The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department and Richland Creek Community Church will sponsor a free Special Needs Resource Fair this Saturday, April 6, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Richland Creek Community Church, 3229 Burlington Mills Road. The event will include over 30 professional vendors that specialize in providing to children and adults with special needs an array of services including therapeutic, health and wellness, educational, recreational, music, financial and legal. Local businesses and non-profits scheduled to participate include Allied Rehab, East Point Prosthetics & Orthotics (formerly Ability P&O), 180 Medical, Parents for Educational Freedom of NC, White Hawk Advocacy, LLC, Cary Estate Planning, Capitol Financial Solutions, Alliance Behavioral Healthcare, The ARC of the Triangle, Triangle Down Syndrome Network, Made 4 Me, NCFASD Informed, Inc., Richland Creek Community Church, Hesed Retreat of NC, Northern Wake Young Life Capernaum, A.E. Finley YMCA (Camp GRACE), City of Raleigh

Tickets are on sale for “GRITS The Musical” Dinner Theatre on Saturday, April 6, at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 Brooks Street. Perfect for a girls’ night out, GRITS (Girls Raised in the South) is a lively musical based on the book, “Friends are Forevah” by Deborah Ford. A full-production journey that will take you to and through the heart of the South, GRITS will have you laughing and crying, while transporting you back in time. Its four women, four generations and four different views. It’s your mother, your sister, your grandma, your best friend. Its sweet tea, collard greens, fresh tomatoes and banana pudding. Its country music, jazz tunes, old time blues and toe tappin’ rock. Its the old, the new and some things in between. Its about love and laughter, revelation and grace. GRITS The Musical is comprised of a four-woman cast spanning age groups from young

Students at Heritage Middle School will perform the musical “The Music Man Jr”. from April 10 to 12 at 6 p.m. in the Heritage Middle School Auditorium. This family-friendly performance features an all-student cast and is directed by Ms. Austin Royal with musical direction by Mrs. Elsie Shuler and choreography by Mrs. Melissa Christians. The original 1957 Broadway production of “The Music Man” won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and ran for 1,375 performances. The show’s success led to revivals, including a long-running 2000 Broadway revival, a popular 1962 film adaptation, and a 2003 television adaptation. The Heritage Middle School’s version will contain such memorable songs as “Seventy-Six Trombones”  and “Shipoopi.” Tickets are $5 each and may be purchased at the Heritage Middle School main office.

The Magic Pipers will kick off the Friday Night on White concert series on April 12, followed by Sleeping Booty on May 10; Love Tribe on June 14; The Soul Psychedelique on July 12; Big Love on Aug. 9; and Crush on Sept. 13. For more information about each band, including videos of band performances, visit our website. Presented by White Street Brewing Co., Friday Night on White takes place along South White Street on the second Friday night of each month from April through September. Each concert begins at 6 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m. While you’re downtown, you’re invited to visit the variety of outstanding dining establishments in downtown Wake Forest or enjoy delicious food from a variety of food trucks that will be on site. Free parking is available along several side streets and parking lots in downtown Wake Forest, including Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 13, at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road. Presented by Primrose School of Heritage Wake Forest and Bumgarner & Martin Orthodontics, this free event will be packed full of crafts, games, prizes and a visit from the Easter Bunny. This year’s Egg Hunt will include over 10,000 eggs containing prizes and candy hidden across four locations for the following age groups: 3 and younger, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12 and special needs. Children ages 3 and younger will hunt for eggs beginning at 10 a.m.; ages 4-6 will begin at 10:20 a.m.; ages 7-9 get underway at 10:40 a.m.; and ages 10-12 commence at 11 a.m. An egg hunt for children with special needs will begin at 11:30 a.m. A downloadable map of the egg hunt areas is available at www.wakeforestnc.gov/easter-egg-hunt.aspx. Registration is

The Northern Community Food Security Team is partnering with Rise Against Hunger to host a meal-packing event Saturday, April 13, at the Wake Forest Boys & Girls Club, 325 S. Wingate St. Hundreds of volunteers are needed to pack 55,000 meals that will be delivered to areas ravaged by natural disasters and sent to feed school children in such places as Haiti, the Philippines and Sub-Saharan Africa. Check-in will begin at noon, followed by the packing of meals from 12:30-2:30 p.m. Families, local civic groups and community organizations are especially encouraged to participate. The event will also offer a great opportunity for local students to earn community service hours. Volunteers must be at least six-years-old. Anyone interested in volunteering is urged to register at http://events.riseagainsthunger.org/MissionQuake. On the day of the event, participants are encouraged to bring donations for the Tri-Area Ministry Food Pantry. Items needed include peanut butter, jelly (no glass

The Wake Forest Technology Advisory Board is inviting area middle and high school students and their parents to Wake Forest STEM Saturday 2019 on Saturday, April 13. Presented by the Wireless Research Center of North Carolina, this free family networking fair is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 South Brooks Street. Celebrating Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, STEM Saturday will expose students to a variety of STEM career options, while featuring STEM-related exhibits, demonstrations and hands-on learning activities. Throughout the STEM Saturday event, youth can experience the wonders of STEM up close, encouraging them to one day pursue a degree or occupation in one of the related fields. Discussions led by some of our area’s top experts and STEM-related career professionals will include Girls in STEM: Hidden No More, A Brief Introduction to the Cybersecurity Industry, Engineering All Around You, Internet Safety,

The Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation is currently accepting applications for the inaugural class of its Career Readiness Academy. Rising juniors and seniors for the 2019/2020 school year are eligible to apply. Funded through a grant from the US Chamber of Commerce, the goal is to prepare students to successfully enter the workforce and provide area employers with capable young employees. “The academy is an extension of our nationally recognized Youth Leadership Wake Forest program,” explained Corey Hutcherson, VP of Community Relations for the Chamber. “We started with the Youth Leadership curriculum, added financial literacy and job readiness components, and integrated on-the-job internships to round out the program. After completing the academy, students will have a much better understanding of various career options and requirements as well as how to be successful in a workplace.” High school students attending public, private, or homeschools in Wake Forest, North Raleigh,

ArtsPower National Touring Theatre will offer two performances of “Your Alien” on Friday, April 26, at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 Brooks Street. Geared for audiences ages 12 and under, the shows are scheduled for 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. ArtsPower’s newest musical touches down with a stranded alien who strikes up a fabulous friendship with a boy who finds him. They go to school and have loads of fun together. As evening approaches, the alien grows homesick. Will the boy be able to figure out how to help his new friend? This funny and uplifting new musical shows how the power of true friendship can last a lifetime. Advance tickets are on sale for $15 (plus tax) and can be purchased online with a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover credit card at www.wakeforestrencen.org/tickets-events<http://www.wakeforestrencen.org/tickets-events>. Advance tickets may also be purchased with cash, check or credit card at the Renaissance

On Saturday, April 27, the Sponsorship Group of the Northeast Community Council hopes to have its first yard sale/fundraiser for the year to generate funds for the upcoming Juneteenth Event. They are looking for donations of household items, shoes and purses. No clothing items, please. E You can contact EnJanet Joseph at Enjanets@gmail.com   or  Tilda T Caudle wwtmm53@gmail.com if you have questions.