Wake Forest’s town elections are managed by the Wake County Board of Elections and authorized by its charter granted by the State of North Carolina. State law says there are four forms of elections available to cities and towns but a town/city must choose one and codify it in its charter. Wake Forest has been chartered three times. First was in 1880 when it became the Town of Wake Forest College. In 1909, because of the name – apparently the college did not want to operate an electric system – it was rechartered as the Town of Wake Forest. The third rewriting and rechartering took place in 1972 after the town elected John Lyon, local grocery store owner, as mayor; vote-leading Ailey Mae Young as the first black town commissioner and second woman along with Tommy Byrne, retired Yankee’s pitcher, and John B. Cole, owner of a small store on

The 14th annual Wake Forest Purple Heart Dinner will be held Saturday evening, August 5, 2023 at Richland Creek Community Church, 3229 Burlington Mills Road, beginning at 5:30 p.m. This year’s guest speaker will be Jessica Dawn Lynch, a teacher and a private in the United States Army who was seriously injured and later captured by Iraqi soldiers during the battle for Nasiriyah on March 23, 2003. She was rescued by United States special operations forces on April 1, the first successful rescue of an American prisoner of war since World War II and the first of a woman soldier. Since the banquet was first held in 2009 in the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary gymnasium, formerly Gore Gym, the Purple Heart Foundation has honored all the area Purple Heart recipients it can find. Tickets for the banquet are $30 and are available from the Purple Heart board members or at

Good Neighbor Day, which the Town of Wake Forest has celebrated for 17 years, will be held at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road, on Saturday, Sept. 16, from 1 to 4 p.m. Hosted by the Human Relations Council, Good Neighbor Day is an annual celebration that brings together Wake Forest residents from all walks of life for an afternoon of free food, fun, and family entertainment. By bringing together a mix of cultures, music, ages and ethnicities, the event celebrates diversity and promotes goodwill among all Wake Forest citizens. Volunteers are critical to the success of the event and needed at various times between noon and 5 p.m. Volunteer duties will be general in nature and may include setting up, cleaning up, answering questions, and assisting attendees. Local civic groups and community organizations are especially encouraged to participate, along with local students interested in earning community service hours.

The Town of Wake Forest is accepting applications for its second annual Citizen’s Academy through Friday, July 14, at www.wakeforestnc.gov/citizens-academy. The Wake Forest Citizen’s Academy is a seven-week course designed to offer participants an educational and interactive experience on the workings of Town government. The curriculum will cover current Wake Forest programs, services, and procedures, and offer an inside look at several departments, including Public Works, Police, Fire, Communications, Finance, Planning, Engineering, Wake Forest Power, Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources, the Renaissance Centre, and Downtown Development. (Editor’s note: This is the year when we will elect three town commissioners. The academy would be an excellent way for any candidates who have not served in a local elected office to learn about the town and be more prepared if elected. There are now three announced candidates: first-term Commissioner Adam Wright, former planning board chairman Joe Kimray, Faith Cross, and Jim Thompson.

TING Internet has awarded $7,000 to the Wake Forest Public Art Commission to be used for a sculpture commemorating the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre’s tenth anniversary. The piece of art will be unveiled during the PAC’s Celebration of Arts at the Renaissance Centre on Saturday, Oct. 7. Free and open to the public, this family-friendly event will include food, music, and a variety of arts activities for children of all ages. Earlier this year, the PAC issued a “Call for Artists” for a permanent public art installation inside the Renaissance Centre lobby. Artists were encouraged to use the Renaissance Centre’s 10-year anniversary logo as inspiration. An Artist Selection Committee comprised of members of the Wake Forest PAC, Renaissance Centre staff, and other relevant parties will jury all submissions and select the winning artist. For more information, contact Renaissance Centre Specialist Debra Horton at dhorton@wakeforestnc.gov. ###