You’re invited to join Mayor Vivian Jones for the 2025 State of the Town Address & Dinner on Monday, Feb. 17, at 6 p.m. Presented by the Wake Forest Rotary Club, the event will take place at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St. During her remarks, Mayor Jones will reflect on the successes and challenges of the Wake Forest community over the past year. She will also outline the goals the Town will strive towards in 2025. Advance tickets are $15 per person and include a catered meal and dinner music by local performing artist Ronald Williams. Tickets can be purchased online with a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover credit card at https://bit.ly/WFStateofTown. Tickets may also be purchased at the Renaissance Centre Box Office with cash, check, or credit card. A limited number of tickets are available, so the event is expected to sell out. Dress for

Forest Fest returns to downtown Wake Forest on Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Presented by Wake Forest Downtown, Inc. (WFD), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to champion the economic health, growth, and vitality of downtown Wake Forest, Forest Fest is a family friendly event celebrating nature and outdoors in the heart of Wake Forest. WFD is now accepting applications from vendors and nonprofit organizations that wish to participate in this year’s Forest Fest. The online application is available at visit https://bit.ly/WFForestFest. Application and payment are due no later than Sunday, Feb. 9.  PLEASE NOTE: Food trucks have already been secured for this event, and no additional food vendors are needed. As interest in Forest Fest continues to grow, WFD is committed to securing vendors and nonprofits whose missions and efforts align with the purpose and spirit of the event. As a result, participating vendors and nonprofit organizations

The Town of Wake Forest is making it easier for community members to properly dispose of their tattered or worn American flags thanks to the efforts of a local Boy Scout. Andrew Horner, 14, and the scouts of Troop 500 recently constructed a flag retirement drop box (see attached photo) as part of Horner’s Eagle Scout Service Project. Made of wooden and aluminum panels, the red, white, and blue colored drop box is in the visitor parking lot of Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St., next to the utility payment drop box. A Wake Forest High School student, Horner says the flag drop-off box is an appropriate and respectful way to dispose of worn, tattered, or unserviceable American flags. “I decided on this project after seeing someone throw away a worn American flag,” said Horner. “I realized that many people don’t know the proper way to retire a flag, so I

The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St., is inviting artists of all ages to submit up to three works of art for its March exhibition entitled: “Land That I Love – A Tribute to Western NC.” Artists are encouraged to consider the title of the exhibition as inspiration for their submission. Designed to give visual artists an opportunity to display and sell their work in a gallery setting, the March exhibit will include 120 linear feet of hanging space and a medium-sized display cabinet to showcase 3D works. To learn more and/or apply, visit www.wakeforestrencen.org/tickets-events/2025-art-exhibits. The submission deadline is Monday, Feb. 10. Selected works of art will be displayed in the Renaissance Centre Arts Annex from Thursday, March 6, through Friday, April 4. The Renaissance Centre will honor the artists and their works during a special reception on Friday, March 14, from 6-8 p.m. in the Renaissance Centre Arts

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department is hosting a series of public meetings to solicit input from residents concerning the future of Taylor Street Park, 416 N. Taylor St. The first three meetings occurred on November 21, December 7, and December 10.  The PRCR Department will offer additional public input sessions at the Alston-Massenburg Center, 416 N. Taylor St., on Thursday, Jan. 16, at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 25, at 11 a.m.  Each session will include a brief presentation, followed by an open discussion where attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and share suggestions. Town staff will be on hand to answer questions and gather public input. Discussions will focus on PRCR’s efforts to apply for the Accessible Parks (AP) Grant Program. The Accessible Parks Grant Program provides $3.7 million in matching grants for parks and recreation for the construction of special facilities

Refresh for the New Year Workshop  Friday, January 17 at 10-12 PM  Join us for an engaging workshop focused on building resilience. You will learn helpful techniques and strategies to better handle challenges that may arise this year. At the end of the workshop you will make a unique keepsake that will help you on your journey toward creating a resilient mind.  For ages 16+   Registration requested: bit.ly/WakeForestLibraryEvents   Finding Your Customers in Wake County – Wake Tech Small Business Center  Wednesday, January 22 @ 6:30 – 8 PM  Learn techniques and tools to help identify and find the lifeblood of your small business. Owners and entrepreneurs need to grow or start- either way!  Limited seating. Registration requested: bit.ly/wakebiz   Wake Transit Plan Update  Saturday, January 25 @ 1:30 – 2:30 pm  Wake County is in the process of updating the 2035 Wake Transit Plan, the region’s investment strategy to improve and

There was little development activity in December. The Inspections Department issued permits for 15 single-family homes and seven townhouses. The department also performed pre-occupancy inspections for the following businesses: American Laundromat LLC at 12213 Capital Boulevard Navadhaanya LLC at 12223 Hampton Way Drive, Suite 100 St. John Properties at 1725 Heritage Center Drive, Suite 201 Visible Motorsports LLC at 745 Merritt Capital Drive, Suite 120 ###

Based on the November 2024 Monthly Development Report, WF Planning Updated December 17, 2024  The town keeps a running tally of approved projects with counts of those completed. The best inspections current estimate is that between seven and eight people move to town each day, moving into newly-built houses, townhouses or apartments and a few existing houses that were for sale. Projects under review 1. 418 Jones Dairy Road SP-23-11 is a request by David Williams Sr. to rezone 5.61 acres on the south side of Jones Dairy Road from RH rural holding and LI light industrial to NB-CD conditional neighborhood business to allow construction of two 24,502 square foot buildings side by side, one restaurant and one an office. The plans call for space for a public art statue and seven handicapped parking spaces. The Town Board voted unanimously to approve at their October 15, 2024 meeting. 2. Hawthorne

Below is a list of groups – and if your group is not included and should be – please send a note with the information to cwpelosi@aol.com. If the information about your group is wrong or out of date, please send a note with the corrections to that same email address. Aren’t we lucky to have so many groups that benefit our town and its residents? *American Legion Post 187 meets the second Thursday at 7 p.m. in the American Legion Hall at 225 East Holding Avenue. The dinner begins at 6 p.m. and costs $5. For information and membership, call Commander Doug Doster at 1-603-660-6948. *American Heritage Girls (AHG) meets at 6:30 p.m. at Hope Lutheran Church on Rogers Road on the second and fourth Thursdays. Get in touch with Amy Minor at chrisnamy34@hotmail.com or see the website, www.hopelutheranwf.org. *The General James Moore Chapter of the Daughters of the

Thomas (Tom) Harry Omohundro Greensboro Thomas (Tom) Harry Omohundro passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 12, 2025, at his home in Greensboro, NC. Tom was born in Greensboro on December 21, 1941, to Harry Monroe Omohundro and Inez Hines Omohundro. Tom is preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his sons Thomas Lyon Omohundro of Sausalito, CA, and Christopher Hines Omohundro (Jennifer) of Greensboro; his three grandchildren Jackie, Ellie, and Oliver; his sister Sue Omohundro Osborne, and her husband Frederick E. Osborne, Jr. of Wake Forest, NC; and eight nieces and nephews who adored their Uncle Tom. Tom graduated from Greensboro Senior High in 1961, then attended East Carolina College just long enough to develop a lifelong love of his Pirates football team. Recognizing that academics were better suited for others, Tom volunteered to serve his country by joining the US Navy. He managed to exit the