Six finalists have been selected to pitch their business ideas to a group of investors for the first Accelerate Wake Forest. The program is intended to stimulate entrepreneurship and business growth in Wake Forest and was inspired by the successful television show, “Shark Tank.” “Accelerate Wake Forest has brought together a great group of investors.  We are active in the Community, want to encourage economic development, and see this as a way of giving back.” said Deborah Bordeaux, a member of the Investors Panel for the event. The finalists have been invited to present their business plans in person at a special event hosted by Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Wakefield/Wake Forest. The event is free and open to the public. It will be held at 6:00 p.m. at Wake Electric, Lower-Level Meeting Room, 100 S. Franklin Street on Thursday, May 24. The Investors

The Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce and Wake Forest Downtown present “Little Scenes, Big Picture,” a talk by Edward Kinney, Senior Landscape Architect for the City of Greenville, South Carolina. The presentation is open to the public and will be held from 8:30 to 10 a.m. on Friday, May 18 at the Renaissance Centre Arts Annex. In this presentation, Mr. Kinney will explore the unique catalytic projects and long-term strategies that have helped to guide South Carolina’s City of Greenville from a simple mill town to the award-winning regional hub that it is today. He’ll discuss large-scale planning efforts as well as the unique developments that have had regional impacts. According to Mr. Kinney, from small actions come large consequences. Edward Kinney is the Senior Landscape Architect for the City of Greenville, an upstate South Carolina hub of tourism, business, and economic development. His work for the city includes

The 2018 Wake Forest Independence Day Celebration is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, July 3 and 4. Presented by PowerSecure, the two-day event will include the Fireworks Spectacular on July 3 at Heritage High School, 1150 Forestville Road, followed by the Children’s Parade and Arts & Games in the Park on July 4. Presented by PowerSecure, the Independence Day Celebration will bring the entire community together for two days-worth of fun and excitement for the entire family – and this year it is all free, including the Fireworks Spectacular. A variety of sponsorships are still available for this popular community event, which is expected to draw well over 10,000 people over two days. Each sponsorship is guaranteed to bring attention and recognition to local businesses through on-site exhibit space; television ads; printed posters, flyers, and banners; social media posts; email announcements and more. The sponsorship deadline is Thursday, May 17.

The town will break ground Friday, June 1, at 10 a.m. for the new Joyner Park Community Center during a ceremony near the visitor parking lot at the park on Harris Road. Construction is expected to begin in early June. The 32,000-square-foot building has been designed to blend in with current Joyner Park structures and the natural wooded setting. Features include a walking track, gymnasium for basketball, volleyball and pickleball, multi-purpose rooms, dance studio and kitchen. Speakers at the groundbreaking event will include Wake Forest Mayor Vivian Jones and Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Director Ruben Wall. Renderings of the building will be on display and the ceremonial shoveling of dirt will occur. A reception with light refreshments will follow the brief ceremony. The $11.1-million approximate cost will be paid by bonds approved by town voters in the 2014 referendum. The building should be completed in 2019. For more information,

Beginning in June, Wake Forest will offer a new way to get around town. In April the town commissioners approved a two-year agreement that allows the dockless bicycle-sharing company, LimeBike, to offer bicycles for a fee anywhere in the town limits. As part of the initiative, LimeBike will bring approximately 200 bright green-colored bicycles to Wake Forest and place them in clusters in high traffic areas around town, including downtown and in parks and greenways. There will only be one size of bicycle though LimeBike plans to add another style later. Each bike comes enabled with GPS and 3G technology. Once the bicycles are in place, customers must simply download the free LimeBike app onto their smartphone to access available LimeBikes. Then, using a QR code on their smartphone, customers scan the license plate on the bicycle, which unlocks the bicycle for usage. The customer can then ride the bicycle