Five Things You Need to Know Today: July 14

1. St. Mary of Carmen festival continues. Today, the entertainment includes Alex Gimenez and The Garden City Band at 7 p.m. and The Reminsants at 8 p.m. Stop by and the surrounding neighborhoods for carnival fun, food, prizes and more. .

2. Are you riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge? We want to hear from you! Newton Patch is looking to share stories of Newton PMC riders. and simply email your responses to Melanie.Graham@patch.com.

3. Birthday Wishes at Whole Foods. The Birthday Wishes organization, which helps bring Birthday Parties to homeless children, at the today from noon - 3 p.m. Stop by, volunteer and join the group for some cake and ice cream. 

4. Blog on Patch. Did you know Newton Patch has a blog section for local residents, business owners and community leaders? Local Voices is a section of our site where the editor steps aside and the community says what it wants. Interested in sharing your thoughts and opinions with a Patch blog? Do you already have a blog that needs a new set of readers? Submit a Local Voices Patch blog here. 

5. RSVP for Dinner on the Farm. The will be hosting a special this coming Tues., July 17. A professional chef will prepare a dinner featuring organic vegetables from the farm, accompanied by local wines. Tickets (which are 50 percent tax deductable) are $50 for the general public, $40 for Friends of the Farm and available online.