The Wake Forest Police Department will “serve” area residents in an entirely different way on Saturday, Oct. 21, during the “Tip a Cop for Special Olympics” fundraiser. Several officers will be “working” at the Wake Forest Red Robin, 11420 Capital Blvd., from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. assisting restaurant staff in taking orders and serving meals to restaurant patrons. At the end of the day, all of the tips the officers receive for their efforts will go to Special Olympics of North Carolina to support the athletes who participate in the organization’s year-round sports, health and fitness programs. This marks the 12th consecutive year the Wake Forest Police Department has participated in the Tip a Cop fundraiser. During that time, the department has raised over $20,000 for Special Olympics. For more information, contact Officer Scott Graham at 919-554-6150 orsgraham@wakeforestnc.gov.

Karen Walker, the program director for the Veteran Administration’s Home Based Primary Care Project, will be the featured speaker at SING-WF’s community-wide free meeting on Friday, Oct. 27, in the community room in the Wake Electric building on South Franklin Street. Walker will speak on Accessing VA Healthcare Services:  Facts & Myths and will give a brief overview of services and support available to our veterans and caregivers as they age through the VA system. Representatives from the Wake Forest Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and The Joel Fund will be additional presenters. The VFW has a rich tradition of serving veterans, military families and their local communities. The Joel Fund’s mission is to improve the lives of veterans by providing a connection to effective alternative therapies and non-traditional services. Join us to learn more about how we can help veterans in the Wake Forest area! And, mark your calendars on

The North Carolina Symphony will present a free Music Discovery & Instrument Zoo at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts on Monday, Oct. 23, at 10:30 a.m. Geared for children pre-K through second grade, this hands-on musical activity will feature members of the NC Symphony providing an interactive demonstration of orchestra instruments. Attendees will learn how the string instruments of the orchestra make their sounds and hear examples of classical and popular music composed for strings. Afterwards, audience members will have the opportunity to try their favorite instrument in the instrument zoo. This Music Discovery program is sponsored by PNC’s Grow Up Great initiative, promoting literacy and arts education for preschoolers and their families. For more information, visit www.wakeforestnc.gov/instrument-zoo.aspx or contact Renaissance Centre Specialist Debra Horton at 919-435-9566 or dhorton@wakeforestnc.gov.  

Area residents are invited to enjoy the vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows of autumn while also learning about native trees during two Fall Foliage Tours on Wednesday, Oct. 25, at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road. Urban Forestry Coordinator Jennifer Rall will offer the free, one-hour tours at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Parents and children of all ages are welcome, and no registration is required. Anyone interested in participating is encouraged to meet at the information kiosk located adjacent to the Joyner Park parking lot. In the event of rain, the Fall Foliage Tours will be rescheduled for Friday, Oct. 27. For more information, contact the Wake Forest Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department at 919-435-9560.

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is sponsoring its annual Halloween Spooktacular on Thursday, Oct. 26, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Flaherty Park Community Center, 1226 North White Street. The Halloween Spooktacular is a free, family-oriented festival for children ages 12 and younger. This year’s festivities will include a balloon artist and cupcake walk, along with a variety of 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. For more information, call 919-435-9560 or visit www.wakeforestnc.gov/halloween-spooktacular.aspx

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,

Wake Forest Police Officer M.W. Sattler said today donations for the police department’s annual Turkey Drive “have been very slow.” Last year the community donated enough money and turkeys to allow the officers to give away more than 800 turkeys to needy families. This is the 11th year of the Turkey Drive. In the first 10 years the department has distributed nearly 6,000 turkeys. Officer Sattler organized the police department’s first Turkey Drive in 2007 and has been in charge of it since then, 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

The Wake Forest Police Department is reminding area residents not to be fooled by aggressive scammers impersonating IRS or U.S. Department of the Treasury investigators. The Police Department routinely receives reports from residents about callers claiming to be from the IRS and/or the Department of the Treasury telling the intended victims they owe taxes and must pay using a credit card, bank account draft, pre-paid debit card or wire transfer. The scammers often threaten those who refuse to pay with arrest, deportation or loss of a business or driver’s license. In the past, the IRS did not contact taxpayers by phone, but earlier this year Congress began requiring the IRS to hire private debt collectors. As a result, four legitimate debt collection companies may contact taxpayers by phone. Here are a few tips to help you tell if the person on the phone is an IRS scammer, or someone who really is

The free walking tours of the local Wake Forest Historic District began earlier this month but tours are still available. The tours will be offered on the following days and times:  Wednesday, Oct. 25; 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 2; 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8; 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15; 1 p.m. To register for a tour go to https://www.wakeforestnc.gov/wake-forest-historic-district-walking-tours.aspx. Led by architectural historian and Town Historic Preservation Planner Michelle Michael, the tours will include areas along North Main Street, North Avenue, Front Street and South Avenue. Along the way, each group will discuss the developmental and architectural history of the area, along with the significant men and women who lived in the homes. Individual homes will not be toured. Each tour will begin and end at the Wake Forest Historical Museum at 414 North Main Street. Space is limited to the first 12 participants to sign up for each tour, so pre-registration is required

The 2017 Wake Forest Dementia Awareness Education Series will conclude Thursday, Oct. 19, with a special movie screening of “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me.” The film centers on musician Glen Campbell as he begins a farewell tour after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Campbell and his family navigate the unpredictable nature of Alzheimer’s through love, laughter and music. The documentary earned nominations for the Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Documentary Feature and Satellite Award for Best Documentary Film. The Oct. 19 event will begin with registration at 5 p.m. followed by a presentation by Bob Ringham, author of “20 Minutes from Home” at 5:30 p.m. and the special movie screening at approximately 6 p.m. The program is free, but pre-registration is required atwww.wakeforestnc.gov/dementia-awareness-education-series.aspx. Seating is limited to the first 300 people to pre-register. The 2017 Wake Forest  Dementia Awareness Education Series is presented by the Renaissance Centre in collaboration