Several local churches and community organizations will honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during a free, public celebration Thursday, Jan. 19, at 6:30 p.m. at Friendship Chapel Baptist Church, 237 Friendship Chapel Road. The evening’s theme will center around one of Dr. King’s messages: “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.” In the spirit of the event theme, the Wake Forest MLK Committee will offer creative performance, writing, and art competitions for students in Wake Forest and Rolesville-area schools. Complete contest rules and information, along with the online contest entry form, are available at http://bit.ly/WFMLKCelebration. The competition winners will be recognized during the January 19 program. The Wake Forest MLK Committee is accepting monetary donations from the community to help fund the monetary prizes and scholarships awarded to the competition winners. The MLK Committee hopes to raise

Everyone interested in Wake Forest history is invited to the annual meeting of the Wake Forest Historical Association at the Wake Forest Historical Museum at 414 North Main Street at 3 p.m. on Sunday, January 22. The meeting will include a preview of the museum’s spring exhibition, 1969: Reflection & Reimagination: Celebrating 60 Years of the Mark H. Reece Collection of Student-Acquired Contemporary Art. We will also recognize the service of three retiring board members: Ben Davis, Mary Kate Keith, and Karen Winstead. Three new board members will be elected. Current board members are President Sanford Bailey, Treasurer Dianne Laws, Secretary Beverly Whisnant, Ryan Keith, Alice Ray, Roger Shackleford, Durward Matheny and Carol Pelosi. ###

For the seventh consecutive year, the Town of Wake Forest has prepared a financial highlights publication designed to educate and inform citizens about the Town’s finances. Known as the Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) or Citizens’ Financial Report, the document is an abbreviated summary of the Town’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. The 2022 edition is available for viewing on the Town website at http://bit.ly/TOWFPAFR. Did you know that the town has 108 full- and part-time firefighters along with 25 volunteers and five stations? The town manager is searching for a site for a sixth station on the east side of town – or if he has finally found a site he has not made it public yet. Town’s police department has 77 sworn officers – and two longtime officers are retiring the first of next month. There are six stations scattered through town. Those facts and much more are included

CSX is scheduled to temporarily close several Wake Forest railroad crossings in late February. According to CSX, the following crossings will be closed for maintenance at the same time on or around February 22: · Brick Street · Elm Avenue · Holding Avenue · Friendship Chapel Road · Rogers Road Once the work on the Rogers Road crossing is completed and the crossing and road reopened, CSX will close the railroad crossing on Ligon Mill Road. Crews will replace railroad ties at each crossing, then resurface the road. The crossings will be closed for 1-3 days pending weather, equipment, and any unforeseen circumstances. CSX officials say the Brick Street, Elm Avenue, Holding Avenue, Friendship Chapel Road, and Rogers Road crossings must be closed concurrently due to the size of the equipment convoy. Comprised of nearly 30 kinds of equipment and spanning nearly two miles, the convoy travels along the train

The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre is hosting a new art exhibit designed to warm your heart and put a smile on your face. From stunning hanging art to beautiful sculptures and lovely folk art, the “Things That Make Me Happy” showcase features works by Wake Forest Guild of Artists members Les Tryon, CeeCee Taylor, Delphine Peller, Brittney Switala, Alison Charchar, Erin Day, Deanna Brancaccio, Aline Long, Diana Cook, Terry Marchon, and Kathy Street. The Renaissance Centre will honor these artists and their works during a special reception on Wednesday, Jan. 18, from 6-8 p.m. in the Renaissance Centre Arts Annex, 407 S. Brooks. St. The reception is free and open to the public. Anyone who is unable to attend the reception, but would like to view the art exhibit, is invited to make an appointment at www.wakeforestrencen.org/event/art-exhibit-reception. All artwork is available for purchase through the artists. Visit the Wake Forest

Based on the December 2022 Monthly Development Report, WF Planning Updated January 11, 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. Two contentious requests *The Joyner Property on Capital Boulevard is a plan for 249 single-family lots and 137 townhouse lots on the former Wake Forest Country Club site, but the engineers at McAdams Engineering have revised the plan five times, town planners and other department officials have raised questions/issues over 100 times and

The Wake Forest Human Relations Council (HRC) is celebrating Black History Month in 2023 by again offering residents the chance to recognize local African Americans who have made a difference enhancing and improving the quality of life in their community, family, church, business, organization, or other group. From now through Saturday, Jan. 21, the HRC will accept nominations for Wake Forest residents to be recognized for their contributions. The online nomination form is available at http://bit.ly/WFBHMHonorRoll. Wake Forest residents, former residents, and business and community stakeholders that identify as African American are eligible. Nominees should demonstrate leadership and integrity and be respected by their peers. In addition, potential nominees may be recognized for one or more of the following actions: • Helping neighbors and fellow Wake Forest citizens. • Demonstrating hospitality and/or concern for others. • Supporting local businesses and charities. • Promoting a sense of community in their neighborhood

You’re invited to join Mayor Vivian Jones for the 2023 State of the Town Address & Dinner on Monday, Feb. 20, 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 2023. 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

In December the Board of Commissioners (BOC) received the results of an independent audit report from Cherry Bekaert LLP for the period July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022. In addition to not revealing any audit findings or problems, the report acknowledged that the Town is “in compliance” with all its financial policies and operating with strong internal controls in place. The report also included several financial performance highlights for Wake Forest which enjoys a triple A rating by all three national rating agencies: • Net change in the Town’s fund balance resulted in an increase of $7.6 million in the general fund. • Cash balances totaled $48.9 million, significantly higher than the $32.7 million in 2021. Along with above mentioned increase, this also includes American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds received by the Town. • Wake Forest collected 99.82% of its property taxes – higher than the average rate

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