Five Things You Need to Know Today: March 2

1. French cultural festival. The Newton Heritage Festivals kick off this weekend with a French celebration at the Newton Cultural Center. The event runs from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and includes food, music, activities and more. 

2. Free museum admission. It's the first weekend of the month, and that means free museum admission at the Jackson Homestead & Museum. Stop by today between noon - 5 p.m.

3. Early education open houses. The Newton Community Service Center will host an open house for its early education program today from 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Parents/guardians can drop in and check out facilities, speak with teachers and parents and let kids explore the classrooms. Enrollment for the fall program is open now. Visit the NCSC website for more info. In addition, the Upper Falls Nursery School will host an open house today for those parents looking to check out their program.

4. Playoff games. The Newton North girls' ice hockey team will face St. Mary's (Lynn) tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Lynn for a first round Div. 1 match. In addition, the Newton North boys' basketball team will face Taunton this afternoon at 4 p.m. for a quarterfinal match at Newton North.

5. Need tax help? The  AARP Tax-Aide Foundation will have trained volunteers on hand on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. - noon at the Newton Free Library now through April 13. All of the volunteers are IRS certified and will be ready to answer questions related to regular (non-business) taxes. Patrons will be assisted on a first-come, first-serve basis. Volunteers will help fill out tax forms for anyone with moderate or low income (less than $40,000 if single or $60,000 if filing a joint return).