Topiaries in the modern landscape I have to admit right off that I think topiaries are way cool. I know there are some strong opinions about them but I have to fall down on the ‘what great fun they are’ side. I love the formal elegant spirals, globes and cones. Single ball lollipops are just dandy. I enjoy the cloud form ones best of all, even when you call them poodles. The ones shaped into animals just tickle me. Any form you pick will really add a spark to your flower beds or entryway. Topiary pairs can be used to flank entrances or driveways. A single specimen can be the centerpiece in a bed or the spectacular end to a pathway. You can surround it with a low geometric hedge or wall to give a sense of formality, or you can center it in a soft fountain of flowers. An

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 31, 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, June 1, with Ironing Board Sam as the featured artist. The concerts run from 5 to 7 p.m. *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.