The activities committee in the St. Ives subdivision off Kearney Road is once again hosting a Holiday Bazaar featuring local vendors and artisans. It will be held Saturday, Nov. 7, 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,

Wake Forest’s annual loose leaf collection program began in October and continues through mid-March. When preparing leaves for collection, residents are urged to rake leaves into piles behind the curb – not into the street or gutter – so they do not interfere with traffic or drainage. In recent days Wake Forest officials have noted dozens of incidents in which residents raked or blew leaves out of their yards and into the street and gutter. Raking leaves into the streets can lead to clogged storm drains which can cause flooded streets and yards. The practice of raking leaves into the gutter is also harmful to the environment. Rain runoff carries leaves and other yard waste in streets, ditches and storm drains through the stormwater drainage system into streams and lakes. Yard waste contains nutrients that feed unwanted algae and harm aquatic life. Leaf collection in Wake Forest is performed weekly according

The Town of Wake Forest will partner with the City of Raleigh and Special Olympics of Wake County to host a series of basketball clinics for children and adults with special needs on Sundays from Dec. 6, 2015, through Feb. 28, 2016. The clinics will be offered from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Flaherty Park Community Center at 1226 North White Street. This is another effort by the town to fully serve these town residents. The deadline to register is Thursday, Nov. 12. Registration forms are available on the town’s website at www.wakeforestnc.gov/special-needs.aspx. Participants must be at least 8 years old and have valid Special Olympics Medical and Parent Permission forms on file with Special Olympics Wake County prior to the first day of practice. For more information about the required forms and other conditions, visit www.sonc.net. A mandatory parent/guardian meeting will be held during the first practice on Dec.

Just as it does every year at the conclusion of Daylight Saving Time, the Facilities Management Department has shut off the water fountains at all town parks. Town crews disable the water fountains during the winter months to avoid water freezing in pipes and for general maintenance. The restrooms at all Wake Forest parks will remain open. In 2015 the town installed heating units and insulation and made other modifications to the park restrooms essential to ensuring they remain accessible year-round. For more information, contact Facilities Manager Mickey Rochelle at 919-435-9455 or mrochelle@wakeforestnc.gov or Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Director Ruben Wall at 919-435-9561 or rwall@wakeforestnc.gov.  

Members of the Wake Forest Lions Club need the community’s help in their goal of stocking the shelves at Tri-Area Ministry before Thanksgiving. You are asked to meet Lions Club members in front of the Wake Forest Wal-Mart on Saturday, Nov. 14, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. They will give you a list of the most needed non-perishable food items the food pantry needs for its clients, you will go through the store picking up what you want to donate and then take the full bags to the Lions Club members. You can leave knowing you have helped others in the community to have a happy Thanksgiving.