The Town of Wake Forest is asking residents to be patient as crews work to collect large amounts of leaves and other yard waste along local streets and in neighborhoods throughout our community. The Town typically provides bi-monthly loose leaf collection service which calls for crews to service Wake Forest streets twice each month. Crews are running behind schedule due to the large volume of leaves and because two vacuum trucks are out of service. The Town’s vacuum equipment performs two primary functions: vacuuming and mulching. As leaves pass through the fan or impeller, they are ground into mulch. When items other than leaves, such as rocks, bricks, bottles, and tree limbs, attempt to pass through, the fan or motor can be damaged. The vacuum trucks were damaged during vacuuming operations by sticks, rocks and other debris mixed in with leaves. Crews are working overtime and staff from other divisions

The Stormwater Management Division of the NC Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) recently awarded the Town of Wake Forest’s Ailey Young Dam & Stream Restoration Project as the Stormwater Project of the Year in the natural systems category. In 2014, a structural inventory of bridges and dams within Town-owned parks identified the need for the Ailey Young Dam Removal and Stream Restoration Project. The effort centered on “Peggy’s Pond,” which is situated in the rear of Ailey Young Park, 800 E. Juniper Ave., adjacent to the existing basketball courts. The Town purchased the property that would become Ailey Young Park in 1981. In the early 2000s, the pond dam outlet experienced a significant failure resulting in major erosion, a drop in water levels and an adverse effect on aquatic life. Coordinated by the Engineering Division of the Town’s Public Works Department, the award-winning project involved removing the

This year’s Wake Forest Holiday Artisans Market will be held outdoors along South White Street on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The outdoor market is presented by ARTS Wake Forest and the Wake Forest Guild of Artists and will feature a wide variety of items handmade by 25 regional artists and craftspeople. Socially distanced artist booths will be set up a minimum of 10 feet apart in parking lots along South White Street from Elm Avenue to East Owen Avenue. Visitors and vendors are asked to wear face coverings at all times, and handwashing stations and a portable toilet will be accessible. Free and open to the public, the market will include potters, jewelry artists, ceramicists, fine artists, photographers, woodworkers, candlemakers, fiber artists, and other craftspeople. The organization is no longer accepting artist applications for this event. “Each year, the Holiday Artisans Market gives artists the opportunity to showcase

A mandatory mask requirement is in effect for all of North Carolina. As a result, every North Carolinian in an indoor public space, or in an outside public space when unable to physically distance from others, is required to wear a face covering. Exceptions to the mask requirement apply to children under 11, those with certain medical conditions and people exercising outdoors away from other people. Other exceptions allow for people to remove masks while communicating with someone who is hearing impaired, while receiving medical treatment, or while giving a speech for broadcast or to an audience. You are also not required to wear a mask while riding in a personal vehicle. In accordance with Executive Order (EO) 147, all visitors to the Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St., and other Town facilities must wear a face mask or face covering. For more information, call Town Hall at

The Town of Wake Forest encourages local pet owners to be good neighbors and great pet owners by obeying Wake County’s leash law. The Town regularly receives complaints from local residents about dogs running at large – particularly at Town parks. Although Wake Forest does not have an ordinance pertaining to dogs, Wake County Animal Control has jurisdiction to enforce animal control laws within the town and its park system. Wake County Animal Control Ordinance Section 2-3-7 (A) states “It shall be unlawful for any owner to permit an animal to be at large.” Section 2-3-7 (C) further states “It shall be unlawful for any person owning or having possession, charge, custody or control of any dog to take the dog into or allow the dog to enter any public park without being at all times under the restraint of a leash unless said park is designated as a dog park.” Any owner

A phone call from Santa Claus is on every child’s wish list. The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is making those wishes come true by offering “Calls from Santa” to kids ages 3-9 on Thursday, Dec. 3, from 6-8 p.m. Registration forms will be available online Friday, Nov. 27, at http://bit.ly/WFCallsfromSanta and at the Joyner Park Community Center, 701 Harris Road, and Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St. Completed forms must be submitted online or received at the Joyner Park Community Center or Town Hall by 5 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 2. Telephone registrations will not be accepted. There is no cost to participate, but all calls must be local. For more information, call 919-435-9560 or email Recreation Program Superintendent Monica Lileton at mlileton@wakeforestnc.gov. To view our full array of holiday events and activities, including our Community Carolers Holiday Sing-Along, Virtual Lighting of Wake Forest and more, visit wakeforestnc.gov and search

Several years ago the Town of Wake Forest introduced “SeeClickFix” as a simple, yet effective way for residents to report quality of life, non-emergency issues. Since then, the Town has addressed hundreds of citizens’ concerns, ranging from damaged sidewalks and potholes to clogged storm drains and malfunctioning traffic signals. Wake Forest’s SeeClickFix web page is available at www.wakeforestnc.gov/report-problem, while the mobile platform is offered as a function on the Town app. By utilizing the online or mobile reporting platform, residents can report non-emergency issues through a variety of service request categories. When submitting such issues, residents can provide locational, descriptive and photographic information as they see the issue in real time. Once the resident submits an issue, the reporter, the Town, and anyone “watching” the area receives an alert. The Town then acknowledges the service request, routes it to the proper department, and updates the request – along with residents following the

People who live and work near Wake Forest have a convenient way to get tested for COVID-19. Wake County is contracting with clinical laboratory Radeas, located at 907 Gateway Commons Circle, to provide free, drive-thru testing Monday-Saturday from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. The service is free, and no appointment is necessary. The testing typically takes about seven minutes, and results are usually provided in seven to nine hours – but can take up to 24 hours. Tests are reserved for those who: Have COVID-like symptoms, including fever, cough, shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, and loss of smell; Have been in close contact with a known positive case of COVID-19; Are healthcare workers or first responders; Work in high-risk settings like long-term care facilities, correctional facilities or homeless shelters; Are 65 years old or older; Have underlying health conditions; Are a member of a vulnerable or historically marginalized population; Have attended

Every child loves a good bedtime story. That’s why the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre is partnering with Page 158 Books to introduce a 12-week bedtime story reading series on the Renaissance Centre Facebook page for children 10 and under. On Mondays at 7 p.m., from October 12 through December 28, “Storytime Online” will feature the reading of 12 popular bedtime stories by actors from Forest Moon Theater (FMT) and the Wake Forest mayor and board of commissioners according to the following schedule: October 12 – The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors, read by FMT’s Tom Barbieri October 19 – Sing a Song, read by Commissioner Bridget Wall-Lennon October 26 – The Paper Bag Princess, read by FMT’s Emily Yates November 2 – Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons– read by FMT’s Benaiah Barnes November 9 – Brave Enough for Two, read by Commissioner Adam Wright November 16 – Colby and the First Day Ever, read by