Shedding Layers, St. Patrick's Day Contest, Hidden Treasures

Good morning, Windsor Locks and East Windsor. Today is Wednesday, March 13, 2013; there are 293 days left in the year.

No jokes today in light of the tragedy involving East Hartford police officer Ron Buchanan, who was a resident of South Windsor. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Officer Buchanan, his family, friends and fellow officers.

Here’s your Daily 5:

1. Hello, Spring (almost)! The rain is gone, and today will welcome relatively warm temperatures, as a high of 53ºF is forecast. It'll be a chilly night with a low of 30ºF, but hey, we're on our way to shedding some layers.

2. Did you know Connecticut is rife with hidden treasures? Local ghost towns, roadsided springs, neglected graveyards, quonset huts and more will be the topic of conversation Wednesday night when David K. Leff, author of Hidden in Plain Sight: A Deep Traveler Explored Connecticut comes to the Windsor Locks Public Library at 6:30 p.m.

3. The weather's warming up, and summer is just around the corner. That means the time for camp registration is now! Fidelco's Dog Days of Summer Program registration is currently open for kids aged 8-12.

4. Residents aged 60 and over are able to attend a series of presentations at the Bickford Health Care Center on joint protection and therapeutic exercise. The first presentation will be held at 2 p.m. today.

5. In honor of St. Patrick's Day, we're giving away a bunch of bright green Patch gear. All you have to do is share a photo of your lucky charm - be it a child, a rabbit's foot, a necklace or anything that puts your day on the right side of wrong - and you'll be entered to win.