NORWAY – Launch a celebration of the International Polar Year (March 2008 to March 2009) with a trip to the polar exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass., on Saturday, Feb. 28.

The Norway Memorial Library has arranged a museum-led, guided tour to view the exhibit, “To the Ends of the Earth; Painting the Polar Landscape.” The tour will start at 11 a.m., and the library has arranged a special group rate of $12 a person.

The museum brochure states, “Driven by the promise of adventure and the allure of the polar landscape, Frederic Edwin Church, William Bradford, Rockwell Kent and other artists sought inspiration at the ends of the earth. Some embarked on personal pilgrimages while others accompanied official expeditions. See a breathtaking array of works they created, ranging from monumental romantic canvases to intimate, early modernist pastels.”

Transportation is not provided, but the library will arrange carpooling. For more information and to participate, register at the library information desk or call 743-5309.

There will be an accompanying display of the library’s special collection of books on polar exploration from Monday, Feb 16, into March.

It will include works by Peary, Byrd, Shackleton, Cook and Nansen and may be viewed during open hours.