Each year, in celebration of incredible individuals and organizations that have made an extraordinary impact in the community, the Wake Forest Community Council presents the Citizen of the Year award, Organization of the Year award, and Peggy Allen Lifetime Achievement Award. Since 1965, the Council has annually presented the Citizen of the Year award to an individual or team demonstrating exemplary volunteer effort and the Organization of the Year award to a group that has contributed significantly to life in Wake Forest. The Peggy Allen Lifetime Achievement Award was first awarded in 2005 posthumously to Peggy Garren Allen for her lifetime of service to the Wake Forest Community and is named in her memory. The recipient of this award is an individual or team who has contributed at least 10 years of volunteer service. “Over the years, the Community Council has recognized many exceptional individuals and groups who have done

After the filing period for the Wake Forest mayor and town commissioners ended in July, The Wake Forest Gazette published the following profiles about each of the five commissioner candidates. Ned Jones says, “Wake Forest is a wonderful place to live. My wife and I have enjoyed living here. I am semi-retired and have wanted to become more involved so running for Wake Forest commissioner is the perfect opportunity. The fast growth of Wake Forest endangers the life style we have here. The growth has caused significant traffic problems. While in many cases these issues are not the town’s, the board should be able to influence them. I also feel that the government leadership should continually pursue fiscal responsibility. I have attended a few of the board meetings and have listened to many of them on line.” Jones said he and his wife, Suzanne, a retired registered nurse, have two

The Town of Wake Forest is seeking volunteers with a passion for trees, a desire to learn, and an interest in helping to become a tree steward in our community. Volunteer tree stewards prune trees, plant new trees in parks and public areas, conduct tree inventories and educate citizens on proper tree care. Participants in the program will receive free training on proper planting techniques, tree identification, pruning, fertilization and more. Volunteers that successfully complete the training will become Town of Wake Forest Tree Stewards. The next Tree Stewards training workshop is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 30, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St. There is no cost to participate, but class size is limited to the first 25 people who pre-register at www.wakeforestnc.gov/tree-stewards-workshop.aspx. Tree Stewards must pledge to contribute at least four hours of service within one year of their training.

The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre is partnering with The Joel Fund to offer local veterans painting and writing classes throughout October through Operation A.R.T. Operation A.R.T is a collaborative project designed entirely for active and military personnel in and around our community. Beginning now, veterans can enroll in painting and writing classes that will take place inside the Renaissance Centre Arts Annex on Wednesdays throughout October. The classes get underway Oct. 4 and continue weekly through Oct. 25. The Writing/Storytelling Class will be offered on Wednesdays from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Everyone has a story to tell and this workshop will help you tell your story whether in spoken word or written form. The class will address features such as developing interesting characters and an appropriate focus within the story, grammar, setting and finding resolution to the issues of the story. The Painting Class is scheduled on Wednesdays from 6:30

The Wake Forest Police Department will celebrate National Coffee with a Cop Day, on Wednesday, Oct. 4, from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. by hosting Coffee with a Cop at the Wake Forest Starbucks, 2815 Rogers Road. Coffee with a Cop provides a unique opportunity for police officers and community members to come together in an informal, neutral setting to discuss community issues and build relationships – one cup of coffee at a time. The majority of contact law enforcement officers have with the public tends to occur during emergencies or emotional situations, which are often not the best times to build relationships. Coffee with a Cop aims to breaks down barriers and allow for relaxed, one-on-one interaction. All area residents are invited to attend, ask questions, and learn more about the Wake Forest Police Department. Starbucks will provide free standard coffee during the event, and several Wake Forest police officers will

The Town of Wake Forest and Wake Forest Power are joining more than 2,000 not-for-profit utilities in celebrating Public Power Week Oct. 1-7. As part of this annual week-long celebration, the Town and Wake Forest Power will offer several special events and activities: Public Power Week Crossword Puzzle Contest – From now through Wednesday, Oct. 4, Wake Forest Power residential electric customers can enter to win free electricity in October by participating in the Public Power Week Crossword Puzzle Contest. Three winners will be announced during the evening Energy Expo on Thursday, Oct. 5. To download the crossword puzzle and registration form, visit www.wakeforestnc.gov/crossword-puzzle-contest.aspx. Savings for Seniors Bingo – Wake Forest-area seniors are invited to enjoy a special morning of bingo on Tuesday, Oct. 4. From 10 a.m. to noon, Wake Forest Power will host “Savings for Seniors Bingo” in the Ground Floor Meeting Room of the Wake Forest Town

Tri-Area Ministry, supported by churches in Wake Forest, Youngsville and Rolesville as well as many individuals, has been a reliable source for food for over 700 families for years, but the food pantry has mostly only been able to provide canned and dried foods although there are some donations of fresh produce. Leslie DuBois, chairman of the board of directors, said they want to do more and provide more healthy foods to their families. They plan a dinner and auction – Stop Hunger Feed Hope – on Friday, Oct. 20, from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Wake Forest Presbyterian Church on Capital Boulevard – and it is a community project. The church is providing the facility free of charge. Main Street Grille is catering the meal at a discount, and area businesses have donated gift baskets, art, gift cards and more for the auction. Tickets are $20 per person,

The Wake Forest Police Department is now accepting monetary donations through Saturday, Nov. 18, as part of its 11th annual Turkey Drive. This year the police department is making it easier than ever for area residents to support this worthy cause by accepting online donations via PayPal at www.wakeforestnc.gov/donate-to-our-turkey-drive.aspx. Cash and checks written to the Wake Forest Police Department are also being accepted. Anyone wishing to contribute cash or a check to this year’s Turkey Drive should contact Officer M.W. Sattler at 919-795-7270. All monetary donations will be used to purchase additional turkeys. On Saturday, Nov. 18, the police department will accept donations of frozen turkeys at the Wake Forest Police Department Main Station, located at 225 S. Taylor St., from 9 a.m. until noon. Police officers and staff will distribute the turkeys while they last on Monday, Nov. 20, from 9 to 11 a.m., at the Wake Forest Community House,

The Wake Forest Greenways Advisory Board will celebrate the opening of 3.7 miles of new trails in the area greenway system on Saturday, Sept. 30, during the Tri-Creek Greenway Crawl. The festivities will begin at 1 p.m. with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony commemorating the newly constructed sections of the Smith, Sanford and Dunn Creek Greenways. The ribbon-cutting will take place at the trailhead near Foundation Drive – next to Heritage High School, 1150 Forestville Road. The ceremony will include brief comments by Mayor Vivian Jones and other local dignitaries. A scavenger hunt highlighting several interesting features along the length of the new trails will follow. Free and open to the public, the Tri-Creek Greenway Crawl will include exhibits, handouts and special prize giveaways. The VFW Chuckwagon will also be onsite selling hamburgers, hot dogs, popcorn, snow cones and other sweet treats.  

The Wake Forest Chamber’s first ever Sporting Clays Tournament will be held Thursday, Nov. 2, at 1 p.m. at Rose Hill Plantation in Nashville. It is open to both novice and experienced sports shooters, and will be a fun afternoon of friendly competition and networking. Sporting Clays is a form of clay pigeon shooting, often described as “golf with a shotgun.” A typical course includes from 10 to 15 shooting stations laid out over natural terrain. The course at Rose Hill Plantation has been featured on ESPN Outdoors and is home to one of the country’s most elite shooting tournaments. You can register online. The cost is $100 per player which includes a celebratory dinner reception at conclusion of play. * * * * Two foursomes are still available for the chamber’s 25th annual Golf Outing on Monday, Oct. 2, at the Hasentree Golf Club. Registration is at 8 a.m.