The 38th Annual Meet in the Street festival returns to downtown Wake Forest on Saturday, May 5. Presented by the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Engine Masters, Meet in the Street annually draws well over 30,000 people to downtown Wake Forest to enjoy many of the best artists and craftsmen in our area. This year’s festival is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will again include portions of South Taylor Street, South Brooks Street, and South White Street. Visitors to Meet in the Street are invited to browse over 200 arts and crafts vendors, indulge in their favorite festival foods from more than 20 food vendors and food trucks, and enjoy a variety of live entertainment. Two stages, the Performing Arts Stage on Taylor Street and the Main Stage on Owen Street near the Beer Garden in Fidelity’s Parking lot will showcase the best

Roger Gross, who served his nation in the U.S. Marine Corps, will be honored at the 25th Wake Forest Memorial Flag-Raising Ceremony at 11 a.m. Monday, May 7. Area residents are invited to attend the program in Centennial Plaza in front of the Wake Forest Town Hall at 301 Brooks Street. Members of Gross’ family will participate in the ceremony, which will include patriotic songs, special remarks, a memorial wreath laying and the ceremonial flag-raising. After raising the American flag, the Wake Forest Fire Department Honor Guard will raise the U.S. Marines service flag in recognition of the military branch in which Gross served. Both flags will fly in Centennial Plaza throughout May. Photographs and other remembrances of Crawford will also be displayed in Centennial Plaza during the ceremony, then in the Town Hall lobby through the end of the month. Presented by several local veterans’ organizations to honor the

There are only a few hours left for you to get one of the lucky tickets in the Community Raffle, a joint effort by the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce and Food Lion, where the top prize is $10,000 with 14 other winners from $5,000 to $500 in goods and cash. The raffle winners will be announced around 3 p.m. Saturday, May 5, on the main stage just before the final band plays. Online ticket sales will end Friday, May 4, at 1:30 p.m. To get one or more of the $50 tickets before then, go to https:///go.rallyup.com/wfcommunityraffle. You can also buy them in person at the chamber office at 350 South White Street and B & W Hardware at South White Street. There is a special this week: Four tickets for $150. Proceeds from the raffle will support the chamber’s small business programs and $5,000 will go to

Wake Electric is once again offering the Bright Ideas education teacher grant program. From now through Sept. 12, educators can submit an application for Bright Ideas grants of up to $3,000 for innovative, hands-on classroom projects that would not otherwise be funded. Educators can learn more and apply online at www.ncbrightideas.com. There are also more details on Wake Electric requirements and past grant recipients atwww.wemc.com under Community Programs. The Bright Ideas grant program seeks to encourage teacher originality and student engagement by funding projects that take a creative approach to learning. Wake Electric expects to award $50,000 in Bright Ideas grants this year to teachers in Durham, Franklin, Granville, Johnston, Nash, Vance, and Wake counties. The grants are available to K-12 teachers for projects in any subject, and educators can apply individually or as a team and should apply online. Applications will be accepted through Sept. 12.  Teachers who submit their applications by

The Wake Forest Children’s Choir is inviting area residents to a special spring concert, Tell Me a Story, on Tuesday, May 8, at 6 p.m. in the Wake Forest United Methodist Church at 905 South Main Street Made up of children of all racial, cultural, religious and economic backgrounds, the Wake Forest Children’s Choir will present an evening of favorite songs under the direction of Kasie Ryan Brooks. The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre Box Office at 919-435-9458.