WFFD Station #1 no longer accepting donations, will accept money for Helene relief

The Wake Forest Fire Department announced today that Wake Forest Fire Station #1 at 420 Elm Avenue will stop serving as a Hurricane Helene collection site on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 5 p.m. In a statement announcing the decision to close the drop-off site that has been open since September 29, the WFFD wrote: “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has generously contributed to our Hurricane Helene Relief Effort, whether through donations, time, or service. “To all those who helped transport donations to Western NC, volunteered at Station 1 to sort and accept items, or supported the effort in any way – you have made a real impact. Your kindness has made a difference to those in need, and your efforts will never be forgotten. “Thank you again to our incredible community for your compassion and support. Together, we have shown that when times get tough, we rise stronger.

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Wake Forest crews remain in western NC

Most of the personnel and equipment Wake Forest has sent to the areas in western North Caolina affected by Helene remain there this week, though the crew and two trucks Wake Forest Power sent did their jobs and have returned home. However, a different Wake Forest Power crew and truck are ready to leave or will leave today for the west coast of Florida for the clean-up and recovery after Hurricane Milton strikes there this evening. They are responding to a mutual aid agreement. Remaining somewhere in the mountains are a Wake Forest fire engine and the brush truck with five fire fighters and eight Wake Forest Police officers and their vehicles. We can only hope they all remain safe as they undertake some dangerous work to help our fellow Americans here and in Florida. This information was provided by Bill Crabtree, the town’s Communications and Public Affairs director. ###

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Town to officially start ‘Go Wake Forest’

On Thursday,  October 10,  town officials will be in Centennial Plaza to officially launch “Go Wake Forest,” and they are inviting townspeople to join them, even though the new vehicles replaced Raleigh buses in Tuesday, Oct. 1. “Go Wake Forest” is a new ridesharing transit service that operates similarly to Uber and Lyft by connecting riders directly from their doorstep to anywhere in Wake Forest’s jurisdiction and Raleigh’s Wakefield neighborhood. (Editor’s note: When you click on the underlined words, you get to a map with just faint streets. If you click anywhere in the map you get a message that it is within the areas noted above.) (Editor’s note: There are two ways to use the van service. One is to download the app from the town’s website and follow the directions there. The other is to use the telephone number 984-342-2319 to book a ride. All rides are free.) The

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UDO and downtown plan get approvals

Tuesday night, October 8, 2024, the members of the Wake Forest Planning Board voted unanimously to approve both the new downtown plan and the comprehensive overhaul of the Unified Development Ordinance. After Jack Carso went through all the chapters in the proposed downtown plan, there was some discussion about parking decks. Matt Davis said it seemed to him there were “an awful lot” of parking decks and Elaine Sheppard said she had seen a lot of comments about the lack of parking during the implementation of the plan. Jennifer Currin, the interim planning director, said there was no timeline for implementation. There was no public comment. Adam Redler made a motion to approve, Anna Shope seconded and the vote was unanimous. Jackie Berg also went through the chapters in the proposed UDO, which is ready for adoption. During the months while planning staff and consultants have been working on the

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Dancing in a no-dance town

100 Years of History – By Carol Pelosi We have had a few diversions in the last few weeks in the chronology of Wake Forest history, but we left off in 1940 with the strict Baptists on the town board renting the new Community House to fraternities for – gasp! – dances. Dancing was … well, I’m not going to repeat all the jokes about Baptists and dancing. If you don’t know them, find a Baptist and ask. Baptists might have been concerned about, even opposed to, Dr. William Poteat’s teaching of evolution, but they loved Dr. Billy and he explained it to them. The communal Baptist uprising across the state – almost the next thing to a march on the campus – only happened in 1936 when the college trustees toyed with the idea of allowing dancing in one of those hallowed halls. And it was not only college

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Halloween Boo Bash will be held downtown

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department will host its annual Halloween Boo Bash Saturday, Oct. 19, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in Downtown Wake Forest. You read that right. The Boo Bash is coming to downtown! Presented by Capital Chevrolet, the Halloween Boo Bash is a free, family-oriented festival for children ages 12 and younger. After taking place for several years at E. Carroll Joyner Park, the popular event needed room to expand. Downtown is making that possible with “Sponsors Trick or Treat” along East Owen Avenue, food trucks along South Brooks Street, and games, inflatables, a photo booth, and a variety of ghostly games and activities on the Town Hall Campus, 301 S. Brooks St. Costumes are optional, but the best outfits will be featured on the Town website and social media pages. For more information about the Halloween Boo Bash, visit https://bit.ly/WFBooBash. (A local business, Broadsides and Brews

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Garden Club festival held October 19

Come and celebrate with us!  The Wake Forest Garden Club is celebrating 100 years of service to the Wake Forest Community.  This years’ Festival will take place on Saturday, October 19, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Find us on the grounds of the Wake Forest Historical Museum located at 414 N. Main Street in Wake Forest. Not just for gardeners, the Free Festival will showcase 24 vintage cars, 34 vendors, including Art vendors, Birding and Honey Farmers, and live music by “My Cousin Skinny” 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM.  The Wake Forest Garden Club will be selling plants and spring blooming bulbs. Outstanding plant vendors include Pine Knots Farm selling their famous hellebores and ferns plus Macon Gardens. You can take a lunch break at the VFW chuck wagon where they will be selling freshly grilled hot dogs, hamburgers, and sausages and you can top off your meal

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Lions Club annual spaghetti dinner Oct. 26

Wake Forest Lions Club is holding its Annual Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser on Saturday October 26 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the American Legion Hall located at 225 E Holding Avenue. Ticket prices are $12 for adults and $8 for children 4-12, and free for children under 3 years of age. Dine in or Take Out! Funds raised are used for our KidSight USA Vision Program which provides FREE vision screening for children. Tickets are available at the door or for presale by calling Lion Glenda Grant @ 919-306-4430  or Lion Glenn Day @ 919-539-3706. ###

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Buy poinsettias to fund an area scholarship

The Wake Forest Woman’s Club is sponsoring its 4th Scholarship Poinsettia Fundraiser during the month of October. Proceeds will support a Continuing Education Scholarship awarded to a graduating Wake Forest area student. The beautiful red poinsettias with green foil container covers are locally grown by Homewood Nursery and will be available for pickup in Wake Forest on Tuesday, December 3, 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm at the Wake Forest Baptist Church Sanctuary parking lot, 107 E. South Avenue, Wake Forest. Only preordered plants will be available at pickup. No sales that day. The plants are 6 1/2″ pots, 16-20″ tall, with six to eight blooms per plant and are offered for sale at $20.00 each. To order and pay for your plant, please visit www.wake-forest-womans-club.com The Wake Forest Woman’s Club works to strengthen the community and enhance the lives of others through volunteer service. ###

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Wegmans, WFPD join for drug take back

The Wake Forest Police Department is partnering with Wegmans for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s 2024 Fall Drug Take Back Initiative on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Wegmans, 11051 Ligon Mill Road. Weather permitting, the drop-off area will be situated just outside the Wegmans main entrance facing Dr. Calvin Jones Highway/NC 98 Bypass. The October 26 Drug Take Back is a prescription and over-the-counter medication take-back initiative that promotes proper medication disposal. By providing a safe, convenient, and responsible way for people to dispose of unwanted pills, tablets, and other medications, the event 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

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