The Wake Forest Fire Department is seeking dedicated volunteers to join its family of firefighters.  The WFFD is a combination department which means both career staff and volunteers are needed to operate. Although volunteers do not earn a salary, they are an integral part of the department’s community protection efforts and may receive a stipend per shift depending on their qualifications. As a result, serious, dedicated men and women are needed.  Responsibilities of volunteer firefighters include fighting fires, providing medical aid, assisting at emergency scenes, participating in training, and providing administrative support. Both certified and non-certified candidates are eligible, and there are no residency requirements, but volunteers must be willing to commit a minimum of 24 hours of duty crew each month. For more information, or to complete a volunteer application, visit www.wakeforestnc.gov/fire/fire-department-jobs. #

Updated November 10, 2021 Street and highway update The CSX Railroad crossing on Rogers Road has been a two-lane bottleneck since the road was opened in 2000. Help is on the way if the latest update from the North Carolina Department of Transportation will hold to its plan of beginning to construct a four-lane street bridge over the railroad tracks, which is the fall of 2022 or a year from now. Do not hold your breath because the date has slipped several times, but DOT’s financial situation is much better now so it may be true. Also, commuters from Wake Forest and much farther north are still waiting for the long-promised widening of Capital Boulevard. Currently the right-of-way acquisition and construction is not planned to begin until October 2024 for the first segment from I-540 to Durant Road/Perry Road. Apparently right-of-way acquisition for the next two segments, B and C,

The Town of Wake Forest and the Local Government Federal Credit Union will celebrate “America Recycles Day” on Monday, Nov. 15, by co-sponsoring a drive-thru paper shredding event. Free and open to the public, the shred event will take place rain or shine in the parking lot of the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St., from noon to 6 p.m. – or until the two paper shredding trucks are full. The occasion will offer area residents and businesses the opportunity to protect themselves from identity theft and dispose of confidential documents in an environmentally responsible manner. All paper will be shredded on-site, then recycled. Participants are urged to help reduce contamination by removing all non-paper materials in advance, such as plastic binders, plastic folders and metal tabs. In addition, items that can damage the equipment will not be accepted, such as wet or moist paper, hanging file folders,

The next monthly American Legion Post 187 famous Pancake Breakfast will be served on Sunday, November 14, 2021 from 8 to 12 a.m. The breakfast is presented every second Sunday of every month at the American Legion Hall, 225 East Holding Avenue, Wake Forest, NC., (Across the street from the Wake Forest Post Office). The breakfast offers a menu of pancakes, several types of sausage (mild and spicy), coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and orange juice. The aspect that has made the offering unique is that customers can eat as much as they care to for one low price. Adults eat for $6.00 per person – Children under 12 for $1.00 and children under 7 eat free. The proceeds from the breakfast are used to assist rehabilitating veterans. #

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 is partnering with Resources for Seniors to offer residents 55 and older free blood pressure checks and medication management classes on the second Wednesday of each month. Dr. Casey Baldwin of Resources for Seniors will conduct the blood pressure checks from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the Alston-Massenburg Center, 416 North Taylor Street. Then, from 12:15 to 1 p.m., she will lead a free medication management class. Dr. Baldwin will also offer the blood pressure checks and medication management class at the Northern Wake Senior Center, 235 East Holding Avenue, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the following days each month: First Monday and Thursday Third Friday Fourth Tuesday Again, the blood pressure checks and medication management classes are free, and no registration is required. For more information, email Dr. Casey Baldwin at caseyb@rfsnc.org. #

Three businesses are giving veterans special deals this week. Texas Roadhouse will pass out free meal vouchers to veterans between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. It is at 11440 Capital Boulevard. Cryo Wake Forest Recovery & Wellness Spa will receive 50 percent off all regular services all week. Veterans can also register for prizes. It is in The Factory at 1839 South Main Street, Suite 134. Mark Rosche, a USMC veteran and president and CEO of the Mark Rosche Group, offers four hours of business coaching for $600 ($1,000 value), and the first 10 veteran business owners will receive a free work session. Call 984-365-4992 to learn more. * * * * The Wake Forest Career Readiness Academy is an eight-month program that teaches high school seniors leadership skills, job training, financial literacy skills and more. In October students learned how to develop a personal brand. They created business cards,

Mark your calendars for Dec. 4 when the Northern Wake Fire Department will hold the Holly Jolly Market outdoors at the fire station, 7045 Stony Hill Road, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Northern Wake Senior Center will have a tent selling lots of craft items that have been created at the center. Support two worthy local causes by attending and purchasing. The Northern Wake Fire Department was created by joining the Falls Fire Department and the Stony Hill Fire Department. #

Below is a list of groups – and if your group is not included and should be – please send a note with the information to cwpelosi@aol.com. If the information about your group is wrong or out of date, please send a note with the corrections to that same email address. Aren’t we lucky to have so many groups that benefit our town and its resident! *American Legion Post 187 meets the second Thursday at 7 p.m. in the American Legion Hall at 225 East Holding Avenue. The dinner begins at 6 p.m. and costs $5. For information and membership, call Commander Dave Goetze at 569-0471 or visit www.alpost187.org. *American Heritage Girls (AHG) meets at 6:30 p.m. at Hope Lutheran Church on Rogers Road on the second and fourth Thursdays. Get in touch with Amy Minor at chrisnamy34@hotmail.com or see the website, www.hopelutheranwf.org. *The General James Moore Chapter of the

*The Wake Forest Farmers Market will be open from 10 a.m. to noon – winter hours – this Saturday, November 6, in the employee parking lot along South Taylor Street behind Wake Forest Town Hall. Local farmers and artisans will have meats, seasonal vegetables, bread, baked good and other local wares for sale. See the market’s Facebook page for information about the vendors and sign up for a weekly notice about the offerings that Saturday. Remember the Wake Forest Farmers Market is unusual in that it is owned by the farmers who sell their wares there. *Tri-Area Ministry Food Pantry at 149 East Holding Avenue is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every second and third Saturday and every Monday and Wednesday for food pickup. It serves more than 800 families in Wake Forest, Youngsville, Rolesville and their surrounding areas. Call 919-556-7144 for information about receiving food, volunteering and