(The following was reported in the January 15, 1942 issue of The News & Observer and the comments on parentheses were added by the Gazette editor.) A crack Seaboard passenger train, speeding Southward at more than 50 miles per hour, plowed into a Staudt’s Bakery truck near Wake Forest yesterday morning and instantly killed the driver, Merrill M. Reynolds, of 201 Ashe Avenue. (Near Wake Forest means it happened at the Brick Street crossing in the Royal Cotton Mill village which was a separate town.) The train, No. 191, “The New York-Florida Limited,” ripped the truck into two parts and strewed wreckage for 2,900 feet before steel parts of the truck, caught under the pilot wheels of the locomotive, capsized it in the middle of Wake Forest. Two cars left the tracks.           A bread box was hurled 100 feet from the crossing at the Royal Cotton Mills and landed on

The Town of Wake Forest is pleased to announce a power-packed band lineup for the 2018 Friday Night on White concert series. The Magic Pipers will kick off the series on April 13, followed by Love Tribe on May 11, Bull City Syndicate on June 8, Sleeping Booty on July 13, Big Love on Aug. 10, and Crush on Sept. 14. For more information about each band, including videos of band performances, visit www.wakeforestnc.gov/band-line-up.aspx. Presented by White Street Brewing Co., Friday Night on White takes place along South White Street on the second Friday night of each month from April through September. Each concert begins at 6 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m. Volunteers are needed for a variety of roles during Friday Night on White. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old and will receive training and a commemorative t-shirt. Civic groups and community organizations are especially encouraged to

The Town of Wake Forest is accepting applications for the 2018 Wake Forest Planning Board Academy through Friday, Jan. 5. The Planning Board Academy is a comprehensive training program designed to prepare residents of the town and its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) to serve as members of the Wake Forest Planning Board. Applications may be completed and submitted online by visiting www.wakeforestnc.gov/planning-board-academy.aspx. Applications are also available at Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St. Academy participants will be expected to attend one training session one evening per month from February through May 2018. The session dates are Feb. 12, March 12, April 9, and May 14. Each session is scheduled from 6-9 p.m. at Town Hall and will include dinner. Class size is limited, and pre-registration is required. Session instructors will be provided by the law firm of Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP. Only residents of Wake Forest and the Town’s ETJ are eligible

Mayor Vivian Jones will deliver her 2018 State of the Town Address on Monday, Feb. 19, at 6 p.m. during the 10th annual State of the Town Address and Dinner. Presented by the Wake Forest Rotary Club, the event will take place at the Wake Forest Presbyterian Church, 12605 Capital Boulevard. During her remarks, Mayor Jones will highlight the Town’s key accomplishments in 2017 and outline the goals Wake Forest will strive towards in 2018. All area residents are invited to attend. Tickets are $15 per person in advance and $20 on the day of the event and include a catered meal. Dress for the event is business casual. Tickets can be purchased online with a Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover credit card at www.wakeforestnc.gov/state-of-the-town.aspx. Tickets may also be purchased at the Renaissance Centre Box Office with cash, check or credit card. A processing fee will be added to the cost

North East Wake Backpack Buddies provides weekend meal bags for 400 children in 20 elementary and middle schools from Wake Forest to Zebulon. “In order to continue to provide weekend meal bags to hungry children and grow our program with the increasing need, we have started a winter giving campaign,” organizers said last week. It costs $10 to fill each weekend bag with well-rounded, healthy breakfasts, lunches and dinners. The group needs the community’s help with financial or food donations and always needs volunteers to pack and deliver the bags. To learn how to donate, go to the website, www.newbackpackbuddies.org or send an email to Kelley Barnes, secretary@newbackpackbuddies.org, or Meghann Smits, communications@newbackpackbuddies.org. The year-round schools served are Heritage Elementary, Heritage Middle, Sanford Creek Elementary, Rolesville Middle, Jones Dairy Elementary, Harris Creek Elementary and Durant Middle. The traditional calendar schools are Rolesville Elementary, Wake Forest Elementary, Wake Forest Middle, East Millbrook