5 Things You Need to Know Today: March 13

1.The will meet Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. On the agenda are discussions about a new urban grocery store off of 1st Street and a presentation on rowing competitions as the city continues work on its downtown riverfront park.

2. The will meet today at 9 a.m.

3. Get Down Downtown is being moved this month from Thursday to Saturday, March 17, to coincide with St. Patrick’s Day. The Saturday night Get Down will be 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Old Main Street with live music from Big Daddy starting at 6 p.m. There will be arts, crafts, food and other vendors, a beer wagon and more along Old Main Street. Old Main Street will close from Manatee Avenue to Third Avenue from 3 p.m. until midnight. The event is free to attend but you must be at least 21 to get into the local bars. The Get Down Downtown street parties are hosted by the Old Main Street Merchants Association. A St. Patrick's Day 5K run begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday starting in Palmetto’s Sutton Park, crossing over the Green Bridge, and ending in downtown Bradenton. www.foundationfordreams.org for more info about the race.

4. The will host a grand opening March 18 at 1 p.m. for a new center, at 5712 Lorraine Road in Lakewood Ranch, designed to serve the community with a variety of educational, social, cultural, and religious services. The largest space of the facility will be designated as a multi-purpose room, housing the sanctuary as well as the social hall. The educational wing of the building will include children and adult classrooms, and a library. For the past seven years, Chabad of Bradenton & Lakewood Ranch has been operating out of the various rentals around Lakewood Ranch. The event is open to the public. For information call (941) 752-3030, email info@chabadofbradenton.com, or visit www.chabadofbradenton.com.

5. The will hold a press conference on Tuesday March 20 at 4 p.m. at the new Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 3^rd Avenue West. The Manatee Players, Kiwanis Club of Bradenton and the Manatee Community Foundation are expected to make major announcements at this event. The public is invited to attend.