5 Things: Celebrating 21 Years of Cindi’s Diamond & Jewelry Gallery, FHS Jazz Band to Play Essentially Ellington & More

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1. Showers Likely in Foxborough Friday

Today’s weather in Foxborough, according to the National Weather Service based in Taunton, calls for partly sunny, with a high near 79. West wind 5 to 8 mph. Friday night: Showers likely, mainly after 5 a.m. Patchy fog after 2 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. South wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

2. Help Cindi’s Diamond & Jewelry Gallery Celebrate 21 Years

Lifelong Foxborough resident Cindi Haddad-Drew’s Central Street jewelry store is celebrating 21 years this weekend.

“Help us celebrate with markdowns so awesome you'll kick yourself if you miss out,” Cindi’s Diamond & Jewelry Gallery said on its Facebook page. “We will celebrate Friday and Saturday during regular business hours.”

Haddad-Drew opened her Foxborough business in 1992 and carries engagement rings, precious stone jewelry of all kinds and designer watches. The shop also does repairs and jewelry maintenance. Haddad-Drew said that each piece she designs or buys from vendors is picked by her and represents the same quality standards, mainly because each piece, no matter the price, is special.

“For some people any piece of jewelry is significant no matter the cost,” she said. "It’s important to the person who owns it. ... It’s not something people buy every day; it’s not a need … Somebody that’s buying something or having something made puts a lot of thought into it.”

On Friday and Saturday, 60 percent of the store is 60 percent off.

3. Foxborough High School Jazz Band to Perform in Essentially Ellington Competition this Weekend

The Foxborough High School’s jazz is one of 15 finalists to compete in the prestigious 18th Annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival this spring at the Lincoln Center in New York over the weekend.

The Essentially Ellington Competition & Festival (EE) will take place at Frederick P. Rose Hall from May 10–12. Foxborough and the other finalists were chosen out of nearly 100 high school jazz bands across the country that entered the competition.

According to a community announcement published on Foxboro Cable Access' website, each school submitted recordings of three tunes performed from charts from Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington library.

The Essentially Ellington Finalists:

• American Music Program, Portland, OR
• Badger High School, Lake Geneva, WI
• Beloit Memorial High School, Beloit, WI
• Community Arts Program, Coral Gables, Fla.
• Dillard Center for the Arts, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
• Edmonds-Woodway High School, Edmonds, Wash.
• Foxborough High School, Foxborough
• Garfield High School, Seattle, Wash.
• Jazz House Kids, Montclair, N.J.
• Lexington High School, Lexington, Mass.
• New World School of the Arts, Miami, Fla.
• Rio Americano High School, Sacramento, Calif.
• Roosevelt High School, Seattle, Wash.
• Sun Prairie High School, Sun Prairie, WI
• Tucson Jazz Institute, Tucson, Ariz.

"Beginning on May 10, the 15 bands will compete for top honors and participate in workshops, jam sessions, and more during the three-day EE competition and festival in New York City," the announcement said. "The first half of the final concert on May 12 will feature the three top-placing bands performing with a member of the world renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) as guest soloist. The second half will feature the JLCO – whose members serve as mentors for the finalist bands throughout the weekend – performing a repertoire of tunes made famous by Duke Ellington. The festival concludes with an awards ceremony honoring outstanding soloists, sections and the three top-placing bands."

The entire weekend of EE events, including the final concert featuring the three top-placing bands and the JLCO, will be webcast live on jalc.org/live, according to the announcement.

The Competition & Festival is the culmination of the annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Program (EE), which also includes regional festivals, teaching resources, a summer Band Director Academy, newsletters, and more.

The 2012-13 Essentially Ellington repertoire includes, Duke Ellington’s “Blood Count,” “Bonga,” “Echoes of Harlem,” “Lightnin’,” “Royal Garden Blues,” and “Second Line.”

Fore more information, click here.

4. Patriot Place Events

Here’s what’s happening around Patriot Place today:

Roomful of Blues at Showcase Live: Roomful of Blues, according to DownBeat magazine, “is in a class by themselves.” With their masterful combination of jumping, horn-heavy, hard-edged blues and R&B, it’s no wonder why the great Count Basie called them “the hottest blues band I’ve ever heard.”

11 a.m. - Spring Fever - Creation Station: Join Patriot Place for hands-on art activities that explore a wide range of art media and tools.

9:30 p.m. - Walkin' the line at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill: Walkin’ the line brings years of experience with some of the best bands around and have opened for Country legends like Charlie Daniels, Lorrie Morgan, & Travis Tritt to name a few.

5. New England Revolution’s Bobblehead Night Returns May 11th

At select games throughout the summer, the New England Revolution will host a series of player bobblehead nights featuring several star players. The first bobblehead in the 2013 series is midfielder Lee Nguyen, whose wobbling-head likeness will be given away at the Saturday, May 11 game against the New York Red Bulls at Gillette Stadium. Nguyen was the team’s fan-voted most valuable player in 2012, his first season with the Revolution.

Nguyen’s bobblehead features his signature headband, focused eyes and attacking stance as he dribbles down field, head up, ready to make a killer pass to a teammate – just as he does on the field each game.

A limited number of these bobbleheads will be available to fans upon entering Gillette Stadium during the following games (as supplies last):

• Lee Nguyen: Saturday, May 11th vs. New York Red Bulls
• TBA Player: Saturday, June 8th vs. D.C. United
• TBA Player: Sunday, August 25th vs. Philadelphia Union

For more information and Revolution tickets, visit the team’s official website at RevolutionSoccer.net/tickets. As a limited number of bobbleheads will be distributed, fans are encouraged to enter the stadium early on select nights.