For more than a decade, Christine Gonenc and Lauren Repnyek, founders of My Birthday Too, a non-profit organization (501c3), were active volunteers in the Wake Forest schools attended by their sons. While doing so, they discovered that the fundamental needs of some children were going unmet; which likely meant other simple pleasures of childhood that many take for granted — such as celebrating a birthday — may also be missing. In early 2019, with their own children now grown, Lauren and Christine launched My Birthday Too as a way to give back and invest in local youth. After all, every child deserves a birthday celebration. “It all started with the vision: ‘To help children feel cherished and celebrated’,” says Repnyek, “and we accomplish this by bringing fun, memorable birthday experiences — hosting parties and providing families in-need with party supplies — making it possible for children to feel treasured and

The story of Wake Forest alone will be retold Sunday, Nov. 3 Sunday, Nov. 3, from 3 to 5 p.m. the executive director of the Wake Forest Historical Museum, Ed Morris, and a group of survivors from the time “an atomic bomb” hit the historic college town – Wake Forest College would relocate to Winston-Salem. It truly felt like the town, which was first chartered as the Town of Wake Forest College because it was controlled by the college, would die. It nearly did when the move was final in 1956. All the many restaurants in town except Shorty’s closed. Ben’s of Wake Forest, a men’s clothing store, went out of business as did several others like the grocery stores that had supplied the many boarding houses and restaurants. Many of the large faculty-owned houses on North Main Street, once dubbed Faculty Avenue, were empty. The reason for the town’s

The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre will host the Wake Forest High School Art Exhibit on Friday, Nov. 1, from 6  to 7 p.m. in the Arts Annex at 407 South Brooks Street. Students at all art levels will display two- and three-dimensional art. Students will also be on hand to discuss their artwork. Free and open to the public, the event offers an exciting opportunity for area residents to see firsthand works of art created by local students. Light refreshments will be served. The Nov. 1 event will be the first in a series of art exhibits hosted by the Renaissance Centre Arts in Education program featuring artwork by students in local schools. For more information, contact Renaissance Centre Specialist Debra Horton at 919-435-9566 or dhorton@wakeforestnc.gov<mailto:dhorton@wakeforestnc.gov>.

The Rockin’ the Forest music series continues with the popular beach band, The Catalinas, on Friday, Nov. 8. The concert gets underway at 7:30 p.m. at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts at 405 South Brooks Street. The Catalinas were inducted into the Beach Music Hall of Fame in 1995, followed by the NC Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Best known for their classic hit, “Summertime’s Callin’ Me, The Catalinas spotlight their musical roots by performing music by groups such as Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, Jackie Wilson, Marvin Gay, Huey Smith, The Falcons, The Del Vikings, The Gladiolas, Ray Charles and more. Advance tickets are $15 each plus tax and selling fast. Tickets 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 Centre Box Office,

The Town of Wake Forest is partnering with Trees for the Triangle to help the non-profit meet its goal of planting 50,000 trees in Wake, Durham and Orange counties by 2050. Starting now, Wake Forest property owners can request to have up to two trees planted on their property by visiting https://treesforthetriangle.org/ and completing the online request form. Once a tree has been requested, Trees for the Triangle will visit the property and identify an appropriate tree species for the site. The Town will provide trees for properties inside the Wake Forest town limits, while Trees for the Triangle will supply the tree planting volunteers. There is a limit of two trees per property. Wake Forest Urban Forestry Coordinator Luke Devores emphasized that once the trees are planted, the property owner will be responsible for their care and maintenance. “Since the trees will be planted on private property, neither the Town (of

The Town of Wake Forest is recruiting friendly, outgoing volunteers to greet and help direct customers visiting Town Hall as part of the Guest Services Volunteer Program. Wake Forest introduced the initiative in 2010. Since then, dozens of area residents have volunteered to manage the Guest Services Counter. Responsibilities include greeting visitors in person and on the telephone, helping direct them to their destination and performing other tasks as needed. Approximately 20 area residents currently participate in the program. Most are recent retirees and senior adults looking for opportunities to give back to their community. Located in the lobby of town hall, the Guest Services Counter is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Guest services volunteers are expected to man the desk at least two three-hour shifts per month. Volunteers must also participate in mandatory training where they will learn about guest services desk responsibilities, participate

The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts will host three performances of Live from Nashville – Merry Country Christmas on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 14-15. Saturday’s show time is 7 p.m., while Sunday show times are 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. It’s a Merry Country Christmas indeed, when all your favorite Christmas songs are presented in authentic Nashville country style with dazzling guitars and fiddles along with soaring harmonies. The joy of Christmas comes to you in this delightful production of toe-tapping, heartfelt music of the holidays. From the fun of “Old Saint Nick” to the profoundly moving “Oh Come all Ye Faithful,” and from the playful “Up on the Housetop” to the poignant “Silent Night,” songs of fun, faith and hope are presented by the finest musicians and singers steeped in the traditions of America’s genre – country! Tickets are $25 each plus tax and can be purchased

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department and the Northeast Community Coalition are partnering to offer Wake Forest residents an afternoon of family-friendly fun and share useful information during Unity in the Community on Saturday, Nov. 9. Free and open to everyone, the inaugural event will take place from noon to 2 p.m. both inside and outside the Alston-Massenburg Center at 416 North Taylor Street. Featuring free food, music and fun, Unity in the Community will also present several local churches and community organizations interacting with residents and sharing information about resources and services they offer. Churches scheduled to participate on Nov. 9 include St. John’s Episcopal Church, Olive Branch Baptist Church, Wake Forest United Methodist Church, Friendship Chapel Baptist Church, Wake Forest Baptist Church and Church of God of Prophecy of Wake Forest. The participating local organizations include Dress for Success, Smart Start, Temple Vitality, Fundamental IQ

The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts will host two performances of Joshua Lozoff’s Life is Magic on Friday, Nov. 22. Showtimes are 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. From his full stage show to his closeup Strolling Magic, Joshua Lozoff’s performances combine his love for the art of magic with his fascination with psychology and the powers of observation and influence. In one moment, he makes a drawing come to life just by pointing, and in the next he predicts an audience member’s choices even before she knows them herself. An evening spent with Joshua will amaze and entertain the entire family! To learn more about Joshua Lozoff, visit https://joshualozoff.com/. Tickets are $12 each plus tax for adults and $10 for children and seniors 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

Beginning Monday, Oct. 14, the Wake Forest Loop or WFL, a weekday, fare-free bus for residents traveling within Wake Forest and a portion of Wakefield, will expand to offer an early/late extension along North Main Street and a mid-day extension into Heritage. At 6:32 a.m., 7:32 a.m., 8:32 a.m. and 9:32 a.m., the WFL will depart Wake Forest Crossing, 12536 Capital Blvd., and make stops at the intersections of North Main Street/East Oak Avenue and North Wingate Street/West Oak Avenue before proceeding to the CVS Pharmacy stop at the intersection of North White Street/Roosevelt Avenue. The late extension will repeat the sequence hourly from 4:32 p.m. to 7:32 p.m. The mid-day extension into Heritage will be offered hourly from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. At the top of each hour, the WFL will depart downtown Wake Forest and travel to a bus stop at the intersection of Heritage Branch Road/Branch