Sunny Day, Nature Activities, Crafts Festival, Shutdown Effects?

1. The Weather: Today will be sunny, with a high of about 86 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Tonight will be mostly clear, with a low of about 60.

2. From history.com's This Day in History: "On this day in 1985, actor Rock Hudson, 59, becomes the first major U.S. celebrity to die of complications from AIDS. Hudson's death raised public awareness of the epidemic, which until that time had been ignored by many in the mainstream as a 'gay plague.'

"Hudson, born Leroy Harold Scherer Jr., on November 17, 1925, in Winnetka, Illinois, was a Hollywood heartthrob whose career in movies and TV spanned nearly three decades. With leading-man good looks, Hudson starred in numerous dramas and romantic comedies in the 1950s and 60s, including Magnificent Obsession, Giant and Pillow Talk. In the 1970s, he found success on the small screen with such series as McMillan and Wife.  To protect his macho image, Hudson's off-screen life as a gay man was kept secret from the public."

3. Several nature-oriented activities for children and adults are planned at Holt Park and Center for the Arts today.

4. How has the federal government shutdown affected you? Are you on furlough? Is your business suffering because of the furloughs? Send an email to marge.neal@patch.com if you'd like to contribute to a story about the local effects of the shutdown.

5. The Sugarloaf Crafts Festival will be held at the Maryland State Fairgrounds this weekend.