Our weekday morning column, 5 Things You Need to Know, provides you with information that can help you plan your day and give you some fodder for water cooler conversations. 

1. There may be no fireworks in Marlborough this year, but there are plenty of other opportunities to see some pyrotechnics in nearby communities before, during and after the Fourth of July on Wednesday.  

2. With Bertucci’s shutting one of its two Marlborough locations, Marlborough Patch Facebook users have plenty of ideas on what should take the restaurant’s place on Boston Post Rd. Have a wish list of your own?

3. Have you fallen behind in nominating local businesses for the Patch Readers Choice Awards. Follow this link to get caught up. Winners will be chosen based on reader submissions.

4.  The 2012 Presidential election is now just over four months away. Have a strong viewpoint on the race for the White House, or any other topic for that matter? Become a Patch blogger and make your voice heard.  

5. Our neighbors at the Southborough Public Library are displaying the town’s 1776 copy of the Declaration of Independence--the reason we have a holiday on July 4--for public viewing. The declaration and other Revolutionary War-era items will remain on display for a couple weeks.