There will be something for almost everyone in Wake Forest this coming weekend. The lineup of events begins Thursday with the performance of “Hairspray” by Wake Forest High School actors and ends Sunday afternoon with the first installment of Six Sundays in Spring.
On Friday the fire department hosts its annual fish.
Saturday is just plain crowded with the Wake Forest Farmers Market in the morning, HerbFest all day long, a bluegrass and barbecue charity event in the afternoon and the Old Campus Trek that will draw Wake Forest University students and alumni to the Wake Forest Historical Museum.
“Hairspray” opens Thursday night
The Tony Award-winning musical “Hairspray,” based on the 1988 film of the same name, will be performed by Wake Forest High’s Renaissance Art Productions will be performed Thursday and Friday, April 24 and 25, at 7 p.m. and again Saturday, April 26, at 12:30 p.m. in the auditorium at the school on Stadium Drive. (The prom on Saturday night made the matinee necessary.)
The show is filled with 1960’s-style dance music and “downtown” rhythm and blues. In 1962 Baltimore, Maryland, plump teenager Tracy Turnblad’s dream is to dance on The Corny Collins Show, a local TV dance program. When Tracy wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight and meets a colorful array of characters. Hairspray is also a social commentary on the injustices that were part of American life in the ‘60s, especially racial segregation and socio-economic biases.
Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens and may be purchased at the door.
Fish Fry Friday at Station #1
There is no better eating and no way to beat the price at the Wake Forest Fire Department’s annual Fish Fry this Friday at Station #1 on Elm Avenue.
From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. the firemen and their friends will be dishing up plates loaded with a flounder filet, potatoes, slaw and hush puppies and adding a drink of your choice all for $8.
The desserts are extra – and worth the price because they come from local home kitchens. The firemen’s auxiliary organizes the dessert sale, and as always they need volunteer donations. Take your brownies or cake to the station on Elm Avenue Thursday night or any time on Friday.
There is free delivery of 20 or more plates if you call 919-556-1966.
The proceeds help the department which serves both the Town of Wake Forest and the unincorporated area around it in the Wakette fire district.
Healthy eating starts at the market
The Wake Forest Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. to noon in the parking lot behind CVS along North White Street, and this week some Wake County staff members will be at the market with fun activities around fruits and vegetables.
It is all part of the county’s Human Services Health Promotion Chronic Disease Prevention program. Staff will have goodies for families that will help reinforce healthy eating habits at home. You will find them at a table from 10 a.m. to noon.
There is a lot of healthy eating to be found at the market, including the fresh produce and herbs. There are local eggs in many colors, meats from local farms, and fresh baked goods including gluten-free.
Saturday you will find honey, fresh-cut flowers, bedding and perennial plants, home-made pasta and sauces, locally roasted coffee, wood crafts, garden ornaments, jewelry and locally made cheese along with new and returning vendors.
Find a list of vendors and special events at www.wakeforestfarmersmarket.org or go to the market’s Facebook page. You can also call 919-671-9269 for more information.
HerbFest offers wide variety
HerbFest has been in downtown Wake Forest for 14 years and is now the largest sale of organic, non-genetically modified (GMO) herb and vegetable plants in the Southeast.
Founder Bob Johnson specializes in low maintenance, organically grown natural perennials, herb plants, organic vegetables grown from organic seeds, herb crafts, cosmetic soaps and lotions and herb recipes as well as offering pony rides, children’s activities, live entertainment and educational seminars.
You will find it all at 525 South White, Festival Park, with its gazebo and festive flags.
It will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 25 and 26, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 27. It is open Wednesday and Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m.
Some bluegrass with your barbecue
The S.T.A.R. Children Relief Fund will raise money Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. at a bluegrass and barbecue event at the American Legion Hall on East Holding Avenue.
The Wildwood Valley Ramblers and other bluegrass groups will be playing, and the barbecue will be tasty. Bring along a lawn chair to sit awhile and enjoy the music.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children 10 and younger.
S.T.A.R. (Start Thinking About Romanian) Children Relief is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the many orphaned, abandoned and handicapped children throughout Romania. It was begun by Adriana and Tom Henderson and has many local supporters.
Find out more at http://www.starchildrenrelief.org.
The trek back to the old campus
One of the ways Wake Forest University, its alumni and the Wake Forest Birthplace Society keep memories fresh and glowing is by the annual Old Campus Trek where current students and lots of alumni meet where the college began.
There will be a series of programs at the Wake Forest Historical Museum on North Main Street, luncheon and tours of the old campus (now home to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) and the Calvin Jones House.
Many of the visitors will also be visiting downtown – and Shorty’s is sure to be the center of their attention.
The Hot at Nights lead off Six Sundays
It would not be spring in Wake Forest without Six Sundays in Spring, that outdoor, informal Sunday afternoon musical medley – everything from jazz to a capella — that draws hundreds to E. Carroll Joyner Park.
Jazz leads off the series with the Hot at Nights. Their description: “They are heavily influenced by the origins of jazz at the turn of the century, emblazoned by the raw and unbridled freedom of the 50′s and 60′s, and electrified by the external forcings of the 80′s. Chris Boerner (Foreign Exchange, Jeanne Jolly) on 8-string guitar, Matt Douglas (The Rosebuds, Erin McKeown, Harlequin) on woodwinds, and Nick Baglio (Jeanne Jolly, Foreign Exchange, Jean Morrison) on drums & keyboards make up the triumvirate of change.”
They will be on stage from 5 to 7 p.m. There are no lead-in acts this year so all performances for the series will begin at 5 p.m.
Six Sundays is sponsored by Wake Forest ARTS, the Town of Wake Forest and United Arts of Raleigh and Wake County.
Six Sundays is free, but there will be food vendors. You may bring a picnic along with your lawn chair or blanket. Alcoholic beverages and gas or charcoal grills are not allowed. Firearms and unleashed pets are also prohibited.
You are asked to park in the designated parking area.
The other acts in the concert series are Walking for Pennies on May 4; the EG Peters Band on May 11; Boneslinger on May 18; Thelonius on May 25; and Ironing Board Sam on June 1. Find more information at www.wakeforestarts.org and www.wakeforestnc.gov/six-sundays-in-spring.aspx.
