New scholarships benefiting student dancers are the result of collaboration among ARTS Wake Forest, its Wake Forest Dance Festival and a longtime local dance family. For two years, ARTS Wake Forest has brought a day of dance to the Triangle and showcased a diversity of dance genres through the dance festival established in 2017. The festival’s organizers teamed up with the family of Elizabeth “Betty” H. Holding, one of Wake Forest’s first dance teachers and a former Radio City Music Hall Rockette, and together they founded the Betty Holding Dancers Fund in her honor. “Part of the mission of the Wake Forest Dance Festival is to enhance and nurture local students’ artistic education,” said Mariya “Masha” Dashkina Maddux, the festival’s director and a former principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company in New York City. “In addition to remembering and celebrating the contributions Betty Holding made to the Wake

The Taylor Street Park Sprayground will open for the 2019 season on Saturday, May 4, at 10 a.m. The facility is located in the vicinity of Taylor Street Park and the Alston-Massenburg Center, 416 North Taylor Street. Free and open to the public, the sprayground will be open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 8 p.m. The Taylor Street Park Sprayground is a dynamic, zero-depth aquatic play area designed to provide endless hours of fun for the entire family. The sprayground combines the sensations of different water movements – flowing, misting, and jetting – with several diverse features for an unequaled aquatic play adventure.

The Fantasy book club will meet Thursday, April 18, at 6:30 p.m. at Page 158 Books, 415 South Brooks Street. This month’s selection is Trickster’s Choice by Tamora Pierce. For more information, call 919-435-1843. * * * * 1 p.m. Saturday, April 20 What if our favorite literary ladies had their own signature scent? And what if you could wear it too? Could you be brave like Katniss Everdeen, confident like Elizabeth Bennet, or brilliant like Hermione Granger? Come out on April 20th and see + smell their signature scents a1 choose which one you’d like to make. Costs $15. For more information, call 919-435-1843. * * * * Tuesday, April 23, from 5 to 7 p.m. will be Treat the Teacher Wake Forest. There will be refreshments, giveaways and book recommendations for teachers of all ages. * * * * The Mystery Book Club will meet Thursday, April 25,

On Friday, April 19, at 7 p.m. the featured artist will be Tina & Her Pony. Sugar Magnolia Café, 219 South White Street, is hosting a music series called “The Listening Room.” Designed to create a vibrant local music scene for aspiring artists, the series brings live music performances to downtown Wake Forest. For more information, visit our Facebook page. * * * * On Saturday, April 20, at 7 p.m. the artists will be John Howie Jr. & the Rosewood Bluff. * * * * On Friday, April 26, at 7 p.m. the artists will be the Gravy Boys. * * * * On Saturday, April 27, at 7 p.m. the artists will be the Aaron Burdett Trio.  

The Wake Forest Historic Preservation Commission will host an Archaeology Workshop on Saturday, April 27, at the site of the Ailey Young House. Two sessions will be offered – the first from 10 a.m.-noon and the second from 1-3 p.m. The Ailey Young House is located along North White Street, north of Spring Street and south of the Wake Forest Cemetery. The one-and-one-half story saddlebag house is a rare example of Reconstruction-era rental housing that was the childhood home of Allen Young, an important educator in the history of Wake Forest. It is the oldest known African American historic resource within Wake Forest. The April 27 workshop is open to everyone but may be especially appealing to those with an interest in history, historic preservation and archaeology. There is no cost to participate, but registration is required at www.wakeforestnc.gov/advisory-boards/historic-preservation-commission/archaeology-workshop<http://www.wakeforestnc.gov/advisory-boards/historic-preservation-commission/archaeology-workshop>. Everyone under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent

On Wednesday, May 8, the North Wake Baseball Complex at The Factory will host the 11th annual Field of Dreams from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., occupying all the ball fields. A groundbreaking program created by instructors at Wake Forest High School to bring a day of baseball, fun and friendship to students with special needs, Field of Dreams has sparked a movement across the country. Field of Dreams is the brainchild of WFHS Special Education teacher Gail Tucker and the Wake Forest Army JROTC, led by Sgt. Maj. Ginger Cribb. Coached by varsity athletes and assisted by cadet volunteers, kids who might otherwise miss the chance to play high school sports get a day packed with a series of baseball matchups where they’re the stars—batting, running, and scoring to the cheers of a supportive crowd! Families, spectators, media and fans are invited to share the fun. There will be

For the 6th consecutive year, runners, walkers, and fun-seekers will gather on S. White St. in front of the Wake Forest Chamber of Commerce to participate in the 2019 version of the Marga-RELAY-ville 5k – a charity fundraiser benefitting the American Cancer Society, Rotary International, and selected local charities. To date, over $40,000 in net proceeds have been donated to “Kick Cancer to the Curb.” Marga-RELAY-ville is a 5K run for individual participants -or- a 5K relay for teams of three persons – each running a mile. The run will be timed by Precision Race on a certified course starting and finishing in front of the Wake Forest Chamber of Commerce at 350 S. White St.. Each participant receives a bag of goodies, including a runner shirt, and items from local merchants. Age category winners are awarded valuable prizes and medals at the wrap-up ceremony. Cancer Survivors are encouraged to

On Saturday May 11, 2019 the Cemetery Advisory Board will conduct its eleventh annual Wake Forest Cemetery tour. Year after year the guests have said, “We loved the history and the family stories,” Alan O’Shaughnessy, chairman of the cemetery board, said. There will be stories again this year, sometimes by a family member or friend of the person being recognized, sometimes by strangers who find the stories appealing. There will also be an opening ceremony, a strolling bagpipe player and other highlights. The major change will be a shuttle service because the cemetery offers limited parking. The board is working to document as many of the family histories as possible this year and in years to come. There is still time to participate as a docent for a grave or graves. To volunteer, email O’Shaughnessy at ncalano@aol.com or call him at 919-219-1988.

One of the highlights of the spring season in Wake Forest is the Wake Forest Garden Club’s annual Mad Hatter’s Tea Party and Garden and Art Tour in the Wake Forest Historical Museum, on its grounds and in local gardens. This year’s event will be held on Saturday, May 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the high tea, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the garden and art tour. You can buy tickets for both or for just one. The tea will be served in the museum, first come – first served, and many of the guests will be wearing their finest hats and gloves. The garden and art tour will feature local gardens selected for their unique and creative displays where local plein-air artists will be demonstrating how they create. On the grounds there will be other attractions. The vintage car show features classic cars owned

The Town of Wake Forest will host a Comprehensive Transportation Plan public information meeting on Thursday, May 16, from 4-7 p.m. at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St. The meeting will have an informal, open house-style format, so there will not be a formal presentation. Attendees may arrive any time between 4 and 7 p.m. to share comments and ask questions. During the session, organizers will review ideas and opinions shared during the first CTP public meeting on topics such as safety, intersections, roadway congestion, technology, driving, walking, biking and transit. Light refreshments, along with soft drinks and water, will be available. Community input is the cornerstone of the Comprehensive Transportation Plan, which will address all modes of transportation, including driving, walking, biking and transit. For more information, visit wakeforestnc.gov and search “Comprehensive Transportation Plan” or contact Transportation Planning Manager Suzette Morales at 919-435-9510 or smorales@wakeforestnc.gov<mailto:smorales@wakeforestnc.gov>.