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Forest Fest, a new town festival, debuts April 23

The Town of Wake Forest and Wake Forest Downtown, Inc. are inviting area residents to Forest Fest on Saturday, April 23. Celebrating the heart and history of Wake Forest, this free family-friendly event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. – rain or shine – along East Owen Avenue, in Centennial Plaza, and in the Town Hall parking lot.

The town has already decorated downtown South White Street and other Renaissance-area streets with green and white banners for Tree City.

Offering something for everyone, Forest Fest will include the Wake Forest Guild of Artists Spring Art Market, extended hours by the Wake Forest Farmers Market, and Historic Downtown Walking Tours offered by the Wake Forest Historical Museum. The occasion will also feature live entertainment and educational programming under the tent in Centennial Plaza and a game area for people of all ages to compete and have fun.

As a bonus, the Urban Forestry Board will also host the popular Arbor Day Tree Seedling Giveaway in the town hall parking lot at 301 South Brooks Street. As part of the seedling giveaway, Urban Forestry board members, town staff and volunteers will distribute over 3,000 ginkgo, persimmon, oak, and sweetgum seedlings to residents – while they last. These are all canopy trees which, when mature, will be over 60 feet tall and require a large lot for all the root structure which extends to and sometimes beyond the tree’s mature crown spread.

Volunteers will also be on hand to help residents decide which seedlings grow best in their respective yard conditions, demonstrate proper mulching and pruning techniques, and discuss simple, yet effective tree care practices. Volunteers will also share information about the Town’s Tree Steward Program.

Food and refreshments will be available for purchase at several downtown restaurants. Plus, the following food and dessert trucks will be on site: Longleaf Swine BBQ, Buoy Bowls, Not Just A Fry Guy, Lumpy’s Ice Cream, and Gabi’s Grounds Coffee.

A special thanks to our 2022 Forest Fest sponsors: American Liberty Mortgage, Bartlett Tree Experts, Camp Gladiator, Kaleidoscope Realty – Heather Loftin, Shorty’s Famous Hot Dogs, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest Federal, Warren Shackleford & Thomas, and Wild Birds Unlimited.

For more information about Forest Fest, visit https://bit.ly/WFForestFest or contact Downtown Development Manager Jennifer Herbert at jherbert@wakeforestnc.gov. Please note: Vendor applications for this event are no longer being accepted.

. . . and in the past

In years past the Town of Wake Forest and its Tree Board celebrated Arbor Day and receiving the Tree City recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation with children from Wake Forest Elementary School, a children’s choir, awards to the winners of a T-shirt art contest with celebratory T-shirts and a speaker who gave short remarks about the importance of trees to the town and to live as we know it.

All that took place in the Community House on West Owen Avenue where the big room was filled with proud parents, a host of Wake Forest Garden Club members and some dignitaries always including the mayor. The walls were covered by that year’s contest entrants for the T-shirt contest.

At some point the Arbor Day festivities were transferred to E. Carroll Joyner Park, and now they are downtown.

Anyone who has memories of the celebration in either location please tell the Gazette about them. Most people contacted about this had foggy memories.

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