Daily Five: A Lights Contest And A Live Nativity

1.  Today is Friday, Dec. 9.  The National Weather Service predicts partly sunny skies and a high temperature of 51 degrees. Tonight will be partly cloudy with a low of 36.

2.  The Groton Senior Center holds its second annual Holiday Lights Decorating Contest on Saturday. Outdoor decorations must be up by 4 p.m. Saturday, then the senior center van will drive by for judging from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. Winners will be notified Dec. 12. Betty Prochaska, who won "most lights" last year, said she lost a lot of decorations during last winter's storms, but she still puts up as many as she can.  "The more lights I see, the better I feel," she said. 

3.  Christ United Methodist Church on Hazelnut Hill Road is holding a drive-thru live Nativity from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. today and Saturday at the church. A variety of scenes depicting the road to Bethlehem will be displayed on the property, and the church will collect non-perishable food items for the Groton Food Locker.

4.  Mary P. Fitzgerald, president of Acme Wire Products Co., Inc. in Mystic, was among 12 new members recently elected to the Connecticut Business Industry Association board of directors. Members were elected in October and began serving their four-year terms Thursday.  The association has 10,000 member companies and focuses on improving the business climate in Connecticut.

5.  Quintessential Brass, a five-pece brass ensemble, starts the City Cabaret season at 3 p.m. on Dec. 18 in the Groton Municipal Building auditorium. Admission is free; the Fitch High School Alcohol and Drug Free Party Committee will sell dessert and coffee. City Cabaret is sponsored by Groton Utilities and the City of Groton Parks and Recreation Department.