The Wake Forest Police Department has begun accepting checks and cash for its 12th annual Turkey Drive, and on Saturday, Nov. 17, it will accept donations of frozen turkeys at the Wake Forest Police Department Main Station on Taylor Street. The money will buy additional turkeys. On Monday, Nov. 19, police officers and staff will be at the Wake Forest Community House on West Owen Avenue to give the tuTrkeys to needy community families from 9 to 11 a.m. or until they run out of turkeys. Want to help? You can donate online using PayPal at www.wakeforestnc.gov/donate-to-our-turkey-drive.aspx<http://www.wakeforestnc.gov/donate-to-our-turkey-drive.aspx>. If you want to  give cash or checks, call or email Officer M.W. Sattler at 919-795-7270, msattler@wakeforestnc.gov<mailto:msattler@wakeforestnc.gov>. Officer Sattler organized the police department’s first Turkey Drive in 2007. Since then, the department has distributed nearly 7,000 turkeys to needy families in our area, including over 800 turkeys last year.

Applications are now being accepted for participation in the 2018 Wake Forest Christmas Parade. Applications are available online at www.wakeforestnc.gov/wake-forest-christmas-parade.aspx<http://www.wakeforestnc.gov/wake-forest-christmas-parade.aspx> and at the Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 Brooks Street. Interested participants may submit their application online or by mail to Wake Forest Christmas Parade, c/o Wake Forest Downtown, Inc., 301 S. Brooks St., Wake Forest, NC 27587. Entries postmarked by Monday, Oct. 29, will be considered for inclusion based on the number of entries needed for each category. Accepted entrants will be notified via email no later than Monday, Nov. 5. Payment for entry is due at the time of application. Parade packets for accepted participants will be mailed Monday, Nov. 19. The packet will include vehicle passes, parking information, and other pertinent event details. Sponsored by PowerSecure and presented by Wake Forest Downtown, Inc., this year’s Wake Forest Christmas Parade is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 8, at 1 p.m.

Because of Hurricane Florence, Music at Midday on Thursday, Sept. 13, has been cancelled. The concerts will resume with Jessica Lang on Sept. 20 and Into the Fog on Sept. 27. The short fall concert series – all in one month – provides a showcase for local musicians who entertain in Centennial Plaza in front of the Wake Forest Town Hall for an hour – noon to 1 p.m. – while people eat their lunch or just bask in the sunshine while enjoying the music. People are encouraged to bring lunch from home or from a nearby restaurant. For a sweet end to lunch, several dessert trucks will be in Brooks Street. Music at Midday is co-sponsored by the Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department and Wake Forest ARTS.

Because of Hurricane Florence, Exploring the Heritage of the Ailey Young House has been rescheduled for Sunday, Oct. 7, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Alston-Massenburg Center, 416 North Taylor Street. The session is the first in a new series of presentations hosted by the Town of Wake Forest on the history of the northeast area of Wake Forest entitled Community Connections in Northeast Wake Forest. Free and open to the public, the Oct. 7 event will explore the heritage of the Ailey Young House and examine its link to the early history of the African-American community in Wake Forest. The occasion will include a panel discussion and historical presentation about the Ailey Young House, along with a screening of the new video, “The Ailey Young House – a Family Legacy, a Wake Forest Treasure.” Produced by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and narrated by Ricardo Young, the great-great-grandson of

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department will host a Father Daughter Dance on Friday, Sept. 21, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Fathers and daughters throughout Wake Forest are invited to celebrate their special bond during an unforgettable evening at the Wake Forest Community House, 133 W. Owen Ave. Featuring music, dancing, and refreshments, this event is sure to create memories that will last a lifetime. The cost is $20 per couple (residents) and $35/couple (non-Wake Forest residents), plus $5 for each additional daughter. To register, visit http://wakeforestnc.recdesk.com/recdeskportal/. For more information about the Father-Daughter Dance, contact PRCR Program Superintendent Monica Lileton at 919-435-9563 or mlileton@wakeforestnc.gov<mailto:mlileton@wakeforestnc.gov>.  

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department will offer a free self-defense class for women Tuesday, Sept. 18, at 6:30 p.m. at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road. Instructors from Krav Maga Raleigh will teach participating women a variety of techniques to avoid danger and defend themselves if necessary. Krav Maga is a no-nonsense system that focuses on the most practical and instinctive methods to get you out of harm’s way. Attendees will be required to sign a waiver, so anyone planning to attend should arrive 10-15 minutes early. Participants are encouraged to wear workout clothes and athletic shoes – but no jewelry – and bring water. For more information, contact Special Events Coordinator Suja Jacob at 919-556-7063 or sjacob@wakeforestnc.gov<mailto:sjacob@wakeforestnc.gov>.  

Because of Hurricane Florence, Wake Forest’s Good Neighbor Day has been rescheduled for Saturday, Sept. 22. It will be at E. Carroll Joyner Park on Harris Road from 1 to 4 p.m. Good Neighbor Day is an annual celebration assembling Wake Forest residents from all walks of life for a day of food, fun, and family entertainment. By bringing together a mix of cultures, music, ages and ethnicities, the event celebrates diversity and promotes goodwill among all of Wake Forest’s citizens. A special part of this year’s Good Neighbor Day will be the presentation of the ninth annual Good Neighbor of the Year Award. The honor will be presented to a local youth and an adult who consistently demonstrate an unfailing commitment to preserving, maintaining, and improving the quality of life in their neighborhood and community. The Human Relations Council is soliciting nominations for youths and adults through Friday, Aug.

Only 26 permits for single-family homes issued Maybe it was the heat – or maybe local builders have so many single-family permits stockpiled that they do not have enough crews to build them all. Whatever the case, the town issued only 26 permits for single-family homes. The town issued the permit for the first Powerhouse Row building at 414 South White Street in the empty lot which formerly was the parking lot for the express bus service to Raleigh and the home bus stop for the loop bus through Wake Forest and Wakefield. That Powerhouse Row building will have three stories with five retail and restaurant spaces on the first floor and 18 to 20 apartments on the second and third floors. The building will be brick with cornices and flat roofs, echoing the existing South White buildings but with modern touches such as balconies. The town estimates the total

Update Sept. 12, 2018 – Changes are highlighted in yellow Holding Park Aquatic Center is finished! “The actual construction of the new aquatic center is complete,” Ruben Wall, director of the Wake Forest Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department, said Monday. “If all goes well with our inspections this week we may be able to officially announce an opening celebration of some kind. Hopefully the pending storm does not delay any of our scheduled inspections.” Once again it is rain – this time Hurricane Florence – that continues to dog, delay and frustrate the opening of the center. Harrod & Associates, who won the $2,929,000 contract, began construction on Dec. 4, the beginning of a rainy winter, spring and summer. The original opening date for the center was May 15, right before the summer swim season. Wake Forest Community Library, first affected by the steel tariffs and late delivery of

Atlantic Tire & Service will present the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Golf Tournament on Oct. 2, the event which helps the chamber raise money for its educational programming. Only a few foursomes remain so you are urged to register today before all are sold. Registration is inclusive and includes greens fees, range balls, mulligans, a tournament gift, a shotgun raffle ticket with the chance to win $200, breakfast before play, beverages during play and a celebratory lunch reception. Cost is $200 per golfer. Call or email the chamber to sign up.