With the spring planting season hitting full swing in May, local garden centers are selling all sorts of plants. But that doesn't mean you don't need to worry about disease. According to Carrie Leinonen at Village Garden Center impatiens, one of the most popular annual flowers, are susceptible the disease which comes primarily from the south. This year the worry comes from downy mildew, a white velvety growth on the undersides of the leaves. "When you buy your impatiens from the garden center they won't be infected, but planting them in infected garden beds can lead to the eventual death of …

Today, we answer this inquiry: "What is the Mobile Chapel? I've seen it at Flynn's Truck Stop on Route 20, near Route 140." “It’s a local church, sort of like for truck drivers," chaplain George Freeman said this week. "We seek to reach the trucking community and drivers with the gospel of Jesus Christ, and teach them to grow in their faith.” Transport For Christ International has such "permanent chapels with fully trained chaplains at strategic truckstops in North America," according to its website. A chapel has been at the Shrewsbury site, donated by the truck stop's owner, for nearly 20 …

Either way, the date has now passed to run as a candidate in the annual town election, happening on April 30 (moved from the original date of May 7). Shrewsbury Patch will post the final candidates list on Thursday. March 12 was the official deadline for nomination papers to be turned into the clerk's office, the date moved from the original March 19 deadline. But Shrewsbury resident Daniel Zuba said he was unaware of the deadline, and missed the official timestamp on turning in his candidacy filing to run for School Committee. "I am disappointed to see that the date was changed without …

St. Patrick's Day, the one day a year when everyone is Irish, or at least Irish-ish. There are parades around Massachusetts and the country. There are also many opportunites for people to enjoy an Irish beverage or two that they might not normally drink. Shawn Hatch from Austin Liquors in the White City Shopping Center says there are very specific beers and whiskys that people like to drink.

According to imdb.com, the top five movies of 2002 were xXx, City of God, The Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Spider-Man. Perhaps one of those films was the last to be shown at the Edgemere Drive-In. On Route 20, amongst the various industries, strip bars, gas stations and mobile home parks sit a number of historical landmarks that tug at our memories. Among them is the Edgemere Drive-In. Long vacant and overgrown with vegetation, the imposing, rusty yellow and blue sign still juts out on the highway. Many wonder, what's going on with the …

A reader emailed us asking why there was a helicopter in a search pattern over the Shrewsbury/Northborough line for about an hour Wednesday afternoon. The State Police helicopter was assisting Northborough police in a search for three missing children, who were found safe. The kids, boys ages 8, 8, and 10, had gotten lost in the woods off Jubilee Road in Northborough. All three boys were fine. See Northborough Patch for the story.

On Dec. 11, the Board of Selectmen authorized a "one bag free" program during the holiday week running Dec. 26 to Dec. 31. This is the fifth year of this program that has proven to be so popular. PAYT customers will be allowed to place at the curb one (1) up to 35 gallon or smaller plastic non-PAYT trash bag on their normal day of collection during the period of December 26, 27, 28, 29, and 31, 2012. Please note that the trash pick-up schedule is delayed by one day due to Christmas Holiday. In addition, a single Christmas tree may be left by the curb without a sticker or attached PAYT bag …

A bullet/stab-proof K9 vest can range anywhere between $1,006 to $2,400, according to Kathy Kinds from Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog, a nonprofit that works to get vests to dogs in the line of duty. Most patrol-duty K9s, she adds, have a $1,006 vest, and the higher end are for dogs who serve on SWAT teams. "The vest will also protect K9s against blunt force trauma from being kicked, punched or struck with an object such as a bat," she said. Buzzy the German Shepherd works on the Shrewsbury Police Department with his handler/patrolman Chad Chysna. Chysna, along with Barb Smith, who owns Companion …

According to STORMFAX, historically there is a 60 percent chance of one inch of snow on Christmas morning, a 27 percent chance of 5 inches and a 10 percent chance of 10 inches.    OK, but is it going to snow this Christmas? It's hard to tell this early, but Jim Arnold, a weather specialist who works with Shrewsbury's and Worcester's Emergency Communications and Emergency Management Agencices, has some theories. "Over the long term, Central Massachusetts sees a white Christmas between 6 and 7 years out of 10," said Arnold. "From a sensible weather standpoint, I do see signs of a pattern change…

Have you been driving down Route 20 recently and seen the strange tiki statue with his nose falling off? You aren't alone, several Patch readers have been asking about the apparently abandoned restaurant and the attached buildings with some referring to the building as an eyesore. According to Shrewsbury Building Inspector Patricia Sheehan, a restaurant once occupied the building but no one has eaten there since before she started working in town 16 years ago. The restaurant portion of the building is attached to a motel so fire suppression sprinklers and other safety systems have been left …

You can have as many dogs, and cats as you want in Shrewsbury. But only 24 chickens are allowed, and the town strongly urges you to refrain from owning roosters. Shrewsbury Patch talked to Animal Control Officer Leona Pease about the rules and regulations regarding animals in town. Some may be surprising. Pease is celebrating her tenth year as ACO in Shrewsbury, and has been working professionally with animals since she was 15. She started as a dog sitter at a Siberian Husky show kennel, and has been training dogs ever since. She also has been employed by the DMH and DEP for more than 22 …

We’re all a little curious. Driving through town, you may wonder if that vacant building you pass will ever be occupied, why there’s no stoplight at a certain busy intersection, how long it takes to complete a road project or one of a million other questions about your town. That’s where Patch comes in. With our feature, “You Ask ... Patch Answers,” we will strive to find the answer to all your questions—big, small and in-between—about the town we live and work in. Whether it’s something you’ve always wondered about, some information you just can’t put your hands on or a sudden curiosity, we …

We’re all a little curious. Driving through town, you may wonder if that vacant building you pass will ever be occupied, why there’s no stoplight at a certain busy intersection, how long it takes to complete a road project or one of a million other questions about your town. That’s where Patch comes in. With our feature, “You Ask ... Patch Answers,” we will strive to find the answer to all your questions—big, small and in-between—about the town we live and work in. Whether it’s something you’ve always wondered about, some information you just can’t put your hands on or a sudden curiosity, we …

We’re all a little curious. Driving through town, you may wonder if that vacant building you pass will ever be occupied, why there’s no stoplight at a certain busy intersection, how long it takes to complete a road project or one of a million other questions about your town. That’s where Patch comes in. With our feature, “You Ask ... Patch Answers,” we will strive to find the answer to all your questions—big, small and in-between—about the town we live and work in. Whether it’s something you’ve always wondered about, some information you just can’t put your hands on or a sudden curiosity, we …

We’re all a little curious. Driving through town, you may wonder if that vacant building you pass will ever be occupied, why there’s no stoplight at a certain busy intersection, how long it takes to complete a road project or one of a million other questions about your town. That’s where Patch comes in. With our feature, “You Ask ... Patch Answers,” we will strive to find the answer to all your questions—big, small and in-between—about the town we live and work in. Whether it’s something you’ve always wondered about, some information you just can’t put your hands on or a sudden curiosity, we …

We’re all a little curious. Driving through town, you may wonder if that vacant building you pass will ever be occupied, why there’s no stoplight at a certain busy intersection, how long it takes to complete a road project or one of a million other questions about your town. That’s where Patch comes in. With our feature, “You Ask ... Patch Answers,” we will strive to find the answer to all your questions—big, small and in-between—about the town we live and work in. Whether it’s something you’ve always wondered about, some information you just can’t put your hands on or a sudden curiosity, we …

We’re all a little curious. Driving through town, you may wonder if that vacant building you pass will ever be occupied, why there’s no stoplight at a certain busy intersection, how long it takes to complete a road project or one of a million other questions about your town. That’s where Patch comes in. With our feature, “You Ask ... Patch Answers,” we will strive to find the answer to all your questions—big, small and in-between—about the town we live and work in. Whether it’s something you’ve always wondered about, some information you just can’t put your hands on or a sudden curiosity, we …

We’re all a little curious. Driving through town one morning, you may wonder if that vacant building you pass will ever be occupied, why there’s no stoplight at a certain busy intersection, how long it takes to complete a road project or one of a million other questions about your town. That’s where Patch comes in. With our feature, “You Ask ... Patch Answers,” we will strive to find the answer to all your questions—big, small and in-between—about the town we live and work in. Whether it’s something you’ve always wondered about, some information you just can’t put your hands on or a sudden …

We’re all a little curious. Driving through town one morning, you may wonder if that vacant building you pass will ever be occupied, why there’s no stoplight at a certain busy intersection, how long it takes to complete a road project or one of a million other questions about your town. That’s where Patch comes in. With our feature, “You Ask ... Patch Answers,” we will strive to find the answer to all your questions—big, small and in-between—about the town we live and work in. Whether it’s something you’ve always wondered about, some information you just can’t put your hands on or a sudden …