Our daily column, 5 Things You Need to Know Today, will help you to get your day started and offer you some fodder for water cooler conversation.

1. Framingham High's football team will host the Mustangs of Norwood at Bowditch Field tonight at 7. And the Framingham High School Marching Band is hosting middle school students to join them in the stands to experience the marching band up close. At half-time, the band will perform its Shades of New York show.

The Framingham High Marching Band has been on the competition circuit and just completed its third regional competition in Reading last weekend. Last week, it competed in Billerica and before that in Bellingham, for the Blackstone-Millville Regional High School-hosted US Bands competition. 

The high school's marching band have qualified for the New England Scholastic Bands Association finals, this weekend in Lawrence. The performance is on Saturday afternoon. You can see the Flyers performance in the attached YouTube video, at about 22 minutes in.   

2. Framingham and MetroWest teens are staging three performances of Zombie Prom at the Performing Arts Center of MetroWest (PAC) this weekend. Opening night is tonight at 7:30. Advanced tickets are $16 and $14 for youths and seniors. Tickets at the door will be $2 more, if the show is not sold out. To purchase tickets, call the PAC office at 508-875-5554.

3. Looking for some spooky fun tonight? This is the last weekend for Hanson's  Haunted Farm Tickets $16 adults and $14 for children 12 and under.  The haunted hayrides are Friday and Saturday from to to 10 p.m.

4. The YMCA of MetroWest is holding its Family Halloween Party at the Framingham branch from 6-8 p.m. $10 per family for family evening of music, crafts, swimming and games.

5. With Hurricane Sandy following a track that could have a major impact on New England and Framingham early next week, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is recommending actions people can take to minimize the potential damage from this storm. Click here, for tips.