Forest Fest returns to downtown Wake Forest on Saturday, April 20, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Presented by Wake Forest Downtown, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to champion the economic health, growth, and vitality of downtown Wake Forest, Forest Fest is a family friendly event celebrating the heart of Wake Forest, where history is cherished and nature thrives. WFD is now accepting applications from vendors and nonprofit organizations that wish to participate in this year’s Forest Fest. Food trucks have already been secured for this event, and no additional food vendors are needed. As interest in Forest Fest continues to grow, WFD is committed to securing vendors and nonprofits whose missions and efforts align with the purpose and spirit of the event. As a result, participating vendors and nonprofit organizations must provide products, services, education, or activities that relate directly to the history of Wake Forest or

Wake Electric members are invited to the electric cooperative’s annual meeting at 7 p.m. Friday, March 22, in the auditorium at Louisburg College. Registration begins at 5:30 p.m. Join other Wake Electric members in reviewing the business of your co-op, receive free gifts and get a chance to win $1,000. Wake Electric’s business is providing electricity, but our heart is empowering our members and building the communities we serve. Cooperative businesses are not-for-profit and exist to provide exceptional service to members, rather than to make a profit. At Wake Electric, we: ** Provide payment assistance to members in need. ** Award $70,000 in teacher grants each year. ** Support local nonprofits with quarterly grants through the member-funded We Care Foundation. ** Award scholarships for local students to attend basketball camps at NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill. ** Hold three gift card drawings annually for students who make at least one

The Wake Forest Human Relations Council (HRC) is celebrating Black History Month in 2024 by 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, Feb. 17, the HRC will accept nominations for current and former 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: PLEASE NOTE: The HRC endeavors to recognize as many Wake Forest African Americans as possible. To achieve this goal, nominees that were highlighted in 2021, 2022, and 2023 are

The Town of Wake Forest and the Wake Forest Historical Museum are partnering to offer free Black History Month Walking Tours of the Northeast Community at 1 p.m. on the following dates in February: Pre-registration is required by completing the online sign-up form at https://bit.ly/BHMWalkingTours. Space is limited to the first 15 participants to sign up for each tour. Led by staff from Historic Preservation Planning and the Wake Forest Historical Museum, the tours will include Olive Branch Baptist Church, Alston-Massenburg Center, the newly restored Ailey Young House, the African American Cemetery, and more. Along the way, each group will discuss the developmental and architectural history of the area, along with the significant men and women who shaped the Northeast Community. Tours are outside only and will not include the inside of individual homes or buildings. Each tour is approximately 90 minutes and will begin at Taylor Street Park, 416 N. Taylor

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department will host an online Esports gaming tournament featuring the game “Street Fighter 6” on Saturday, Feb. 24. The tournament will serve as a qualifier for the BODYARMOR State Games FGC Gohon Kumite eSports Tournament in March. Results from this tournament will determine participant positioning in the BODYARMOR tournament. Open to players ages 13 and older, the online tournament is free to play on all consoles and PCs and will be live streamed on Twitch.tv. Registration is open through Wednesday, Feb. 21, at https://wakeforestnc.recdesk.com/Community/Home. Participants will compete in a one-on-one, single-day, double-elimination tournament to run in conjunction with “Bull City Gaming” and BODYARMOR State Games. 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 February

A major road rehabilitation and resurfacing project targeting over 20 Wake Forest streets and roadways is underway. The 2024 Road Resurfacing Project consists of concrete work which began in mid-January, and asphalt work scheduled to start in March (weather permitting). The initiative involves full depth patching, roadway repairs, and repaving, along with the replacement and repair of curb and gutter. Several black ADA ramps are also being replaced with yellow mats per national standards. Over the next two weeks, Fulford & Jones, a subcontractor of Fred Smith Company working on behalf of the Town of Wake Forest, will begin concrete work weekdays from 7 a.m.-4 p.m. along the following streets: Affected residents along these streets will be notified of work in advance by door hangers. During the scheduled work dates, these residents will be prohibited from parking their vehicles along the street. Vehicles left on the street on the scheduled

On March 3, 2024 women who are active duty or veterans of the United States Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast  Guard and National Guard will be honored at a reception hosted by the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 187 of Wake Forest. The Salute begins at 2:30 p.m. at the American Legion Post 187, 225 E. Holding Avenue, across the street from the Wake Forest Post Office. The servicewomen will be greeted by a saber team from the Wake Forest High School JROTC. The event will include entertainment, refreshments, swag bags, door prizes, recognition of your service to the people of the United States and camaraderie with fellow servicewomen. For further information, contact the Auxiliary at unit87alaux@gmail.com or through Facebook at American Legion Auxiliary Unit 187. ###

The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St., will host the 2024 Wake Forest Film Festival on Friday and Saturday, March 1-2. Tickets to the two-day event are $20 and can be purchased online at https://bit.ly/WFRenCenTix, in person at the RC Box Office, or by calling 919-435-9458. Earlier this year, the Renaissance Centre invited filmmakers from our community and around the world to submit their vibrant, diverse, and original works and become a part of the 2024 film festival. Altogether, 81 films were submitted for consideration and 18 were selected to be featured during this year’s event. The complete schedule, including movie titles and times will be announced in the coming days and provided at http://bit.ly/WFFilmFestival. The two-day festival will spotlight passionate, creative, and thought-provoking movies by some of today’s most promising and accomplished local, national, and international filmmakers. Intended for filmmakers, film enthusiasts, and anyone who enjoys a good story,

The Wake Forest Inspections Department issues a monthly report about all new building permits and new businesses. In January there were 35 permits issued for new single-family dwellings and nine permits for townhouses. There was one new commercial building approved, a Char-Grill at 145 Crenshaw Corners Drive. There were three fit-ups: two for retail space vanilla box at 12243 Capital Boulevard and one at 12247 Capital Boulevard as well as  Jersy Mike’s Subs at 1040 Forestville Road, Suite 140. There were two pre-occupancy inspections: Wakefield ATV (Auto Truck Van) at 745 Merritt Capital Drive, Suite 108 and Barlow Photography at 745 Merritt Capital Drive, Suite 106. ### The Wake Forest Inspections Department issues a monthly report about all new building permits and new businesses. In January there were 35 permits issued for new single-family dwellings and nine permits for townhouses. There was one new commercial building approved, a Char-Grill at

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,