Play4Life’s 4th Wake Forest ComiCon is coming up Aug. 10. Held in conjunction with Wake Forest Downtown Inc., the ComiCon will feature 35 vendors, including 12 comic book vendors with more than 100,000 comics, as well as graphic novels, figurine dealers, artist tables, food, drinks, a costume contest and more. Admission is $5 for adults and teens. Children 12 and under get in free. The costume contest will be held at 3 p.m. Registration for the contest will be from 2-2:30 p.m. at the event. Parking is available on site. Several vendors are returning from last year including used graphic novels dealer Comic World, G3eks comics enthusiasts, SKWAD Graphics, Catseye Comics, and artists Marlon Westray, Hannah Stayton, “Jeff the Yeti” creator Ryan Sheffler and Witchzilla. New vendors include Catalyst Comics, Be Kind Rewind (repurposed VHS tape covers), Page 158 Books, and The Record Krate. Sugar Magnolia Café and Emporium –

The 15th annual Purple Heart Banquet will be held on Saturday, Aug. 3, at 3 p.m. in Wake Forest. Hosted by the Wake Forest Purple Heart Foundation, the banquet invites the public to help honor those wounded in defense of this country. In addition to Purple Heart Medal recipients and their families, the event is open to all veterans, military families and the public, and is held at Richland Creek Church, 3229 Burlington Mills Road, Wake Forest. The keynote speaker is Patti Elliott, National President of American Gold Star Mothers. She is the proud mother of Brad Elliott of Wake Forest, and SPC Daniel Lucas Elliott, who was killed July 15, 2011 in Basra, Iraq. He was an Army Reserve MP, attached to the 805th out of Cary. Typically this banquet salutes more than 70 Purple Heart recipients from around the Triangle. This year’s celebration features the Walk of Honor, music, patriotic tributes and a catered meal.

The Town of Wake Forest and several local veterans’ organizations will continue their monthly flag-raising ceremonies in Town Hall’s Centennial Plaza on Monday, Aug. 5, at 11 a.m. The 56th Wake Forest Memorial Flag-Raising Ceremony will honor Howell Jones who served our nation in the US Army. Family members and friends of the Jones family will participate in the ceremony, which will include patriotic songs, special remarks, a memorial wreath laying, and the ceremonial flag-raising.   During the service, the Wake Forest Fire Department Honor Guard will raise the American flag and the US Army service flag in recognition of the military branch in which Jones served. Both flags will fly in Centennial Plaza throughout August. Photographs and other remembrances of Jones 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 of Wake Forest and several local

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department is hosting a free, monthly outdoor movie series through August at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road. Family Movie Nights at Joyner Park feature a variety of family-friendly film favorites and genres, including comedies, dramas, and action, all projected on a 26-foot inflatable movie screen in the park’s amphitheater.  Weather permitting, the series will conclude Saturday, Aug. 3, at 8:30 p.m. with “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” Showtime is 8:30 p.m. Anyone planning to attend is urged to arrive early as viewing space may be limited. Attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket and/or chairs but are reminded that alcohol, smoking, and unleashed pets are prohibited. Free and open to the public, Family Movie Nights also feature a movie-related pre-show activity for kids beginning at 7:30 p.m. Pre-show activities on August 3 will include a character “meet and greet”

Spend a couple Sunday evenings in September with family and friends at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road, while enjoying some foot-tapping, finger-snapping good times during the 2024 Concerts in the Park. “Throwback Collaboration Band” will headline the first concert on Sunday, Sept. 1, followed by “The Breakfast Club” on Sunday, Sept. 8.  Throwback Collaboration Band will play your favorite old-School funky music. With the rich melodies they create, you would think they are a group of 12, but they are merely composed of six brilliant musicians. The Breakfast Club is the longest running, most recognized ’80’s tribute band in the United States. The group embodies the enigmatic, creative, and buoyant spirit of music and live performances of the original MTV generation of the 1980s. Free and open to everyone, these performances are scheduled from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Joyner Park amphitheater. Attendees are invited to bring a picnic,

Dear friends of CROP Walk, For many years, YOU have come together and raised money to support local and global hunger needs through the Wake Forest CROP Hunger Walk. Coming together as a community has changed lives! Today, the vulnerable among us continue to struggle to keep their families healthy and safe. Communities worldwide need us now more than ever. The good news is that you can still be part of our ‘making a difference’ tradition! STEP #1: Go to www.crophungerwalk.org/wakeforestnc and register today. If you are part of a team, you can join your team or simply make a donation to support any team. STEP #2: Attend the Team Captain Rally on Saturday, August 10th from 10am – 12:00 pm at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 834 Durham Road, Wake Forest, NC 27587. Be informed about the Walk, Pick up packets, brochures, bulletin inserts, and other walk promotional materials.  Missed the meeting

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is partnering with Pickles and Play to host the 2024 Wake Forest Fall “Dinktoberfest” Pickleball Tournament Friday-Sunday, Oct. 4-6, at the Flaherty Park Pickleball Courts and Tennis Complex, 1226 N. White St. Registration is underway at https://bit.ly/WFPickleball and continues through Monday, Sept. 30. The entry fee is $45 per player, plus $10 for each additional event. Complete tournament details, including registration information, are also available at https://bit.ly/WFPickleball. For more information about the Fall “Dinktoberfest” Pickleball Tournament, email Tournament Director Lisa Groeschner at Egroeschner@gmail.com.  ###

Bright Star Touring Theatre will offer a free performance of “Jack’s Adventure in Space” Saturday, Aug. 3, at 11 a.m. at the Alston-Massenburg Center, 416 N. Taylor St.  When it comes to adventure and imagination, no one beats Jack! Come along with Jack on this out-of-this-world adventure through the solar system! Learn about the origins of the names of the planets from Mercury to Neptune, and even the controversial Pluto. Students will also learn about the physical features of the various planets and discover fun facts about each planet’s special path around the sun in this fun STEM adventure.  Families and children of all ages are invited to attend this free performance, but seating is limited. “Jack’s Adventure in Space” is part of the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre’s “Arts for All” free community performance series, which is supported by United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County. For more information,

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department will host an online Esports gaming tournament featuring the game “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” on Saturday, Aug. 24. Presented by Ting, the Battle in the Forest is open to players ages 10 and older and free to play on all consoles and PCs. The online tournament will be live streamed on Twitch.tv.  Registration is open through Wednesday, Aug. 21, at https://wakeforestnc.recdesk.com/Community/Home. Please note: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is rated e10+. Participants will compete in a one-on-one, single-day, double-elimination tournament to run in conjunction with “Bull City Gaming.” The matches will be best of three, while the championship match will be best of five. In the event more than 32 participants register, the tournament will expand to two days with the qualifying rounds taking place on August 24 and the top eight participants battling it out in the finals on Sunday, Aug. 25.