Each year, in celebration of incredible individuals and organizations that have made an extraordinary community impact, the Wake Forest Community Council presents the Citizen of the Year Award, Organization of the Year Award, and Peggy Allen Lifetime Achievement Award. Since 1965 the council has annually presented the Citizen of the Year award to an individual or team demonstrating exemplary volunteer effort and the Organization of the Year award to a group that has contributed significantly to life in Wake Forest. The Peggy Allen Lifetime Achievement Award was first presented in 2005 to Peggy Garren Allen for her lifetime of service to the Wake Forest Community and is named in her memory. The recipient of this award is an individual or team who has contributed at least 10 years of volunteer service to the Wake Forest community. “The Wake Forest Community Council is delighted to have the opportunity to showcase and

A Community Health Fair will be held Saturday, Sept. 29, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Friendship Chapel Baptist Church at 237 Friendship Chapel Road. Blood pressure checks, vision screenings, children’s dental screenings, chair massages and financial services information will be offered. People will also be able to donate blood. Those who plan to donate should register before the event at htpps://donate.thebloodconnection.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/119671.  

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department has begun offering Zumba classes on Monday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Led by licensed Zumba instructor Antoinette McCormick, the classes take place at the Wake Forest Community House on West Owen Avenue. Zumba is a dance-like exercise program in which participants perform aerobic and strengthening exercises to the beat of lively music. No registration is required, but there is a $5 drop-in fee for each class. For more information, contact Recreation Program Superintendent Monica Lileton at 919-435-9563 or mlileton@wakeforestnc.gov<mailto:mlileton@wakeforestnc.gov>.

There were no responses when the Gazette asked for questions to ask our legislative candidates so the Gazette formulated four and has sent them to the candidates, asking they respond with answers by Monday, Oct. 1, to be able to publish them on Oct.3. The questions are: How should the NC GA respond to the destruction caused by Florence? Should there be stricter restrictions about rebuilding the same structure in a flood plain or where there has been flooding from Floyd, Matthew, Hugo or Florence? What steps are you considering to assure teachers are paid enough to live on without second jobs and per student funding for materials, books and computers is adequate? What concerns you most about the state’s economy? Do you support extending Medicaid to cover all eligible North Carolinians? The candidates in Senate District 18 are, in the order they will be listed on the ballots, Brad

The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre will host a special screening of “Etchings in Stone,” on Sunday, Oct. 14, at 6:30 p.m. Sponsored by the Wake Forest Purple Heart Foundation and the Town of Wake Forest, “Etchings in Stone” is a filmed play featuring Vietnam veterans and their families about the feelings and emotions evoked by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial or “The Wall” in Washington, DC. Written by Wake Forest native and Vietnam veteran Ron Harris, “Etchings in Stone” places the audience inside “The Wall” thereby offering them the unique ability to experience firsthand its impact on visitors. Not only can the audience hear what visitors to The Wall “say,” they can also “hear” their unspoken thoughts. According to Harris, “Etchings in Stone” is another step towards reassuring Vietnam veterans that they are not alone in their transition back to civilian life. The filmed play endeavors to accomplish this by addressing

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.  

Because of Hurricane Florence, Music at Midday on Thursday, Sept. 13, was cancelled but the concerts resumed on Sept. 20. Into the Fog will provide the music for the last concert this Thursday, 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.  

For most people, their beloved pets are simply part of the family. Likewise, they are also part of God’s beloved Creation, with their own patron saint, St. Francis of Assisi. On Sunday, Oct. 7, St. John’s Episcopal Church will honor St. Francis’ love of all creation through a Blessing of the Animals ceremony, beginning 4 p.m. Rev. Sarah Phelps will officiate and invites the public to bring their furry, feathery, or scaly friends—well-contained, of course, by leash, crate, or cage!–to gather at the church’s front entrance and then process to the front lawn’s large black walnut tree. There, Rev. Phelps will bless each pet individually. Those whose pets have died are invited to bring a photo or container with cremated remains for a blessing too. St. John’s is located at 834 Durham Rd. (across from McDonalds).  For more information, please call the church office at 919-556-3656.

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 Police Department  encouraging area residents, businesses, neighborhood groups, and homeowners’ associations to show their support for police-community crime prevention partnerships by participating in Wake Forest’s National Night Out on Monday, Oct. 1, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in the Renaissance  Plaza on Brooks Street. There will be a DJ, food, special prizes and vehicle displays by Wake Forest Fire Department, Wake Forest Police Department and Wake County EMS along with a variety of booths highlighting crime prevention and safety. Police officers will distribute information  about vehicle security, home security and personal safety. There will be a K-9 demonstration and D.A.R.E. presentation along with information about Neighborhood Watch, Special Olympics, and much more. Although National Night Out is offered nationally on the first Tuesday in August, the Wake Forest Police Department schedules its event each year on the first Monday in October to take advantage of cooler temperatures.