Eleven beautiful gardens will be available for viewing during the Wake Forest Garden and Art Tour 2022, and each garden will host one of our talented local artists demonstrating his or her talent over the weekend of Friday and Saturday, April 29 and 30. The tour is sponsored by the Wake Forest Garden Club. Tour hours are 2 to 5 p.m. on Friday, April 29, and 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 30. The Garden Tour tickets include food and wine at the After Party on the grounds of the Wake Forest Historical Museum at 414 North Main Street. The After Party starts at 5:30 and ends at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 30, 2022.  The food will be catered by The Lemon Tree of Wake Forest and Wine 101 will supply the wine and beer. Tickets are $35 per person and will go on sale on March 15

The Wake Forest Police Department is partnering with Wegmans to host “Operation Medicine Drop” Saturday, April 30, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. inside Wegmans at 11051 Ligon Mill Road. The drop-off area will be situated just inside the main Wegmans entrance facing Dr. Calvin Jones Highway/NC 98 Bypass. Operation Medicine Drop (OMD) is a prescription and over-the-counter medication take-back initiative that promotes proper medication disposal. By providing a safe and secure way for people to get rid of unwanted pills, tablets, and other medications, OMD helps prevent accidental poisonings and drug abuse, while also protecting local rivers and streams. The service is free, anonymous and no questions will be asked. Participants can help onsite personnel properly identify and sort the medications by disposing expired, unused, or unwanted medicine in their original containers with the drug labels intact. All the medications collected during the drop-off event will be secured by

The Town of Wake Forest and several local veterans’ organizations will continue their monthly flag-raising ceremonies in Town Hall’s Centennial Plaza on Monday, May 2, at 11 a.m. The 39th Wake Forest Memorial Flag-Raising Ceremony will honor Thomas Wright who served his nation in the U.S. Army during World War II. Members of Wright’s family have been invited to participate in the service, which will include patriotic songs, special remarks, a memorial wreath laying, and the ceremonial flag-raising by the Wake Forest Fire Department Honor Guard. In honor of Wright and his service to our country, both the American flag and the U.S. Army service flag, in recognition of the military branch in which he served, will fly in Centennial Plaza throughout May. Photographs and other remembrances of Wright will also be displayed in Centennial Plaza during the ceremony, then in the Town Hall lobby through the end of the month.

The Town of Wake Forest will accept applications through Saturday, April 30, from food truck vendors interested in participating in the 2022 Fireworks Spectacular for this year’s Fourth of July celebrations. The online application is available at http://bit.ly/WFFireworksSpectacular. The fee is $175, and the event includes space for up to 14 food vendors. This year’s Fireworks Spectacular is scheduled for Sunday, July 3, at Heritage High School, 1150 Forestville Road. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., but food trucks are required to arrive and set up between 3 and 4 p.m. Participating food trucks are required to obtain all necessary Wake County permits, including a Mobile Food Unit (MFU) permit and ServSafe certificate. Each vendor must also complete a background screening and provide a copy of its Certificate of Insurance designating the Town of Wake Forest as an additional insured for the event date. A minimum of $1,000,000 in insurance is required. The

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is offering a limited edition water bottle highlighting E. Carroll Joyner Park as the first in a series of “Health & Wellness” merchandise available for purchase. As part of its mission to promote health and wellness in our community, the PRCR Department plans to sell various items over the next several months as a way of encouraging citizens to stay active. Available for $20 each (while supplies last) at https://bit.ly/PRCRMarketplace, the “Find Joy in Joyner Park” water bottle reflects the rustic charm of Joyner Park with a special emphasis on the park’s pecan grove. Water bottle orders must be picked up at Joyner Park Community Center, 701 Harris Road, during normal operating hours (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-8:30 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m.-noon). Please present a copy of your email receipt as proof of purchase. Proceeds from merchandise sales will help support the PRCR Department’s specialized programming for

In a recent ceremony the State Employees Credit Union (SECU) Foundation announced a $40,000 grant for the Wake County non-profit, Note in the Pocket. The funding will help advance Note in the Pocket’s vision for the operation and continued growth of its clothing program for underserved school-aged children, with strategic goals to expand distribution sites, service areas, and develop a statewide model to further increase its impact in the state. Note in the Pocket became an official ministry in 2012 through Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church and received its non-profit status a year later.  They now serve 5,000 children annually, partnering with various schools, community groups, and social services agencies to distribute quality clothing to children from homeless and low-income families.  The organization’s goal is to donate a full wardrobe of matching, stylish, school-appropriate clothing to children in need.  Each set is accompanied with a note that reads “You

The Wake Forest Technology Advisory Board is inviting area middle school and high school students and their families to the 2022 Wake Forest STEM Saturday on Saturday, April 30. Presented by the Wireless Research Center, this free family networking event is scheduled from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. at Joyner Park Community Center, 701 Harris Road. Celebrating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, STEM Saturday will expose students to a variety of STEM career options, while featuring STEM-related exhibits, demonstrations, and hands-on learning activities. STEM Saturday will also include several interactive booths where representatives from a variety of local businesses, schools, and organizations will engage with parents and students, share professional insights and experiences, and offer an array of interesting demonstrations. Throughout STEM Saturday, youth can experience the wonders of STEM hands-on, ask questions, and be inspired to pursue a degree or occupation in a related field. A special thanks to our 2022

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department will host an online esports gaming tournament featuring “Rocket League” on Saturday, April 23. Open to players ages 10 and older, the online tournament is free to play and will be live streamed on Twitch.tv. Registration is open through Wednesday, April 20, at https://wakeforestnc.recdesk.com/Community/Home. Teams comprised of three players each will compete in what is scheduled to be a single-day tournament to be run in conjunction with “Bull City Gaming.” In the event more than 32 teams register, the tournament will expand to two days with the qualifying rounds taking place on April 23 and the top eight teams battling it out in the finals on Sunday, April 24. As an added incentive, the first 30 people to register will have their name entered into a drawing for a chance to win a Nintendo Switch. Only tournament participants are eligible to win. The

The Recreation Advisory Board will host a family-friendly 5K/3K walk/run as part of National Trails Day on Saturday, June 4, at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road. Check-in on the day of the event starts at 7 a.m., and the race begins at 8 a.m. Online registration is available at www.wakeforestnc.gov/meetings-events/national-trails-day-5k. The entry fee for the 5K is $25 before March 31; $30 from April 1-May 14; $35 from May 15-June 2; and $40 the day before and day of the race. The entry fee for the 3K is $20 before March 31; $25 April 1-May 14; $30 May 15-June 2; and $35 the day before and day of the race. Please note: Registrations will be accepted on the day of the event. Everyone who registers before May 15 will receive a race T-shirt. The National Trails Day 5K/3K is a timed walk/run for children and adults. Strollers are welcome

Updated March 23, 2022) Plans under review at the Wake Forest Planning Department The March issue of the Monthly Report is listed below. *White Street Townhomes is a plan for 82 multifamily units and 30 townhouse lots on two lots owned by David Smoot at the intersection of South White Street and East Holding Avenue. This is a major change from the original plan for 79 townhouse lots. *Wake Union Church Road is the name for this proposed project but it is the former Parker-Hannifin (Schrader) site with a federal brownfield designation because of the trichloroethene (TCE) and other chemical and petroleum contamination in the groundwater, a contamination which has spread. Parker-Hannifin has committed to remedy the problem. The plan submitted by Kimley-Horn is for 193,000 square feet of commercial space, 300 apartments and 89 townhouses along with streets and parking areas which cover almost all of the 50 acres.