The first street festival of 2023 in downtown Wake Forest will be the new Cars and Carnivores event on Saturday, March 25, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. presented by the Wake Forest Rotary Club. Car enthusiasts and food lovers alike will gather during this free event to enjoy a steak cookoff competition, car show and various vendors along East Owens and Brooks streets. “We’re proud to offer this inaugural event for our community. If you don’t have a car, steak cookoff team or vendor booth to register and display, still join us that day to enjoy this unique street festival in our beautiful downtown,” said Darryl Banks, president of Wake Forest Rotary Club. Sanctioned by the Steak Cookoff Association (SCA), grill masters and steak lovers will compete for cash prizes during the Cars and Carnivores steak cookoff competition held in The Forks parking lot at 339 Brooks Street. A $1000

You’re invited to Forest Fest on Saturday, April 15, in historic downtown Wake Forest. Presented by Wake Forest Downtown, Inc. in partnership with the Town of Wake Forest, this free family-friendly event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. – rain or shine – in several areas throughout the downtown area. Celebrating the heart and history of Wake Forest, Forest Fest will include the Wake Forest Guild of Artists Spring Artisan Market inside the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St.; extended hours by the Wake Forest Farmers Market along South Taylor Street; and a variety of local vendor and non-profit booths with educational activities along Brooks Street and in the Town Hall parking lot. The occasion will also offer various children’s activities along East Owen Avenue and live musical entertainment in Centennial Plaza. In addition, the Urban Forestry Board (UFB) will again host the popular Arbor Day

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

The Town of Wake Forest and several partnering veterans’ organizations will resume their monthly flag-raising ceremonies in Town Hall’s Centennial Plaza on Monday, April 3, at 11 a.m. The 45th Wake Forest Memorial Flag-Raising Ceremony will honor Al Hinton, who served his nation in the US Navy during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Members of Hinton’s family have been invited to participate in the ceremony, which will include patriotic songs, special remarks, a memorial wreath laying and the ceremonial flag-raising. After raising the American flag, the Wake Forest Fire Department Honor Guard will raise the U.S. Navy service flag in recognition of the military branch in which Hinton served. Both flags will fly in Centennial Plaza throughout April. Photographs and other remembrances of Hinton will also be displayed in Centennial Plaza during the ceremony, then in the Town Hall lobby through the end of the month. Presented by the Town

Area residents can remove an invasive Bradford pear tree from their property and exchange it for a free native tree at the Wake Forest Bradford Pear Bounty Saturday, March 18, from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Public Works Operations Center, 234 Friendship Chapel Road. Registration is required at https://bit.ly/WFBradfordPearBounty and will remain open until the event reaches capacity. Trees are unable to be shipped or reserved for later pickup, so pre-registered participants must collect their trees from 9 to 11 a.m. Before registering, please note the following: • Only homeowners can register and receive replacement trees. • Tree removal is the homeowner’s responsibility. Select local tree care companies will offer Bradford pear tree removal discounts for program participants. • Pre-registered participants must take before-and-after photos of the Bradford pear trees they’ve cut down. • If the tree was not flowering when cut, an additional photo with a close-up of

The Urban Forestry Division (UFD) is celebrating Arbor Day this year by again offering a contest that tree lovers across Wake Forest are sure to love. From now through Saturday, April 1, the UFD will accept nominations from residents for the Wake Forest 2023 Tree of the Year award. Trees may be nominated for their size, species, historic significance, personal meaning, community benefit or general notoriety – but they must be located within the Wake Forest town limits. To submit your choice, visit http://bit.ly/WFTreeofYear, complete the nomination form and upload a photo of your tree. Finalists will be selected by Town staff, then voted on by the community during the week of April 3. The tree that receives the most votes will be announced as the winner during Forest Fest on Saturday, April 15. The person who submits the winning tree will receive a certificate crowning their tree as the

Based on the February 2023 Monthly Development Report, WF Planning Updated March 15, 2023 The updated Wake Forest population as of July 2022 is 54,274. In 2021 the population was 50,244. How rezoning and development requests are now heard Planning Director Courtney Tanner gave this response to a query: All legislative cases (rezonings) have a public hearing at the Commissioner meeting and a public comment session at the Planning Board. A special use permit has a public hearing at the Commissioner meeting. Administrative (correct zoning and comply with the UDO) cases are approved at the staff level. What town board approval means now Senior Planner Patrick Reidy explained what the town board’s approval of new subdivisions means under the new state and town requirements. “They approved the conditional rezoning/master plan. Both projects will need to go through Construction Plan approval before they can start site work. I would expect a

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department will present “Memorial Day Remembrance Walls of Honor” throughout May at E. Carroll Joyner Park, Alston-Massenburg Center, and Flaherty Park. In recognition of the service and sacrifice of women and men in uniform, these Walls of Honor will bear the names of as many as 500 veterans submitted by members of our community. Through Friday, April 14, the PRCR Department will accept submissions, including the names of veterans, both living and deceased, along with the military branch in which they served, for inclusion on each wall. Please note: Names included on the Walls of Honor last year will be included again this year and do not need to be resubmitted. There is no cost and no limit to the number of veterans each person can submit. However, the maximum number of names that can be accepted is 500. Complete details,