Prepare Yourselves: It's Nearly Marathon Monday

Today is Tuesday, April 12. Here are five things you need to know today.

1. First, a piece of really exciting news. Last week we published , a longtime Charlestown resident who has lived with MS for the last 25 years. Over the weekend she participated in the Boston MS Society walk and, to mark her 25 years of good health, she had hopes of raising $2,500 in pledges. Thanks to the support she received from the community she met that goal – and, in fact, went far beyond it. The most recent tally for Susie’s Doozies (her team name) was more than $6,000. I got an update on that from a very grateful and excited Susie over the weekend. So, thanks Charlestown.

2. Every week our contributor Helen O’Neil does such an amazing job highlighting a property in town with her column, . It might be an historically significant site, a new construction that has everyone curious or a landmark we all sort of take for granted. This week she delivered a column with a particularly moving backstory – the “ church, where many Irish children, who immigrated to Charlestown during the famine, were laid to rest. Please, take a minute to read this sad but beautiful story. And another thanks to Helen for doing such an excellent job with this feature on Patch.

3. So, it’s nearly Marathon Monday. In fact, construction for the Marathon starts today. The city will install crowd control fencing, and add other temporary structures along the route and … traffic should become a nightmare any minute now. The good news? Monday (also known as Patriot’s Day) is a holiday for most of us.

4. Speaking of the Boston Marathon, there are more than 80 Charlestown residents running the race this year. You can actually get a full listing of who among your neighbors is braving the 26.2 miles by clicking here. (Their bib numbers and ages are listed there too.)

5. Will it actually rain today? The forecast says it will. A 50 percent chance of showers, with a high around 58. After yesterday’s glorious afternoon, here’s hoping the weather people are wrong.

For more info on what's happening around the neighborhood, check out our events calendar.