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 Children’s Choir will present a special holiday concert Tuesday, Dec. 12, at 6 p.m. at the Renaissance Centre on Brooks Street. The concert is free and open to everyone. Comprised of children of all racial, cultural, religious and economic backgrounds, the Wake Forest Children’s Choir will present an evening of favorite holiday songs and carols.

Have you ever wondered which household waste items belong in your garbage receptacle and which go in your recycling cart? Have you ever been unsure about how to properly package your yard waste or position your rollout garbage and recycling carts? Do you know where to go on the Town’s website to find out about sanitation service during holidays? If you are a Wake Forest resident and you answered “yes” to any of those questions, then the Town of Wake Forest has a special gift just for you. Beginning this week, every Wake Forest resident will receive a copy of the Resident’s Guide to Garbage, Recycling & Yard Waste Pickup. This full-color, eight-page handbook provides useful information about all things related to Town of Wake Forest sanitation service, including weekly curbside garbage and recycling collection, yard waste and bulk pick-up, loose leaf collection and much more. Wake Forest residents can expect their

The Wake Forest Woman’s Club will host its first annual Shamrockin’ Casino Gala on March 16, 2018 at Cross & Main in Youngsville from 7 to 11 p.m. Funds raised will go to many of the charities the club supports, including The Purple Heart Foundation, Note in the Pocket, Safe Space and Meals on Wheels. Tickets are $65 each, which includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, two drink tickets, one raffle ticket and $5,000 play money. Tickets will be sold starting on Jan. 1, 2018 at the downtown Wake Forest locations of Parler Properties, Wake Forest Chamber of Commerce and Ollies Gifts, all on South White Street. Flyers will be posted throughout Wake Forest and the surrounding areas. More information will be available on our website soon at www.wake-forest-womans-club.com

The Wake Forest Police Department is accepting donations from area residents and businesses for the 19th Annual Shop with a Cop. To contribute online via PayPal, visit our website, www.wakeforestnc.gov/shop-with-a-cop/aspx. Checks and cash may also be mailed or delivered to the Wake Forest Police Department at 225 South Taylor Street. This year’s Shop with a Cop holiday shopping spree is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 19. On that day approximately 30 area children will visit the Wake Forest Police Department where they will be paired with their police officer “partners.” The kids and their partners will then be transported by bus to the Wake Forest Walmart, where each child will be given $200 to spend on a winter coat and other items of their choice. For more information, contact Officer K.C. Warren at kwarren@wakeforestnc.gov or 919-554-6150.