5 Things You Need to Know Today: Oct. 8

1. Columbus Day. Today is Columbus Day. That means schools, the post office, most banks and the library are closed. The Town Offices, however, are open for business as usual. If you have the day off today, enjoy it! It looks like it is shaping up to be a nice fall day. A little retail therapy in order? The Outlets are holding their Columbus Day sale through the end of today.

2. Summer reading achievement. Sixty students participated in Mastricola Elementary School Summer Reading Program and were rewarded with a party on Oct. 3. The children from grade 1 to grade 4 brought their blankets and books to enjoy reading. Each was given a card with either a character’s name or picture. The students had to find their match and bring it to Mrs. Wyman or Mrs. Carter to receive their prize, a special pencil. Ice cream was served by Mrs. Romein and Mrs. Best. Each student received a certificate celebrating their achievement. See pictures from the celebration on the SAU 26 website.

3. Race results. The Merrimack Firefighters 5k was held Saturday morning at Merrimack High School. Peter Lagoy, 53, of Hopkinton, Mass., won the race in a time of 18:32 and Emily Bannister, 33, of Merrimack, was the first woman to cross the finish line two minutes later in a time of 20:34. The first Merrimack resident to cross the finish line was Matt Ekins, 14, in a time of 20:21. Get the full results on CoolRunning.com.

4. Film Festival. Looking to make weekend plans and do something fun? Head to the Seacoast and check out the New Hampshire Film Festival in Portsmouth. The four-fay festival will feature 80 films, workshops, panels, young filmmakers' workshop, afterparties, award ceremonies and more. Get more information on the film festival website.

5. Weather watch. Autumn is in the air. Today's forecast calls for mostly sunny skies with a high near 59. Tonight will be mostly cloudy with a low around 40.