Community Corner

5 Things for July 13: Elizabeth Warren Chat, Friday the 13th and More

Here's five things you need to know today in Foxborough: 13 things to know about Friday the 13th, Elizabeth Warren live chats on Patch, live music and more ...

Editor's note: Five Things You Need To Know Today is a Patch column that provides readers with essential, daily information at a glance. If you know of something happening in town that did not make our list, please add it in the comment section!

1. Great Weather Continues! Friday's Weather in Foxborough Calls for Sunny with a High Near 89

Today’s weather in Foxborough, according to the National Weather Service based in Taunton, calls for sunny, with a high near 89. Southwest wind 5 to 9 mph. Friday night:  Patchy fog after 4 a.m. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 64. South wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Find out what's happening in Foxboroughwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

For the seven-day forecast, click here.

2. Elizabeth Warren Chats Live on Foxborough Patch Today!

Find out what's happening in Foxboroughwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren will chat live on Patch on Friday, July 13. for an e-mail reminder when the chat starts at 1:15 p.m. Join our online community chat where you and your neighbors can ask Warren questions about her 2012 campaign and the issues you care about most. Wondering about her stance on the economy, the national debt, or education? What about how she would help middle class families or small businesses? 

3. Don't Miss Third Annual Yard Sale for a Common Cause

This huge yard sale is on the Foxborough Town Common this Saturday, (July 14th) from 9 a.m. to noon.

Find many new and gently used items - household, baby, toys, jewelry, furniture and more. Partial proceeds go to three local charities: Foxborough Discretionary Fund, Birthday Wishes and H.U.G.S. of Foxboro.

4. Patriot Place Events:

  • 11 a.m. - Summer Sensation 2012 - Brian's Bubble Experiment: The free bubble show is back! This interactive program features musical fun, interactivity and bubbles for children ages 2 to 8.
  • 6 p.m. – The Tubes are a San Francisco-based theater rock band, popular in the mid 1970s and early 1980s, known for their live performances that combined music performances with many different unique costumes.
  • 9:30 p.m. - Thirty 6 Red appearing at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill: A band of Foxborough’s own performs a wide variety of Rock and Roll covers spanning the decades.

5. 13 Things to Know About Friday the 13th:

1. The fear of Friday the 13th is known as friggatriskaidekaphobia or paraskevidekatriaphobia, depending on whether you prefer Norse (the former) or Greek (the latter) origins for your phobias. To claim the phobia, you must be able to pronounce it (just kidding).

2. This is the last of three Friday the 13ths to occur in 2012.

3. Lots of things besides Friday the 13th are considered unlucky. Check out this Life magazine slideshow titled, “A bad-luck guide to Friday the 13th.”

4. Debate surrounds the origin of Friday the 13th’s reputation. One theory: According to Wikipedia, French King Philip IV, having become envious of the Knights Templars’ fortunes, gave orders on Friday, Oct. 13, 1307, to arrest the knights and charge them with heinous crimes.

5. Another theory that explains fear of the number 13 goes back to Norse mythology, according to an article from National Geographic News. A Norse myth recounts a dinner party of 12 gods at Valhalla, their heaven. When the 13th, and uninvited, guest, Loki the Trickster, arrived, he “arranged for Hoder, the blind god of darkness, to shoot Balder the Beautiful, the god of joy and gladness, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow.” Balder died and the world grew dark.

6. Christian tradition also points to unlucky 13 in that Judas, betrayer of Jesus, was the 13th guest at the Last Supper.

7. Christian tradition also points to a reason for bad luck being associated with Friday – it’s the day of the week on which Jesus was crucified.

8. Yet another possible explanation for fear of the number 13 (triskaidekaphobia, in case you're wondering), is that witches reported gathered in groups of 13 in Roman times with the 13th member being the devil (National Geographic News).

9. Rapper Tupac Shakur was pronounced dead on Friday, Sept. 13, 1996.

10. The original “Friday the 13th” film turns 32 this year. The hockey mask didn't appear until the third installment, but we’re willing to bet old-school hockey masks and deserted summer camps still make your skin crawl.

11. There have been 12 installments of “Friday the 13th” films, with the most recent being from 2009. Rumors abound that a 13th edition is in the works.

12. If you have trepidation about Friday the 13th, rest assured you’re not alone. According to the aforementioned National Geographic News article, Donald Dossey, founder of the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, N.C., estimates as many as 21 million people in the U.S. have a phobia of Friday the 13th.

13. If you’re one of those 21 million, stay inside and watch movies. Just avoid people wearing hockey masks and abandoned summer camps.


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