5 Things to You Need to Know Today: A Cure for Spring Fever, Moms Talk and More

1. St. Patrick’s Day has passed, but for one more day, the wearing of the green will bring you luck at Pets Alive Westchester and Pets Alive Animal Sanctuary. There’s still time to adopt a Lucky Legacy Pet for just $50, and if you’re wearing green, you’ll get a free gift. Stop by and meet the dogs, play with the cats and pet the barnyard animals. All pets for adoption are spayed/neutered, micro chipped and up to date on all vaccinations. Pets Alive is located at 100 S. Warehouse Lane in Elmsford (behind the Sam’s Club), and is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For details please visit: www.petsalivewest.org.

2. Hey moms, if you haven’t checked out Moms Talk, Patch’s weekly Q&A feature that discusses issues important to your family, now is the time. Each week, our Moms Council of experts and smart parents take your questions, give advice and share solutions. Check out last week’s , which asks if you think children are well supervised on the playground, while on the bus and in the hallways of their school.

3. You wouldn’t know it by the weather, but today is the first day of spring. If your kids are jonesing for a spring fix, check out the , part of the amazing “The Orchid Show: On Broadway” at the Bronx Botanical Gardens. Showstoppers is a hands-on, interactive exploration of nature, where kids can search for spring buds, listen for the show tunes of nature (bird songs), and delight in the "cast" of characters that only a garden can showcase.

4. Want to get more involved in local government but not sure how? The Village Board is accepting applications for volunteers interesting in serving on a Village boards, council or committee. For more info, click here.

5. The hot topic on Patch over the weekend was, unsurprisingly, public school funding. Our intrepid government reporter Dan Wiessner’s Capitol DisPatch column, which runs every Sunday, covers a recent report from Comptroller Tom DiNapoli that says local school districts can offset steep cuts in state aid by using reserves. As with most things education-related, the story has a lot of readers weighing in— and join the conversation.