Garden Club Festival to be held Oct. 19

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

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National Night Out promises fun, food, games

neighborhood groups, and homeowners’ associations to show their support for police-community crime prevention partnerships by participating in Wake Forest’s National Night Out (NNO) on Monday, Oct. 7. The event is scheduled from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Joyner Park Community Center, 701 Harris Road. NNO promises something for everyone, including a DJ, games, food, special prize drawings, and fire, police, and EMS vehicle displays, along with a variety of booths highlighting crime prevention and safety. Wake Forest Police officers will be on hand distributing information on topics such as vehicle security, home security, and personal safety. The police department will also offer a K-9 demonstration, D.A.R.E. presentation, and information on Neighborhood Watch, Special Olympics, and more. Although NNO is offered nationally on the first Tuesday in August, the WFPD schedules its event each year on the first Monday in October to take advantage of cooler

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Town updating its special events process

Special events are a key contributor to Wake Forest’s exceptional quality of life. In addition to numerous Town-organized annual events, such as Friday Night on White, Fireworks Spectacular, Good Neighbor Day, and Halloween Boo Bash, Wake Forest residents also enjoy many “Community Events.” These are Town-permitted special events in a public area (Festival Street/East Owen Avenue, South White Street, etc.) that a business, church, community group, or other organization plans, manages, pays for, and executes after applying for and receiving a Special Event Permit. Examples of “Community Events” include Meet in the Street (Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce), Cars & Carnivores (Wake Forest Rotary Club), and the Lighting of Wake Forest (Wake Forest Downtown, Inc.) – just to name a few. As part of the Town’s process for permitting Community Events, Wake Forest staff must approve the event location and may require the involvement of Police, Public Works, and/or

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‘Spirits’ return to downtown Wake Forest

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

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Lots of neighbors driving illegally

On Thursday evening, Sept. 19, officers from the following law enforcement agencies and organizations conducted a Saturation Patrol throughout Wake Forest and Rolesville: Wake Forest Police Department, Rolesville Police Department, Zebulon Police Department, Knightdale Police Department, Wake County Sherriff’s Office, NC State Highway Patrol, NC Division of Public Health, Forensic Tests for Alcohol, and MADD (see attached photo). These agencies operated under territorial/subject matter jurisdiction or existing mutual aid agreements.  The detail was designed to “saturate” Wake Forest and Rolesville with law enforcement to reduce crashes that result in property damage, injuries, and deaths due to motor vehicle violations. Such violations include, but are not limited to, impaired driving, distracted driving, speeding, reckless driving, aggressive driving, racing, and lack of seatbelt use.  The operation yielded 98 traffic-related charges which included:  Police also arrested two individuals – one for DWI and the other for a concealed weapon violation.  The Wake Forest

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‘Go Wake Forest’ webpage describes new service

Beginning Tuesday, Oct. 1, the Town of Wake Forest will introduce a town-wide microtransit pilot program called “Go Wake Forest.” Microtransit is a ridesharing service that operates similarly to Uber and Lyft, connecting riders directly to destinations from their doorstep. In anticipation of the October 1 launch, the Town has launched a Go Wake Forest web page that provides comprehensive information about the new microtransit service.  Available at www.wakeforestnc.gov/transportation/go-wake-forest, the site includes a section of Frequently Asked Questions (and answers), along with a link to the online service district map. Prior to the launch of Go Wake Forest, the page will provide detailed instructions on how to use the service. All residents and visitors within the Town of Wake Forest’s jurisdiction will be eligible to use the on-demand transit service.  During the pilot phase of the microtransit service, Town officials will work to resolve any issues through rigorous testing and rider

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The Growth Rate

Based on the July 2024 Monthly Development Report, WF Planning Updated August 6, 2024 With new staff members, the Wake Forest Planning Department has been able to catch up with the monthly reports, and the latest is for July 2024. The only change in the July report is the removal of #33, the White Street project for commercial and residential use in one building that was denied by the Wake Forest Town Board.  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

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Long meeting lengthened by quasi-judicial hearing for burger joint, downtown plan

The Wake Forest Town Board met Tuesday night, September 17, 2024 as usual at 6 p.m. – and it was well after 9 p.m. when the mostly silent commissioners and mayor could adjourn. It was not a long agenda, but several items took a long time. There was only one proclamation read, and it was to recognize October as P.A.N.D.A.S. Awareness Month with JJ Wilson and his parents behind Mayor Vivian Jones as she read the document and said this was the 11th year she has done so. JJ was afflicted by the condition as a young child after strep throat; it continues to inflict damage to his body. This year the ceremony was followed by a 25-minute video about JJ, the disease and how it could afflict one in 200 Wake Forest children.  JJ’s doctors, Dr. Jean-Ronel Corbier and Dr. Paul Corbier, brothers practicing in South Carolina, had come

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Memories of a youthful trespasser

By Francis Lide, Wake Forest College Class of 1951 100 years of history – Wake Forest’s past remembered       In 1942, when I came to Wake Forest at the age of 12, my family rented the sandstone house on Durham Road built by Sybil Gulley. It was then the last house in town and across the road from the College’s golf course. Directly across the road was a small parking lot where the golfers, mostly faculty members, parked to start their round in the nine-hole course. The holes have long since been renumbered, but I’ll call that hole the first. It started on Durham Road and ran in a northeasterly direction alongside the Paschal’s pasture. {Like many other Wake Forest resident’s, the Paschal family owned at least one cow, probably had a pig fattening behind the barn and kept a coop full of chickens for the eggs and Sunday dinners.} In

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PrideFest welcomes everyone on Oct. 5

We’re thrilled to announce Wake Forest’s Inaugural Pride Fest, a celebration of diversity, love, and acceptance. Join us for a day of festivities, live performances, and community unity. There is something for the whole family! Pride Fest will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. along the festival section of East Owen Avenue and most of Brooks Street. DJ Gina will start the music at 11 a.m. followed by the Triangle Gay Men’s Chorus at 12:30 p.m. The Wake Forest Pride Kickoff will happen at 1 p.m. John Pavlovitz will take the stage at 1:30 followed by the School of Rock at 2:30 and Mary Selvidge at 4:15 to close out the day. The stage will be at the intersection of East Owen and Brooks. The Kids Zone with bouncy tents and other attractions will be set up in the parking lot near the stage There will be numerous

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