The Town of Wake Forest will host UDO (Unified Development Ordinance) Comprehensive Update Open House sessions at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St., Wednesday, Sept. 4, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and Thursday, Sept. 5, from 6:30-8:30 p.m.  Both drop-in sessions will give community members the opportunity to review the completed UDO draft, learn more about potential changes to zoning districts and development standards, and provide feedback. Both sessions will have an informal, open house-style format, along with the same content, so community members may drop in anytime to view displays, ask questions, and share comments. No formal presentation will be given.   Feedback will be incorporated into a final draft that will be presented to the Planning Board and Board of Commissioners for approval. Community input is the cornerstone of the UDO Comprehensive Update. Following the update and adoption of several comprehensive plans, including the 2022 Wake Forest Community

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.  ###

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.

The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre (WFRC) is inviting filmmakers to submit their films for the Sixth Annual Wake Forest Film Festival (WFFF). The WFFF seeks feature and short films in the following categories: student, narrative feature, narrative short, and documentary. Films may be submitted via FilmFreeway at https://filmfreeway.com/WakeForestFilmFestival. The website includes film screening fees and submission requirements. The Early Bird Deadline is Friday, Aug. 16, and the fee is $5 for students and $15 for professionals. Scheduled for Saturday, March 1, 2025, the WFFF will spotlight passionate, creative, and thought-provoking movies by some of today’s most promising and accomplished local, national, and international filmmakers. Intended for both the general public and film professionals, the WFFF is an opportunity for filmmakers to showcase their films in a unique location to a discerning audience.  The WFRC is also seeking volunteers with filmmaking experience to judge film submissions for the 2025 Wake Forest Film

Good Neighbor Day returns to E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road, Saturday, Sept. 21, from 1 to 4 p.m. Hosted by the Human Relations Council , Good Neighbor Day is an annual celebration that assembles Wake Forest residents from all walks of life for a day of free food, fun, and family entertainment. By bringing together a mix of cultures, music, ages and ethnicities, the event celebrates diversity and promotes goodwill among all Wake Forest citizens. Volunteers are critical to the success of the event and needed at various times between noon and 5 p.m. Volunteer duties will be general in nature and may include setting up, cleaning up, answering questions, and assisting attendees. Local civic groups and community organizations are especially encouraged to participate, along with local students interested in earning community service hours. For more information or to sign up to volunteer, email Human Resources Director Angela

The Human Relations Council is soliciting youth and adult nominations for the 15th Annual Good Neighbor of the Year Award. The award recognizes Wake Forest residents who work to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods without seeking recognition for their efforts. Nominees are sought in two divisions: adult (ages 19 and older) and youth (ages 10-18). To qualify, a nominee must be a Wake Forest resident who has made a significant contribution to the community between September 1, 2023, and August 31, 2024. Employees of the Town of Wake Forest are not eligible. The online nomination form is available at http://bit.ly/WFGoodNeighborAward. Completed nomination forms must be submitted by 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31. Nominations forms must include the names of both the nominator and the nominee, along with a narrative of 400 words or less describing why the nominee is deserving of the Good Neighbor of the Year Award. Mayor Vivian