5 Things You Need to Know Today: April 1

Today is Friday, April 1. Here are five things you need to know:

1. An April nor’easter: According to the National Weather Service, today will feature a late-season nor’easter with a mix of rain and snow. Temperatures will be in the mid-30s, according to the forecast.
2. One last chance to clean those closets: The North Reading Recycling Committee and will hold a Recycling Fundraising Event on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at the North Reading Middle School, 19 Sherman Road. The event is open to residents of North Reading and surrounding communities and gives people the opportunity to properly dispose of electronic waste, such as computers and radios, as well as books, clothing, documents and bicycles. There will be a fee for each electronic item. The price list is available at the North Reading Middle School website. A $10 donation is suggested to support Bikes Not Bombs efforts to reuse the bicycles brought to the collection. Other collections at the event, which will be free, are books (hardcover/paperbacks), VCR tapes and used CDs, clothing, cell phones and printer cartridges. Paper shedding will also be available. Anyone with questions can email the Recycling Committee at Recycle@northreadingma.gov.
3. Fill it up: Gas prices have remained relatively steady this week. The cheapest gallon of self-serve, regular unleaded gas in North Reading is still at both the 7-Eleven and Hess stations on Main Street, at $3.50, according to AAA Southern New England.
4. We’re looking for North Reading’s next Whiz Kid: Has your child done something outstanding at school or in the community lately? who have done well in the community, won awards at school or in sports, or have unique talents or hobbies. Submit your nomination to editor Matt Bashalany at matthew.bashalany@patch.com, and we may feature your child in our Whiz Kid column each Monday at 10 a.m.
5. Happy April Fools’ Day: On this date in 1700, English pranksters begin popularizing the annual tradition of April Fools' Day by playing practical jokes on each other, according to History.com. Although the day, also called All Fools' Day, has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, its exact origins remain a mystery. Some historians speculate that April Fools' Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes, History.com said.

To find more things to do today, check out our event listings.