This week owner Pam Jay announced Next Consignment Boutique at 210 South Main Street is for sale and she will be closing the business at the end of February. ”Although I have loved being a part of this shop, I am ready to move on to another chapter in my life and join my husband in retirement. I have spent nine wonderful years as the owner of NEXT,” Jay wrote in an email to her customers. “Without your support, the shop would not have thrived for the 17 years that it has been open, both in North Raleigh for 10 years and now for 7 years in Wake Forest. I thank you for your confidence in me and my employees.” Jay said she had several leads but does not yet have a buyer. She did ask customers to help with the sale. “. . ., if you know someone who

The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts welcomes singer-songwriter and cellist Shana Tucker on Saturday, Jan. 9, at 7 p.m. Touted by Jazz Times Magazine as “a jazz talent…whose imprint and vitality has already been quite visible in North Carolina,” Shana’s style and sound has been described as a mash-up of Dianne Reeves, Joni Mitchell, and Tracy Chapman, with an efficient complexity that is reminiscent of Bill Withers. ChamberSoul™ best describes what the listener should expect when experiencing Shana’s music. “I’m intrinsically drawn to ‘real’ instruments, with resonance, tone and depth that can sound without amplification. Whenever and however possible, I always try to set a tone of acoustic intimacy with my colleagues on stage, and also with the audience, so that the music, performers and audience feel close and tangible, no matter the size the venue.” In 2014, Shana was awarded the prestigious Nevada Arts Council Artist Fellowship, as one of

For people who want to make a difference in the Wake Forest community and learn more about that community, seats on the town’s advisory boards is a wonderful opportunity. This January there are vacancies on four of those boards: the Cemetery Advisory Board, the Cultural Resources Advisory Board, the Recreation Advisory Board and the Urban Forestry Board. All Wake Forest residents and its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) are eligible to apply for these openings. Applications may be completed and submitted online at www.wakeforestnc.gov/advisory-boards.aspx. Application forms are also available at the Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 Brooks Street. Completed applications will be accepted until 5 p.m., Friday, Jan. 29, and may be mailed or delivered to Town Clerk Deeda Harris, Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St., Wake Forest, NC 27587 or faxed to 919-435-9419. Applicants will be expected to attend the February meeting of the advisory board to which they

Mayor Vivian Jones will deliver her 2016 State of the Town address on Monday, Feb. 15, at 6 p.m. during the Eighth Annual State of the Town Address and Dinner. Presented by the Wake Forest Rotary Club, the event will be held at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts, 405 Brooks Street During her remarks, Mayor Jones will highlight the town’s key accomplishments in 2015 and outline the goals Wake Forest will strive towards in 2016. All area residents are invited to attend this special event. Tickets are $15 per person in advance and $20 on the day of the event and include a catered meal. Dress for the event is business casual. Tickets can be purchased online with a Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover credit card at www.wakeforestnc.gov/state-of-the-town.aspx. Tickets may also be purchased at the Renaissance Centre Box Office with cash, check or credit card. A

The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts is pleased to introduce Rockin’ the Forest, a new and exciting music series coming to downtown Wake Forest. Promising to assemble some of the top musical acts in the country, the Rockin’ the Forest music series will feature an incredible variety of genres, including rock, Americana and power pop. Designed to offer local audiences first-rate performances that in the past required travel to downtown Raleigh, Chapel Hill or Carrboro, Rockin’ the Forest will take place inside the intimate comfort of the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre. So here’s your chance to stay close to home, discover exciting artists, both established and emerging, and experience the joy of live music in northern Wake County’s newest performing arts venue. The music series will begin with the talented trio Tres Chicas on Saturday, Jan. 30, at 8 pm. For complete information, visit our website.