The Wake Forest Historic Preservation Commission and the Wake Forest Woman’s Club will present their biennial Christmas Historic Home Tour on Saturday, Dec. 1, from 1 to 7 p.m. – rain or shine. Offered only in even-numbered years, the Christmas Historic Home Tour is a self-guided tour featuring several Wake Forest homes and other properties decorated for the holidays and open for viewing. This year’s event will also offer wonderful Christmas music and more. Advance tickets are now on sale for $20 (price includes tax). Tickets are available for purchase online with a credit card and at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 Brooks Street, and Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 Brooks Street. Tickets can also be purchased with cash or check only at the following area locations: Arrow Tree Boutique, 415 Brooks Street North Carolina General Store, 150 South White Street Page 158 Books, 415 Brooks Street The Cotton Company, 306 South

The Wake Forest Police Department has scheduled a third Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events class on Monday, Oct. 22, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The session will take place inside the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre at 405 Brooks Street. Led by Wake Forest Police Lt. L. Danforth, the session will teach participants what to do if confronted with an active shooter event. Designed and built on the Avoid, Deny, Defend (ADD) strategy developed by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center at Texas State University, the class will provide strategies, guidance and a proven plan for surviving an active shooter event. Topics will include the history and prevalence of active shooter events, civilian response options, medical issues and considerations for conducting drills. There is no cost to participate, but registration is required at www.wakeforestnc.gov/civilian-response-to-active-shooter-events.aspx<https://www.wakeforestnc.gov/civilian-response-to-active-shooter-events.aspx>. Class size is limited to the first 100 people to register. Please note:

In Wake Forest, residents have a voice in town government through the various advisory boards the town commissioners have created. Seats are now open on the following boards, and applications will be accepted through Tuesday, Oct. 15, for appointments to the following boards: *  Cemetery *  Public Art *  Technology Meanwhile, applications are being accepted through Wednesday, Oct. 31, for appointments to these boards and commissions: *  Board of Adjustment *  Cultural Resources *  Design Review *  Greenway *  Historic Preservation *  Human Relations *  Planning *  Recreation *  Senior Center *  Urban Forestry Please note: Current advisory board members are not required to re-apply. Instead, they should notify Executive Assistant Cathi Pope at 919-435-9467 or cpope@wakeforestnc.gov<mailto:cpope@wakeforestnc.gov>. Only residents who live in Wake Forest or within its extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) are eligible to fill seats on the Planning Board and Board of Adjustment. Candidates for the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) must

The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre will host a Halloween First Friday Fright Night double feature on Friday, Oct. 5, as part of its First Friday Flix movie series. The event gets underway at 7 p.m. with “Hocus Pocus” (PG), followed by “The Silence of the Lambs” (R) at 8:45 p.m. The Renaissance Centre hosts First Friday Flix on the first Friday evening of each month. Free and open to the public, these movie screenings feature a variety of film favorites and genres, including comedies, dramas, thrillers and more, often with a seasonal or historical theme. Concessions, including popcorn and soft drinks, are available for purchase. The Renaissance Centre is located at 405 S. Brooks St. For more information, visit www.wakeforestrencen.org<http://www.wakeforestrencen.org> or call the Renaissance Centre Box Office at 919-435-9458.  

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

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.  

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.  

*The Wake Forest Farmers Market has moved to the town employees’ parking lot on Taylor Street behind town hall. The market will be open this Saturday, Oct. 6, from 8 a.m. to noon, if the weather permits. Local farmers and artisans will have meats, seasonal vegetables, bread, baked good and other local wares for sale. See the market’s Facebook page for information about the vendors and sign up for a weekly notice about the offerings that Saturday. *Monday Night Bingo at The Factory is hosted by the Wake Forest Kiwanis Club in the Mill Room from 7 to 9:30 p.m. every Monday night. All profits support the club’s projects for children. Visit www.wakeforestbingo.com for more information. *Tri-Area Ministry Food Pantry at 149 East Holding Avenue is now open from 9 to 11 a.m. every third Saturday along with its regular hours on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30