Drive-thru COVID Vaccination Clinics at Friendship Chapel Baptist Church and Olive Branch Baptist Church in early May will complement the new vaccination clinic at the Northern Regional Center (NRC) and bolster efforts to bring lifesaving COVID-19 shots to the Wake Forest community. Knightdale Pharmacy will administer 100 first doses of the Moderna vaccine at Friendship Chapel Baptist Church (FCBC), 237 Friendship Chapel Road, on Tuesday, May 4, from 9 a.m.-noon, and at Olive Branch Baptist Church (OBBC), 326 E. Juniper Ave., on Saturday May 13, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Appointments are required and available on a first come, first served basis for anyone 18 and over. To register for the May 4 or May 13 clinic:   Complete and submit the online registration form at https://forms.gle/B7vEwDCkPuRDtWDC7 A few days after completing the form, registrants will receive an email invitation to register with the COVID Vaccine Management System. Reserve an appointment using SignUp

Chamber hosts multiple events on May 1 The Wake Forest Area Chamber is sponsoring its first-ever Pickleball Open tournament on Saturday, May 1, at Flaherty Park in Wake Forest. Sponsored by Meals on Wheels of Wake County, more than 100 players have registered to play and compete in the day-long event. Spectators are invited to come and cheer on their favorite competitors. Play will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will last throughout the day. Simultaneously, there will be a play-for-fun category for ages 11 and up (under 16 must be accompanied by a partner aged 16 and up). The cost is $20, and no advance registration is necessary. Just show up on May 1 and sign up to play. Along with the Pickleball Open, the Chamber Foundation is hosting its fourth annual Young Entrepreneurs Fair, sponsored by Blue Wave Pressure Washing. Students from age 9 to 14 have created products

Several members of the Wake Forest Police Department are raising money for NC Special Olympics and the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics by participating in “Mustache May.” Throughout the month of May, participating officers and staff will encourage community members to donate to Special Olympics and the nearly 40,000 registered athletes who train and compete year-round in 20 different sports. Each participant has a fundraising goal of at least $50, and several will grow a mustache to show their support. For more information about “Mustache May,” to view participant photos, or to donate to a particular participant’s fundraising effort, visit http://bit.ly/WFPDMustacheMay or contact Cpl. J McArthur at 919-554-6150 or jmcarthur@wakeforestnc.gov. The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing

Wake Forest Coffee Company hosts first live poetry since COVID Live poetry returns to Wake Forest on Saturday, June 5 in a show billed as The Quarantined Poetw Supper Club By Antino Art • @RaleighisforRonin The show will be hosted by the Wake Forest Coffee Company in collaboration with local poets. Located in historic downtown Wake Forest, the indie coffeehouse became an epicenter for spoken word poetry in the Triangle. Where Unheard Voices Howled It was the year before COVID. The cafe began hosting poetry nights every month in their second-story artist loft — a hideaway of wooden floorboards and dimmed recess lights, back-set by the easels and canvases of local painters. Soon, the cafe built a marquee name in the scene. Poets from all over the Raleigh-Durham area would converge with their favorite caffeinated drink in hand, and howl their truths into a mic in front of standing room

The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre and the Wake Forest Guild of Artists will host the “All Things Bright & Beautiful – New Beginnings” Walk-Through Art Exhibit on Thursday, May 13, from 4-7 p.m. Over 20 artists will display their works of art in a variety of mediums and styles, including acrylic, oil and watercolor paintings, sculpture, jewelry, glasswork, encaustic, woodworking and mixed media. Free and open to the public, the event offers an exciting opportunity for area residents to view works of art created by local artists. Anyone interested in attending will be required to sign up for a 20-minute time slot at www.wakeforestrencen.org/event/all-things-bright-beautiful-new-beginnings. Please note: There is a limit of 10 participants per time slot. The Renaissance Centre is located at 405 S. Brooks St. in downtown Wake Forest. For more information, call the Renaissance Centre Box Office at 919-435-9458. #