The Town of Wake Forest will soon provide a “Letters for Santa” mailbox in Jones Plaza at the intersection of South White Street and East Jones Avenue. Children of all ages are invited to bring their letters to Santa’s Mailbox anytime between Nov. 26 and Dec. 24 for immediate delivery to the North Pole. Letters received by Thursday, Dec. 15, will receive a personal response from Santa Claus himself. No postage is required, but all letters should include a return address. For more information, contact Downtown Development Program Assistant Jennifer Herbert at 919-435-9427 or jherbert@wakeforestnc.gov. Parents are reminded the town’s Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department also, with the help of some dedicated volunteers, provides a phone call from Santa for children 3 through 9 years. The calls are made on Thursday, Dec. 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. Registration forms are available at town hall and you can speak

For everyone who would like to be a member of the Wake Forest Planning Board or has aspirations toward the town board, your first step will begin in February. It is the Wake Forest Planning Board Academy and application will be accepted through Friday, Dec. 30. The Planning Board Academy is a comprehensive training program designed to prepare residents of the town and its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) to serve as members of the Wake Forest Planning Board. Applications may be completed and submitted online by visiting www.wakeforestnc.gov/planning-board-academy.aspx. Applications are also available at town hall, 301 S. Brooks St. Academy participants are expected to attend one training session one evening per month from February through May 2017. The session dates are Feb. 13, March 13, April 10, and May 8. Each session is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. at town hall and will include dinner. Class size is limited, and

Beginning Dec. 1, Wake Forest Power will be making it easier for customers to report electric outages and stay informed about power interruptions in their area through a new Outage Management System (OMS). The highlight of the initiative will be a new automated outage reporting telephone number: 919-761-7899. Starting in December, customers need only to call the number and follow the prompts to quickly notify Wake Forest Power that their electricity is out. As an added bonus, customers disconnected due to non-payment who call the outage reporting number will hear an automated message explaining the reason for their electric service interruption. When a customer calls the outage reporting number, the OMS attempts to identify the telephone number from which the customer is calling and match that number to their account. As long as Wake Forest Power has the number in its system, the OMS will recognize the customer. If Wake

The Town of Wake Forest, in partnership with Wake Forest Downtown and the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce, is encouraging residents to shop and support small businesses on Small Business Saturday, which this year is on Saturday, Nov. 26. Introduced by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday serves as the ceremonial kickoff to the holiday shopping season for small businesses across the United States. The purpose of the Shop Small campaign is to support the local businesses that create jobs and boost the economy – all which help sustain Wake Forest’s high quality of life. Falling between traditional Black Friday and Cyber Monday during the weekend following Thanksgiving, Small Business Saturday can be a fun part of any holiday weekend schedule. By shopping locally, residents support the small businesses that help create the identities of our communities and make local cities or towns feel like home. Many downtown

The Rockin’ the Forest music series continues Saturday, Nov. 19, at 8 p.m. with the Johnny Folsom 4in the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts at 405 Brooks Street. From “A Boy Named Sue” to “Ring of Fire,” four of Raleigh’s favorite musical sons pay tribute to the Man in Black with the Johnny Folsom Four (JF4). True to Mr. Cash’s poetic spirit, the JF4 promises an honest and entertaining performance for fans of all ages. Lead singer David Burney brings a lilting southern baritone to Cash’s classic songs which hits the mark well enough that you may wonder on occasion if Johnny, himself, is in the building. David Gresham more than meets the challenge of filling in for Luther and Carl Perkins on those classic guitar licks. And Tom Mills (bass) and Randy Benefield (drums) provide the hallmark, train-like driving rhythm the whole world loves. And when the