Wake Forest Downtown, Inc. and the Town of Wake Forest are issuing a “Call to Artists” through Monday, Nov. 29, for a Downtown Mural Project at https://bit.ly/WFDMuralProject. The goal of the initiative is to attract visitors to downtown through the use of art. To be eligible, artists must reside in Wake Forest or it’s ETJ or be a member of the Wake Forest Guild of Artists and reside in one of the following counties: Wake, Durham, Orange, Franklin, Granville or Johnston. An Artist Selection Committee comprised of arts professionals and representatives of the Town of Wake Forest, the Public Art Commission and Wake Forest Downtown will select the winner who will receive a commission and have their mural displayed on the exterior of a downtown building. For more information, contact Downtown Development Manager Jennifer Herbert at  jherbert@wakeforestnc.gov. #

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department will host an online eSports gaming tournament featuring “League of Legends” on Saturday, Nov. 13. Open to players ages 16 and older, the “Battle in the Forest” will be played online and live streamed on Twitch.tv. Registration is open through Wednesday, Nov. 10, at https://bit.ly/BattleintheForest. The cost is $5 per player. Teams comprised of five players each will compete in the tournament which will run in conjunction with “Bull City Gaming.” The top three teams in the Battle in the Forest will receive a variety of prizes and awards, including scholarships from Barton College Esports. League of Legends is an online battle arena esports game produced by Riot Games. Since its initial release date in October 2009, it has been one of the most popular eSports games worldwide. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/BattleintheForest or contact Recreation Center Supervisor Garrett Bryant at 919-554-6189 or gbryant@wakeforestnc.gov. #

The Wake Forest Police Department is accepting monetary donations through Saturday, Nov. 20, as part of its 15th Annual Turkey Drive. Area residents can support this worthy cause by submitting online donations via PayPal at http://bit.ly/WFPDTurkeyDrive. Cash and checks written to the Wake Forest Police Department are also accepted. Anyone wishing to contribute cash or check to this year’s Turkey Drive should contact Officer K. Abshire at kabshire@wakeforestnc.gov. Officials are considering several options for safely distributing the turkeys this year. Additional information will be provided once plans are finalized. The WFPD organized its first Turkey Drive in 2007. Since then, the department has distributed nearly 10,000 turkeys to needy families in our area, including over 800 last year. #

Area residents are invited to enjoy the vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows of autumn while also learning about native trees during a series of “Fall Foliage Tours” in early November at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road. Urban Forestry Coordinator Luke Devores will offer the free, one-hour tours “rain or shine” on Wednesday, Nov. 3, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 6, at noon and 2 p.m.   Parents and children of all ages are welcome, and no registration is required. Anyone interested in participating is encouraged to assemble in front of the Joyner Park Community Center. For more information, contact Urban Forestry Coordinator Luke Devores at 919-435-9565 or ldevores@wakeforestnc.gov.

If you’re looking for a “hauntingly” good time this fall season, then don’t miss the “Spirits of Wake Forest” ghost walk in downtown Wake Forest. Presented by Wake Forest Downtown, Inc., in conjunction with Forest Moon Theater, these tours will be offered on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, September 30 through October 30, at 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Downtown Wake Forest’s buildings and sidewalks have seen well over 100 years of history, and they have some spooky stories to tell! Join Wake Forest Downtown and Forest Moon Theater’s incredible cast of storytellers to learn about the tragic train wrecks, murderous mamas and restless spirits that make up just a small piece of downtown’s haunted history. Tockets are $15 for adults and $12 for children 10 and under. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, Sept. 8, and must be purchased in advance at https://bit.ly/SpiritsofWF. Please note: Tickets are non-refundable/non-transferable. Tours will take place rain or shine.

Commander Joe Csuka of the Wake Forest Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Post 8466 reminds area students that this year’s VFW Student Essay competition is still ongoing. 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

Peter Kima, a Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce board member, is working to collect 300 winter coats before the end of October. If you have coats in sizes from infant to adult that your children have outgrown, please drop them off at the chamber office. * * * * The chamber is creating a new alliance, the Veterans Business Alliance. If you are a chamber member and a veteran, please get in touch with the chamber office to let them know of your interest in the alliance. * * * * Registration is now open for this year’s Sporting Clays Tournament presented by B & W Hardware on Nov. 4 at the Rose Hill Estate in Nashville. Go to the chamber’s website to register and get all the information. * * * * Need employees? As a benefit of your Chamber membership, you can post your job openings at