Five Things: Closings, Cancellations and, Oh Yea, a Blizzard

1. Closures and Cancellations: Concord's public schools have been cancelled for today. The Fenn School, a private school for boys, also announced it would be closed in anticipation of the storm. It was unclear as of 11 p.m. Thursday what hours the Concord Free Public Library would keep on Friday, but it did announce the cancellation of its Friday Flicks programs.

2. Trash Pickup: Curbside solid waste recycling collection will begin at 6 a.m. this morning, an hour earlier than the usual. In the event that Waste Management is unable to collect all of Friday’s route before the storm intensifies and they must leave Concord, town officials ask that residents remove their barrels and containers so their not an impediment for snow removal.

3. Gov. Patrick Weighs In: In advance of the storm, Gov. Deval Patrick held a press conference Thursday evening advising all "non-emergency" government employees to stay home from work today because of the storm, and asked private employers to do the same. Further, the governo asked that all cars be off the road beginning at noon on Friday to clear the way for road crews.

4. Concord Snowstorm Info Center: Looking for the latest updates and to help keep your neighbors informed? Check out our Info Center, which will be updated throughout the day as new information becomes available.

5. About That Blizzard: The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning, which is in effect from 6 a.m. today through 1 p.m. tomorrow. According to the warning, snow will begin to accumulate today, with the heaviest snowfall tonight and into tomorrow. Total accumulations could be in the 18- to 24-inch ranges and wind gusts could get as high as 65 mph, the warning says.

About this column: A roundup of events taking place today in Lexington.