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

The Wake Forest Police Department (WFPD) and Torchy’s Tacos, 505 Dr. Calvin Jones Hwy., are 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 Wednesday, Feb. 7, between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. For everyone who either mentions the fundraiser or presents the fundraiser flyer (attached), 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, 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 provide year-round sports

Registration is now open for the Car Show during our 2024 Cars & Carnivores 2nd Annual Street Festival. Only register online through our Better Unite/Wake Forest Rotary Foundation webpage. There is no other way to register and you must pre-register. No Day-of Cash Registrations accepted. Watch out for scammers and do not pay anyone thru Facebook, Messenger or Email. The only way to register is online through this link: https://betterunite.com/WakeForestRotaryFo…/CampaignDonate We look forward to seeing you on Saturday, March 23, 2024! ###

The 2024 Spring & Summer edition of “RecConnect,” the Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) spring and summer program guide, is now available online at http://bit.ly/PRCRRecConnect. Hard copies will soon be available at the Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St.; Joyner Park Community Center (JPCC), 701 Harris Road; Flaherty Park Community Center (FPCC), 1226 N. White St.; and Alston-Massenburg Center (AMC), 416 N. Taylor St. Check out “RecConnect” for complete details on recreational programs, events, and activities for all age groups, including preschool, youth, and adult, scheduled from March through August 2024. Program registration begins for Wake Forest residents Thursday, Feb. 1, and non-Wake Forest residents on Thursday, Feb. 8. Register online at wakeforestnc.recdesk.com and in-person at JPCC, FPCC, and AMC during normal business hours. Online registration closes two business days before the start of a program. For more information, call the PRCR Department at 919-435-9560. ###

Several colorful pole banners are now on display throughout downtown Wake Forest thanks to a partnership between Wake Forest Downtown (WFD), Inc., and the Wake Forest Public Art Commission (PAC). Last September, the two organizations issued a “Downtown Boulevard Banner Call for Artists” in which they invited local artists to submit “vibrant original artwork for seasonal boulevard banners in downtown Wake Forest.” In response, 21 artists submitted over 50 designs. Ultimately, a selection committee comprised of members of the PAC and WFD chose designs by Boni Arendt (flower), Olga Lobastova (steeple), Leanna Van Der Have (tree), and Devanshi Prajapati (lily pad) (photos attached). For their efforts, each artist received a $100 honorarium. Downtown Development Director Jennifer Herbert released the following statement on behalf of WFD. “Wake Forest Downtown, Inc. believes that public art enriches the experiences offered in our downtown, as well as adds to the vibrancy, and was excited to

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. ###

You’re invited to join Mayor Vivian Jones for the 2024 State of the Town Address & Dinner on Monday, Feb. 19, at 6 p.m. Presented by the Wake Forest Rotary Club, the event will take place at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St. During her remarks, Mayor Jones will reflect on the successes and challenges of the Wake Forest community over the past year. She will also outline the goals the Town will strive towards in 2024. Advance tickets are $15 per person and include a catered meal and dinner music by local performing artist Ronald Williams. Tickets can be purchased online with a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover credit card at https://bit.ly/WFStateofTown. Tickets may also be purchased at the Renaissance Centre Box Office with cash, check, or credit card. A limited number of tickets are available, so the event is expected to sell out. Dress for

Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 16, Wake Forest crews will repair stormwater outfalls along Town drainage easements in the Margots Pond and Smith Creek subdivisions. Affected residents in those neighborhoods will be notified of the work in advance in-person or via door hanger and presented with a copy of the Town’s encroachment policy. Residents in the affected areas should expect to see white flags in some yards, road work signage along neighborhood streets, and heavy equipment cutting tree limbs and clearing vegetation along the drainage easements. Once work is completed, crews will seed and straw the disturbed areas. For more information, contact Streets Maintenance Manager Joe Medlin at 919-435-9571 or jmedlin@wakeforestnc.gov. ###

Due to popular demand, the Northern Community Food Security Team (NCFST) and Ripe for Revival have agreed to bring their mobile grocery store to Wake Forest on the second and fourth Thursday of each month from 3-5 p.m. Offering fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy from local and regional farmers on a pay-what-you-can scale, the NCFST Mobile Market will return to 350 E. Holding Ave. (across from the Northern Regional Center) on Thursday, Jan. 11, and again on Thursday, Jan. 25. Open to everyone, the pay-what-you-can mobile grocery store makes fresh and local produce, proteins, dairy, eggs, and other food products accessible and affordable to all, regardless of their budget. When shopping, there are some limits on the amount of protein, dairy, and eggs a consumer can purchase, but no limits on produce. At checkout, shoppers will be given a suggested total. Shoppers can then pay the full amount, a portion of that amount, or