Gardening in a red state – red clay, that is Good old North Carolina red mud. It stains your clothes, sticks to your shoes, mires up your car and generally makes a mess. Plus it is darned hard to garden in — rock hard when dry and a gooey mess when wet. But for many of us it is what we have to work with at least in some part of our yards. So what’s a gardener to do? One answer is build raised beds wherever you wish to plant something, but this can be hugely expensive, especially on a large property. If you must plant things that require sharp drainage, however, such as daphnes, rhododendrons and heaths, containers or raised beds are your best option. Otherwise it is necessary to amend your clay. For annual, perennial and vegetable beds where you are turning over the soil several times a

Operation Omaha will provide transportation, food and lodging for veterans and their guardians for a trip to Bedford, Va., to participate in the 70th anniversary of D-Day. This will be an overnight trip, leaving from the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh on June 5 and returning on June 6. This offer is open to all veterans no matter what theater of war or what service. If you know of any World War II veterans who might be interested, please refer them to www.OperationOmaha.org, the same group that sponsors the Flight of Honor trips. Veterans or their family members may also call Mike Thompson at 919-324-4243 (cell) or 919-267-6394.

The Town of Wake Forest is inviting area residents and nature lovers to celebrate National Trails Day on Saturday, June 7, by bringing the whole family to E. Carroll Joyner Park on Harris Road. Beginning at 9 a.m. Wake Forest will recognize nearly 200 Adopt-a-Trail and Adopt-a-Stream volunteers in the Joyner Park Performance Garden. The ceremony will include opening remarks by Mayor Vivian Jones and a special presentation by the Greenways Advisory Board which will announce the “Tom Stoddard Volunteer of the Year.” The award is named in honor of Stoddard, a highly respected Wake Forest resident and dedicated Adopt-a-Trail volunteer, who passed away in 2013. The festivities continue from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. with an Environmental Education Expo featuring 10 interactive learning stations. Set up throughout Joyner Park, the stations will offer both children and adults fun-filled opportunities to experience the wonders of nature while learning about the environment. As

After a successful season, the ’99 East Wake Soccer Association (EWSA) Lady Hammers Black finished on top in the Under14 First East Division of the North Carolina Youth Soccer Association’s and won a coveted spot in the statewide NCYSA Premier League Promotion to the Premier Division is reserved for only the very best teams in the state and must be earned. The Lady Hammers beat CASL Elite Black, CUFC Gold, and tied NC Fusion in the preseason Twin-City Friendlies tournament. Those results against three of the top teams in the state foreshadowed the regular season in which they dominated the competition by notching eight wins with no losses and only 1 tie. Along the way, the Lady Hammers scored a league best of 20 goals and only allowed three. At the conclusion of the season, the Lady Hammers competed in the NCYSA State Cup. In group play, they tied CASL

After a successful season, the ’97 EWSA Hammers Black finished top the U16 First East Division. In doing so, they secured a coveted spot in the statewide NCYSA Premier League. The Hammers dominated the competition by notching 10 wins against one loss. Along the way, the Hammers scored a league best 45 goals and only allowed 10. At the conclusion of the season, the Hammers competed in the NCYSA State Cup. In group play, they beat #2 ranked team CASL Elite Black 1-0, and NC Fusion Premier 3-0, proving they can play with the elite teams in the state. The team members are Jonathan Bailey, Elijah Strong, Ryan Killen, Daniel Alioto, Ryan Patton, Derek Kaple, Justin Charamut, Nathan Gage, Ryan Mays, Jesus Ibarra, Christopher Guzman, Christian Guzman, Gabriel Gonzalez, Josiah Gonzalez, Josiah, Mujica, Tyler Dacaret and Jarod Haynes. The boys were born between Aug. 1, 1998 and July 1, 1999.

The following new businesses located in Wake Forest in January: Doggie Delights, 1013 Lightfoot Court Strategic Solutions Consulting, 912 Rose Angel Circle J Rig Woodworks, 1164 Trentini Ave. Sunstone Lab, 2321 Rainy Lake St. Ammann Business Solutions LLC, 1601 Fern Hollow Trail Regional Finance Corp. of NC, 12265 Capital Blvd. Nancy Jo Photography, LLC, 107 S. White St. DNA Tree Services, 1739 Pasture Walk Dr. Bridgewater Property Management, 203 Capcom Ave. Regional Finance, 12265 Capital Blvd. Ellis & Parker, 853 Wake Forest Business Park Hi-Tech Hobbies LLC, 1839 S. Main St. Canvasback Homes, Inc., 1205 Brewer Jackson Court Carolina Remodeling Corp., 5105 Unicon Dr. C-Store, 1241 S. Main St. PHD Service Company, LLC, 2014 S. Main St. Tuscan Ridge Animal Hospital, 230 Capcom Ave. Capital City Curb & Gutter, 2607 Leighton Ridge Road View the January 2014 Development Report The February new businesses are: Mi Tierra NC, LLC, 1241 S.

Building permits for two new businesses, Wake Forest Charter Academy and Discovery Pointe Childcare Center, were issued by the Wake Forest Inspections Department in April along with permits for 22 single-family houses and two townhouses. The charter school, operated by National Heritage Academies of Grand Rapids, Mich., will be built at 1851 Friendship Chapel Road behind Gateway Commons shopping center. The builder is CSM Group. The new building is valued at $4.5 million, and the fees totaled $49,795.61. The daycare center will be owned by Jan and Hong Chen of Wake Forest. The building at 1212 Heritage Links Drive is being constructed by Venture Construction Company and will add about $1.85 million to the town’s tax base. The fees totaled $61,819.63. Both businesses will open in the fall of this year. Also listed in the report are the completed fit-ups and pre-occupancy inspections. There was one fit-up, and it was

Car shows are popular, but when you combine a free classic and antique car show with the opportunity to help area charities, people will flock to be a part of it. It will all be happening from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the heart of historic downtown Wake Forest on Saturday, June 14, which also happens to be Flag Day. It seems appropriate. Admission to the show on South White Street is free and open to everyone. Those wishing to enter a vehicle in the show can register on the day of the event between 8 and 11 a.m., and the cost is $20 per vehicle. On display will be muscle cards, sports cars, pony cars, classic and antique autos, street rods and trucks. There will also be a “Take-Apart-T” Model T disassembly and reassembly demonstration, and the Leith Kia Monster Truck will be on display – Chris Leith

Wake Forest saw and felt World War II every day as tanks and trucks and trains rumbled through town on U.S. 1 along North Main Street and the Seaboard railroad. That is just one facet of the war days here that will be illustrated in the World War II exhibit opening June 22 at the Wake Forest Historical Museum. It is free and open to all. The museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. On Sunday, it is open from 2 to 5 p.m. Museum Director Ed hopes to show the movie “Twelve O’Clock High” starring Gregory Peck because his character was based on Gen. Frank Armstrong, a Nash County native and Wake Forest College student. The idea for the exhibit came from Wilson Montague’s personal effects. A local boy, the uncle of Allen Massey, he was shot down over Germany and

*The Wake Forest Farmers Market will be open its regular summer hours, 8 a.m. to noon, on Saturday, May 17, in the parking lot behind CVS. *Six Sundays in Spring, the series of six free outdoor concerts in E. Carroll Joyner Park, will continue Sunday, May 18, with the E.G. Peters Band on stage from 5 to 7 p.m.. *The Broadband Task Force will host a public information meeting about the RST installation underway. The meeting on Monday, May 12, at 6 p.m. in the Renaissance Centre on Brooks Street will be repeated twice – on Thursday, May 22, and Thursday, May 29. *The Share Your Wake Forest Garden Tour will be held Saturday and Sunday, May 17 and 18. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The tours are free. *The Wake Forest Relay for Life will be held Saturday, May 17,