Today's 5: Sukkot Holiday Begins

All over Plainview, families and congregation members have been erecting their sukkah (in Hebrew, "booth" or "tabernacle") in preparation for Sukkot, a seven-day festival which began at sundown Wednesday. The huts are Biblical reminders of the 40 years the Jewish People spent in the desert after their exile from Egypt. There are services at all the area synagogues today.

Each day the "5 Things" column will tell you five essential pieces of information you need to know today, like events happening or community topics being covered on the site later on in the day. Have an event or topic that should appear in this column? Add it to the calendar or send us a news tip.

1. A reminder: is closed Thursday and Friday, Oct. 13-14, for the Jewish observance of Sukkot, and there are services in all the local synagogues Thursday. Attached are links to our listings for the local congregations which also link to their web sites.

2. , has scheduled its Seniors Board Meeting at the church's Madonna Hall. The meetings, held on the second Tuesday of each month, begins at 9:30 a.m.

3. offers a free program tonight for the community with tips on safe teen driving. The event is at the high school at 7 p.m.

4. This coming weekend is a big one: The takes over Oyster Bay Harbor Saturday and Sunday, where 200,000 people are expected to flock. Later, we'll have a special video feature on a centerpiece attraction of the festival. Take our poll on Oysters: ? On Sunday, the holds its annual open house beginning at noon at Station 1 on Old Country Road. There will be games and prizes for kids and safety demonstrations.

5. It's political season: Our blogger, Rafe Lieber, stirred up a lively discussion recently about the nature of our political system. You can see the latest cartoon from Pat Giles here. Why not see what you can stir up by blogging for Plainview Patch? Do you have a great fall photo of your kids, or of you and your pet. Send them to us: Contact Joe Dowd at Joe.Dowd@patch.com.