From the Wake Forest Chamber

The Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce has announced the 2024 Meet in the Street. The 42nd anniversary of Meet in the Street, presented by Allison Caudle with Southern Lux Living and coordinated by the Wake Forest Area Chamber, will be held Saturday, May 4, 2024 from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm in downtown Wake Forest.  This premier arts & crafts, music and food festival will include more than 100 artisan booths featuring handmade items for sale, dozens of food trucks, live music throughout the day on two different stages, a children’s village filled with activities for kids, and more. Admission is free. Interested in being part of this event? The application window is NOW OPEN for 2024! Click the appropriate application below to download a fillable PDF application. Arts & Crafts VendorsFood VendorsNonprofits (Chamber member exclusive)Festival Business Booths & Sponsorships ###

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Monthly Inspection Report: February

The Wake Forest Inspections Department issues a monthly report about all new building permits and new businesses. In February there were 57 permits issued for new single-family dwellings, 36 permits for townhouses and 26 permits for multi-family dwellings. There was no new commercial buildings approved . There were no fit-ups approved. There were four pre-occupancy inspections: Proforce Pest Control Raleigh LLC at Merritt Capital Drove, Suite 102 Mattress Now at 12267 Capital Boulevard Revolution Hearing at 2006 South Main Street, Suite 202 Bog Blue Marble Academy at 1941 Heritage Branch Road Monarch Mental Health Counseling at 1780 Heritage Center Drive, Suite 204 ### The Wake Forest Inspections Department issues a monthly report about all new building permits and new businesses.   In February there were 57 permits issued for new single-family dwellings, 36 permits for townhouses and 26 permits for multi-family dwellings.   There was no new commercial buildings approved

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The Growth Rate

Based on the January, 2024 Monthly Development Report, WF Planning Updated February 14, 2024 The updated Wake Forest population as of July 1, 2023 was 56,681. That figure included the new homes which were approved for occupancy. When all the current approved apartments, townhouses and single-family homes are built the population will rise to 69,956. The town keeps a running tally of approved projects with counts of those completed. The best inspections current estimate is that between seven and eight people move to town each day. Plans NOT on the list There are a number of plans, large and small, that have been on this list and have now disappeared. Some of the plans have before the planning and the town board, and large subdivisions such as the Reserve at Dunn Creek require detailed plans after approval by the town board, detailed plans the planning department staff have to examine,

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Clubs and organizations

Below is a list of groups – and if your group is not included and should be – please send a note with the information to cwpelosi@aol.com. If the information about your group is wrong or out of date, please send a note with the corrections to that same email address. Aren’t we lucky to have so many groups that benefit our town and its residents? Last updated on July 1, 2023. *American Legion Post 187 meets the second Thursday at 7 p.m. in the American Legion Hall at 225 East Holding Avenue. The dinner begins at 6 p.m. and costs $5. For information and membership, call Commander Doug Doster at 1-603-660-6948. *American Heritage Girls (AHG) meets at 6:30 p.m. at Hope Lutheran Church on Rogers Road on the second and fourth Thursdays. Get in touch with Amy Minor at chrisnamy34@hotmail.com or see the website, www.hopelutheranwf.org. *The General James Moore

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Advertise in the Gazette

The Wake Forest Gazette has been a reliable source of information about the town of Wake Forest since 2003. The free online weekly newspaper is always available at www.wakeforestgazette.com. The Gazette is the only Wake Forest newspaper consistently offering news about the Wake Forest Board of Commissioners and Planning Board, events in town, calendar, obituaries and a list of community organizations and meeting times. There are also articles about town history, opinion from readers and once in a while we even print recipes. The Gazette currently has 1,550-plus subscribers and 1,500 people who read it without subscribing, reaching a substantial number of area residents. The advertising rate for the Gazette is $100 per month. There are no charges for obituaries or any news. If you want to advertise, please email or call the editor, Carol W. Pelosi, at cwpelosi@aol.com or 919-556-3409. #

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Obituaries

Thomas Brian DeMent Youngsville Thomas Brian DeMent, 66, of Youngsville, NC passed away on Saturday, March 23, 2024. He was born on April 23, 1957 in Wake Co., NC to the late Elizabeth Ann and W. Mack DeMent Sr. Thomas was a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans for 30 years and enjoy participating in the Civil War reenactments. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, being outdoors, cooking, music, and dancing. He loved being with family, especially his grandchildren. He was always the center of attention and loved every minute of it.   He was preceded in death by his brother, Ricky DeMent; aunts, Evelyn Allen, Marie DeMent; and uncles, Robert DeMent, and William DeMent. He is survived by his children, Brian DeMent, Melissa (James) Vercoe, Chris Burke; brother, Wallace DeMent; and grandchildren, Elijah DeMent, Asher Gormley, and Logan Vercoe. A funeral service will be held at 11 AM on Thursday, March

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Board delays Star Road project to May

It wasn’t that they could not read the writing on the wall; they didn’t. It wasn’t that they could not read the flashing neon billboard; they didn’t — until the very last minute. But finally, at the last gasp, the management of St. John Properties, the Raleigh-based group that wants to build what they call a high-tech center on dead-end Star Road, decided it would be a good idea to talk with Wake Forest Senior Planner Patrick Reidy because they feared the Wake Forest town commissioners were about to vote to deny their  plan on Tuesday, March 19. They asked for a meeting which was held on Monday, March 18. A meeting with NC Department of Transportation staff, who are equally concerned about the St. John plans, will be held April 1. Reidy told the commissioners, “The applicant chose not to make any revisions to their plans or conditions prior

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Electric plans cause financial crises

100 years of history By Carol W. Pelosi Last week we learned how the Town of Wake Forest sprang full-grown from the old Town of Wake Forest College in 1909 so the town could sell bonds to build an electric plant. The town’s voters, all white males who paid their poll taxes, voted overwhelmingly on April 12, 1909, for the $15,000 bond issue. B. Parker Rucker of Charlotte was hired to build the plant. That plant is still standing on East Elm Avenue and is now owned by the Bright Funeral Home. When they remodeled the building, the Bright family kept all the essential architectural details of the building, including the faded lettering: “WATER LIGHTS.” Mayor Sol J. Allen and the commissioners went ahead and advertised $12,000 of the bonds for 30 years at 6 percent. There was no mention of why the full amount was not advertised or sold.

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First Easter Eggstravaganza Saturday

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department will host its first-ever Easter Eggstravaganza on Saturday, March 23, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road. Presented by Bumgarner & Martin Orthodontics and Skylift Garage Doors, this free family event will offer a fresh approach to the traditional egg hunt. This year, instead of different age groups “scrambling” for eggs at assigned times, children and their families are invited to stroll along the “Bunny Trail” and collect their eggs any time between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The festivities will also feature DJ Royal pumping out fun tunes, a roaming magician, bubble artist, Easter-themed crafts, and – of course – a visit from the Easter Bunny. Registration is not required, but participants should come with baskets in hand ready to fill at designated stops along the Bunny Trail. The following local businesses

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Second annual Cars & Carnivores March 23

The Rotary Club of Wake Forest announces its 2nd annual Cars and Carnivores Street Festival featuring a steak cookoff competition, car show, vendors and food booths on Saturday, March 23, 2024, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. in historic downtown Wake Forest.   Following last year’s success, the free street festival on Brooks Street and Owen Avenue combines a love for classic cars with the passion for grilling while raising funds to pay off past-due medical bills for local cancer patients.   “Our inaugural event raised enough money to erase the medical debt of 26 local cancer patients through our partnership with WakeMed Health & Hospitals,” said Johnny Whitfield, Wake Forest Rotary club president. “We believe alleviating financial stress for cancer patients and their families during difficult times is important in our community. By entering the car show and steak cookoff, becoming a sponsor, attending our free street festival and buying lunch from our

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