Car Maintenance
Chaya Milchtein on Car repair and maintenance

A Deeper Dive Into Car Ownership and Maintenance: Boost Your Confidence

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Darien Library is pleased to welcome back Chaya Milchtein of Mechanic Shop Femme for an event that will boost car owners’ confidence in maintaining their vehicles. This virtual event will take place at 7 p.m., Tuesday, June 8. You’ll need to register first. — an announcement from the library

For some drivers, car maintenance can be a daunting task. Learn how to perform tune-ups, change transmission fluid, clean your car to protect your investment, and more.

Estate Planning 2021
Logo Begin With the End In Mind Darien Library series Death

Plan for Your Legacy: How Connecticut Probate Courts Settle Estates

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When a family member passes away, many people have misconceptions about real property and probate fees. In “The Ins and Outs of Connecticut Probate,” an online talk tonight, Judge Domenick Calabrese will discuss the role of Connecticut probate courts and how they deal with settling estates. Calabrese will review the  different forms of real estate ownership, including trusts and Connecticut estate tax liens, and bring these concepts to life with examples. — an announcement from Darien Library

This virtual event will take place at 7 p.m., today, Wednesday, June 2. You can register here on Darien Library’s website.

Arts & Entertainment
Book Covers Charlotte Moss and Lisa Fine

Get Inspired to Revamp Your Home: Two Interior Designers Speak Thursday Night

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Interior designer Charlotte Moss and textile guru Lisa Fine will share their expertise on designing private spaces and speak about their latest books, Flowers and Near & Far: Interiors I Love. — an announcement from Darien Library and Barrett Bookstore

This virtual event will take place on Thursday, June 3 at 7 p.m. You can register on Darien Library’s website. About Charlotte Moss

Charlotte Moss is an interior designer, author, and philanthropist. She has designed private residences in the United States and abroad, in addition to collections of carpets, furniture, fabrics, china, and enameled jewelry. She has authored ten books, most recently Rizzoli’s Charlotte Moss Entertains (2018).

Darien Library
Darien Library 1894 Day banner from dl website 2021

Darien Library’s ‘1894 Day’ Free Celebration (and Fundraiser) Coming This Wednesday, May 26

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Darien Library celebrates its “1894 Day” this Wednesday, May 26, with an ice cream truck, a special craft station, a guest book you can sign that will go into Darien’s time capsule — and a request for donations. Every donor gets an “exclusive giveaway,” the library says — and that’s in addition to what the library does for free, year-round. “Our goal is to raise $127,000 in 24 hours from our incredibly generous Friends and community members who continue to enjoy the programs, services, and collections of our library each and every day, even from home during these unprecedented times,” the library says in an announcement. You can stop by the library courtyard from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to participate, or donate online any time that day. Each donor who participates in 1894 Day will receive a special gift at the following suggested contribution levels:

$12.70: A Darien Library car magnet
$127: A Darien Library water bottle
$1,270: A custom Weatherman Darien Library umbrella
$12,700: All of these items plus extra Darien Library swag!

Darien Library
Darien Library General 10-13-17

Darien Library Wins Two Publicity Awards From CT Library Association

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Darien Library has won two honors in the Connecticut Library Association’s 2021 Publicity Awards. Here’s a look at each of the winning programs.

— an announcement from Darien Library (with Darienite.com’s additions)

Krishna Grady, head of Youth Services, and Amanda L. Goodman, head of user experience, won in the Connected Community videos Electronic category. Goodman also won in the Designer’s Award category for the library’s Women’s History Month/Women’s Suffrage display. The library previously won other publicity awards at the state-level publicity contest and at the national level. These are the two winning Darien publicity efforts:
Connected Community
“To help us stay connected during these times, Darien Library presents ‘Connected Community’ — fun videos made by you and your neighbors.”

When Darien Library’s building closed in March 2020, library staff wanted to find a way to help people still feel like they were part of a community while sheltering in their homes.

Birding 2021
Backyard birding image from Darien Library website

Learn the Basics of Backyard Birding, Thursday, May 27 in This Online Presentation

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Darien Library welcomes Tricia Kevalis from The Connecticut Audubon Society. She will lend her expertise and teach the basics of backyard birding from 10 to 11 a.m., Thursday, May 27. In this online class, learn how to identify backyard birds by sight and sound, who is at the feeder during each season and learn what their feeding habits are. — an announcement from Darien Library

Tricia will discuss bird characteristics, ways to attract birds to your feeder, what bird feeders and seed to use, and where to place feeders for bird safety and best viewing. This program includes the opportunity to view samples of bird feeders and different varieties of bird seed that will help create a bird-friendly sanctuary in your yard.

Arts & Entertainment
Paul Cezanne Mont Sainte-Victoire

A Talk on Influential Artist Paul Cezanne, Whose Drawings Will Be Exhibited at the Met in June

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The life and work of Paul Cézanne, one of the most influential artists in the history of painting, will be the subject of art historian Page Knox in an hour-long talk Tuesday evening, May 18. — an announcement from Darien Library

Cézanne has inspired generations of artists. Born in 1839 and generally recognized as a Post-Impressionist, his unique method of building form with color and his analytical approach to the natural world influenced the art of Cubists, Fauves and avant-garde artists from his death in 1906 until the present day. Through an in-depth examination of his work, including the portraits of Provençal card players and his long-suffering wife, the famous apple still lifes, and the landscapes of his beloved Mt. Saint Victoire, this lecture will explore the life and art of Cézanne as he sought to attain the “essence of form.”

Classes
Filmmaking class

Still Spaces Left in Library’s ‘For Teens, By Teens Intro to Filmmaking’ Five-Part Series

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Do you love movies? Join us for a month long exploration of film! During this series you will learn the basics about film-making from page to screen and get hands on experience in video production. From writing a script to acting in the final product, work together to create a movie masterpiece! This online “For Teens, By Teens: Intro to Filmmaking” class is for 12- to 18-year-olds.

Darien Library
Darien Library 04-05-17

Darien Library to Resume Regular Hours Starting Monday, May 17

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Darien Library has announced it will return to normal hours, including weekday evening hours, starting Monday, May 17. Various pandemic safety measures will be in place, however, including masks for everybody, limited seating and no indoor events — and late fines will be returning on June 1. Some outdoor events will take place in June. Currently, the library says on its website, the building “is open for quick 30-minute browsing and computer access in addition to our enhanced virtual offerings. The Children’s Library is open by appointment.”

Darien Library
Speakers Divorce Now What

‘Divorce, Now What?’ An Online Presentation May 12

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Starting the divorce process brings up a number of questions: what are the steps that you will need to take? Should you choose litigation, mediation, or collaboration? What professionals will best serve you in this process? Darien Library presents an online event Wednesday, May 12, with experts who will share their knowledge on navigating these questions and more. — an announcement from Darien Library

“Divorce, Now What?” will delve into the common mistakes and misconceptions that parties have about divorce.

Books & Authors
Our Darien Book Group For All She Knows

This Book Club Hits Close to Home: With New Canaan Author’s Novel on Parents,Teens, Drinking

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The “Our Darien” book club says its second virtual book group title: For All She Knows, a novel involving a teen party, drinking, parents and a community that “explodes.” It’s by New Canaan author Jamie Beck. — an announcement from the Our Darien campaign of the Community Fund of Darien

With the book club, which has online discussions on Facebook, the “Our Darien” campaign continues its conversation about youth mental health, the dangers of substance use and how parents can best support their teens. A former Darien police youth officer and a knowledgeable social worker will participate in an online book club discussion. Participants are invited to read at their own pace, and thought-provoking questions will be posted each week on the Our Darien Facebook page (www.facebook.com/OurDarien, click “Groups”) to enhance the reader’s experience.

Darien Library
Denise Merrill headshot square

CT Secretary of State Talks Online Wednesday About Election Integrity and Voting

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Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill will provide a detailed explanation of how our state protects election integrity during an online talk from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., this Thursday, April 29. — an announcement from Darien Library and the Darien League of Women Voters

Merrill will also talk about how the state assists voters in casting their ballots — before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. The 2020 elections may be over, but our questions about voting aren’t. What are the reasons for our existing rules? How did we manage the increase in absentee ballots in our last election? Why should voters trust our system?

Arzhang Fallahi
Doctor Health Medicine Darien Library

Doctors Answer Darien’s COVID-19 Qs Online; Town Health Dept Has Advice If You Took J&J Vaccine

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Darien Health Department issued advice Tuesday morning to anyone who took the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine, after reports of rare blood-clotting from others who have taken it. “People who have received the J&J vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider.” In another COVID-19 related announcement, three Stamford Hospital physicians will answer questions from the public about the coronavirus in an online event Wednesday evening sponsored by Darien Library. Federal officials have suggested a pause in using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Darien Health Department does not use it, the department said in the announcement (full text, below).

Darien History
Ken Reiss Darien History

Darien Historian Ken Reiss Talks About Town’s History in Online Event, Thursday

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Ken Reiss, a Museum of Darien historian, will discuss how Darien sought its independence, the forces blocking its path, and the hero who persisted to give the town its name in an online lecture Thursday evening. — an announcement from Darien Library

Discover what life was like 200 years ago in “History Close to Home with Ken Reiss,” a Museum of Darien Historian and the author of Darien, 1820: New Town, New Times. This event will take place virtually on Wednesday, April 15 from 7 to 8 p.m. You can register here on Darien Library’s website. About Ken Reiss
Ken Reiss’ lifelong pursuit of history has in recent years been sharply focused on the story of Darien, Connecticut, where he has made his home for the past 32 years. In addition to his most recent work to commemorate the town’s bicentennial, Darien 1820: New Town, New Times, Ken is the author of The Story of Darien, Connecticut, a definitive history of the town.

Books & Authors
Off the Record Book Cover by Jim Cameron

Jim Cameron Talks Thursday on Communicating With Any Audience, Mastering Interviews

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Darien TV79’s Jim Cameron, author of Off the Record: Confessions of a Media Consultant, will speak at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 8 in a Darien Library webinar about communication. — an announcement from Darien Library

In “Off the Record,” Jim will use his 35 years of expertise as a media trainer and share his tips and techniques for communicating with any audience, from mastering tough interviews to creating a motivational presentation. You can register for this event, here, on Darien Library’s website. Off the Record: Confessions of a Media Consultant is Jim Cameron’s first book, based on his career as a media trainer prepping C-level executives for challenging media encounters and earlier years as an award-winning journalist at NBC. About Jim Cameron
Jim Cameron is best known in Connecticut for his decades of advocacy for rail commuters.