For nine years Wake Forest adults, children and dogs have turned out early on Thanksgiving Day to have fun, work off a few pounds and, not as an afterthought, raise $202,610 for the Wake Forest Boys & Girls Club. Cat Redd, the race organizer, wants to raise even more money during the tenth annual Gobbler’s Run 5K, this year sponsored by the Jim Allen Group. It is a great way to bring families together, encourage healthy lifestyles and support the community. There were over 2,000 participants last year who raised nearly $40,000. The race begins at 8 a.m. in front of the Boys & Girls Club on Wingate Street and everyone is welcome. If you are not up to running, you can volunteer to help with registration and details. To register and to find all the details, go to www.gobblersrun.com.

The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts welcomes the return of the “Neck of the Woods” performance series on Friday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. Presented and sponsored by Wake Forest ARTS, Neck of the Woods is a variety performance series featuring emerging local artists. Each show is different and may consist of several performing arts acts, including actors, dancers, musicians, comedians, writers and spoken word artists. The Oct. 16 installment of Neck of the Woods will feature bluegrass musicians The Lang Sisters; a one-act play, “One Lane Bridge;” harpist Heather Hills; and country singer Justin Fouts. The Lang Sisters, Chloe and Jessica, perform extensively at festivals, fiddlers’ conventions, nursing homes, arts programs, civic and corporate functions, fundraisers and Christian outreach events. The duo has also performed for three years at the IBMA Wide Open Bluegrass Festival in Raleigh. Produced through Forest Moon Theatre, Wake Forest’s community theater, the

The Wake Forest Police Department is accepting monetary donations through Saturday, Nov. 21, as part of its ninth annual Turkey Drive. Cash and checks are accepted and will be used to purchase additional turkeys. Checks should be written to the Wake Forest Police Department. Donations of frozen turkeys may be dropped off at the Wake Forest Police Department, 225 S. Taylor St., on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 9 a.m. until noon. The police department will distribute the turkeys while they last on Monday, Nov. 23, from 9-11 a.m., at the Wake Forest Community House, 133 W. Owen Ave. Anyone wishing to contribute to this year’s Turkey Drive should contact Officer M.W. Sattler at 919-795-7270. Officer Sattler organized the police department’s first Turkey Drive in 2007. Since then, the department has distributed nearly 4,000 turkeys to needy families in our area, including over 700 turkeys last year.  

Wake Forest Mayor Vivian Jones will host a “Royal Princess & Pirate Tea” at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts on Brooks Street All Wake Forest area princesses and pirates ages 3 through 10 are invited to attend dressed in their best royal attire, be it princess or pirate, and accompanied by their parents or fairy guardians. Promising a delightful afternoon of comedy and confections, the “Royal Princess & Pirate Tea” will include a theater production of “Juan Bobo” by Rags to Riches Theatre for Young Audiences. Juan Bobo is a folklore tale from Puerto Rico that is rich in tradition and spans several world cultures. Advance tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for children. These prices reflect a savings of $3 per adult and $2 per child’s “day of” admission tickets. Advance tickets can be purchased online at www.wakeforestnc.gov/tickets-events.aspx and

Put on your dancing shoes for an evening of family fun as the Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department hosts a Barn Dance on Friday, Oct. 16, from 7 to 9 p.m. The dance will be held inside the Wake Forest Community House, 133 W. Owen Ave. The event promises fun for the entire family and all ages are welcome. The cost is $5 in advance and $6 at the door. Online registration is available at http://wakeforestnc.recdesk.com/.  To register in person, visit the Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St., or the Flaherty Park Community Center, 1226 N. White St. Area youth and adults are invited to sharpen their square dancing skills in the days leading up to the Barn Dance by taking part in the PRCR’s Modern Western Square Dancing class. These classes are offered weekly at the Community House on Monday evenings from 7-9

All of Wake Forest’s 13 advisory boards will have openings this fall as current members’ terms of office end. You can make a difference in our community by applying for one of the many upcoming vacancies on the town’s advisory boards. The boards were established to give citizens input into what happens in the community and to advise the Board of Commissioners on matters that affect citizens and their town government. Applications are being accepted through Wednesday, Oct. 21, for appointments to the following boards and commissions: Board of Adjustment Cemetery Cultural Resources Design Review Greenway Historic Preservation Human Relations Council Planning Public Art Recreation Senior Center Technology Urban Forestry Only residents who live in Wake Forest or within its extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) are eligible to fill seats on the Planning Board and Board of Adjustment. Candidates for the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) must reside in the Historic District, in

The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts will commemorate its second year of bringing extraordinary and diverse cultural and performing arts experiences to our community and raise money for its youth scholarship program during the 2015 Renaissance Centre Broadway Ball. Scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 14, the event will be held from 7-10 p.m. at the Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St. Themed “Dance to the Music of Motown,” the Broadway Ball will feature the Richmond-based band Affirmative Groove performing a variety of Motown favorites. In addition to Affirmative Groove’s dynamic performance, the occasion will include a three-course meal and cash bar. Advance tickets are $50 (plus tax) per person and $90 (plus tax) per couple. Dress for the event is black-tie optional. A portion of the evening’s proceeds will help fund community programs and educational scholarships for area youth. Tickets may be purchased online at www.wakeforestnc.gov/tickets-events.aspx with a Visa,

Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina is pleased to offer the Fall 2015 BBB Torch Scholarships. Applications are now being accepted for this semi-annual essay scholarship program which recognizes students who personify high ethical standards as demonstrated through leadership, community service, overall personal integrity and academic history. Torch Scholarships are given to college-bound high school juniors, seniors, and college undergraduates who reside within BBB of Eastern North Carolina’s 33-county service area (Wake and Franklin counties are included in the 33). Scholarship prizes totaling $12,000 will be awarded. Fall 2015 Torch Scholarship Awards: $1,000 Confero, Inc. BBB Torch Scholarship $1,000 National Pawn BBB Torch Scholarship $1,000 Triangle Office Equipment, Inc. BBB Torch Scholarship $1,000 BBB Torch Scholarship $3,000 BBB Torch Scholarship $5,000 BBB Torch Scholarship To be eligible, students must submit a 400-500 word essay, along with an application, transcript and a letter of recommendation from a BBB Accredited Business.

The activities committee in the St. Ives subdivision off Kearney Road are once again hosting a Holiday Bazaar featuring local vendors and artisans. It will beheld from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the subdivision’s clubhouse at 505 Capellan Street. This year the committee is foregoing the usual space rental and instead asking the vendors and artisans to donate the $10 usual fee to Tri-Area Ministry Food Pantry. On the day, shoppers will be asked to donate nonperishable food items. Tri-Area Ministry operates with an all-volunteer staff from a building it owns at 149 East Holding Avenue – actually built to house the all-volunteer Wake Forest Rescue Squad – and is open from 8:30 a.m. to noon Mondays and Wednesdays to provide food to families and individuals in the area in need. You can mail checks to Tri-Area Ministry, P.O. Box 1394, Wake Forest, NC 27588, go to www.triareaministry.com, or

The date for the replacement bridge on West Oak Avenue has been changed again, this time from Oct. 14 to Oct. 26. There will be a message board announcing the road closing about two weeks before work begins. In other bridge news, work on the new bridge on Forestville Road is still on schedule despite the recent rains and the bridge and road are expected to open early in December. The work on the West Oak bridge will take longer than the other local bridge replacements – until April of next year – because most of it being done during the winter. The contractor anticipates demolishing the existing bridge and constructing the new one during this fall, but will have to wait until spring weather for the grading and paving needed to complete the project. The detour for this work uses Harris Road and North Main Street. Find out more