Fisher Farm Finalist Revealed; Sunken Garden Features Former U.S. Poet Laureate; and Other Farmington News

Hey there, Farmington!

It's Wednesday, Aug. 7, so you know what that means? The weekend is almost here and Shark Week is halfway over. 

The cable isn't set up yet at my new apartment, so I haven't seen any of it so far, but luckily there are episodes online! 

I'll leave it to Discovery to tell you all the fun facts you need to know about sharks, but I'd love to hear your shark stories. I'll go first.

One summer, I was on a boat with a mad man and Mr. Holland and this shark was chasing us. We were all alone in the middle of the ocean, yet these two menacing notes kept playing and picking up speed. That daunting half step completely blew the Great White's cover. I was the only one to survive and the ship nearly sank. Oh wait, that was Jaws. 

Hmm. Oh. These smart sharks were chasing me, Samuel L. Jackson and LL Cool J. Shoot! That was Deep Blue Sea. 

Okay, I've got one. This shark named Bruce confided in me and others that "fish are friends, not food." Okay, you've got me. That was Finding Nemo. Wow, I can't believe it's been 10 whole years since that stroke of animated genius was created. Did you know Disney's Pixar is making a sequel? Finding Dory is slated to come out in 2015, according to IMDB. Get excited! I know I am. 

So, I haven't really had any close encounters with sharks beyond seeing six harmless Basking sharks swim under our boat on a Provincetown whale watch. But I want to hear your stories! Have you ever seen a shark? Where were you and when was it? Or, what is your favorite shark movie and why? Tell us in the comments. 

Now, onto the real daily five. 

The recommended Fisher Farm tenants are... Roger and Isabelle Phillips of Hartford. The town of Farmington is in the process of negotiating a lease with the organic vegetable farmers. The Town Farm Road/Tillotson Road farm straddles the Avon and Farmington town line. The buildings are on Farmington property and the cornfields are on Avon land. In addition to growing crops, the Phillips family plans on offering educational opportunities, including "farm tours, presentations and workshops, also farm to chef events," according to Farmington Town Manager Kathy Eagen. Former farm tenant Ron Simmons' lease expired with Farmington at the beginning of the summer and his separate lease with Avon ends in January 2014. Read more by clicking on the link provided!

Free Blood Pressure Screening: The Farmington Valley VNA will offer the screenings at the Farmington Library at 6 Monteith Drive at 9 a.m. on Wednesday. Click on the link provided for more information. 

Sunken Garden Poetry Features Billy Collins: Pull up a lawn chair or blanket and have a picnic dinner at the Hill-Stead Museum Wednesday night for an evening of poetry by a former United States poet laureate. Writer John Updike has described Billy Collins' poems as "limpid, gently and consistently startling, more serious than they seem," describing "all the worlds that are and were and some others besides," according to the event posted on Patch. The event starts at 5 p.m. and entry is $10. Anyone 18 and younger can get in for free! For more information, click on the link provided. 

Fingers crossed for sun Wednesday! It looks like the sun will hold out a little longer for us during the day, but rain and thunder is possible before 11 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. Click on the link provided to read the forecast for the whole week. 

Taking a trip or just commuting to work? Click here to check the DOT's interactive travel map before you leave home.

Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday. As Dory says, "Just keep swimming!"