The Daily Five: Hurricane Sandy, Interior Inspirations, Playscape at McCook's, and Halloween Fun

1. Today will be partly cloudy but there's just a 20 percent chance of rain, according to Weather.com, and we should see the sun for a while too. The high temperature should reach about 63 degrees and drop to 51 degrees overnight.  

2. Local snowbirds have two reasons to worry about the weather right now. The National Weather Service has issued a tropical storm warning for Southeast Florida because Hurricane Sandy seems to be heading that way. However, forecasters are also warning residents in the northeast that Sandy may track north fueled by warmer-than-usual waters and bounce back on New England next week.

Whether Sandy will strike as a hurricane remains to be seen but at the very least, meteorologists are saying we could see some pretty heavy rain all the way up to Maine. Right now, they're having a hard time predicting exactly which way the wind is going to blow, but that's perhaps par for the course. 

By the way, there's another tropical storm forming in the Atlantic. This one is named Tony. Do you think they picked these particular names because they sound less threatening than previous storms—Ivan certainly sounded more terrible! 

3. McCook's Point Park in Niantic may have a new playscape soon. East Lyme Parks and Recreation Director Dave Putnam said his department is finalizing plans for that now and hoped to have it in place this fall or by early spring.

4. This year, Halloween falls on a Wednesday. Initially, I thought that was a bad thing because I feared there would be fewer events offered for people who like to celebrate this candy-filled ghoul-fest. It turns out, the opposite is true. It seems like the entire month is now dedicated to Halloween.

For instance, tonight East Lyme Middle School will be hosting a Halloween Party for 5th and 6th Graders in the school cafeteria from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. If you haven't bought a ticket yet, better send your child to school with $5 to buy one today. Tickets won't be sold at the door but students can buy them during lunch.

On Friday, East Lyme Youth Services will be holding its annual haunted house. This year the venue promises to be especially spooky because the kids are doing it at the Smith Harris House Barn, aka "The Haunted Barn." This special event will be held from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is a minimum $2 donation but give more if you can, because 50 percent of the proceeds will go to Care & Share in East Lyme.

Don't forget to enter your Jack-o-Lantern photos in our contest! It's only being run in East Lyme, Old Lyme, and Lyme so someone local is bound to win!

5. In my next life, I'm going to come back as an interior designer but for right now, I'll settle for a few good tips and tonight's Interior Inspirations 2012 preview party is the perfect opportunity to get them. 

Eight designers, including Honorary Chair Larry Laslo (profiled in the May 2012 Elle Décor), will transform the Lyme Art Association in Old Lyme into an exquisite designer vignette showcase. Vignettes will be “unveiled” at a preview party from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The designers include Larry Laslo, Patricia Spratt, Thomas Rose, Virginia Linburg, Marily MacKinnon,  Nina Cuccio Peck, Dennis Pough, and Galway Stallard.

This event is a fundraiser for New London's Child and Family Agency and the designer showcase continues throughout the weekend with talks, discussions, and a boutique featuring unique designer home goods. Check back on patch for more details at noon today.  

This Day in History

On October 25, 1854, the Charge of Light Brigade took place at Battle of Balaklava during the Crimean War.

Daily Trivia

Who wrote the poem “The Charge of The Light Brigade”?

Yesterday's Answer: Lennon’s  "(Just Like) Starting Over" is on the "Double Fantasy" album.

(This Day and Daily Trivia compiled by John Carroll.)