Flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa) is another of those old Southern staples that have fallen out of favor over the years. The cheery red blooms would appear in March on large, often ungainly and painfully thorny shrubs.  Thankfully, a lot of research and breeding, especially here at our own NC State University, has produced smaller thornless plants with a wide range of colorful flowers. Newest on the scene is the ‘Double Take’ series introduced around 2010. They were developed at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center by Tom Ranney and his intrepid crew of plant scientists. The site is worth a visit. There is a lot of breeding going on in them thar hills (http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/fletcher/mcilab).  The Double Take flowers are quite large with many ruffled petals making them resemble small roses or camellias. They appear in February or March before the leaves and continue into May with sporadic rebloom

Spring has sprung and winter’s done! While that may be wishful thinking now, downtown Wake Forest is planning an event in April that will welcome and celebrate the return of weather suitable for enjoying the great outdoors.  Promising something for the entire family, Wake Forest’s inaugural Dirt Day will be held along South White Street in downtown Wake Forest on Saturday, April 5, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.   Kids will have a blast playing in an oversized sandbox or making wheatgrass containers for home windowsills. Adults will have the chance to learn about the newest techniques in gardening and composting, check out the newest in outdoor activity and camping gear, enjoy a beekeeping demonstration and visit with a variety of vendors offering an array of products and insight.  But that’s not all. Dirt Day participants can also spend time rubbing elbows with Master Gardeners and outdoor educators from

There will be some more cold days, but spring is definitely on the horizon – and we can look forward to April with regular market hours and more vendors at the Wake Forest Farmers Market behind CVS.   In the meantime, we know there will be a lot of meat and eggs and an increase in the amount of produce. You will also find honey, coffee, baked goods of all varieties, handmade jewelry, soap, cheese and wood crafts.   You will find the market and all the vendors every Saturday in the OneCare Inc. parking lot behind CVS along North White Street from 10 a.m. to noon. The winter hours will continue through March. For more about the market, go to Facebook or www.wakeforestfarmersmarket.org or call 919-671-9269.  

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

In February the Wake Forest Inspections Department issued two permits for two commercial buildings that totaled $5.1 million, the Wake Electric’s customer care building at 100 South Franklin Street ($4 million) and the Carefirst Animal Hospital at 941 Gateway Commons ($1.1 million). Macallan Construction is the constractor for the Wake Electric building; Matt Hale is the architect. CC&G Holdings of Raleigh owns the animal hospital and Ashland Construction is the contractor.   During February the department also issued permits for 18 single-family homes and two townhouses. Both townhouses are being constructed by Heritage Spring LLC at 1121 and 1123 Golden Poppy Court with an estimated improvement value of $127,000 each. The fees were $$4,463.69 each.   The single-family homes are listed below with the applicant, the address, the subdivision, the stream basin, the fees paid, the square footage and the improvement value estimated by the applicant. *L and L of

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

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. 

The Downtown Revitalization Corporation is sponsoring a free Classic and Antique Charity Car Show on Saturday, June 14, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Presented for the benefit of several area charities, including Wounded Warriors of Wake County, Hospice of Wake County and the Miracle League of the Triangle, this family-friendly event will be held along South White Street in historic downtown Wake Forest.  Sponsored by Chris Leith Dodge/Kia, the exhibit will showcase vehicles of all makes and models, including muscle cars, sports cars, pony cars, classic and antique autos, street rods and trucks. The car show will also feature a ‘Take-Apart-T’ Model T assembly demonstration, the Leith Kia Monster Truck on display, live music, and food and retail vendors.  Admission to the car show is free and open to the public. In the event of rain, the show will be held on Saturday, June 21.  Anyone wishing to enter