5 Things You Need To Know Today—Wednesday, May 23

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1) Can't you hear that boom, badoom, boom: A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Patchy fog before 10 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. North wind between 3 and 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent. Tonight, a slight chance of showers before 10 p.m. Areas of fog after 2 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. South wind between 5 and 7 mph. (Forecast by the National Weather Service.)

2) Behind the sun: The Melrose Energy Commission (MEC), in partnership with the MassCEC (Mass. Clean Energy Center), is hosting a at the Milano Senior Center. This free presentation will provide information about the basics of going solar, the Solarize Mass program, and a question-and-answer session with representatives from the MassCEC.

3) I'm going leave you with this little story, it's about this piece of music: Jackie Wattenberg, Music and Art Critic of the Melrose Free Press, will sing a group of songs from varied backgrounds and In her appearance here, she will sing the Peace Song she composed, the CD of which was sent to President Obama by Gov. Deval Patrick. Reservations are required. Please call: 781-662-6886.

4) Tomorrow morning, you let me change your socks: Through Memorial Day, drop off new, unused, white athletic socks at any of the following locations: ; ; ; ; or The Melrose Republican City Committee is sponsoring this to send socks to troops overseas in Afghanistan.

5) Listen to Wednesday's song: Here's today's lineup of weekly columns that run each Wednesday on Melrose Patch:

• Poll of the Week: We'll run a poll every Wednesday asking you to weigh in with a quick click on the topic du jour. We'll compile the answers into an article next Tuesday.

• Get Out: Looking for something to do this weekend? Our roundup of stuff to do this weekend in Melrose now runs on Wednesdays at 3 p.m. (Giving you more time in advance of Thursday night events.)