5 Things You Need to Know Today, 8/1

1) Today will start out mostly cloudy, with a good chance of rain, but the skies will clear in the later afternoon. Temperatures will rise into the mid to high 70s. More clouds overnight, and some chance of further showers.

2) offers a class on . Local chef and food writer Gail Blakely will teach participants how to use summer herbs to make dishes unique to the season. On the menu: mixed herb goat cheese with crostini, swordfish with pesto sauce, lavender butter cookies with minted fruit compole, and more. The class begins at 1 p.m., and registration is $34 for members, $39 for nonmembers. To learn more, or to register, call (508) 495-1878, extension 303, email info@highfieldhall.org, or visit http://www.highfieldhall.org.

3) Later at Highfield, pack a picnic dinner and head to , an evening of crafts, games, and general fun on the tennis lawn, from 5-7 p.m. Beginning at six, puppeteer Tom Knight will entertain kids with his songs and skits. Donations are welcomed, but not required, and feel free to bring coolers, picnic baskets, blankets, and lawn chairs.

4) The hosts , a lecture by Bill Sargent on his new book of the same name. Tracing the long history of Nauset Beach, the book, and the talk, will touch on glaciers, pirates, bootlegging, shipwrecks, and much more, plus such controversies as endangered species and nude beaches. The lecture is free and open to the public, and runs between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. For more, call (508) 548-8961, email whpl_mail@clamsnet.org, or visit http://www.woodsholepubliclibrary.org.

5) This day in history: Six Flags Over Texas, the first theme park in the Six Flags chain, opens (1961); PT-109, commanded by Lieutenant John F. Kennedy, is rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer (1943); and MTV debuts (1981).