The Town of Wake Forest and Wake Forest Downtown, Inc., are encouraging residents to shop and support small businesses during “Plaid Friday” and “Small Business Saturday” November 26 and 27. Celebrating the diversity and creativity of local and independent businesses, Plaid Friday is a fun and clever alternative to “Black Friday.” By wearing plaid the day after Thanksgiving and shopping locally, residents can show their support for the local economy. As part of Plaid Friday in downtown Wake Forest, members of the Wake & District Pipe Band will perform in Jones Plaza from noon to  1p.m., while participating merchants will offer special promotions and refreshments. The special offers will continue the next day during Small Business Saturday. Introduced by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday serves as the ceremonial kickoff to the holiday shopping season for small businesses across the United States. The purpose of the Shop Small campaign is to

The 2021 Wake Forest Cares Holiday Donation Drive is underway. As part of this year’s effort, area residents and businesses are invited to contribute online at www.wakeforestnc.gov/wake-forest-cares to one or more of the following Town-sponsored initiatives:   Helping Others by Providing Electricity (HOPE) Northern Community Food Security Team Shop with a Cop Wake Forest Firefighters Foundation Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Scholarship Program These programs are addressing specific needs in our community, including hunger, home lighting and heating, youth health and fitness, and providing joy and hope during the holiday season and beyond. The Wake Forest Cares Holiday Donation Drive is an opportunity to demonstrate our support for these important efforts. In addition to online donations, checks are accepted and should be made payable to Town of Wake Forest (include “Wake Forest Cares” in the memo line), then mailed to Town of Wake Forest, 301 S. Brooks St., Wake Forest, NC

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is inviting residents to “Cinema at the Center” on Saturday, Dec. 11, at the Joyner Park Community Center (JPCC), 701 Harris Road. The featured film will be “Frozen II” (PG). Admission is free and no registration is required. Bring your blankets, get cozy and get into the holiday spirit while watching a computer-animated comedy with a seasonal theme. Produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, “Frozen II” follows sisters Anna and Elsa, alongside Kristoff, an iceman, his reindeer Sven, and Olaf, a snowman, as they travel to the mythical Enchanted Forest to unravel the origin of Elsa’s magical power. Anyone planning to attend is invited to arrive early and meet Elsa and Olaf who will be visiting from 5:30-6:30 p.m. The movie will begin at 6:30 p.m. #

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department will host a “Snowball Dance” for residents with disabilities on Friday, Dec. 3, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Wake Forest Community House, 133 W. Owen Ave. Individuals with disabilities ages 10-30 are invited to an evening in “Winter Wonderland” featuring a DJ, dancing, refreshments and lots of fun. Chaperones will be made available for supervision, but participants are welcome to bring additional support if necessary.  The cost is $15 per person, and pre-registration is required at https://wakeforestnc.recdesk.com.  In addition, the PRCR Department is seeking peer-aged volunteers ages 12 and older to attend the dance and provide support by dancing, eating and socializing with the attendees. Anyone who is interested in volunteering can register via RecDesk under the program “Special Needs Snowball Dance VOLUNTEERS.” For more information, contact Specialized Programs Recreation Specialist Kelly Schurtz at 919-556-7093 or kschurtz@wakeforestnc.gov. #

The Town of Wake Forest has installed a “Letters for Santa” mailbox in Jones Plaza at the intersection of South White Street and East Jones Avenue. Children of all ages are invited to bring their letters to Santa’s Mailbox anytime between now and Friday, Dec. 24, for immediate delivery to the North Pole. No postage is required, but all letters should include a return address. In an effort to ensure the safety of Santa’s helpers who previously opened each letter individually, personal responses from Santa are not possible this year. However, the Town of Wake Forest has provided a letter from Santa that can be downloaded and personalized at https://bit.ly/WFLettersforSanta. For more information, contact Downtown Development Specialist Hallie Willis at 919-435-9430 or hwillis@wakeforestnc.gov.

After a year’s pause because of the pandemic, the in-person Wake Forest Community Christmas Dinner, the 74th, will be held this year, but due to COVID only half the usual number of tickets is being sold, 150 rather than 300. The dinner will be held on Monday, Dec. 6, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at The Forks Cafeteria. Tickets are $20 each for the buffet and available at The Forks Cafeteria, the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce and from local civic club members. The three community service awards – The Peggy Allen Lifetime Achievement Award, the Citizen of the Year and the Organization of the Year – will be presented, and there will be the usual raffle of the table decorations. Greg Harrington is this year’s chairman of the steering committee. Actually, there was a ceremony for the Christmas dinner in 2020. The members of the steering committee and Mayor

Ronnie Jackson, one of the voices for the 47 families who are being uprooted from their longtime home, Wellington Mobile Home Park, said recently, “Triangle Family Services is doing a good job so far. It is still going to be a challenge to find new places for people to live. The churches are helping tremendously.” There are about 30 families still at Wellington, and Jackson said they will need every dollar that has been raised so far through the GoFundMe page that ONE Wake, another voice for the families, has set up in partnership with the NC Congress of Latino Organizations. The families will receive the $375,000 pledged by the developer which is purchasing the property, but $375,000 divided 47 ways means each family will receive about $8,000, not enough to move a mobile home. The GoFundMe page below was set up with a goal of $40,000; only $7,235 has

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 Wake Forest Farmers Market will be open from 10 a.m. to noon – winter hours – this Saturday, November 27, 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