By Ed Morris (Ed Morris, the retiring director of the Wake Forest Historical Museum, says he wrote this for The Wake Weekly and the Wake Forest College Birthplace Society’s newsletter in January of 2009, the year of the town’s centennial. Today Wake Forest University is a nationally known university with a reputation for its many achievements in science, medicine, business, law and; this week I would be amiss, not to mention the number one basketball team in America. However, in its 175-year history it first entered the national spotlight in the 1920s. Dr. Charles E. Taylor had served admirably as its sixth president and oversaw the establishment of the law school and the school of medicine; however, Taylor was very much a man of the nineteenth century. The first Wake Forest president of the twentieth century was Taylor’s successor Dr. William Louis Poteat (1905-1927), who would serve though some of

Everyone is invited to participate in the National Day of Prayer in Wake Forest on Thursday, May 4. The National Day of Prayer begins with multiple churches joining together at 11:15 a.m. at any of these three locations: — Wake Forest United Methodist Church at 905 South Main Street — Feggins & Feggins Funeral Home at 430 North White Street — Olive Branch Church at 326 East Juniper Avenue. The three groups will each hold a 20-minute prayer walk to the Wake Forest Town Hall Plaza at 301 S Brooks St. At town hall we will gather at 12 noon by the flagpoles and hear proclamations for the National Day of Prayer from President Joe Biden, Governor Roy Cooper and Mayor Vivian Jones and prayers by our guest speakers. Afterwards, we all are invited to the Southeastern Baptist Seminary grounds at 1 p.m. for a wonderful outdoor community worship experience.

For the 41st time the town’s largest celebration, Meet in the Street, will draw crowds of people and over 200 artists and artisans and business vendors. Meet in the Street opens at 10 a.m. and continues to 4 p.m. There will be two areas for a variety of food trucks, a children’s village with a foam party and magician, a live music stage in a central position and something happening along multiple downtown streets closed to traffic. It is all hosted by the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce and presented by Capital Chevrolet. The free event will be held rain or shine. ###

May is Building, Electrical, and Deck Safety Month, and the Wake Forest Inspections Department is launching the observance with a “Building, Electrical & Deck Safety Month Kick-Off” Saturday, April 29, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Town & Country Hardware, 910 Gateway Commons Circle. Free and open to the public, the event will include free hot dogs – while they last. Inspections staff will also be on hand throughout the occasion to answer questions about building, electrical, and deck safety, along with the building permit process. Area residents are invited to come out and learn about the services the department offers, including Online Plan Review. Attendees can also talk one-on-one with Town inspectors about building safety, codes, and inspections as they pertain to common residential projects, such as decks, kitchen and bath remodels, and screened porches. The Inspections Department will also help raise awareness of building, electrical and deck safety by

Coach Chuck Hess will be the special guest speaker at the 43rd annual Trentini Scholarship Banquet on Saturday, April 29, at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts. Hess is a NC Sport Hall of Fame and a former Wake Forest High School coach. Please plan to attend to help celebrate our local extraordinary student athletes. Purchase tickets by going to the website at www.trentinifoundation.org. ###

The Wake Forest Technology Advisory Board (TAB) is inviting area elementary, middle, and high school students and their families to the 2023 Wake Forest STEM Saturday on Saturday, April 29. Presented by the Wireless Research Center, this free family networking event is scheduled from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Joyner Park Community Center, 701 Harris Road. Celebrating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, STEM Saturday will expose students in grades K-12 to a variety of STEM career options, while featuring STEM-related exhibits, demonstrations, and hands-on learning activities. STEM Saturday will also include several interactive booths where representatives from a variety of local businesses, schools, and organizations will engage with parents and students, share professional insights and experiences, and offer an array of interesting demonstrations. Throughout STEM Saturday, youth can experience the wonders of STEM hands-on, ask questions, and be inspired to pursue a degree or occupation in a related field. A special

“Happy Dan the Magic Man” will perform his one-of-a-kind magic and comedy show at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts Friday, May 5, at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free. Everyone laughs louder when Happy Dan the Magic Man is in the house. Happy Dan has traveled the world entertaining families for more than 30 years. His hilarious family shows are regular features at Southeastern festivals, comedy clubs, banquets, trade shows, schools, and family living rooms. He is more than an entertainer. He’s that slightly silly, can’t-wait-to-see-him, loving uncle that every child loves. Happy Dan’s zany character recalls the fun of live television hosts from years gone by. He blends the gentleness and homespun comfort of Mister Rogers with the silly antics and storytelling of Captain Kangaroo. His talents stretch to thoroughly holding the attention of children as young as three years to golden age adults. Wherever laughter and

The 2023 Juneteenth in Wake Forest will be a two-day event featuring the Alston-Massenburg Center, 416 North Taylor Street, on Friday, June 16, and the DuBois Center, 518 North Franklin Street, on Saturday, June 17. Friday’s event will run from 4 to 6:30 p.m. and will feature giveaways, Jay’s Italian Ice, and more fun before the crowd walks to the soon-to-open Wake Forest Food Hall at 303 East Roosevelt Avenue to purchase dinner from the various food trucks there. On Saturday the activities run from late morning to late evening. It all begins at 11:45 a.m. when participants will assemble for a recreation of the historic Freedom Walk. Then from noon until 3:30 p.m. there will be a festival with booths, fun and food. From 4 to 8 p.m. the scene shifts to the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts at 508 South Brooks Street where Eugene Brown, a

The Recreation Advisory Board will host a family-friendly 5K/3K walk/run as part of National Trails Day on Saturday, June 3, at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road. Check-in on the day of the event starts at 7 a.m., and the races begin at 8 a.m. Online registration is available at http://bit.ly/WFNationalTrailsDay. The National Trails Day 5K/3K is a timed walk/run for children and adults. A loop of the paved trails throughout Joyner Park will comprise the 3.1-mile course for the 5K and 1.8-mile course for the 3K. Strollers are welcome but will be placed at the back of the pack to allow runners a clear start. The entry fee for the 5K is $30 through May 14; $35 from May 15-June 1; and $40 the day before and day of the race. The entry fee for the 3K is $25 through May 14; $30 May 15-June 1; and $35