Fairfield File

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Cast your eyes skyward very early tomorrow morning and you’ll likely get a spectacular view of a celestial phenomenon.

And, no, it’s not the shadow of a jolly old elf, drawn in a sleigh across the moon-lit skies by flying reindeer.

Instead, the moon itself is the star, as it passes through earth’s shadow, creating a full lunar eclipse that, depending on the cloud cover, should be clearly visible across southwestern Connecticut, as well as the rest of North and South America.

The eclipse will start about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday in most of the Eastern Standard Time zone, according to most astronomical websites, and last until about 5 a.m. — with the “total” phase, or darkest full shadow, from 2:40 to 3:50 a.m.

The shadow is expected to be a particularly deep orange, or red, because of particles in the atmosphere, including volcanic ash.

The “MrEclipse” website has lots of info on the lunar eclipse here, and this site has a cool animation and graphics on what you can expect to see.

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Memorable meals, forgettable food.

Writers are being asked to bring it all to the table and serve up their memories about food and dining in Fairfield.

As part of the annual “One Book, One Town” community reading program organized by the Fairfield Public Library, entries are being solicited for a writing contest with the theme, “Around the Table: Food Memoirs from Fairfield.” Submissions will be accepted during the month of January for the first-time contest, planned in conjunction with the recently selected book for the program, “Eating Animals,” by Jonathan Safran Foer.

There are four categories in the writing contest: children, 6 to 11 years old; teens, 12 to 18 years old; adult unpublished writers and adult published writers.

More details about the writing contest are found here.

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Chug on over to the town of Fairfield’s website and register your choice on what the name of the new railroad station should be.

So far, the project — proposed as part of a large commercial development that has yet to take shape — has taken its name from that financially challenged endeavor: Metro Center.

Now, town officials, prompted by citizens unhappy with maintaining the Metro Center moniker for the rail depot, are surveying public opinion on other possible names for the station, which will be the town’s third stop on Metro-North’s New Haven line.

The results will be forwarded to the state Department of Transportation, which will make the final selection.

Here’s a shortcut to the page on the town’s website — www.fairfieldct.org — to take the survey.

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The final presentation in the Fairfield Public Library’s “ Scoundrels in Film” series unspools Wednesday.

The Hitchcock mystery, “Strangers on a Train,” will be screened at 6:45 p.m. in the library’s second-floor Rotary Room.

The free presentation of the 1951 movie stars Robert Walker “as Bruno Anthony … the brainy, creepy mother’s boy in Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Strangers on a Train.’ The story: Two passengers accidentally meet on a train and plan to ‘trade’ murders,” according to the synopsis on the library’s website.

The host for the program is Artie Weissman, who has led area film discussion programs for nearly two decades.

Call 203-256-3160 for more information.

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Visit with Santa, have a cookie with Mrs. Claus and benefit a local charity, Brady’s Smile, all at the same time at the 25th annual “Visit to Santa’s House, which opens Saturday at the Burr Homestead, 739 Old Post Road.

The two-day event, sponsored by the Junior Woman’s Club of Fairfield, with support from Newman’s Own, transforms the historical mansion into a winter wonderland, incorporating favorites such as face painting, a bake shop and, of course, the jolly old fellow himself.

This year, though, there will be new activities, such as a crafts room and an upstairs entertainment room that will have a rotating schedule of music and dance, a holiday puppet show, and readings of the new Christmas classic, “The Elf on a Shelf.”

Visitors can bring their own cameras to get a holiday picture of their children with Rudolph in a private, decorated area. New additions to the baked-goods shop include bottled water, Goldfish crackers and allergy-free goodies. Captain’s Pizza will also be on sale from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For parents, there will be raffle tickets for sale for a variety of themed baskets, and a gift shop selling holiday novelties.

Brady’s Smile, the beneficiary of the weekend’s proceeds, was created in 2008 by Annie and Matt Hinton of Fairfield in memory of their son, Brady, who died on his second birthday. The goal is to make life easier in newborn and pediatric intensive-care facilities for patients and their families, and programs have been established at 13 hospitals in seven states.

“We are deeply  honored to have the opportunity to work together with the JWC Fairfield to help make life easier in the ICU for families and their children,” Annie Hinton said. “Together we will make a difference in the local community.”

Advance tickets cost $5 for adults and children 2 years old and over. They are on sale at Blinn’s Toy Store, Yellow Moon Toy Company, Giant Steps, HobbyTown USA and from Junior Women’s Club members. Tickets at the door are $6.

Hours for “Visit to Santa’s House” are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

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There are two days left to register an opinion on a survey conducted by the Fairfield public schools.

Officials are seeking public input in this third year of a five-year Strategic Plan for the town’s education system. Deadline for filling out the survey is Friday.

The Communications Subcommittee is conducting a survey on communication between the public and the schools. The subcommittee is asking Fairfield residents and educators to fill out the survey for use in its project.

To access the survey, click on or navigate to this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FairfieldPublicSchoolsCommunicationSurvey

Computers for public use are available at the Fairfield Public Library for anyone interested in completing the survey who doesn’t have computer access at home.

All survey responses are submitted anonymously.

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Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Church in America will appear today at Fairfield University.

The prelate is scheduled to be on hand for a presentation on the topic, “The Care of the Soul: Ancient and Contemporary Orthodox Perspectives on Confession and Spiritual Direction.”

The 8 p.m. program is presented by the Orthodox Christian Studies Program at Fordham University. After the presentation, the archbishop will offer remarks, and hold a question-and-answer session with members of the audience.

The event will take place in Fairfield University’s Dolan School of Business. Closest entrance is the gate at 200 Barlow Road.

For more information, contact the University Chaplain Office at 203-254-4000, ext. 3405, or e-mail at aangelastro@fairfield.edu.