Solutions), a group consisting of local members of NAPO.

This fun and informative look at why we keep clutter, and where it should go, will be moderated by Susan Lovallo, CPA, CPO, of Clutter Solutions, LLC. Topics to be covered include:

Paper Clutter (magazines, children’s artwork, mail, greeting cards, and more) Presented by Matt Baier of Matt Baier Organizing, LLC.

Closet Clutter (baby clothes, “skinny” clothes, shoes, keepsakes, and more) Presented by Janet Barnes of Connecticut Closet and Shelf.

Assorted Clutter (books, old equipment, shopping bags, and more) Presented by Cara Brook of Strategize. Organize. Simplify., LLC.

For more information, visit darienlibrary.org or call (203) 655-1234.

Darien Library is located at 1441 Post Road, Darien, Conn. 06820.

Tightening the Belt Speakers Forum sponsored by The Republican Club of Darien: Second in the Series: This Saturday at 8:30 AM at the DCA: Speaker will be Larry Cafero: RSVP to DarienRepublican@aol.com.

This afternoon of hands-on arts for the kids is full of fun for all!  Face-painting, performances, caricaturists, animals, crafts & more!  Made possible through the generosity of the following participating agencies:  The Depot; Kid-to-Kid; Youth Assset Team (YAT); the Darien Dance Center; the Kiwanis Club of Darien; the Darien Library; YWCA Parent Awareness; Darien Nature Center; Robek's Juice of Darien; American Red Cross; Child Guidance Center; & the Darien Youth Commission.

This long-standing favorite entertainer of the Darien Youth Commission's summer camp program is certain to appeal to audiences of ALL ages!  Admission is $4.00 per person, payable at the door.  (Doors open at 12:00 noon.)

Subject: The Republican Club of Darien               

                      2011 Speakers Forum on

                                       "Tightening the Belt"              

                      Second Talk in the Series                

                      March 5, 2011 at the DCA at 8:30 AM   

Lawrence (“Larry”) Cafero, leader of the Republicans in the Connecticut General Assembly’s House of Representatives, will be the guest speaker at The Republican Club of Darien’s 2011 Speakers’ Forum on the morning of March 5 at the DCA.  Doors will open at 8 AM (for coffee, pastries, fruit and conversation) and the program will start at 8:30 AM.  All Darienites are welcome to attend. RSVP via E-mail to DarienRepublican@aol.com.  

In keeping with the Club’s 2011 forum theme “Tightening the Belt,” Cafero will speak on the topic of the state’s fiscal woes and, particularly, on the state budget.  Governor Malloy’s proposed budget would increase CT’s top gross income tax rate to 6.7%. Larry will be available for Q&A after his talk.  The Club’s Annual Meeting and Election of Directors will follow.  

Representative Cafero (142^nd District), a life-long resident of Norwalk, has served in the state legislature since 1992.  Larry was selected by his colleagues to be the House Republican Leader for a third term following the 2010 elections.  In addition to serving as Minority Leader for two prior terms, he previously served as Deputy Leader for six terms.  Prior to being elected to the state legislature, Larry was a member of the Norwalk Board of Education for six years (serving as Chairman of that board in his final term).

In 2010 Larry authored and then led Republicans across the state to embrace what he calls the “Common Sense Commitment to Connecticut,” a five-point plan to put Connecticut back on solid fiscal ground.  The common sense approach relies on reducing state spending and borrowing, making government smaller and more responsive to its residents, and achieving greater efficiencies in the delivery of state services.  More details are at: http://commonsensecommitment.com/ . 

As Minority Leader, Larry and his fellow Republicans were successful in 2007 to getting the legislature to adopt their “No Tax Increase Budget.”  In 2008, the budget presented by the House Republicans under Larry’s leadership would have eliminated the state’s deficit at the time without raising taxes. That 2008 budget was not the one adopted by the Democrat-controlled legislature, however. 

Throughout his legislative career, Larry has been instrumental in crafting legislation to support education.  Larry has served as the Ranking Republican House member on the Education Committee and was a member of the Judicial, Appropriations and Labor Committees. 

Larry is a graduate of Norwalk High School, University of Connecticut (BA in Political Science) and Western New England College School of Law (JD).  He is a partner in the law firm of Brown Rudnick of Hartford.  He and his wife live in West Norwalk where they raised their three children. 

Stew Leonard Jr. to receive Corporate Leadership Award from the Open Door Shelter at the upcoming Spring Gala

NORWALK, Conn., March 2, 2011 - The Open Door Shelter (ODS) announced that it will honor Stew Leonard Jr., CEO of Stew Leonard's,  with their Corporate Leadership Award at the 2011 Spring Gala, scheduled to be held April 7^th, 2011 at the Inn at Longshore in Westport.  Stew Leonard’s, a family owned and operated fresh food grocer headquartered in Norwalk, Conn., has been a generous supporter of the ODS for more than a decade. 

“We are thrilled to be recognizing Stew Leonard’s who stand by our side in supporting  the urgent needs of the homeless and working poor in the Norwalk area,” said Bill Okwuosa, newly appointed Executive Director of the ODS.  “It is my hope that by continuing to raise awareness and funds through events like this, our entire team at Stew Leonard’s can play a role in helping the ODS bring food, shelter and jobs to our community,” said Stew Leonard Jr. 

The theme of the 2011 Spring Gala is “Homeless No More – A Celebration of Hope Works.”  The new Hope Works program has been designed to help people in the shelter get back into the working world and once again live independently. The program is modeled after the Doe Fund’s “Ready, Willing and Able” program in New York.  We expect our first class of participants to graduate this August.  The program works together in an integrated fashion with the ultimate goal of ending homelessness.

The Open Door Shelter Spring Gala and Silent auction is the biggest annual fundraiser.  All funds raised will support ODS, Hope Works and the Manna House of Hospitality.  To purchase tickets for the 2011 Spring Gala, or donate an auction item please click on www.norwalkemergencyshelter.org  or call 203-866-1057.

About the Open Door Shelter

Located at 4 Merrit St. in Norwalk, the Open Door Shelter helps individuals and families who are struggling with shelter and/or food. The shelter offers 95 beds for the temporarily homeless, 600 meals per day in the Manna House soup kitchen, and also provides canned and boxed foods via their food pantry to families in the community struggling to make ends meet. The shelter also operates numerous low-cost housing units on both a transitional and permanent basis, and provides a variety of social services in the community. Recently the shelter, as a result of a generous donation, is developing a job creation program called Hope Works, focused on putting struggling residents back to work. The shelter is a non-profit organization, and over 90% of the funds raised by the organization go directly to aid programs.

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Activities include a Friday night welcome reception, a bus tour of Darien, party at Weed Beach, dinner and dancing at the Country Club of Darien on Septemeber 17th and brunch at the Sugar Bowl.

If anyone knows the whereabouts of  1961 Darien High School graduates who have not been invited, please send a message to Janet Grogan at dhsclass61reunion@gmail.com.

Each year, over 4 billion pounds of toxic chemicals are released into the environment by industry, and over 1.2 billion pounds of pesticides are used in the United States alone. This makes it impossible to avoid exposure to toxins at some level.

To make matters worse, it has become increasingly difficult to consume an adequate amount of nutritional factors to help detoxify these environmental assaults that find their way into the body.

Over time, an accumulation of toxins can reduce energy levels, as well as negatively impact the immune, and nervous system. Research is showing that toxins from our environment, are associated with Type II Diabetes, reproductive abnormalities, hormone imbalances, fatigue and fibromyalgia. Toxicities can also cause weight issues and obesity!!

Society is bombarded with fast ways to detox, lose weight, and feel better. People are even more overwhelmed with whats real and whats not, what works and what doesn't.

Come learn the Toxicity-Disease connection, and simple methods for detoxing, and resolving chronic disease. Discover what really works and why!!

As part of our 2011 Health and Wellness Lecture Series, this lecture will take place at our Darien Center for Integrative Medicine facility, located at 870 Post Rd., Darien, CT.

Please RSVP to kelly @ (203) 655-2659, Seating is limited so call today!