5 Things You Need to Know Today, Sept. 17

1. Enjoy the beautiful outdoors Saturday morning 9 a.m.-noon, Sept. 17, and serve your community. The Creek Connections Action Group is looking for volunteers for its state Coastal Cleanup Day. Would-be volunteers can find a map of local cleanup sites at www.cleanacreek.org. Locally, volunteers will work picking up garbage in Los Gatos Creek at Vasona Park, from Roberts Road to Lark Avenue. Pre-registration is required at most sites. Details: Dave Lane at dlredwoods@aol.com.

2. Festival Theatre Ensemble, the producers of the presents Broadcast: Murder, a mystery play in four acts, 6:30-10 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 17, at the Toll House Hotel, 140 So. Santa Cruz Ave. The performance is a fundraiser for the 2012 season of the Los Gatos Shakespeare Festival, an annual event held for the past 10 years at Los Gatos' Oak Meadow Park. Tickets are $125 per person or $900 for a table of eight and can be purchased online at www.lgshakes.org or by calling 408-996-0635 or 800-838-3006.

3. The , a fundraising arm of the EMQ Auxiliary serving the needs of local children in need since 1934, is presenting a Glass Pumpkin Festival art glass show and sale 1-4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 17. Meet the founder of The Magical Glass Pumpkin Patch in Los Gatos and creative catalyst behind Holy City Art Glass, Tom Stanton. Stanton has been creating and selling hand-blown glass art and custom-stained glass for more than 30 years. Joining Staton for the show is Shelly Monfort who has been a major driving force for The Magical Glass Pumpkin Patch since its start. More enthusiastic pumpkin artisans participating in the show include Ken Mollenauer, Gigi Erickson and Mike and Stephanie Walton. Details: 408-395-1678 or email info@butterpaddle.com.

4. Same-day registration will be available tomorrow, Sunday, Sept. 18, starting at 6:30 a.m., for the second annual Race to the End of Summer 5K, 10K and half marathon. The races take place at 8 a.m. on the Coyote Creek Trail in San Jose. There will also be a kids’ 1K fun run at 10 a.m. Proceeds benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In-person registration will be available at all packet pick-up locations as well as race day morning beginning at 6:30 a.m. The flat course begins and ends at the Silver Creek Sportsplex, 800 Embedded Way in San Jose.

5. The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Foundation's fundraiser, "A Taste of Los Gatos" will be held 3-6 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 18 at the McCarthy Family Estate Vineyard, 20108 Foster Rd. Join the foundation with a donation of $500 and receive two tickets to the year. If you do not want to join the foundation but would like to attend, tickets are $150 each. Pay online by clicking here or send your check or money order (do not send cash) along with the number of tickets you would like to purchase, your name, address, phone number and email address to: The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Foundation, P.O. Box 973, Los Gatos, CA 9503. Tickets are limited. All proceeds directly support the Details: 408 354-6840 or 408-827-8655.