The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department will host an online esports gaming tournament featuring “Rocket League” on Saturday, April 24. Open to players ages 10 and older, the “Battle in the Forest” will be played online and live streamed on Twitch.tv. Registration is underway through Wednesday, April 22, at https://wakeforestnc.recdesk.com/Community/Home. The cost is $5 per player. Teams comprised of three players each will compete in what is scheduled to be a single-day tournament to be run in conjunction with “Bull City Gaming.” In the event more than 32 teams register, the tournament will expand to two days with the qualifying rounds taking place on April 24 and the top eight teams battling it out in the finals on Sunday, April 25. As an added incentive, the winning team may represent the Town of Wake Forest in the BODYARMOR State Games esports tournament. Considered one of the top esports games in the

Beginning March 1 and continuing through April 12, the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre and ARTS Wake Forest will present a series of virtual concerts on Mondays at 7 p.m. you can enjoy from the comfort of your home. Each program in the virtual “Neck of the Woods” performance series will be different and feature one or more performing acts, including singers, dancers, actors, musicians and spoken word artists. Free and available on the Renaissance Centre Facebook and YouTube pages, the upcoming series will spotlight the following local artists:   March 1 – The Harmonia Piano Quartet – Leadership Ensemble with the North Carolina Chamber Music Institute March 8 – Debbie Dunn & Harry Tueting – Country music vocals and guitar March 15 – Masha Dashkina Maddux – Wake Forest Dance Festival discussion and dance solo March 22 – Alison Staples – Soloist March 29 – Jazz Expressions featuring Lydia Salett Dudley – Jazz/Soul duo including guitar,

The Town of Wake Forest is inviting individuals and families to join the “Show Some Love, #KeepWFclean” campaign by picking up trash in their neighborhoods and along local streets and roadways. Designed to encourage maximum public participation, the initiative allows volunteers to pick up litter on a one-time or ongoing basis. Participants may also choose the area they wish to clean or request direction to high need areas around town. To aid the effort, volunteers may reserve one or more litter kits at no charge by completing the online form at www.wakeforestnc.gov/keep-wf-clean. Each litter kit includes reflective vests, gloves, buckets, grabbers, trash bags, data collection sheets, hand sanitizer and litter education materials. A special thanks to B&W Hardware for donating the litter kits. Once reserved, litter kits may be picked up at the Public Works Operations Center, 234 Friendship Chapel Road, Monday-Friday, between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. and must be returned within

March is National Reading Month and the Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is celebrating by introducing a program that encourages families to read while enjoying Town parks and greenways. StoryWalk is an innovative and interactive way for readers of all ages to enjoy a story and the outdoors at the same time. Pages from a children’s picture book are displayed on display posts along a park trail. As you stroll along the path, you are directed to the next page in the story. StoryWalk engages young readers and is an effective way to practice active reading skills. Free and open to the public, the first StoryWalk will be offered at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road. Additional details will be provided in the coming days. The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Storywalk® is

The Wake Forest Fire Department will kick off a year-long centennial celebration on August 4 – the date the department was created 100 years ago. Planning is underway for a series of events and activities over the following 12 months to honor the past, celebrate the present and look ahead to the future. The complete schedule will be announced no later than early July. In the meantime, the fire department is inviting residents and businesses to participate in the commemoration by sharing photos, documents, stories, equipment and other memorabilia that can be used to celebrate the centennial and recognize the service and commitment of Wake Forest firefighters since 1921. Long independent, the Wake Forest Fire Department became a part of the Town of Wake Forest last year. Anyone wishing to share photos, documents, stories or even compliments and best wishes is encouraged to complete and submit the online submission form at www.wakeforestnc.gov/fire/centennial-celebration. For more

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. to 2 p.m. Note the time change. 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

Updated March 24 The Growth Rate has not been published for several months because the Wake Forest Planning Department stopped updating its list of commercial and residential projects under departmental review and recently it has vanished from the department’s web site. That and other information was the basis for The Growth Rate. The planning director has said she intends to make the planning department more transparent. While we await that, the editor has determined to rebuild The Growth Rate over the next few weeks and months. Please send the projects you see or are interested in to cwpelosi@aol.com. Future residential projects The Wake Forest Gazette learned in early March that Middleburg Communities/The McAdams Company have made an offer to purchase the Deerfield Crossing Mobile Home Park (formerly Wellington Mobile Home Park) owned by George and Martha Mackie on East Wait Avenue. The plan for Quail Crossing, the name for the

No Meet in the Street again this year – we do hope it will be revived in 2022 – but the chamber has found a way to provide pleasure or interest on May 1 with a trio of events at Flaherty Park at 1226 North White Street. All three will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. One is the Young Entrepreneurs Fair, the second is a pickleball tournament and the third is an outdoor business expo. Go to the chamber’s website for full details of all three, including how to participate. * * * * The Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce will host a new monthly event this spring, April through September, in the courtyard in front of the chamber office. Right now they are looking for hosts for After Hours, Outdoor Networking @ the Chamber. Hosts will pay $250 and provide light refreshments for about 50