5 Things You Need to Know Today: March 14

1. The county's only adoption center is now downtown at the expanded location on Manatee Avenue, next door to the county administration building. Manatee County Animal Services moved its adoption location from Palmetto to downtown Bradenton to put the adoptable dogs and cats in a more central location. The new center is open to families looking to adopt from Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The new center features vidoes of adoptable animals and music to help calm the animals.

2. We've sweetened the pot to get you to come out to the Complimentary appetizers and a chance to win a gift card to Urban Flats by bringing your registered ticket! We'll raffle off the gift card at the party and you must be present to win. (Come to the party, which is Thursday form 6 to 8 p.m. at Urban Flats for official rules.) And oh yeah, come and meet the Sarasota and Bradenton Patch crew and learn more about blogging! If you own a business, you can also swing by to claim your listing on Patch, too. For more info, visit http://blog-for-patch.eventbrite.com/

3. The Manatee Players are getting ready to launch their next production of the season, while they are already making plans for their 2012-13 season. The season opener will be Legally Blonde — The Musical.  The performance dates are set for Aug. 16 to Sept. 2.  Auditions for this musical will be held at the Manatee Players on June 3 & 4. In January 2013, the Manatee Players’ stage will be filled by the Cole Porter musical Anything Goes, an amusing story wrapped around one of Cole Porter's scores. Cole Porter songs include It's De-Lovely, Friendship, I Get A Kick Out Of You, All Through The Night, Anything Goes, You're The Top, Blow, Gabriel, Blow, Buddie Beware and Easy To Love. The auditions for this show will be held Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. 

4. The Baltimore Orioles take on the Pittsburgh Pirates at 1:05 p.m. at today in Spring Training Action. Tickets are available online, at area Walmarts and at the Ed Smith Stadium box office.

5. Realize Bradenton and its cultural partners has organized Music Slam beginning this month and running through May. The annual Music Slam features more than 30 events. On Saturday the Fiddle Crabs will play toe tapping tunes from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the Heritage Days Open House at the Manatee Village Historical Park.  Les Caraher on guitar & harmonica, Mary Caraher on fiddle, and Craig Seastead on banjo, will play traditional songs and walk spectators through 100 years of music enjoyed by early SW Florida settlers.On March 24, April 14 and 28 participants can listen to  Old Time Music Jams hosted by Manatee Village Historical Park, a collection of restored buildings from Manatee County’s settlement history.  The buildings range from 1860–1920 and represent life before modern conveniences such as electricity and automobiles.  Bring a picnic lunch, your fiddle, guitar, banjo or any other instrument and join the improvisational fun!  Call 941-741-4075 for more information or email Laura@RealizeBradenton.com