Join the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept.  17, for the ninth annual Falls Lake Festival at the Falls Lake Dam, 11405 Falls of Neuse Road. The festival celebrates everything there is to know and love about Falls Lake and the Upper Neuse River. Join federal, local, and state agencies who manage Falls Lake, as well as non-profit groups and local community vendors. This festival is all about promoting safe outdoor recreation, conservation of our lands and waters, fitness, and fun in the Upper Neuse River Basin. Friends of the Mountain-to-Sea Trail build and maintain a 1,000-plus-mile trail across North Carolina that winds through the Triangle. To stay current with information and updates about Falls Lake, the Neuse and Pamlico rivers and Pamlico Sound, go to Harrison@soundrivers.org and subscribe.  

Time is running out for teachers to apply for two grant programs sponsored by Wake Electric, the Bright Ideas education grant program and the Classroom Technology grant program. The electric cooperative will give out $50,000 this year in Bright Ideas grants. Educators with creative ideas for hands-on classroom projects must submit their application by Sept. 13. Public school teachers in Durham, Franklin, Granville, Johnston, Nash, Vance and Wake counties are eligible to apply. “Since 1994, the Bright Ideas education grant program has provided more than $10.2 million for 9,800 projects benefitting more than two million students across North Carolina,” Darnell Alford, program administrator for Bright Ideas, said. “We are committed to local communities, and we believe there’s no better way to contribute than by investing in the education of our youth.” Wake Electric and North Carolina’s electric cooperatives across the state collectively have allocated close to $600,000 to give to

Cub Scout Packs all over Wake Forest have resumed their weekly meetings for the 2016-2017 year and inviting parents and boys in the first through fifth grades to join us from 7 to 8 p.m. any of three nights each week: Mondays: * Wake Forest Presbyterian Church; Byron Auten; 704-853-9728; cubmaster.pack5wf@gmail.com * Wake Forest United Methodist Church; Gary Itenson; 919-949-6839; garyitenson@gmail.com Tuesdays: * St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church; Barbara Shephard; 919-802-7887; barbara.shephard@nc.rr.com * LDS Wake Forest Second Ward; Caryn Winterton; 919-556-1912; wintertonzoo@yahoo.com * New Bethel Baptist Church, Rolesville; Rich Ponzio; 919-752-0014; richponzio@live.com Wednesdays: * LDS Falls Lake Ward/Wake Forest First Ward; Jenni Spencer; 208-861-5652; jennispencer10@gmail.com See www.BeAScout.org for additional information. The goals of Scouting are to provide character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness. This 100+ year old program provides a rich feast of learning in stewardship and outdoor skills as well as opportunities to develop positive leadership and

Commuting by rail is a bright shiny new idea these days, part of the much-needed Wake County transit plan that will help knit the Triangle area together, but for almost 70 years businessmen and shoppers in Franklinton, Youngsville and Wake Forest used the regularly scheduled local trains on the Raleigh & Gaston Railroad, later the Seaboard Air Line Railroad to visit Raleigh during the day, return home in the afternoon or evening. The Gazette editor is looking for information about those local trains, sometimes named the Shoo Fly. She has heard people talk about how their parents used the trains and would like to hear your memories. T.H. Pearce’s book, “Franklin County: 1770-1979,” says that in 1905 the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, which had taken over the state’s first railroad, the Raleigh & Gaston, would run a Shoo Fly from Weldon to Raleigh and back every day. We know that

Wake Forest veteran Walter S. Lewis was presented with the Korean Ambassador Peace Medal for service during the Korean War 1950 – 1953, at the VFW monthly meeting Thursday evening, Sept. 1. Mr. Lewis served with the 44th Ordnance Company. His company was attached to I Corps and part of the 8th U.S. Army stationed at Uijeongbu, South Korea. Mr. Lewis is a 60-year member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Presenting the medal to Mr. Lewis was Senior Vice Commander David Martin, Wake Forest Memorial Post 8466

Area residents are invited to attend the 15th Wake Forest Memorial Flag-Raising Ceremony on Monday, Sept. 12, at 11 a.m. The program will take place in Centennial Plaza, in front of the Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St. The Sept. 12 service will honor Donald L. Griesedieck who served his nation in the U.S. Army Air Force – the predecessor of the U.S. Air Force. Members of Griesedieck’s family have been invited to participate in the ceremony which will include patriotic songs, special remarks, a memorial wreath laying, and the ceremonial flag-raising. Following the raising of the American flag, the U.S. Air Force service flag will be raised in recognition of the military branch in which Griesedieck served. Both flags will fly in Centennial Plaza throughout September. Photographs and other remembrances of Griesedieck will also be displayed in Centennial Plaza during the ceremony, then in the town hall

Aging Options is a seminar for both seniors and adult children who may be making decisions for their parents. It is designed to help people navigate their way through the maze of options available regarding estate planning, financial planning, life care resources, and assisted living. Two 90-minute presentations are scheduled at 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13, at the Wake Electric Community Room, 100 South Franklin Street in downtown Wake Forest. The seminar covers topics like the difference between independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled care; navigating the senior care maze; financial planning for both expected and unexpected expenses; and which legal documents need to be in place and why. The presenters are Tammy Robbins, Carillon Assisted Living; Carla Payne, Preferred Living Solutions; Barbara Kingrey, Edward Jones Financial advisor; and Annette Rhodes, estate planning attorney. Aging Options is free and open to the public. RSVPs are

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department will host a Father Daughter Dance on Friday, Sept. 16, at 6:30 p.m. Fathers and daughters throughout Wake Forest are invited to celebrate their special bond during an unforgettable evening at the Alston-Massenburg Center at 416 North Taylor Street. Featuring music, dancing, and refreshments, the event is sure to create memories that will last a lifetime. A photographer will also be on hand to capture a special photo of every father-daughter couple and provide each with a 5×7 photograph. The cost is $20 per couple and $5 for each additional daughter. To register, visit http://wakeforestnc.recdesk.com/recdeskportal/. For more information about the Father Daughter Dance, contact PRCR Event Coordinator Lisa Jacobs at 919-556-7063 or ljacobs@wakeforestnc.gov.

You can make a difference in our community by applying to fill one of the vacancies on the Cemetery Advisory Board (CAB), Senior Center Advisory Board, Technology Advisory Board (TAB) and Urban Forestry Board (UFB). These 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. All residents of Wake Forest and its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) are eligible to apply for these openings. Application forms are available online at www.wakeforestnc.gov/advisory-boards.aspx and at the Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St. Completed applications will be accepted until 5 p.m., Friday, Sept. 16, and may be submitted online; 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 September meeting of

The Humane Society of Granville County will hold a fundraiser, Quarters for a Cause, Friday, Sept. 16, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Public Works Building,127 Penn Avenue, in Oxford. Tickets are $10 each, and included in the price are a meal, music, and a numbered paddle with which to bid on items. Tickets are being sold at the Butner Veterinary Clinic, 309 West C Street, Butner, 919-575-6210 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday up until the day of the event. The proceeds of this event will fund the Humane Society of Granville County’s Spay/ Neuter Program. This is a BYOB event and you must be 18 years old to enter. Bring a donation of kitty /dog food or cat litter to be entered in a raffle!