Tri-Area Ministry Food Pantry announces that its third annual Stop Hunger, Feed Hope dinner-auction-fundraiser to combat hunger will be held Friday, Oct. 18, at the Wake Forest Presbyterian Church on Capital Boulevard. Tri-Area wants to raise $75,000 to increase its capacity and to enable them to add fresh foods like eggs, fruits and vegetables to the non-perishable items it loads into bags for the 750-plus families – 2,400 people – it helps each month. They have a number of sponsorships for the dinner and auction as well as different ads for the program. Sponsorships begin at the titanium level of $10,00 or more and go down to a bronze level of $500. Ads range from $75 to $300. Most businesses and many people in the Wake Forest-Rolesville-Youngsville area have received the two-page letter outlining Tri-Area’s goal, needs and sponsorships. If you have not received the letter, call Tri-Area at 919-556-7144

There will be two plate dinner events during September that will raise money for local charities and community outreach. The first is a fish fry at Wake Forest United Methodist Church from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13. Each $8 plate will include filet of flounder, potatoes, hush puppies and slaw, and diners can drive through or sit down to eat in. The church is at 905 South Main Street. The profits will support missions such as Tri-Area Ministry, Rise Against Hunger, the church’s ramp-building project, Kairos and the Oak Hill building mission. Visit www.wakeforestumc.org for more information. The second dinner at Hope House, 334 North Allen Road, on Friday, Sept. 20, will give people a choice of either chicken or flounder filet, green beans, potatoes, hush puppies and slaw for $8. Again it is either drive through or eat in. The profits will go toward Hope

Hope House in Wake Forest now serving free meals Food insecurity – not knowing if you and your family will have enough to eat – is a heavy burden some people bear, but in Wake Forest now there is a simple solution: Provide meals for those families. Hope House at 334 North Allen Road now serves free, nutritious dinners to families and individuals at 6:30 p.m. every day except Saturday. The meals are prepared by The Forks Cafeteria and families and individuals can either eat at Hope House or take the meals home. The meals are made possible by a private donor. Hope House was founded by Friendship Chapel Missionary Baptist Church pastor, the Rev. Enoch Holloway, and his wife, the Rev. Marion Holloway, to serve the youth and community in Wake Forest’s East End. Norma Bennekin and Pastor Holloway are the leaders in arranging the dinners. Andrew Brown Jr.,

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is pleased to announce that Cindi King has been hired as the manager of the new and soon-to-open Joyner Park Community Center. A certified parks and recreation professional with over 25 years of direct parks and recreation experience, King joins the Town of Wake Forest after spending the previous 16 years of her career with the Town of Cary in multiple positions, including Assistant Center Supervisor, Center Supervisor and Senior Operations & Programs Supervisor. While in Cary, she earned several state and national accolades, including the NC Recreation and Parks Association Young Professional Award, Meritorious Award and Innovative Program Award, as well as the National Recreation and Park Association’s Volunteer Service Award for her work with the Cary Teen Council. King earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education, with an emphasis in Exercise Science from Carson Newman College (now

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department will host a Father-Daughter Dance on Friday, Sept. 20, from 6:30 to 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 at 133 West Owen Avenue. Featuring music, dancing and refreshments, this event is sure to create memories that will last a lifetime. The cost is $25 per couple (Wake Forest residents) and $35/couple (non-Wake Forest residents), plus $5 for each additional daughter. To register, visit http://wakeforestnc.recdesk.com/recdeskportal/. #

Music at Midday was cancelled last week because of Hurricane Dorian but will be on schedule this week, and a week will be added in October to make up for the loss. Co-sponsored by the Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department and ARTS Wake Forest, the free music series begins Thursday, Sept. 5, and continues every Thursday through Sept. 26. Scheduled from noon to 1 p.m., Music at Midday will feature a variety of local performers and take place in Centennial Plaza in front of the Wake Forest Town Hall at 301 South Brooks Street. This year’s fall concert lineup includes Blue Cactus (cosmic country/Americana) on Sept. 12; M.S.G. Acoustic Blues Trio (blues, gospel and ragtime) on Sept. 19; and DryBread Road (bluegrass, popular, folk, rock, blues, country and Cajun) on Sept. 26. For information about each performer, visit http://bit.ly/WFMusicMidday. Area residents are encouraged to bring lunch – either

The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts is inviting area residents to celebrate the diversity of our community by participating in the second annual Trung Thu Moon Festival on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $8 plus tax for adults and $6 plus tax for seniors and children under 12 and can be purchased online at www.wakeforestrencen.org/tickets-events<http://www.wakeforestrencen.org/tickets-events> or at the Renaissance Centre Box Office, 405 S. Brooks St. Steeped in tradition, Tet Trung Thu, as it is known in Vietnam, or the Mid-Autumn Moon festival as we refer to it in America, typically occurs on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. As one of the two most important festivals in the Vietnamese culture, this ancient celebration revolves around children. It was thought to be a time when parents had the opportunity to catch up with their loved ones after the busy summer harvest was

Tickets are for sale at the Renaissance Centre Forest Moon Theater will present “Steel Magnolias” Friday through Sunday, Sept.  20 to 23 and 27 to 29, at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre. Showtime Friday and Saturday is 7:30 p.m., while the Sunday showtime is 3 p.m. Written by Robert Harling, this heartwarming comedy-drama explores the special bond a group of women share in a small southern Louisiana community, and how they cope with the death of one of their own. As time passes, the women encounter tragedy and good fortune. Although their friendships are strained, in the end they find themselves growing stronger and closer. Advance tickets are $15 plus tax for adults and $13 plus tax for students and seniors. These prices reflect a savings of $3 per adult and student/senior on “day of” admission tickets. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.wakeforestrencen.org/tickets-events<http://www..org/tickets-events>. Please note: A sign language

The Wake Forest Inspections Department issued permits for 58 new homes in July: 42 single-family houses, 15 townhouses and one mobile home. One new commercial building was permitted, the Heritage retail shell building at 1021 Forestville Road, which will be built by Windsor Contracting LLC who paid $22,051.67 in fees for a building that will add an estimated $1,746,713 to the tax base. There was one fit-up of the office for the Seafood Exchange at 218 South Main Street, and nine pre-occupancy inspections: Sugar Maple Interactive LLC at 1780 Heritage Center Drive Suite 202, harp Medical Supply at 12339 Wake Union Church Road Suite 108, Kilian Engineering Inc. at 1900 South Main Street Suite 112, Slayton Wireless AT&T at 11721 Retail Drive Suite 113, KDM Real Estate LLC at 610 Dr. Calvin Jones Highway Suite 104, Innovative Solutions Group Inc. at 12339 Wake Union Church Road Suite 103, Person Storage

In August the Wake Forest Inspections Department permitted 40 homes, 35 single-family houses and five townhouses, along with three new commercial buildings: a Burger King, a Chick-Fil-A and the Heritage Veterinary Clinic. Burdett and Associates Architecture Inc. are building the Burger King at 923 Gateway Commons Circle in Gateway Commons with fees of 49,076.61, 3,632 square feet and an estimated improvement value of $914,000. Chick-Fil-A is being built at 1010 Forestville Road by Buffalo Construction Inc. with fees of $14,161.93, 4,854 square feet and improvement value estimated at $1,000,892. Heritage Veterinary Clinic will be at 3240 Rogers Road and the builder, G&G Builders of Wendell, paid fees of $14,998.03, 5,722 square feet and improvement value of $1,416,490. Inspectors approved two fit-ups and four pre-occupancy permits. The fit-ups were for Planet Smoothie at 2808 Rogers Road, Suite 101  and an office suite at 12339 Wake Union Church Road, Suite 104. The