Town gives $65K toward job incubator

Tuesday night the Town of Wake Forest took a significant step toward revitalizing the South White Street downtown by providing an affordable incubator for new businesses called Loading Dock Wake Forest. The town is providing $65,000 from the Wake Forest Business and Industry Partnership funds without touching the Futures Fund. Loading Dock’s founder and CEO Philip Freeman has arranged for a long-term lease of the former Holding Cotton Company warehouse and office with two acres of land at 525 South White Street now owned by Elizabeth and Bob Johnson. The $65,000 will go toward the pre-paid rent and the services Loading Dock will provide to WFBIP, which include two five-person private offices and 10 memberships that can be made available to future entrepreneurs, as well as training rooms and event spaces and co-branding of programming and events. The memberships, renewed monthly, are offered at a number of price and service

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‘We may not always agree, but we can respect each other’

Mayor Vivian Jones always gives an interesting speech each year at the State of the Town Address and Dinner hosted by Wake Forest Rotary. You can see what has caught her attention through the year – notably transportation in some or several forms every year – and contemplate the town’s advances – a renovated Northern Wake Senior Center, a new Joyner Park Community Center and the coming first full year of operations of the Holding Park Community Center. She began by comparing today to the 1920s when women first enjoyed the power of voting, when there were advancements in manufacturing and when inventions made life easier in the home and at work, but she is not sure if all the changes are for the better. “I think we have actually passed the 1920s in becoming a self-centered society. Social media has allowed us to spout off ugly comments nonstop and

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Gym striping = more pickleball

The Joyner Park Community Center will be closed for several weeks beginning Friday, March 13, so crews can re-stripe and re-finish the gymnasium floor. Tuesday Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Director Ruben Wall said, “The goal was to install as many pickleball courts as possible on the gym floor at the new JPCC to accommodate for the increase in the demand and popularity of the sport.” He went on with a full explanation. “Once we started using the floor we realized that the current striping configurations make it impossible for more than two pickleball games to be held at the same time. In addition, there were issues with the striping of the lanes for the basketball courts. The re-striping is necessary to allow for three simultaneous pickleball games and address the issues with the basketball courts. Re-striping the courts should be a one-time occurrence, however, the floor will have to be refinished

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Opinion: After the dinner, what?

Monday night my husband and I joined 200-some other people at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the 2020 State of the Town Address & Dinner starring Mayor Vivian Jones, who delivered a thoughtful, thought-provoking speech. She started by harking back 100 years to the 1920s when women finally got the vote, there was new mass production and labor-saving appliances. “The more I looked at the 1920s, the more I realized we have come full circle. We are certainly in a time now of unprecedented social change.”  She went on to talk about the upcoming changes worldwide, nationwide and right here in Wake Forest, then to boast a little about the new senior center, the Joyner Park Community Center and the aquatic center. Jones urged people to be kind to each other and, finally, she talked about volunteering. “You vote in elections once a year but when you volunteer you

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Fun for all at Mardi Gras Street Festival Saturday

Join us for a fun-filled day in downtown Wake Forest on Saturday, Feb. 22, during the Wake Forest Mardi Gras Street Festival presented by Primrose School of Heritage Wake Forest and Thomas G. Walters: Allstate Insurance. This family-friendly celebration is scheduled from 11 a.m.to 3 p.m. and admission is free. The Wake Forest Mardi Gras Street Festival invites area residents to visit the heart of Wake Forest and experience all our downtown has to offer. The event will offer a variety of fun things to do, including a costume processional, children’s activities, and assorted contests for people of all ages. The Mardi Gras Street Festival will feature music, entertainment, face painting and a costume processional for children and adults. In addition, downtown merchants and several event sponsors will offer exceptional discounts and activities throughout the day. There will also be a variety of food trucks in the Fidelity Bank parking lot, 231 S. White St., plus fun and exciting contests for the young

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Koinonia Auction, Dinner on March 7

The Koinonia Foundation of Wake Forest will hold its annual Koinonia Cares Charity Auction and Dinner on Saturday, March 7, 2020, to benefit neighbors in need living in the greater Wake Forest, Rolesville and Youngsville communities. The event will be held at Wake Forest Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, 107 E. South Ave., in Wake Forest. Tickets cost $30 per person and can be purchased onlinewww.koinoniawf.org/auction.html, from one of Koinonia’s 14 Board members or at Edward Jones, 941 Gateway Commons Circle, Wake Forest. The charity auction features a full dinner and a silent and live auction of unique items and valuable services donated by local businesses, artists and individuals. Preview of the auction items begins at 4:30 p.m. on the day of the event with dinner being served at 6 p.m. In addition to event tickets, individuals can also purchase raffle tickets to be entered into a 50/50 raffle that will be held during

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History after Hours: The paintings of B.W. Wells

Join members of the B.W. Wells Association for a discussion about the beautiful paintings of Dr. B.W. Wells, noted North Carolina ecologist and conservationist on Thursday, March 5, 2020 at 7 p.m. at the Wake Forest Historical Museum. Learn about his unique painting techniques and the significance of the places and people he painted. The Paintings of B. W. Wells and the museum’s permanent exhibit galleries will be open to visitors from 6 to 8 p.m. This is a great opportunity to visit the museum outside of regular visiting hours, and the program is free and open to the public.  

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After the Move, Part 2: Wake Forest’s economic blooming

Join the Wake Forest Historical Association for a panel discussion exploring how community leaders attracted new industries to the town in the 1960s and 1970s on Sunday, March 15, 2020 at 3 p.m.at the Wake Forest Historical Museum. In the 1960s town leaders created the Industrial Development Corporation to encourage corporations to create new jobs in Wake Forest in the wake of Wake Forest College’s relocation to Winston-Salem. In 1964, the New York Company Scovill Schrader Fluid Power Products opened a plant in Wake Forest that promised more than 300 new jobs. The following year, Athey Products Corporation, a manufacturer of earth-moving equipment and later street sweepers, opened a plant and executive offices that employed around 250 people. In 1971, another large corporation, Formex (also called Weavex), a division of Huyck Corporation and manufacturer of paper maker felts, announced that it would build a plant between Wake Forest and Raleigh.

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League names Jones to new committee

The North Carolina League of Municipalities has announced that Wake Forest Mayor Vivian Jones will serve on its new Advancing Municipal Leaders Advisory Committee. The group is tasked with designing leadership training and professional development opportunities for municipal elected officials throughout their time in office.  In her role on the committee, Jones will join municipal leaders from across the state to identify the most pressing issues facing cities and towns and design learning opportunities for elected officials so they can address challenges and lead their hometowns effectively. “I am honored to serve on the Advancing Municipal Leaders Advisory Committee,” said Jones. “Through our efforts, my fellow municipal elected officials will have access to timely, practical and affordable education that we can use back at home.” The Advancing Municipal Leaders (AML) program is a dedicated course of study for elected leaders, covering a range of topics that are relevant, continuous, affordable and

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Enroll now in ‘Science in the Summer’

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is partnering with GSK and the UNC Morehead Planetarium & Science Center to offer “Science in the Summer” in July for rising second through eighth graders. The free program will be offered at the Alston-Massenburg Center, 416 N. Taylor St., according to the following schedule:   Level 1 – 2ndand 3rd graders; Monday-Friday, July 13-17; 9 a.m.-noon Level 2 – 4thand 5th graders; Monday-Friday, July 13-17; 1-4 pm Level 3 – 6th-8thgraders; Monday-Wednesday, July 20-22; 9 a.m.-noon There is no cost to participate, but due to limited seats in each session, registration is required. The online application is available on the Town’s website athttp://bit.ly/WFScienceinSummer. Completed applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. Thursday, April 30, and may be emailed to Recreation Specialist Garrett Bryant at gbryant@wakeforestnc.gov or delivered/mailed to the Alston-Massenburg Center, 416 N. Taylor St., Wake Forest, NC 27587. GSK Science in the Summer™ program

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