Revisiting the front porch Upon reflection, I find I have taken my front porch for granted. I have sat on it for my lifetime, visiting with relatives, watching the kids play, observing what needs to be done in the yard and soaking up the sun for years. My mother sat on the porch before me, watching folks walking, riding and later driving by. She once enjoyed an organ grinder with a monkey who performed for free for her and her sisters and brothers when her mother explained she did not have enough money to pay him. Much later she saw Army vehicles during World War II churning past. A lot of life passes by a front porch without our really noticing it. The front porch is a uniquely American bit of architecture. It arose in the 1700s, first documented on slave dwellings. From the mid-1800s until WWII it was 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

*The Wake Forest Farmers Market will be open its regular summer hours, 8 a.m. to noon, on Saturday, May 24, 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 25, with the a capepella group Thelonius on stage from 5 to 7 p.m.. The name comes from jazz legend Thelonius Monk, who was born in Rocky Mount, but the group sings a mix of different styles, including jazz *The Classic & Antique Charity Car Show will be held Saturday, June 14, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. along South White Street with a rain date of June 21. This is a free event; registration for cars is $20 the day of the show. *Freedom Run, a 5K run sponsored by the Wake Forest American Legion Auxiliary, will be held Saturday, June 21.