It is one of Wake Forest’s secrets. The town’s parks and rec department has a line to the North Pole and on one night early in December both the jolly old elf and Mrs. Claus make phone calls to good little boys and girls ages 3 through 9 in Wake Forest. Their parents do have to sign up for this special treat and can do so online at www.wakeforestnc.gov/calls-from-santa.aspx. They can also get the registration forms at Wake Forest Town Hall at 301 Brooks Street. The forms have to be returned to town hall and the Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources office in town hall before 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7. There is no charge but all the calls must be local. Children will be called between 6 and 8 p.m. that night, Dec. 7.

Area residents are invited to experience the magic of the holiday season during the Wake Forest Christmas Parade on Saturday, Dec. 9. Sponsored by PowerSecure and presented by Wake Forest Downtown Inc., the parade gets underway at 1 p.m. This year’s procession will feature over 100 colorful floats, four high school marching bands, entries from local businesses, churches, schools and civic groups, and – of course – Santa Claus. The parade will begin at the intersection of Elm Avenue and South White Street and continue north along South White Street before turning east onto Wait Avenue. It will then turn south onto South Brooks Street and continue until ending at the Elm Avenue intersection. Several street closures will take effect in the downtown area before the parade. Beginning at approximately 10 a.m., motorists traveling along the Dr. Calvin Jones Highway/NC 98 Bypass will not be permitted to turn onto South

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department will host its Family Holiday Dance on Friday, Dec. 15, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Families throughout Wake Forest are invited to enjoy an evening of music, food and dancing at the Wake Forest Community House at 133 West Owen Avenue. This family fun event is sure to create lasting memories of mom and dad “busting a move” on the dance floor. The cost is $20 per parent/child pair and $5 for each additional child/participant. To register, visit http://wakeforestnc.recdesk.com/recdeskportal/. For more information, contact PRCR Program Superintendent Monica Lileton at 919-435-9563 or mlileton@wakeforestnc.gov.

People in Wake Forest will be able to share in the annual Lovefeast in Wait Chapel on the Wake Forest University campus in Winston-Salem Sunday afternoon, Dec. 3, by joining others in the Wake Forest Historical Museum on North Main Street. You will be able to watch the live stream of the Lovefeast and share the traditional sweet buns and Moravian coffee before lighting candles during the singing of the last hymn. This afternoon Lovefeast is the shorter of the two events planned in Winston-Salem. You are asked to arrive by at least 4:15 p.m. but are invited to join the museum staff and docents for a tour of the museum and the next-door Calvin Jones House which has period holiday decorations. The event is free but people are asked to register by Friday, Dec. 1. Register at https://secure.www.wfu.edu/event-registration/raleigh-lovefeast-gathering-2017-2766835551. Moravian student Jane Sherrill Stroupe (’67) organized the first Wake Forest

No, this is not a site where happy couples announce they will soon marry. Engage Wake Forest is a community website where town residents can engage, communicate and collaborate with decision makers and other residents on the future of our community. Developed by mySidewalk, the site is at http://wakeforest.mindmixer.com/. The goal of Engage Wake Forest is to encourage area residents to participate in the planning process for a variety of town initiatives. Along the way, the site will be used as an online tool to generate new ideas and feedback from citizens through an interactive and accessible platform. Town officials and staff will use the feedback from the engagement website to lay out plans on a variety of projects. “Engage Wake Forest will allow our citizens to offer their input 24-hours-a-day on a variety of Town initiatives,” said Wake Forest Mayor Vivian Jones. “We are pleased to offer this innovative tool