The long-awaited, much anticipated opening of the Holding Park Inclusive Playground, 133 W. Owen Ave., will occur Saturday, March 2, at 7 a.m. The playground will be open daily from dawn to dusk. Due to the high volume of attendees expected throughout the opening weekend, free parking will be available in several lots on the campus of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) and along several side streets in the vicinity of Holding Park. Visitors are encouraged to make plans with family members and friends to carpool, use rideshare services, or take advantage of the free Wake Forest Loop (Saturday only) which offers stops less than a block away from the park. Designed to provide children of all abilities with a safe and fun place to play, inclusive playgrounds offer a sensory-rich play experience for every cognitive level and developmental stage. The Holding Park Inclusive Playground’s thoughtful design includes accommodations for

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is partnering withPlay4Life Comics to host a Comic Book & Toy Expo Saturday, March 16, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Flaherty Park Community Center, 1226 N. White St. Free and open to everyone, the expo will feature over 20 vendors of your favorite pop culture nostalgia offering for sale vintage comics, rare action figures, popular Pokemon cards, and more. The PRCR Department has scheduled future Comic Book & Toy Expos on June 19 and November 9. For more information, email Community Center Supervisor Grayson Pridgen at 919-554-6726 or gpridgen@wakeforestnc.gov.

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

The Wake Forest Woman’s Club is sponsoring a Chili & Soup Dinner and Raffle on Saturday, February 24, 4 to 7 p.m. at the American Legion Hall Post 187, 225 E. Holding Avenue, Wake Forest.  Soups offered are choice of Chicken Vegetable, Broccoli Cheddar, Lentil Chili (vegetarian and gluten free), and Beef Chili. All dinners are $12.00 and include choice of soup or chili, corn muffin, drink and cookie. Take out orders are $12.00 for 32 ounce/quart containers.  Dinner tickets, take out soup and raffle tickets can be purchased through the club website at www.wake-forest-womans-club.com The Wake Forest Woman’s Club works to strengthen the community and enhance the lives of others through volunteer service. ###

Wake Forest Power (WFP) has earned a Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3)® designation from the American Public Power Association (APPA) for providing reliable and safe electric service. The RP3 designation, which lasts for three years, recognizes public power utilities that demonstrate proficiency in four key disciplines: reliability, safety, workforce development, and system improvement. Criteria include sound business practices and a utility-wide commitment to safe and reliable delivery of electricity. WFP joins more than 245 public power utilities nationwide that hold the RP3 designation. “Receiving an RP3 designation is a great honor signifying a utility has demonstrated commitment to industry best practices,” said Troy Adams, Chair of APPA’s RP3 Review Panel and General Manager at Manitowoc Public Utilities, Wisconsin. “And ultimately, the culture developed from this pursuit of excellence and continued improvement through the RP3 program results in measurable value delivered to the local community.” “We couldn’t be prouder to be

Lisa Oakley of the Cedar Creek Gallery blows 55 glass eggs each year to raise money for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC using an auction and raffle sales beginning March 1 and ends April 14. The auction and raffle sales begin on March 1 and winners are announced on April 1. For full details about how to pay for raffle tickets and enter the auction, go to Blown Glass Egg Raffle Event Details March 31 – April 14. In 22022, $23,000 was donated and that grew to $32,000 in 2023. This year Oakley and her loyal fans hope to feed even more families. ###

The Town of Wake Forest is partnering with Wake County to host “Clearing the Air: Navigating COVID-19, Tobacco Cessation & Vaping Realities” Thursday, Feb. 15, from 6-7 p.m. at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the use of e-cigarettes is unsafe for kids, teens, and young adults. Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine which is highly addictive and can harm adolescent brain development. Youth e-cigarette and cigarette use have also been associated with mental health symptoms, including depression. The February 15 workshop will explore these, and other health risks associated with smoking and teen vaping, offer effective tobacco cessation strategies, and share the latest on COVID-19. Free and open to all, the event will feature an interactive panel discussion moderated by Dr. Rasheeda Monroe MD of the UNC School of Medicine and Director of the Kenan Urban Scholars. Panelists will include Dr.

 Mike Wiley Productions will present two free performances of “Jackie Robinson: A Game Apart” in Wake Forest on Saturday, Feb. 24. The first performance will take place at 11 a.m. at the Alston-Massenburg Center, 416 N. Taylor St., while the second show is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St. “A Game Apart” provides a glimpse of Jackie Robinson’s life during a bygone era of separate and unequal locker rooms, whites-only hotels, and restaurants with only a back door for colored athletes to enter. Witness the hopeless humiliation of a star player who was showered with adulation on the field and became a second-hand citizen when he walked off the diamond. Meet Jackie’s compatriots fighting the same battles between the end zones, inside the ring,  and around the track.  A powerful lesson of courage through dedication, perseverance, and leadership, “A Game Apart” is part of the Wake

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