The Town of Wake Forest and several local veterans’ organizations will resume their monthly flag-raising ceremonies in Town Hall’s Centennial Plaza on Monday, April 1, at 11 a.m. The 52nd Wake Forest Memorial Flag-Raising Ceremony will honor David Cooke, who served our nation in the US Marine Corps. Members of Cooke’s family have been invited to 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 U.S. Marine Corps service flag in recognition of the military branch in which Cooke served. Both flags will fly in Centennial Plaza throughout April. Photographs and other remembrances of Cooke 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

The Wake Forest Police Department (WFPD) and Torchy’s Tacos, 505 Dr. Calvin Jones Hwy., are again joining forces to raise awareness and money for Special Olympics North Carolina (SONC). Area residents are invited to support the cause by visiting Torchy’s Tacos on Monday, March 25, between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. For everyone who either mentions the fundraiser or presents the fundraiser flyer, Torchy’s will donate 15 percent of their food and beverage sales to support Special Olympics. To download the fundraiser flyer, visit https://bit.ly/WFPDSpecialOlympics. The WFPD also accepts SONC donations year-round at https://bit.ly/WFPDSpecialOlympics. All funds raised go to SONC as part of The Law Enforcement Torch Run. For more information, contact Sgt. J. McArthur at 919-554-6150 or jmcarthur@wakeforestnc.gov. SONC is one of the largest Special Olympics programs in the world with nearly 40,000 registered athletes who train and compete in year-round programs in 20 different sports. The mission of Special Olympics is to

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is pleased to introduce an honorary/memorial bench donation opportunity at the new Holding Park Inclusive Playground, 133 W. Owen Ave. The playground opened on March 2. Now, the PRCR Department has designated eight benches within the playground as available for honorary or memorial donor funding. The cost of each bench is $1,000, including installation (by the PRCR Department) and donor inscription. The Honorary/Memorial Bench Donation program offers a unique and meaningful way for residents to honor and remember friends and loved ones, promote their company, recognize a civic group, or commemorate a special event. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/PRCRBenchDonationProgram or email PRCR Maintenance Manager Randy Hoyle at rhoyle@wakeforestnc.gov. # The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is pleased to introduce an honorary/memorial bench donation opportunity at the new Holding Park Inclusive Playground, 133 W. Owen Ave. The playground opened on March 2.

Save the date! Join us on Sunday, May 5, for the Second Annual Preserve the Connections event. This is an event that aims to bring together vendors, artisans, neighbors, and charities. The idea behind this event is to strengthen the connections within our communities. Regina Jones and Kimberly Wieberg, both residents of Preserve at Smith Creek and small business entrepreneurs, have teamed up to organize an event that you just can’t miss. Regina, from OnWire Real Estate, says that she is “excited to connect with community members, entrepreneurs, and the two amazing charities that will benefit from this wonderful event.” This year we have added a three level sponsorship opportunity.  Hearth Counseling & Consulting ( hearthcc.com ) is the first to agree to support the event by being a vendor sponsor.  Vendor Sponsorship is set up into three levels to fit any size of company/vendor/organization: Bronze Level: $100 or more  donation receives social

Well, my friends, the local numbers are in for February 2024, and I am sure that you have been hearing the news about the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) settlement of a class action lawsuit. As far as the NAR settlement goes, how this will impact our local market is yet to be determined. I will clarify a couple of things that have been highlighted by the media and are misleading. Now for some local Real Estate news: Here is an update for the end of February: A year ago, the average sale price of a single-family home in the Triangle was $461,271 and increased $28,562 to $489,833 by the end of February. That is a 6.2% increase. To be accurate, it has not been a steady increase. In fact, sale prices peaked in July at $528,051 for a 14.5% increase over February of last year. Over the last 6

You’re invited to help celebrate three decades of foot-tapping, finger-snapping good times during the 30th anniversary of Six Sundays in Spring. Sponsored by the Town of Wake Forest and ARTS Wake Forest, the free outdoor concert series will be offered from 5:307 to 7:30 p.m. on consecutive Sundays from April 28 through June 2 at the Joyner Park Amphitheater, 701 Harris Road. From big band and R&B to beach and jazz, there’s something for all music lovers at this year’s Six Sundays in Spring. Beatles tribute band, Beatlesque, will kick off this year’s performances on Sunday, April 28, followed by Eduardo and the Paco Band on May 5, Soul Pyschedelique Orchestra on May 12, Marcus Anderson on May 19, The Magnificents on May 26, and Sensory Expressions Band on June 2. A variety of food and dessert trucks will be on site for each concert. Concert goers are also invited to bring

The Town of Wake Forest will host a Paper Shredding & Electronics Recycling Event on Saturday, April 20, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. in the parking lot of the Northern Wake Senior Center, 235 E. Holding Ave. Sponsored by Civic Federal Credit Union, the paper shredding portion of the event will offer area residents and businesses the opportunity to protect themselves from identity theft and dispose of confidential documents in an environmentally responsible manner. A drive-thru system will be implemented to help ensure a smooth drop-off experience. All paper will be shredded on-site, then recycled. Participants are urged to help reduce contamination by removing all non-paper materials in advance, such as plastic binders, plastic folders, and metal tabs. As part of the electronics recycling effort, residents can properly dispose of items that may otherwise end up in landfills. Accepted items include, but are not limited to, laptops, servers, cell phones, mainframes,

The Town of Wake Forest and DHIC, Inc. (formerly Downtown Housing Improvement Corporation) are partnering to offer free homeownership counseling services to Wake Forest residents earning less than 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI). Designed for residents finding it difficult to purchase a home or make payments on a home, the free counseling services include: Again, these services are free and available to Wake Forest residents earning less than 80 percent of the AMI. To learn more or find out if you qualify, contact Planner I Antione Jordan at ajordan@wakeforestnc.gov or 919-435-9581. ###

The Urban Forestry Division is celebrating Arbor Day this year by again offering a contest for tree lovers across Wake Forest. From now through Sunday, March 31, the UFD is accepting nominations from residents for the Wake Forest 2024 Tree of the Year award. Trees may be nominated for their size, species, historic significance, personal meaning, community benefit or general notoriety – but they must be located within the Wake Forest town limits. To submit your choice, visit http://bit.ly/WFTreeofYear, complete the nomination form and upload a photo of your tree. Finalists will be selected by Town staff, then voted on by the community during the week of April 8. The tree that receives the most votes will be announced as the winner during Forest Fest on Saturday, April 20. The person who submits the winning tree will receive a certificate crowning their tree as the Wake Forest 2024 Tree of the