Welcome to our weekly e-newsletter - What's Up in Wake Forest . Here you'll find information about Town programs, services, activities, projects, special events and more! If you haven't already, tell your friends and neighbors to visit our E-Notifier page to learn about our array of free email offerings.

The Wake Forest Town Hall and other administrative offices will be closed Thursday-Friday, Nov. 28-29, in observance of the Thanksgiving Day Holiday . The collection of garbage and recycling for the week of Nov. 25 will change as follows: Thursday’s route will be collected Friday, Nov. 29, and Friday’s route will be collected Saturday, Nov. 30.  

The Wake Forest Police Department is accepting online donations from area residents and businesses for the 21 st Annual Shop with a Cop . Checks and cash are also being accepted and can be mailed or delivered to the Wake Forest Police Department, 225 S. Taylor St.

This year’s Shop with a Cop holiday shopping spree will be Tuesday, Dec. 17. On that day approximately 30 area children will visit the Wake Forest Police Department where they will be paired with their police officer “partners.” The kids and their partners will then be transported by bus to the Wake Forest Walmart, where each child will be given $175 to spend on a winter coat and other items of their choice. Parents are encouraged not to accompany their children. Following the shopping spree, the children and their partners will be treated to a pizza party.

Shop with a Cop was created to help less fortunate boys and girls in the Wake Forest area experience a joyous Christmas. Since its inception in 1999, the program has helped well over 500 local children.

Area residents can support small businesses and celebrate “Small Business Saturday” this Saturday, Nov. 30, by purchasing Downtown Dollars as gifts for everyone and every occasion.

When you give Downtown Dollars, you give the gift of shopping, dining and an array of services in Downtown Wake Forest. Recipients can use them exactly as they would use cash at participating merchants in downtown Wake Forest. There are no expiration dates, so Downtown Dollars are the perfect gift for birthdays, anniversaries, employee recognitions, appreciations, promotional item and prizes.

You're invited to experience the wonder and magic of the holiday season at the annual Lighting of Wake Forest on Friday, Dec. 6. Sponsored by Traditions at Wake Forest and presented by Wake Forest Downtown, Inc., the tree lighting will take place in Centennial Plaza, 301 S. Brooks St., the gateway to the Wake Forest Town Hall.

Mayor Vivian Jones is scheduled to light the Town’s 30-foot-tall Christmas tree at 6:15 p.m.

The 72nd Annual Wake Forest Christmas Parade is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 14. Sponsored by PowerSecure and presented by Wake Forest Downtown, Inc., the parade gets underway at 1 p.m. – rain or shine.

The parade will begin at the intersection of Elm Avenue and South White Street and continue north along South White Street before turning east onto Wait Avenue. It will then turn south onto South Brooks Street and east onto Elm Avenue. The procession will end at the intersection of Elm Avenue and South Taylor Street.

Due to the nature of the event and its popularity, several street closures will be in effect in the downtown area prior to, during and after the parade. The closures are necessary to help ensure the safety of parade visitors and participants, as well as Town residents.
A phone call from Santa Claus is on every child’s wish list. The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is making those wishes come true by offering Calls from Santa to kids ages 3-9 on Thursday, Dec. 5, from 6-8 p.m. 
Registration forms will be available Friday, Nov. 29, online and at the Joyner Park Community Center, 701 Harris Road, and Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St.
The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts will host three performances of “Live from Nashville - Merry Country Christmas” on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 14-15. Saturday’s showtime is 7 p.m., while Sunday showtimes are 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $25.
On Monday, Dec. 2, East Coast Drilling & Blasting, Inc. is slated to begin blasting and excavation operations on the site of the future Wegmans. The store will be situated on the south side of Dr. Calvin Jones Highway/NC 98 Bypass between US 1/Capital Boulevard and Siena Drive, just west of Ligon Mill Road.
Crews from Royals Paving, a company working on behalf of JPM South, the developer of Traditions, will reduce to one lane with intermittent two-way traffic portions of Traditions Grande Boulevard from Royal Mill Avenue to Wait Avenue Monday-Friday, Dec. 2-6, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. each day.
Bright Star Touring Theatre, a national professional touring theatre company based in Asheville, NC, will offer a free performance of Cratchit Family Christmas on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 3 p.m. at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre. 405. S. Brooks St.
The  next census  is coming in 2020. By April 2020, households will receive an invitation to participate in the census. The process is quick and easy. You'll then have three options to respond: 1) Online (for the first time!); 2) By phone; and
3) By mail. Learn more about the  2020 Census .
The Town of Wake Forest will net over $300,000 in interest savings through a general obligation bond refinancing recently approved by the Board of Commissioners.
Flaherty Dog Park is set to undergo an extensive round of renovations, including the addition of new fencing, new and self-closing gates, a secondary entrance/exit, fully-accessible shade structure and more.
The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre will host a lively and educational celebration of gospel music that connects all cultures, ages and backgrounds on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at 5 p.m. The Shades of Gospel concert will highlight a range of traditional, southern and contemporary gospel music with featured performances by Grammy, Dove and Stellar Award-nominated artist Tim Bowman, Jr. and the Trinity Quartet. Tickets are $15 plus tax.
The Town of Wake Forest is introducing important changes aimed at increasing citizen awareness of scheduled public hearings .  
Although Christmas is still several weeks away, Wake Forest offers a variety of yuletide events in early December guaranteed to deliver a hearty helping of holiday spirit for the entire family. From the Lighting of Wake Forest and Pictures with Santa to Merry Country Christmas and the annual Christmas Parade, the holiday season is jam-packed with fun-filled happenings guaranteed to put you in a festive mood.
You can receive email notifications concerning road closures and traffic alerts in Wake Forest by signing up for E-Notifier - our free email subscription service. The service allows you to subscribe to several specific information categories and receive an e-mail notification whenever we post new information on the website related to your selected categories.
Sanitation customers can complete and submit an online form to request a variety of assistance related to their rollout trash and recycling carts. The form can be used to request service, request an upgrade to your recycling cart, order extra carts and report damaged or missing carts.
The 2019-20 “Rockin’ the Forest” music series continues at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre on Friday, Dec. 28, at 7:30 p.m. with the popular beach band Steve Owens & Summertime . Tickets are $15 plus tax.
The Wake Forest Loop (WFL), a weekday, fare-free bus for residents traveling within Wake Forest and a portion of Wakefield, is now offering an early/late extension along North Main Street and a mid-day extension into Heritage.
Before wintry weather comes our way, all Wake Forest residents are encouraged to opt-in to the Town's phone notification system and provide their complete contact information, including cell phone numbers and email addresses.
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If you have questions or comments about the Town of Wake Forest website or E-News, please contact Bill Crabtree by email or call 919-435-9421.