Today's 5: New Year Approaching

The New Year comes this weekend and Patch is sending the old one out with a detailed bang. Send us your publc events listings for New Year's Eve celebrations for our list of area events. And make sure you take our polls highlighting the biggest stories of the year.

Each day the "5 Things" column offers five essentials about your day in Plainview. We want to engage our audience in the topics, events, and hot-button issues that are important to them. Help us do that by adding your voice. Add it to the calendar or send us a . Post a comment on the news and the issues that matter most to you.

Tuesday:

1. New Year's Eve is Saturday and we're looking for your public events to ring in the 2012. Send the listings to joe.dowd@patch.com .

2. , gets started early by hosting an early New Year's Eve party Wednesday for seniors with music and dancing. A hot kosher lunch will be served. Limited transportation available $7, registration required. Members $18 Non-members $25.

3. All this week, we're asking Patch readers to decide the top stories of the year. Today's entry is for the of 2011. You also have 10 choices for best photo of 2011. and our list of the 10 of the year. Take our easy polls by clicking on these links.

4.There's lots to do today and all week at the , including the Brooklyn Film Festival's today at 1 and 3 p.m. For more events at the LICM, see our directory.

5. Did your church or synagogue have a during December? Send us We'll find a way to run them all in Patch Email them to joe.dowd@patch.com .