Darien Police Cracking Down on Super Bowl Drinking and Driving

The Darien Police Department announced it will conduct special patrols next Sunday, Feb. 3.

Darien police will be cracking down on drunken drivers next Sunday, Feb. 3, during the Super Bowl. “We are reminding everyone that if you choose to drink and drive in Darien this weekend, you will lose,” Chief Ernest Brown said. “If you plan on drinking alcohol while cheering on your team, pass your keys to a sober driver before the Super Bowl party begins. Follow the rules or the Darien Police Department will arrest you.”  Darien police will increase its patrol on Super Bowl Sunday to target drunken drivers, as well as anyone driving without seat belts.  “This weekend can be a deadly and dangerous time because of drunk driving,” Brown said.  The police chief said that always designating a sober driver and not letting friends drive drunk …

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Super Bowl Commercials 2012: What Was Your Favorite?

From the Doritos baby to Ferris Bueller, Super Bowl Sunday delivered plenty of laughs. But what ad reigned supreme?

The New York Giants may have been the big winners Sunday, but one question remains: What was the best Super Bowl commercial of 2012? This year's ads featured plenty of Super Bowl Sunday staples—funny babies, cute dogs and a bunch of celebrities (Jerry Seinfeld, Clint Eastwood, Betty White and David Beckham, to name a few). The Associated Press reports that companies paid an average of $3.5 million for a 30-second spot during Sunday's game, which was expected to attract 111 million-plus fans.  However, nearly half of the 70 Super Bowl advertisers circulated their ads online in the days leading up to the game. By Sunday, Honda's CRV-ad with Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller had been viewed more than 10 million times, the Miami Herald …

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Sunday Comics

Sunday Comic: Watching the Super Bowl with Mitt Romney

The leading Republican candidate for president tries to score some points with the poor.

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Abby Holloway

9:21 pm on Sunday, February 19, 2012

Funny!   more ›

Pizza Expert Gives Advice on Rounding Out Your Super Bowl Party

Use Darien Patch's directory to place your order for the big game.

Super Bowl Sunday may not actually be the biggest day of the year for pizza sales, but it's always in the top five, says Jeremy White, the editor-in-chief of Pizza Today magazine. “Halloween, the day before Thanksgiving and Super Bowl Sunday are all big days for pizza,” White said. “It varies from year to year, with New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day rounding out the top five days." At any rate, White is certainly a big advocate of ordering a few pies to enhance your Super Bowl viewing enjoyment. “You definitely want to have pizza and a few good drinks on hand to avoid any letdown in game,” White joked. At the risk of sounding cheesy, White gets right to the crust of the matter when it comes to pizza and offers these tips. Check out these …

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5 Fun Super Bowl Party Ideas

Check out these local shops to stock up before the New York Giants and New England Patriots hit the field.

Winning cupcakes: Wilton Homewares has some great recipes for Super Bowl-inspired baking, including these mini football player cupcakes. The recipes are free on Wilton’s website, but the store also stocks specialty supplies, such as icing tips and cupcake papers. Look the part: Newfound Giants or Patriots fans can stock up on game-day gear at Harry’s Sweat Shop. Harry Spataro has been customizing pro sports gear for locals for more than 25 years. If you have a small order, Spataro’s staff just might even be able to personalize it for you while you wait. Guacamole that scores: Brookhaven Marketplace has a sale on avocados this week: two for $1. Whip up simple, healthy guacamole using Brookhaven’s recipe, available on its website. For a …

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Darien Mayor Dons Packers Jersey After Losing Bet

Kathleen Weaver pays up on NFC title game wager with Wisconsin mayor by wearing Green Bay jersey at City Council meeting.

You may remember a time just a little more than two short weeks ago, a bright time, a hopeful time.  The time before the Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship Game. During those halcyon days, Patch arranged a friendly wager between the mayors of Darien, IL, and Oak Creek, WI. If the Bears won, Oak Creek Mayor Dick Bolender would wear a Bears jersey. But if Green Bay won, Darien Mayor Kathleen Weaver would don a Packers jersey during the next City Council meeting. “So here I am,” Weaver said during Monday night’s meeting as she made good on the bet by wearing a Brett Favre jersey. Thanks to Weaver for being a good sport about the bet. And I guess the Packers deserve a little bit of congratulations since they did …

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She Roots for the Bears, He Pulls for the Packers: Somehow They Make it Work

One family shares their story of a marriage amid mixed allegiances.

Like Romeo and Juliet, Pat and Sue Veselik’s relationship began amid a deep, generations-old feud. Luckily for the Veseliks, they were able to make the partnership work—perhaps against greater odds than Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers.  Sue is a Chicago Bears fan. And Pat roots for the Packers. The Darien residents met in college at Northern Michigan University, where both were student athletes. Pat, an All-American football player raised in Michigan, even tried out to be a kicker with the Packers in 1985. He still holds the NMU record for most field goals in a season. As a Chicago native, Sue said being a Bears fan is in her blood. “There was no question I was going to be anything other than a Bears fan,” she said. “I couldn’t even …

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