The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department will commemorate “National Physical Fitness Month” in May by offering a 50-Mile Walking Challenge for area residents ages 11 and older. The concept is simple. The parks and rec department is challenging area residents to walk a total of 50 miles in May and use tracking cards to record their progress. Walking locations may include neighborhoods, schools, churches, parks and greenways – just to name a few. There is no cost to participate, and online registration will be open throughout April at https://wakeforestnc.recdesk.com/Community/Home (search “Walking Challenge). The first 200 people to register will receive a free water bottle. Tracking cards are available for pickup at Joyner Park Community Center (JPCC), 701 Harris Road. Everyone ages 11 and over who registers, completes 50 miles, and returns their tracking cards to JPCC by Thursday, June 3, will receive a commemorative T-shirt (while supplies last) and

Note: Real fish are involved The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources  Department will host a Virtual Bass Fishing Tournament for ages 13 and older and a Virtual Youth Fishing Tournament for ages 12 and under May 10-23. Over this two-week period, local anglers are encouraged to visit any public fishery in Wake or Franklin County to try and catch the biggest fish. Participants in the Youth Fishing Tournament may catch any species of fish, while anglers in the Bass Fishing Tournament will be limited to bass only. Online registration for both tournaments is available through Thursday, April 22, at  https://wakeforestnc.recdesk.com/Community/Home. The cost to participate is $10 for the bass tournament and $5 for the youth tourney. Participants in the bass tourney will receive a fishing scale to be used in the competition, while contestants in the youth tournament will receive an “Early Fisherman” packet. Fishing scales and “Early Fisherman”

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

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 April 7 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 Update April 7 – Wake County Commissioner Shinica Thomas, having been made aware of the following problem, has referred the plight of the current residents of Deerfield Crossing Mobile Home Park, to Wake County Manager David Ellis. The Wake Forest Gazette learned in early March that Middleburg Communities/The McAdams

The staff at the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce will be busy next Monday, April 19, working at the annual Spring Golf Tournament at the Heritage Golf Club. President Ann Welton says there are still a couple of spots open. Presented by Atlantic Tire & Service, it is a captain’s choice tournament that will include a 50/50 raffle presented by Capital Chevrolet and the putting for proof contest. Registration is open but spots are limited. Hurry and put together your foursome, complete your registration form and submit it to Carol Fekaris. It costs $100 for each chamber member and $125 for each non-member. Tee times begin at 9 a.m. and are staggered, so sign up early to get the best tee time. * * * * The Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting a new monthly event called After Hours, Outdoor Networking @ the chamber, and the