Winter honeysuckle: Old-fashioned fragrance My mother called it First Breath of Spring. It was planted at every farmhouse near the back door, so on warm winter days its sweet fragrance met you every time you went in or out of the house. (Folks rarely used the front door back then.) A single cut stem tucked in a vase would perfume a whole room. Nowadays you are hard pressed to find it anywhere, which is a shame. Winter Honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima – doesn’t that just roll off the tongue) is a large mounding semi-evergreen shrub, which can reach 8 feet or more if left unpruned. Its small creamy white flowers begin blooming in January and continue through March. The fragrance, which reminds some of candy or bubblegum, is noticed more after the sun has warmed the flowers and is strongest in the afternoon. Winter honeysuckle is not particular about sun or

The Wake Forest Youth Advisory Board will collect clean, gently used coats and jackets from Saturday, March 1, through Monday, March 31, as part of a community service project.   Coats of all shapes and sizes are welcome and may be dropped off at one of the following area locations: ·         Franklin Academy Middle School, 1127 Chalk Road, Wake Forest ·         Franklin Academy High School, 648 Flaherty Ave., Wake Forest ·         Forest Pines Elementary School, 11455 Forest Pines Dr., Raleigh ·         Heritage Elementary School, 3500 Rogers Road, Wake Forest ·         Heritage Middle School, 3400 Rogers Road, Wake Forest ·         Heritage High School, 1150 Forestville Road, Wake Forest ·         Kerr Family YMCA, 2500 Wakefield Pines Dr., Raleigh ·         North Forest Pines Elementary School, 11501 Forest Pines Dr., Raleigh ·         Rolesville Baptist Church, 203 E. Young St., Rolesville ·         Rolesville Middle School, 4700 Burlington Mills Road, Rolesville ·         Rolesville High School, 1099

Someone is going to win $10,000 Friday night, March 21, when the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce hosts it Reverse Raffle at The Renaissance Centre. There are fewer than 50 tickets left — $125 admits two people – so hurry to the chamber office at 50 South White Street to purchase yours. Tickets include heavy hors d’oeurves. Dress is semi-formal. The event runs from 6 to 8 p.m.

The winter of 2013-2014 is indeed the one that lingers – sleet on Monday! – while we have had crocuses for two weeks, some daffodils for a week and a flowering cherry tree on North Main just budded out. Local produce farmers, of course, have been wringing their hands. Last Saturday there were some greens – lettuce and spinach – and it is just possible we will begin to see more seasonable produce as we move through March. But there is a lot of different meats – all kinds of beef, pork, lamb, rabbit, duck, chicken, quail and goat – as well as eggs. Shoppers can also find honey, coffee, baked goods of all varieties, handmade jewelry, soap, cheese and wood crafts. As the weather warms – which it will – more vendors will return to the market each week. You will find the market and all the vendors every

The art show scheduled for March 7 and March 14 by the students of the Lighthouse Christian Homeschool Association at the Wake Forest ARTS office on Brooks Street has been cancelled. No reason has been given for the cancellation.  

The Wake Forest Parks and Recreation Department will accept applications for its Day Park Summer Camp from Monday, March 3, through Friday, April 11. Designed for boys and girls ages 6-12, the Day Park Summer Camp is a full day recreational summer camp program designed to enhance your child’s summer experiences through arts and crafts, education, nature, and recreational and sporting activities. The camp will operate for a nine-week period from June 16 through Aug. 15, at the Wake Forest Community House, 133 W. Owen Ave. The camp is offered Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Early drop-off is 7:30 a.m. and late pick up is 6 p.m. Participants must be at least six years old on or before June 1, 2014, and a birth certificate is required for all participants. The fee is $100 per week or $900 for the entire nine-week session. For more information,

Food trucks and vendors and the Carolina Hurricanes Storm Squad with Stormy are just some of the new attractions the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce is adding to the 34th edition of its street festival, Meet in the Street, set for Saturday, May 3, in downtown Wake Forest. At least 15,000 people are expected to come to shop, to enjoy the music and the fun from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be the Children’s Carnival, the Beer Garden, the Bicycle Safety Course, face painting, a fire truck, food trucks, an activity truck where you can make your own tie dye, and a performance plaza. The entire downtown area will be blocked off with over 100 artists and artisans showing their wares as well as the downtown merchants. In the performance plaza there will be Cirque De Vol, martial arts, cheerleading, demonstrations and other local performances. There will

Registration is now open for the popular Run Like a Mother Race on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 11, at the Kerr Family YMCA at 2500 Wakefield Pines Drive in Raleigh. You can either race in the 5K or bring the family and the dog and participate in the Kids 1-Mile race. For more information about the race or sponsorship opportunities contact raleighinfo@runlikeamother.com. To register, visit http://runlikeamother.com/events/raleigh-nc/. Proceeds from the race benefit Kerr Family YMCA outreach programs.