Calling all artists for '40 Under 40'

Open chantey sing slated for St Patrick's Day

Lots of Irish music will be included in the Open Chantey Sing on St. Patrick's Day at the Rowayton Arts Center. Everyone is welcome to sing along or enjoy listening from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday and be surrounded by artwork in the current exhibition. A $5 donation includes refreshments. This musical celebration of nautical and maritime history will be led by Deirdre Murtha of The Johnson Girls, her husband Sean and special guests from New York and throughout Connecticut. Murtha and her three partners in The Johnson Girls have been performing chanteys (sailors' work songs) and traditional and contemporary maritime songs from many cultures for 14 years in both the United States and Europe.

Pinkney Museum closed Sunday

The Pinkney Museum will not be open this Sunday as the Rowayton Historical Society is setting up its next exhibit following the successful flower show "History Adorned" jointly sponsored by the Rowayton Gardeners and the Historical Society last weekend. Mark your calendars for upcoming exhibits: in April, --Rumrunners, Temperance, and Conga Lines: Rowayton During Prohibition" and in May, "The Prettiest Park on Long Island Sound: Roton Point Park 1880-1941."

It's good time to consider joining the RHS. A family membership of $30 a year gets you into exhibits, lectures and special programs for free while helping the RHS preserve the history of Rowayton. For information call 203- 831-0136.

Haiku contest begins today

The eighth annual Haiku Contest at the Rowayton Library is running now through April 15 to help celebrate April as Poetry Month. You are invited to participate in this annual tradition. The winners will be invited to read their winning Haiku at the library at a reception on May 5 as well as have their haiku published in the library's monthly newsletter and on its website.

The definition for haiku for this contest is as follows:

An original poem of 17 syllables in three lines written in the format of

line 1 in 5 syllables,

line 2 in 7 syllables, and

line 3 in 5 syllables;

Depicting a season; describing an event of nature, without violence. Each haiku must be submitted on a separate sheet of paper and must contain the author's name, address, and telephone number on the reverse side of the poem. Each Haiku submitted must be accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Send your Haiku to: Haiku Contest - The Rowayton Library, 33 Highland Ave., Rowayton, CT 06853. The contest will end on April 15. All winners will be notified by telephone and snail mail.

Farm Creek to get some spring cleaning

Please come to a big and much needed cleanup Saturday March 16 at the Hart Peninsula -- Farm Creek. Meet at the corner of Farm Creek Road and Sammis Street at 10 a.m. and cleanup will run through 2:30 p.m. Bring tough shoes or boots. NLT will supply gloves and everything else.

Great Decisions Group series continues

The next meeting of the Foreign Policy Association's Great Decisions Group is Wednesday at 7pm at the library. The topic will be intervention. The "responsibility to protect" doctrine has become central to modern humanitarian intervention. When should the international community intervene? Why did the West rush to intervene in Libya but not Syria? Great Decisions Discussion Group meets on alternating Wednesday evenings. Developed by the Foreign Policy Association, the Great Decisions Discussion Program is the oldest and largest grass-roots world affairs education program of its kind in the country. Materials are provided to participants and are available at the library. This program is free and open to the public. The sessions are led by Erik Rambusch, adjunct professor at Norwalk Community College. Discussion dates are 4/3, 4/17 and 5/1. For information and program materials, contact the library.

The importance of child's play

On Wednesday the Community Cooperative Nursery School will host a workshop on the importance of play during the early learning years. The workshop, which will be led by veteran playworker Marc Armitage, is designed for teachers, parents, caregivers and all others who interact with children. The event will take place at the Rowayton Community Center from 7 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $42 and can be purchased in advance at http://ccns.brownpapertickets.com. For information, call Tracy King at 203-866-2184 or visit www.ccnsct.com.

Library to show double feature

The library will present MovieTime for Kids with "Rise of the Guardians" (rated PG) on March 22 at 3:30 p.m. The runtime is 97 minutes.

When the evil spirit Pitch launches an assault on Earth, the Immortal Guardians team up to protect the innocence of children all around the world. (Ages 7 and older)

Popcorn will be served.

Then in the evening the library will show "Life of Pi" (rated PG) at 7. The runtime is 123 minutes.

Popcorn will be served. Thes programs are free and open to the public.

De-mystify social networking

Today's kids have access to so many ways to communicate that it can be mind boggling. Join Tom Duffy, chair of the Computer Science Department at Norwalk Community College, for a lunchtime workshop March 27 to help de-mystify social networking. Duffy will discuss the predominant tools your kids are using and how you can help them avoid a disastrous mistake--everything from Internet filtering to Facebook to Instagram to text messaging will be on the table. The program will begin at noon at the library. Duffy is the chair of the Computer Science Department and the Program Coordinator for the Computer Science degree. Bring a brown-bag lunch. Dessert and refreshments will be served. RSVP at 203-838-5038 or email rsvp@rowayton.org.

In the "know" around Rowayton? Please share Rowayton happenings with your community. Send them along toCynthia F. Johnson at Clamdigging@Rowayton.org. And now you can follow the goings-on in Rowayton on our Blog at www.NorwalkCitizenOnline.com. Feel free to comment and start a Rowayton conversation.

All events at the Rowayton Library are free and open to the public (unless otherwise noted). For more information on Rowayton Library events, call 203-838-5038 or visit www.Rowayton.org.