The Wake Forest Food Truck Rodeo will be back in town on Sunday, July 23, from noon to 4 p.m. in the Renaissance Plaza on Brooks Street with 17 trucks, a beer tent provided by Brooks Street Bowl, and a bouncy house and other fun games and treats for children. The lineup of trucks include Arepa Culture, Baton Rouge, Captain Ponchos Tacos, Charlies Kabob, Chez Moi Bakery, Cousins Maine Lobster, Cut Bait Café, Ed’s Q on Wheels, Fahsyrah’s Lemonade, Hibachi Xpress, Jam Ice Cream, Lumpy’s Ice Cream, Morfa Empanadas, Moonrunners, Sarges Chef, Sweet Traditions and Virgil’s Jamaica. In the Kid’s Zone there will be free face painting sponsored by The Learning Experience, a bouncy house, road chalk, hula hoops, ball toss and bubble fun. Brooks Street Bowl is giving special discounts on bowling while a variety of vendors will be selling crafts and merchandise and promoting their services. The Food

Wake Forest Arts and the Wake Forest Farmers’ Market invite artisans and craftspeople to participate in the second annual Wake Forest Holiday Artisans’ Market. The Market will take place Saturday, Dec. 2, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. inside the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre on Brooks Street in downtown Wake Forest. The Holiday Artisans Market will showcase a wide variety of items handmade within 75 miles of the Renaissance Centre. The application deadline is July 31. To apply online or download an application form, visit wakeforestarts.org/artists/artisans-market. The Wake Forest Holiday Artisans’ Market is a unique gift-shopping opportunity featuring many types of crafts in a wide range of prices. The event is held annually in conjunction with the Downtown Wake Forest Holiday Open House. Wake Forest Farmers’ Market winter booths will remain open as usual in front of the Renaissance Centre that day.

A new Schmoozapalooza is the next event on the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce’s calendar. The high-speed networking event is Friday, July 14, and registration is now open. Seats are limited. The cost is $20 per person and it is open to both members and nonmembers. Go to the chamber’s website, www.wakeforestchamber.org to register. * * * * Also next week is the deadline, July 15, for a $50 discount on your booth at the annual Business Expo from 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19, at Richland Creek Community Church. Be advised booth space is filling rapidly. Sponsorships, premium booths and standard booths are available. Food vendors can sell food and drinks at their booths starting this year. Go to the chamber website to find a registration packet. * * * * Develop your leadership skills, get to know the Wake Forest area, and discover how you can

Find that beach hat and get ready for the annual Willie Ray Cookout with a luau and beach party theme that will happen Thursday, July 13, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Renaissance Centre on Brooks Street. There will be fun, food, great entertainment in an event that also honors our veterans and first responders. Space is limited to 200 people, so sign up early at the front desk. Our volunteers were honored, and Dorothy Maynard was named the Unsung Hero of the Year. Four people – Arra Johnson, Mary Evelyn Jones, Bertha and Wilson Salgado – were named as Lifetime Award winners for contributing over 4,000 hours to the center. Aileen Izawa, Joyce Massey and Dorothy Maynard were named to the Gold 500+. Soon it will be the Senior Center Without Walls when the center closes for a major expansion, almost doubling the current space. While it is

*The Wake Forest Farmers Market will be held in Renaissance Plaza on Brooks Street Saturday, July 8, from 8 a.m. to noon. See the market’s Facebook page for vendors. *Monday Night Bingo at The Factory is hosted by the Wake Forest Kiwanis Club in the Mill Room from 7 to 9:30 p.m. every Monday night. All profits support the club’s projects for children. Visit www.wakeforestbingo.com for more information. *Overeaters Anonymous meets on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the Wake Forest United Methodist Church, 905 South Main Street. Enter through the back by the office. No dues, fees or weigh-ins. Everyone welcome! Contact Jennifer at 928-225-5236. *Tri-Area Ministry Food Pantry at 149 East Holding Avenue is now open from 9 to 11 a.m. every third Saturday along with its regular hours on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for food distribution. It serves about 700 families in Wake