Town has BIG building plans

During Friday’s annual town board retreat at the Renaissance Centre, Town Manager Kip Padgett briefly discussed six major building possibilities or plans in the town’s future. He did not put a dollar amount on any project, just talking about its need. Number one is the expansion of Wake Forest Fire Station #1 on Elm Avenue, the department’s headquarters. “We added 15 new fire fighters to station one (they are currently in recruit school) so we can add another engine company to the downtown station.  This is one of our older stations and needs some updates to accommodate for growth.” Those 15 recruits can be seen around town, running to build endurance in yellow T-shirts. Fire Chief Ron Early said he has no trouble finding qualified recruits; over 100 people applied for the 15 positions. Station #1 was built in 1983 or shortly thereafter as the result of the contract the

Read More »

WF Power going underground, planting trees

Friday’s town board retreat began with Kathy Moyer with ElectriCities explaining how that entity came about and how it helps the 73 cities in North Carolina who own and operate their own power systems. Those cities, she said have 42 percent fewer outages than other systems who use power from Duke Power, which is the sole provider for Wake Forest Power. The largest percentage of Duke Power, Moyer said, is produced by nuclear plants, and only 10 percent is from coal plants, which Duke is committed to retiring. Solar, wind and hydro are increasingly part of the power mix, and Commissioner Adam Wright interjected that more nuclear, some of it innovative also plays a part. Moyer said that the portfolios for the power mix continue to change, adding renewables and cleaner technologies. N.C. public power customers experience 42% fewer outages and are without power 36% less time compared to both

Read More »

Smoking, teen vaping discussed Feb. 15

The Town of Wake Forest is partnering with Wake County to host “Clearing the Air: Navigating COVID-19, Tobacco Cessation & Vaping Realities” Thursday, Feb. 15, from 6-7 p.m. at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the use of e-cigarettes is unsafe for kids, teens, and young adults. Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine which is highly addictive and can harm adolescent brain development. Youth e-cigarette and cigarette use have also been associated with mental health symptoms, including depression. The February 15 workshop will explore these, and other health risks associated with smoking and teen vaping, offer effective tobacco cessation strategies, and share the latest on COVID-19. Free and open to all, the event will feature an interactive panel discussion moderated by Dr. Rasheeda Monroe MD of the UNC School of Medicine and Director of the Kenan Urban Scholars. Panelists will include Dr.

Read More »

‘Black History Expo’ at A-M Saturday, Feb. 10

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is partnering with Wake Forest native Ronald “Skip” Parker to host a “Black History Expo” Saturday, Feb. 10, from noon-4 p.m. at the Alston-Massenburg Center, 416 N. Taylor St. Free and open to the public, the expo will feature on display many of Parker’s unique and authentic antiques and collectibles from the mid-1800s through the mid-1900s, including an 1842 wooden washboard, a vintage 1954 DeLaval stainless steel milk can, antique dolls depicting Rosa Parks, Ida B. Wells, Ella Fitzgerald, Katherine Johnson, and Maya Angelou, and much more. For more information, email Community Center Supervisor James Triplette at jtriplette@wakeforestnc.gov. For information on all of Wake Forest’s Black History Month events, including our Black History Month Walking Tours and “Jackie Robinson: A Game Apart,” visit https://bit.ly/WFBlackHistoryMonth. ###

Read More »

‘Jackie Robinson: A Game Apart’ here Feb. 24

 Mike Wiley Productions will present two free performances of “Jackie Robinson: A Game Apart” in Wake Forest on Saturday, Feb. 24. The first performance will take place at 11 a.m. at the Alston-Massenburg Center, 416 N. Taylor St., while the second show is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St. “A Game Apart” provides a glimpse of Jackie Robinson’s life during a bygone era of separate and unequal locker rooms, whites-only hotels, and restaurants with only a back door for colored athletes to enter. Witness the hopeless humiliation of a star player who was showered with adulation on the field and became a second-hand citizen when he walked off the diamond. Meet Jackie’s compatriots fighting the same battles between the end zones, inside the ring,  and around the track.  A powerful lesson of courage through dedication, perseverance, and leadership, “A Game Apart” is part of the Wake

Read More »

Town begins major road repair/resurfacing

The Town of Wake Forest is about to begin a major road rehabilitation and resurfacing project targeting over 20 local streets and roadways. The 2024 Road Resurfacing Project will consist of concrete work which will begin in mid-January, and asphalt work that is scheduled to start in March (weather permitting). The initiative will involve full depth patching, roadway repairs, and repaving, along with the replacement and repair of curb and gutter. Several black ADA ramps will also be replaced with yellow mats per national standards. On Monday, Jan. 15, and continuing weekdays from 7 a.m.-4 p.m., Fulford & Jones, a subcontractor of Fred Smith Company working on behalf of the Town of Wake Forest, will begin concrete work along the following streets: Affected residents will be notified of work in advance by door hangers. During the scheduled work dates, these residents will be prohibited from parking their vehicles along the

Read More »

Free Black History Month walking tours

The Town of Wake Forest and the Wake Forest Historical Museum are partnering to offer free Black History Month Walking Tours of the Northeast Community at 1 p.m. on the following dates in February: Pre-registration is required by completing the online sign-up form at https://bit.ly/BHMWalkingTours. Space is limited to the first 15 participants to sign up for each tour. Led by staff from Historic Preservation Planning and the Wake Forest Historical Museum, the tours will include Olive Branch Baptist Church, Alston-Massenburg Center, the newly restored Ailey Young House, the African American Cemetery, and more. Along the way, each group will discuss the developmental and architectural history of the area, along with the significant men and women who shaped the Northeast Community. Tours are outside only and will not include the inside of individual homes or buildings. Each tour is approximately 90 minutes and will begin at Taylor Street Park, 416 N. Taylor

Read More »

PRCR to host online Esports tourney Feb. 24

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department will host an online Esports gaming tournament featuring the game “Street Fighter 6” on Saturday, Feb. 24. The tournament will serve as a qualifier for the BODYARMOR State Games FGC Gohon Kumite eSports Tournament in March. Results from this tournament will determine participant positioning in the BODYARMOR tournament. Open to players ages 13 and older, the online tournament is free to play on all consoles and PCs and will be live streamed on Twitch.tv. Registration is open through Wednesday, Feb. 21, at https://wakeforestnc.recdesk.com/Community/Home. Participants will compete in a one-on-one, single-day, double-elimination tournament to run in conjunction with “Bull City Gaming” and BODYARMOR State Games. The matches will be best of three, while the championship match will be best of five. In the event more than 32 participants register, the tournament will expand to two days with the qualifying rounds taking place on February

Read More »

WFPD and Torchy’s Tacos to raise money for Special Olympics NC

The Wake Forest Police Department (WFPD) and Torchy’s Tacos, 505 Dr. Calvin Jones Hwy., are joining forces to raise awareness and money for Special Olympics North Carolina (SONC). Area residents are invited to support the cause by visiting Torchy’s Tacos on Wednesday, Feb. 7, between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. For everyone who either mentions the fundraiser or presents the fundraiser flyer (attached), Torchy’s will donate 15 percent of their food and beverage sales to support Special Olympics. To download the fundraiser flyer, visit https://bit.ly/WFPDSpecialOlympics. The WFPD also accepts SONC donations year-round at https://bit.ly/WFPDSpecialOlympics. All funds raised go to SONC as part of The Law Enforcement Torch Run. For more information, Sgt. J. McArthur at 919-554-6150 or jmcarthur@wakeforestnc.gov. SONC is one of the largest Special Olympics programs in the world with nearly 40,000 registered athletes who train and compete in year-round programs in 20 different sports. The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports

Read More »

Cars & Carnivores meet again on March 23

Registration is now open for the Car Show during our 2024 Cars & Carnivores 2nd Annual Street Festival. Only register online through our Better Unite/Wake Forest Rotary Foundation webpage. There is no other way to register and you must pre-register. No Day-of Cash Registrations accepted. Watch out for scammers and do not pay anyone thru Facebook, Messenger or Email. The only way to register is online through this link: https://betterunite.com/WakeForestRotaryFo…/CampaignDonate We look forward to seeing you on Saturday, March 23, 2024! ###

Read More »