Mayor Vivian Jones spoke Monday night during the annual State of the Town Dinner at The Forks, addressing everything from resurfacing town roads to the $1.1 billion federal grant that will reshape the present CSX rail line, give the town a railroad station and provide for train service direct from here to Charlotte several times a day. The editor will attach it to the message she sends out to subscribers every Wednesday when the Gazette goes on line. For others, just send me a note and I will send you one. * * * * The Wake Forest Gazette is happy to announce that the town’s history book, “Connections . . . 100 Years of Wake Forest History” that was published in 2009 for the town’s centennial, has been digitized and is now available for free at https://lib.digitalnc.org/record/248642?ln=en#?xywh=-2068%2C692%2C4326%2C2510. The people who made it happen are Sarah Soleim at the Wake

The long-awaited, much anticipated opening of the Holding Park Inclusive Playground, 133 W. Owen Ave., will occur Saturday, March 2, at 7 a.m. The playground will be open daily from dawn to dusk. Due to the high volume of attendees expected throughout the opening weekend, free parking will be available in several lots on the campus of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) and along several side streets in the vicinity of Holding Park. Visitors are encouraged to make plans with family members and friends to carpool, use rideshare services, or take advantage of the free Wake Forest Loop (Saturday only) which offers stops less than a block away from the park. Designed to provide children of all abilities with a safe and fun place to play, inclusive playgrounds offer a sensory-rich play experience for every cognitive level and developmental stage. The Holding Park Inclusive Playground’s thoughtful design includes accommodations for

The long-awaited, much anticipated opening of the Holding Park Inclusive Playground, 133 W. Owen Ave., will occur Saturday, March 2, at 7 a.m. The playground will be open daily from dawn to dusk. Due to the high volume of attendees expected throughout the opening weekend, free parking will be available in several lots on the campus of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) and along several side streets in the vicinity of Holding Park. Visitors are encouraged to make plans with family members and friends to carpool, use rideshare services, or take advantage of the free Wake Forest Loop (Saturday only) which offers stops less than a block away from the park. Designed to provide children of all abilities with a safe and fun place to play, inclusive playgrounds offer a sensory-rich play experience for every cognitive level and developmental stage. The Holding Park Inclusive Playground’s thoughtful design includes accommodations for

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is partnering withPlay4Life Comics to host a Comic Book & Toy Expo Saturday, March 16, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Flaherty Park Community Center, 1226 N. White St. Free and open to everyone, the expo will feature over 20 vendors of your favorite pop culture nostalgia offering for sale vintage comics, rare action figures, popular Pokemon cards, and more. The PRCR Department has scheduled future Comic Book & Toy Expos on June 19 and November 9. For more information, email Community Center Supervisor Grayson Pridgen at 919-554-6726 or gpridgen@wakeforestnc.gov.

The Rotary Club of Wake Forest announces its 2nd annual Cars and Carnivores Street Festival featuring a steak cookoff competition, car show, vendors and food booths on Saturday, March 23, 2024, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. in historic downtown Wake Forest.   Following last year’s success, the free street festival on Brooks Street and Owen Avenue combines a love for classic cars with the passion for grilling while raising funds to pay off past-due medical bills for local cancer patients.   “Our inaugural event raised enough money to erase the medical debt of 26 local cancer patients through our partnership with WakeMed Health & Hospitals,” said Johnny Whitfield, Wake Forest Rotary club president. “We believe alleviating financial stress for cancer patients and their families during difficult times is important in our community. By entering the car show and steak cookoff, becoming a sponsor, attending our free street festival and buying lunch from our