According to USA Today Homefront, “Wake Forest’s cultural and historical attractions as well as its ideal outdoor temperatures draw in newcomers from all over.” These attributes gave Wake Forest the #10 slot of the best cities in North Carolina The research team also cited the following: Other Wake County cities making the top 10 are Cary (5) and Apex (9). To view the entire top 10 list, along with the full study and methodology, visit www.usatoday.com/money/homefront/moving/best-cities-in-north-carolina/.  ###

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department is hosting a free, monthly outdoor movie series through August at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road. Family Movie Nights at Joyner Park feature a variety of family-friendly film favorites and genres, including comedies, dramas, and action, all projected on a 26-foot inflatable movie screen in the park’s amphitheater. The series continues Saturday, June 15, at 8:30 p.m. with “Minions: The Rise of Gru.” Future film screenings are scheduled on Saturday, July 20 (Kung Fu Panda 4), and Saturday, Aug. 3 (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3). Showtime is 8:30 p.m. Anyone planning to attend is urged to arrive early as viewing space may be limited. Attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket and/or chairs but are reminded that alcohol, smoking, and unleashed pets are prohibited. Free and open to the public, Family Movie Nights also feature a movie-related

 Morgan Corporation, a contractor working on behalf of the Town of Wake Forest, has closed the greenway that connects the Flaherty Park Community Center, tennis courts, and pickleball courts, 1226 N. White St., with the Flaherty Park Dog Park, baseball fields, playground, and Wegmans Outdoor Fitness Court, 1100 N. White St. The closure is necessary to allow crews to repair the Flaherty Park Dam. Signage and barricades have been posted to inform the public of the closure. The greenway is scheduled to reopen later this year. During an inspection of Flaherty Park Pond in 2017, Freese and Nichols, a contractor hired by the Town, identified concerns regarding a potential dam breach and subsequent flooding. To address these issues, a comprehensive repair plan was developed that includes fortifying the dam with approximately 3,200 cubic yards of fill dirt. The total cost of the project is estimated at $951,277 and will be

The Wake Forest Police Department (WFPD) and Wake County Health & Human Services are partnering to make sure small children are safe in the car by offering a free Car Seat Check & Installation Event on Saturday, June 29, from 9-11 a.m. at the Wake Forest Library, 400 E. Holding Ave. Certified Car Seat Safety Technicians will be on hand to answer questions and assist parents and caregivers with the proper installation of their child’s car seat. Technicians will also let you know if your children are in the right seats for their ages and sizes and explain the importance of registering car seats with the manufacturer, so you can be notified if there is a recall. No appointment is necessary. For more information, email diana.browndiaz@wake.gov or call 919-250-3989. Anyone who is unable to attend the June 29 event but would like assistance installing their child’s safety seat can set up an

The Wake Forest Police Department will host a Touch-A-Truck fundraiser for Special Olympics NC on Saturday, June 22, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at The Factory, 1839 S. Main St. Families and children of all ages will be granted an all-access pass to police cars, fire trucks, a helicopter, boat, Humvee, military vehicles, and more. The cost is $5 per person and $20 per family of any size. All proceeds will benefit Special Olympics NC. Throughout the event, Wake Forest Police officers will also be selling 2024 Special Olympics NC Torch Run T-shirts for $20, and Two Roosters Ice Cream will be onsite selling sweet treats. For more information, contact Sgt. J. McArthur at 919-554-6150 or jmcarthur@wakeforestnc.gov. ###

Work on an NCDOT Bridge Preservation Project will continue to require overnight closures along Dr. Calvin Jones Highway/NC 98 Bypass through October. American Contracting & Services, Inc., a private contractor working on behalf of NCDOT, is alternately closing all lanes along eastbound and westbound Dr. Calvin Jones Highway/NC 98 Bypass from Ligon Mill Road to Galaxy Drive weeknights and (some) weekends from 9 p.m.-5 a.m. The lane closures are necessary to allow crews to preserve the bridge over Richland Creek. Detour signage will be in place each evening to manage traffic flow and safely direct traffic around the work area. Delays are expected, so motorists are encouraged to avoid the area if possible and plan an alternate route. The bridge rehabilitation project consists of milling and repaving the bridge approaches, repairing the concrete deck, substructure, railing, and bridge joint, epoxy coating the concrete girder ends, and treating the bridge deck. The

The number of Wake Forest Gazette advertisers has dwindled to two — Bright Funeral Home and Wake Electric — and the editor is encouraging local businesses to consider advertising with this online newspaper. (The Wake Forest Historical Museum and the Wake Forest Chamber of Commerce were added by the editor years ago because they are important parts of the town; Redwood Productions set up the current Gazette website.) The Wake Forest Gazette has been a reliable source of information about the town of Wake Forest since 2003. The free online weekly newspaper is always available at www.wakeforestgazette.com. The Gazette is the only Wake Forest newspaper consistently offering news about the Wake Forest Board of Commissioners and Planning Board, events in town, calendar, obituaries and a list of community organizations and meeting times. There are also articles about town history, opinion from readers and once in a while we even print

We are getting into summer and our vegetable garden is thriving. The local housing market hanging in there and is tracking about the same as it has for the last many months.   The local numbers are in for May 2024 and here is what is happening: The average price of single-family homes continues to increase and available homes for sale remains low. The mortgage rate for a 30-year fixed is not changing much, staying above 7%. Consequently, current homeowners holding mortgages with significantly lower interest rates have been reluctant to sell.   I do not expect significant home price decreases as long as listing inventory remains low. Here is an update for the end of May: A year ago, the average sale price of a single-family home in the Triangle was           $518,575 and increased $ 17,798 to $ 536,373 by the end of May.