Friday Night on White (FNOW) returns to historic downtown Wake Forest on April 14 and continues the second Friday night of each month through September. This year’s FNOW promises to be bigger and better than ever this year thanks to a power-packed lineup featuring several of our area’s most popular bands. Our 2023 concert series will include The Magic Pipers (April 14); Sleeping Booty (May 12); Love Tribe (June 9); The Brickhouse Band (July 14); Stone Age Romeos (August 11); and Crush (September 8). Each concert is scheduled from 6-9 p.m. A variety of sponsorships remain available for FNOW which drew well over 50,000 people to downtown Wake Forest in 2022. Each sponsorship is guaranteed to bring attention and recognition to local businesses through on-site exhibit space; assorted radio and television ads; printed posters, flyers, and banners; social media posts; email announcements and more. Attendance at each concert in 2022

Nothing could be more romantic than treating your special someone to a Valentine’s Brunch featuring Shana Tucker. The talented cellist and singer-songwriter will headline this special event on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 11 a.m. at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St. Tucker invites you in with her voice and captures your heart with her unique ChamberSoul style. She’s opened for heavy hitters, including the Indigo Girls and Blind Boys of Alabama and played several years in Las Vegas with Cirque du Soleil. Reserved seats are $60 each (plus tax) and include a brunch buffet catered by Cannon Catering. Tickets can be purchased online with a Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover credit card at www.wakeforestrencen.org/tickets-events. Advance tickets may also be purchased with cash, check, or credit card at the Renaissance Centre Box Office, 405 S. Brooks St. For more information, including the brunch buffet menu, visit www.wakeforestrencen.org/

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department will host an online esports gaming tournament featuring “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” Saturday, Feb. 25. Open to players ages 10 and older, the online tournament is free to play and will be live streamed on Twitch.tv. Registration is open through Wednesday, Feb. 22, at https://wakeforestnc.recdesk.com/Community/Home. Participants will compete in a one-on-one, single-day, double-elimination tournament to be run in conjunction with “Bull City Gaming.” Matches will be best of three the championship match being best of five. In the event more than 32 people register, the tournament will expand to two days with the qualifying rounds taking place on February 25 and the top eight participants battling it out in the finals on Sunday, Feb. 26. As an added incentive, the first 30 people to register will have their name entered into a drawing for a chance to win a HORI Nintendo

Kick off the New Year by tickling your funny bone at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre. Comedian Jen Kober will deliver her original blend of stand-up comedy, storytelling, and improvised rock-n-roll humor from the Renaissance Centre stage on Friday, Jan. 27, at 7:30 p.m. Advance tickets are $20 each plus tax and can be purchased online with a Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover credit card at www.wakeforestrencen.org/tickets-events. Advance tickets may also be purchased with cash, check, or credit card at the Renaissance Centre Box Office, 405 S. Brooks St. The 2017 Winner of NPR’s Snap Judgement Comedic Performance of the Year for her “Girl Scout Cookie Caper” which went viral upon its release, Kober also received the 2018 Comedic Performance of the Year for “Nana Vs. OJ.” In 2019 she appeared on Netflix for RuPaul’s sitcom “AJ & The Queen” and “Dead to Me.” Kober had audiences rolling in

People who care about children, including parents, teachers, grandparents, clergy and health teams are invited to three child mental health workshops this week. The workshops will be conducted by Dr. Rodney Harris and community organizers and mental health professionals. The first two workshops are identical, held on Thursday, January 19, 2023, in the conference room at the Northern Regional Center at 350 Holding Avenue, Wake Forest, at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. with the topic “A Community Processing Circle: Do we have a Youth Mental Health Crisis? Unpacking the Data/ Following the Trends.” The Friday workshop will be held in Rolesville at the Arise CoWorking Space at 300 Southtown Circle at 6 p.m. and refreshments will be served. The topic will be “A Community Processing Circle: All TYPES OF PRESSURE: (Depression, Complicated Grief: Tools and Techniques). For more information call Community Task Force on Child Mental Health Coordinator Bettie Murchison,