The third annual Food for Thought Expo will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 31, at Fairfield Warde High School. Admission is free.
The event is sponsored by the Fuel for Learning Partnership, which is a committee of the Fairfield PTA Council. More than 40 exhibitors will be displaying products and services for attendees to learn about ensuring good eating habits and making good choices. There also will be children’s activities and demonstrations and a discussion by Analiese Paik and Tara Cook-Littman of genetically modified organisms found in food at 2:30 p.m.
For more information, visit http://fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com or http://fairfieldptac.org/wp/
Archive for March, 2012
Thinking about food
Library recipient of Butler benefit
Fairfield’s own Jennifer Butler is showcasing her spring fashions on April 10 in a special event to benefit the Fairfield Public Library.
The designer, who opened Jennifer Butler, Made to Measure in 2006 in Fairfield Center, will display the clothing collection for women, men and girls at the Delamar Hotel, 275 Old Post Road, Southport, in the Folly Room. A full runway show will feature rainwear, suits, dresses, evening gowns, and clothing for brides and for bats mitzvahs and for men.
The jewelry will be by Jennifer Brown, Hair by Fringe 125 and makeup by Leslie Atiles of Distinct Artistry.
Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres from Artisan will be available from 7 to 8 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $60. For information, call 203-256-5768 or visit Butler’s website.
How egg-citing!
The annual Easter Egg Hunt at my mother’s assisted living facility takes place this weekend. It’s a raucous, goofy affair in which youngsters – aged 10 and under – scramble for plastic eggs filled with candy. The hunt, conducted indoors down the residence’s hallways, brings a lot of joy to the participants – young and old.
Similarly, three egg-related events take place here in Fairfield at three venues. All of them are sure to bring smiles to kids’ faces.
*The annual Easter Egg Hunt, presented by the Town Youth Council and Parks and Recreation Department, takes place for preschoolers to third graders at 1 p.m. sharp on Saturday, March 31, on the South Pine Creek Soccer Field on Old Dam Road. Participants should bring their own baskets. The Easter Bunny also will be in attendance. A $1 per person donation is requested to benefit the Town Youth Council’s Jacky Durrell Memorial Service Award Scholarship, which awards three scholarships to high school seniors each year. In case of inclement weather call 203-256-3144 the morning of the event. For information, visit cal.fairfieldct.org/content/2765/default.aspx
*Also on Saturday, March 31, the Connecticut Audubon Center’s annual “Egg-stravanganza” takes place at the Fairfield Center, 2325 Burr Street, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. and 1:30 to 3 p.m. Participants can explore family activities include an egg hunt, for children age 8 and under, spring-themed craft making, live animal meet-and-greet, and a visit from a special rabbit. The morning egg hunt includes a continental breakfast and the afternoon one includes juice, cookies and healthy snacks. Participants must bring a basket. The program takes place rain or shine. For registration call 203-259-6305, Ext.109. Pre-registration and pre-payment are required. Children must be accompanied by an adult. The cost is $10 per child and $5 per adult for CAS members and $15 per child and $10 per adult for non-members. Admission is free for children under 2 years old. All proceeds support Connecticut Audubon Society environmental education programs. For information, visit www.ctaudubon.org/center-at-fairfield
*Over at the Pequot Library on Saturday, April 7, from 10 to 11 a.m. children can participate in “egg roll races.” Participants are asked to bring their own hard-boiled eggs for dyeing. Then they will be entered in the races, which are for children age 2 and up. The library will provide long-handled wooden spoons. Also, children will be able to meet the Easter Bunny and dance to the Bunny Hop. If the weather is inclement, the event takes place indoors. For information, visit www.pequotlibrary.org.
The best time of year
Tuesday is the first day of spring and the weather forecast for the week will make it feel like early summer. This is my favorite time of year. I love watching everything bloom and bud, and sitting down to plan my garden.
For others, the new season means other activities, like taking the boat out for the first time this year. To help keep boaters safe, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is offering a one day course on Sunday, April 1, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Flotilla 77 in South Benson Marina.
Those who successfully complete the course receive certificates required to operate power boats and personal watercraft in Connecticut. The fee is $50 and includes course materials and lunch. Registration is scheduled on Sunday, March 25. For more information, call 203-259-0770 or 203-368-2778.
All things Irish
Happy St. Patrick’s Day. If you are looking for something all-Irish to do this weekend, activities abound. First, plenty of restaurants and bars in the area will be offering typical Irish fare – corned beef and cabbage and green beer – and other venues are showcasing musical performances.
Today, a free concert will take place at 3 p.m. in the Fairfield Public Library, Old Post and Post roads with Fairfield’s own Damian and Sally Connolly on the flute, fiddle, accordion and guitar. For more information, go to the library’s website or call 203-256-3155.
For a fairly comprehensive list of events in the Fairfield County area, read the article in the Connecticut Post that can be accessed here.
Enjoy your day.
Help the library assess its jobs program
The Fairfield Public Library started its Jobs Series since 2009 when it noticed more and more people were going to the facility in their search for new jobs. The unemployment ranks swelled after the economy tanked in 2008. Library officials decided they could do more than point to the reference section and answer questions.
Three years later, the program is a huge success and has been recognized by the Connecticut State Library and the Connecticut Library Association. The program has offered job and career services, including the seminar series, a Friday networking group, 1-on-1 career counseling, computer classes and so much more.
Now the library wants to know from job searchers what services and facets of the program were helpful. A survey can be filled out on the library’s website. It includes seven questions and responders will be confidential unless you prefer to provide your name. To access the survey, click here.
A special Sunday visitor
I’ve written before about the wild turkeys in my neighborhood -a busy neighborhood with lots of through-traffic. Every year there’s a new group of turkeys – the tom and his partner and their offspring. They stay around here for some time and my neighbors and I watch as the young ones grow up. I’ve played host to them on my yard and then I’ve seen them around the corner on a nearby street. Their range is vast, and they travel together from yard to yard looking for food. But they mostly stay in my immediate area, and that’s because my neighbors behind me regularly feed them.
I’ve grown accustomed to seeing them, and often look for them. But nothing surprised me more than yesterday when one of them was camped out on my deck. At first, he (and I am pretty sure it was a male based on his size and feathers) was sitting on my front steps when I came home after running a few errands. He left his perch when he spotted my car pull into the driveway.
And where did he go? How about on my back deck sitting in the sun. I haven’t even used my deck yet. But there he was, all alone snoozing. He saw me through the window and got a little spooked wondering what I was going to do. But after a while, he settled down again and stayed there napping for some time. Of course, he made a mess on the deck floor – if you know what I mean.
At around sundown, he was gone, but I suspect he will be back to get some respite from foraging for food – or fighting off the women folk.
CERT recognized for efforts
I would bet that many of you don’t know what the Fairfield Community Emergency Response Team is or does. Established in 2007, the team is trained for disaster medical response and psychology, search and rescue, emergency preparedness, sheltering and terrorism. Team members also are taught the incident command system, which is used by emergency responders.
The Fairfield team has more than 60 members, and training is under way for a new batch of volunteers. The team has assisted with traffic control and sheltering people and pets, and partook in the response to two storms last fall.
On March 5, the Fairfield team was presented with the 2011-12 Connecticut Citizen Corps Council, CERT Unit Citation Award. Each year, one CERT team in the state receives this honor from the Connecticut Citizen Corps Council. Fairfield CERT President Cindy O’Neill-Vitale received the CERT Merit Award for her exemplary community service. Fairfield Citizen Corps Council President Norma Peterson nominated O’Neill-Vitale, who she called “an outstanding CERT member since 2008; she has always taken a leadership role as ambassador for CERT in Fairfield and is a hands-on leader.” A Merit Award is given to one individual in each CERT community.
In a letter sent to First Selectman Mike Tetreau, Connecticut Citizen Corps Council Awards Committee Chairwoman Katherine McCormack said, “The Awards Committee applauds the outstanding contribution the CERT Team made during Tropical Storm Irene and Winter Storm Alfred. The contribution the CERT volunteers made to the Town of Fairfield and to neighboring communities exceeded the criteria that are connected to this prestigious award.”
For more information about CERT, vist the town’s website.
