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

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

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. ###

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. ###

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

Join us for the 19th Annual Jim Allen Group Gobbler’s Run 5K! Where else can you run with 2,000 of your closest friends, exercise before the biggest meal of the year AND help 1,000 kids at the same time? This family-friendly Thanksgiving Day event is a great way to support the community. The Wake Forest Boys & Girls Club receives 100% of the proceeds. Over the years, Gobbler’s Run has donated more than $850,000! The 3.1 mile loop is an easy stroll through downtown and historic Wake Forest. Push your kids or bring your dog – strollers and pets are welcome. Registration is easy. Kids 5 & under are free! You’ll get a race T-shirt and be able to eat more turkey without the guilt! To register, or for more info, visit www.gobblersrun.com. See you on Turkey Day! ###

After over 30 years, management of the Wake Forest Historic Home Tour is transitioning from the Wake Forest Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) back to the Wake Forest Woman’s Club. The Woman’s Club introduced the Historic Home Tour in the 1980s and later partnered with the HPC to co-host the event. In the decades that followed, the holiday tour has become a beloved community event offered every other year. All was well until 2020 when the tour was canceled due to COVID. According to Senior Planner for Historic Preservation Michelle Michael, the pandemic ushered in a new era for the event marked by a drastic decline in the number of property owners willing to showcase their homes. “COVID changed the way the community interacts in many ways but especially when it comes to people opening their private homes to the public,” said Michael. “People simply aren’t as open to inviting 2,000

The Wake Forest Police Department is accepting monetary donations through Saturday, Nov. 23, as part of its 18th Annual Turkey Drive. Area residents can support this worthy cause by submitting online donations at http://bit.ly/WFPDTurkeyDrive.  Cash and checks written to the Wake Forest Police Department are also accepted. Anyone wishing to contribute cash or check to this year’s Turkey Drive should contact Officer K. Abshire at kabshire@wakeforestnc.gov. All monetary donations will be used to purchase additional turkeys.  On Saturday, Nov. 23, the Police Department will accept monetary donations and donations of frozen turkeys at the WFPD Substation, 225 S. Taylor St., from 9 a.m. until noon. Police officers and staff will then distribute the turkeys while they last on Monday, Nov. 25, from 8-11 a.m., at the Tri-Area Ministry Food Pantry, 149 E. Holding Ave.  ###

If you’re looking for a “hauntingly” good time this fall, then don’t miss the Spirits of Wake Forest ghost walk in downtown Wake Forest. Now in its fifth year, Spirits of Wake Forest is presented by Wake Forest Downtown (WFD), Inc., in partnership with Firebox Theatre Company. Downtown Wake Forest’s buildings and sidewalks have seen well over 100 years of history, and they have some spooky stories to tell! Join WFD, Inc. and Firebox Theatre Company’s incredible cast of storytellers to learn about the tragic train wrecks, frightening folklore, and restless spirits that make up just a small piece of downtown’s haunted history. These tours will be offered on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, from September 26 through October 31, according to the following schedule: Tickets are $20 each and go on sale Wednesday, Sept. 4, at 10 a.m. at https://bit.ly/SpiritsofWF. Please note: Tickets are non-refundable/non-transferable and must be purchased in advance. Tours