Celebrate it with free webinars, scavenger hunt, virtual tours and coloring pages May is Preservation Month, and the Historic Preservation Program is offering several ways for residents to celebrate and learn more about Wake Forest history, including two free webinars, a scavenger hunt, virtual tours, and coloring pages of locally significant historic sites. Complete information about these opportunities is provided at http://bit.ly/WFPreservationMonth. Throughout May, residents are invited to participate in the Preservation Month Scavenger Hunt. Ten pictures of local Wake Forest historic features are highlighted on the Town website. Everyone who takes pictures of themselves in front of all 10 historic features and uploads the photos through the online form will be entered into a drawing for a $20 gift card to Lumpy’s Ice Cream. For complete Scavenger Hunt rules, visit http://bit.ly/WFPreservationMonth. In addition, the HPP is partnering with the Wake Forest Historical Museum to offer the following free Zoom webinar: Tuesday, May

In an effort to bring life-saving COVID-19 shots closer to communities, Wake County has opened a vaccination clinic in Wake Forest at the Northern Regional Center on East Holding Avenue, and people do not have to make appointments. The new site will offer free vaccines five days a week and will have evening and weekend hours. Most people are familiar with the regional center because it offers a lot of county services in a convenient location. Just walk in during clinic hours to get your shot. It’s not always easy for people to go to Raleigh to access county programs and services like mass vaccination clinics, and that’s exactly why these regional center exist – to bring those services to residents in communities where they live,” Ross Yeager, director of the Northern Regional Center, said. “Dozens of people already come here to vote, to get a copy of a birth

A drive-thru COVID Vaccination Clinic at Olive Branch Baptist Church on May 13 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 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 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 Genius link: www.signupgenius.com/go/KP For more information about these vaccination clinics, email Knightdale Pharmacy at contact@knightdalepharmacy.com.

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

By Antino Art • @RaleighisforRonin Live poetry returns to Wake Forest on Saturday, June 5 in a show billed as The Quarantined Poets Supper Club. 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 only audiences. A Common Ground “We are what the community

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. #  

Sponsorships, duck adoptions supporting local youth nonprofits are now available  Ducks will race again during the Wakefield Rotary Club’s third annual Super Duper Duck Splash, on Saturday, July 24, 2021, at WRAL Soccer Park at 7700 Perry Creek Road in Raleigh, parking lot #5. Proceeds from the charity fundraiser benefit local youth initiatives. Rubber ducks are currently available for adoption on Wakefield Rotary’s Super Duper Duck Splash website, www.ncducksplash.com and can be purchased until the race begins at noon on the day of the event. For a chance to win a first-place cash prize of $1,500, second place $1,000 or third place $500, participants can purchase a single duck adoption for $5 or groups of ducks at a discount. Proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit local youth-based nonprofits Note in the Pocket, Wake Forest Boys & Girls Club, Kerr Family YMCA and NC Football Club Youth. This year, there are

Commander Joe Csuka of the Wake Forest Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Post 8466 announced the kick-off of this year’s VFW Student Essay competitions. Local students have the opportunity to compete for thousands of dollars in awards, scholarships, trips to Washington, DC and more. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) started the Voice of Democracy Scholarship program in 1947. The VFW became a national sponsor in the late 1950s and assumed sole responsibility for the program in 1961. The competition was created to provide students grades 9-12 the opportunity to express themselves in regard to democratic ideas and principles. Around 40,000 students participate in the competition each year and VFW awards more than $2 million in scholarships every year. The program was expanded to include middle school students with the Patriot’s Pen competition in 1995. Since then hundreds of thousands of students have participated. High school students (grades 9 – 12

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is partnering with GSK and the UNC Morehead Planetarium & Science Center to offer “Science in the Summer” for rising 2nd through 8th graders. The free program will be offered at the Alston-Massenburg Center, 416 N. Taylor St., according to the following schedule: Level 1 – 2ndand 3rd graders; Monday-Friday, July 19-23; 9 a.m.-noon Level 2 – 4thand 5th graders; Monday-Friday, July 19-23; 1-4 pm Level 3 – 6th-8thgraders; Monday-Wednesday, Aug. 3-5; 9 a.m.-noon There is no cost to participate, but due to limited seats in each session, registration is required. The online application is available on the Town website at http://bit.ly/WFScienceinSummer. Completed applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. Friday, May 28, and may be emailed to Recreation Specialist Garrett Bryant at gbryant@wakeforestnc.gov or delivered/mailed to the Alston-Massenburg Center, 416 N. Taylor St., Wake Forest, NC 27587. The theme for the 2021 Science in the Summer series is

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