Because Hurricane Matthew on Oct. 7 and 8 did touch Wake County, leaving some destruction and damage, the county has been added to the Federal Disaster Declaration for North Carolina. This means that homeowners and renters, business owners, Wake County itself and the municipalities are eligible to receive disaster relief. For homeowners and renters, this may include grants for temporary house, rental assistance, home repairs and other serious disaster-related needs. You can apply for assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by phone at 1-800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585. After you apply, you should get a call within about 10 days from a Federal Emergency Management Agency home inspector to schedule a visit. After a brief visit, you will get a letter in the mail with the amount and type of assistance you will receive. For affected business owners, low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration may be available to cover

The annual Halloween Spooktacular sponsored by the Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department will attract a horde of little spooks, ghosts and goblins on Thursday, Oct. 27, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Flaherty Park Community Center at 1226 North White Street. This is a free, family-oriented festival for children ages 12 and younger. This year’s festivities will include a costume contest, face painting, and cupcake walk, along with a variety of other ghostly games and activities, and free pumpkin giveaways – while supplies last. Costumes are optional, but best costumes will be featured on the town’s website. This marks the second consecutive year the popular event will be offered over the course of four hours. The expanded schedule is designed to encourage greater participation – particularly among younger children and children with special needs. For more information, visit www.wakeforestnc.gov/halloween-spooktacular.aspx or call 919-435-9560.

The Town of Wake Forest has extended the deadline for anyone wishing to apply to serve on the Cemetery Advisory Board, Greenways Advisory Board and Urban Forestry Board. Town residents and residents of the town’s extraterritorial jurisdiction now have until 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, to submit a completed application. The town extended the application deadline for these advisory boards after failing to receive a sufficient number of applications for their upcoming vacancies. Applications are available on the town’s website at www.wakeforestnc.gov/advisory-boards.aspx and in the town clerk’s office at town hall. Applications may be completed and submitted online. Completed applications may also be mailed or delivered to the Wake Forest Town Hall, Attention: Town Clerk, 301 Brooks Street, Wake Forest, NC 27587, or faxed to 919-435-9419. Candidates will be expected to attend an upcoming meeting of the advisory board to which they applied to introduce themselves to the board’s current

The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts will continue the Rockin’ the Forest music series with Terry Anderson and the OAK Team on Friday, Oct. 28, at 8 p.m. Terry Anderson has one of the noblest agendas in music. He just wants to rock and roll, and that’s just what he and his “team” do. Taking their cues from the likes of Rockpile, Faces, NRBQ, and all those bands that deserve to be on every jukebox coast-to-coast, Anderson and his Olympian band have mastered the art of making great music. For more information about Terry Anderson and the OAK Team, visit http://oakteam.me/. Advance tickets for the Oct. 28 performance are $10 plus tax and can be purchased online with a Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover credit card at www.wakeforestnc.gov/tickets-events.aspx. Advance tickets may also be purchased with cash, check or credit card at the Renaissance Centre Box Office, 405

This fall Wake County will make flu vaccinations available to residents this fall . The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone 6 month old and older be vaccinated against the flu each year. Although there are flu clinics in Raleigh (listed below), the nearest location available to people who live in or near Wake Forest is the Northern Regional Center at 350 East Holding Avenue in Wake Forest, and there are no clinics, only appointments. You are urged to call the center at 919-562-6300 to set up an appointment for yourself and your family members. After the Gazette editor questioned why there were no clinics planned for the regional centers, Wake County Human Services spokesman Elizabeth Brandt said in an email, “Wake County used data and lessons learned from previous clinics to make decisions about when and where to hold walk-in flu vaccination clinics in 2016. “Participant data