5 Things You Need to Know Today: Oct. 17

Here is a list of 5 things you need to know today:

1. Sun and Clouds: Accoring to the National Weather Service, today will be filled with sun and clouds and a high near 69 degrees. There will be a west wind between 14 and 17 mph. Tonight will have increasing clouds, with a low around 51 degrees. There will be a west wind between 8 and 10 mph.

2. Re-route: The (S-31) over the Navesink River officially closed today to motor vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic for to rehabilitate the bridge’s 100-foot, center bascule span. With the bridge closed until Memorial Day, which route will you take to get to Middletown? or tell us in the comments.

3. Fashion Finds: Business may not be booming at the malls or the big box stores, but quietly and under the radar of most economic analysts, some small business "resalers" are racking up sales. But in the consignment industry, high-end goods are being bought and sold at prices that would make any retailer cringe, even on Black Friday. For these business owners, times have never been better. Click to read more about local shops.

4. Spooked: During the summer,  is a busy yet unassuming farm and marketplace, with nothing untoward peering out. The fruit grows and the flowers bloom. But now with Halloween approaching, it is time for the Haunted Hayride at C. Casola Farms. At this yearly event, the (crypt) keepers of the farm deck out the place in several shades of scary, with frightful attractions that range from the slightly weird (for the youngest in the crowd) to the sincerely unsettling (for advanced thrill-seekers). Click for more details about this great day trip.

5. National Holiday? The past two years, Halloween fell on a weekend so all the little ghouls got to start trick-or-treating at noon. But this year, October 31st falls on a Monday and my kids are bummed that they have to go to school. A Patch Columnist had to explain to her grandchildren that Halloween is NOT a national holiday like Christmas or Labor Day, so people don’t get off of school or work for it. Has Halloween become the new Christmas? to give your opinion in the comments section of the article.