Sunday is Darwin Day, the birthday of British scientist Charles Darwin, who was born in 1809.

Port Washington resident Calvin Dame is looking forward to Darwin Day, where it will be celebrated at the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island in Garden City. Dame, the director of the society and also an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, spoke with Patch about the event.

Patch: Does Darwin Day usually get a good turnout? Who attends - and why?

Dame: This is the fourth year that the Ethical Humanist Society in Garden City has celeberated Darwin Day and it has become one of our best attended events of the year. While celebrations of Darwin Day have tended to be at colleges, our program is geared toward families that are looking to help their children better understand the importance that science has in our lives. Our speaker will be Dr. Victor Schuster, who last year led a lively intergenerational exploration of how to put the scientific method to work.

Patch: What do you most look forward to about Darwin Day?

Dame: I look forward to the Society being abuzz with activity. Some of our youth will have science projects on display, one of our members, a biology professor, brings a science project. One year she helped participants dissect owl pellets to see what owls eat, another year the children extracted DNA from strawberries! Another member will lead a Darwin-inspired game with the children, the Amateur Observors' Society will have a table and there will be food and face painting, too! It's fun.

Patch: How does it tie into the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island?

Dame: Ethical Humanism grew the Ethical Culture movement that began in 1876, not long after the publication of Darwin's The Origen of Species, and the worldview that developed from his work reflects our own. Ethical humanism is a religion that is in step with a scientific worldview, not in conflict with it. So, our Darwin Day celebration is a strong reflect of who we are.

Patch: Is there anything else you'd like readers to know?

Dame: I love those bumper stickers that say, If You Can Read This, Thank A Teacher! Darwin taught us science, not just the theory of evolution, but the importance of the scientific method. Every moment of our days we benefit from the application of that method, from the cars we drive to the phones we talk on to the computers on our desks; we enjoy the results of a scientific world view. Darwin Day is a chance to celebrate with our children Charles Darwin's legacy.