WEAR A MASK! I have been in downtown Wake Forest and what did I see? Young couples, singles and families biking and walking without a mask. You wear a mask to protect me; I wear a mask to protect you. The governor has issued a mandate without penalties that everyone must wear a mask when away from home. The numbers of those people who have contracted COVIC-19 are growing rapidly in North Carolina. Please think of those you love and protect them by doing a simple thing, wearing a mask. * * * * With the heat index expected to climb to triple digits this week, Wake County EMS reminds residents to follow simple guidelines to stay safe. “These high temperatures pose a real risk—but heat-related deaths and illnesses are preventable,” said Jeff Hammerstein, assistant chief, Community Outreach, for Wake County EMS. “There are things residents can do to keep

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department will host a singles and doubles cornhole tournament on Friday, July 24, at 6:30 p.m. Open to players ages 18 and older, this inaugural event will be offered rain or shine at Flaherty Park, 1126 N. White St. Both the singles and doubles tournaments offer a two-game guarantee with awards presented to the top two players and teams in each category. Registration for both tournaments is underway at https://bit.ly/PRCRCornholeTourney.  The singles tournament is limited to the first 20 people to register, while the doubles tournament is limited to the first 10 teams to sign up. The cost is $10 per person for the singles tournament and $20 per person for doubles play. No registrations will be accepted on the day of the tournament. The following local businesses have generously contributed to the July 24 cornhole tourney: B&W Hardware, The Cotton Company, Lemon

There were only 41 new homes permitted in June by the Wake Forest Inspections Department, 36 single-family homes and five townhouses, a slight improvement from May when the department issued 34 permits, 22 for single-family houses and 12 for townhouses. There was a permit for the new shopping center, Wheat Field, on Forestville Road and Rogers Branch Road. The contractor is Design Development Architects, which paid $24,181.92 in fees for 23,869 square foot building valued at $18,000,000. And there were five new businesses: Embrace Martial Arts at 1021 Forestville Road, Suite 100, and Martial Arts Studio at 900 South Franklin Street both had fit-ups while Murry Consulting LLC at 1768 Heritage Center Drive, Suite 104, RE/MAX Hometown at 147 South White Street and Libby’s Hands On Wellness LLC at 500 Wait Avenue, Suite 2, were inspected and approved for pre-occupancy. The five townhouses will all be built in the Franklin

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department continues to promote community involvement, art and creativity during the COVID-19 pandemic by inviting residents to participate in its Cupcake Decorating Contest. Beginning Wednesday, July 8, Wake Forest families are invited to decorate cupcakes with the following themes: Summer Loving Jungle Animals Fun Sports Stay Strong Wake Forest Decorator’s Pick Each person that participates is invited to share photos of their decorated cupcakes through the online form on our website at https://bit.ly/PRCRCupcakeDecoratingContest. Between July 8 and July 17, we’ll post on the Town of Wake Forest Facebook page the pictures we’ve received and upload them to our online photo gallery. We also invite you to post your pictures on social media and use the hashtag #WFPRCR. On Friday, July 17, we’ll announce our winners on Facebook. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/PRCRCupcakeDecoratingContest. #  

Rubber ducks adopted by the public will race in the second annual Super Duper Duck Splash on Saturday, July 18, 2020, at the WRAL Soccer Park, 7700 Perry Creek Road, Raleigh. A fundraiser for local youth-based nonprofits, the event is presented by the Wakefield Rotary Club of Wake Forest. Proceeds will be distributed to the club’s four Duck Buddies —Wake Forest Boys & Girls Club, Note in the Pocket, Kerr Family YMCA and North Carolina Football Club Youth. An individual duck can be adopted by the public for $5, or groups of ducks at a discount, with a chance to win cash totaling $3,000 and other prizes when ducks cross the finish line including last place. With uncertainty of how the public will be allowed to gather during the pandemic, the Duck Race will be broadcast live on the Wakefield Rotary Facebook page (www.facebook.com/WakefieldRotary) beginning at 11 a.m. on July 18 with the duck race