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 full array of free email offerings.

The Wake Forest  Technology Advisory Board  is inviting area middle and high school students and their families to Wake Forest STEM Saturday 2020 on Saturday, March 28. Presented by the  Wireless Research Center , this free family networking fair is scheduled from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St.

Celebrating Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, STEM Saturday will expose students to a variety of STEM career options, while featuring STEM-related exhibits, demonstrations, and hands-on learning activities. Parents can attend a panel discussion with some of our area's top experts and STEM-related career professionals. Discussion topics are expected to include the importance of supporting children's interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and the importance of attracting girls to fun and fascinating careers in STEM fields.

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 28, at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road. Presented by Primrose School of Heritage Wake Forest and Bumgarner & Martin Orthodontics, this free family event will be packed full of crafts, games, prizes and a visit from the Easter Bunny. 
This year’s Egg Hunt will include over 10,000 eggs containing prizes and candy hidden across four locations for the following age groups: 3 and younger, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12 and special needs.

Children ages 3 and younger will hunt for eggs beginning at 10 a.m.; ages 4-6 will begin at 10:20 a.m.; ages 7-9 get underway at 10:40 a.m.; and ages 10-12 commence at 11 a.m. An egg hunt for children with disabilities will begin at 11:30 a.m.

Wake Forest welcomes spring by offering a wonderful array of warm weather events and activities for the entire family. From Dirt Day and the Easter Egg Hunt to the Cemetery Walking Tour and the Wake Forest Charity Car Show, springtime in Wake Forest is jam-packed with fun-filled outdoor events guaranteed to help you shake the winter blues.

To help inform area residents about all these events, the Town has created a Wake Forest Outdoors portal on its website. The webpage provides detailed information about our area’s most popular springtime happenings, including the Memorial Flag-Raising Ceremonies, Friday Night on White, Six Sundays in Spring, Music at Midday, Meet in the Street, Family Movie Nights at Joyner Park and National Trails Day - just to name a few. Offering dates, times, locations, event descriptions and more, the portal is a useful resource for anyone planning to take advantage of Wake Forest’s variety of warm weather activities. 

Wake Forest Outdoors is also provided as a function on the Town of Wake Forest app .
Comedian and actor Rondell Sheridan will present his side-splitting stand-up act “If You’re Over 40 and You Know It, Clap Your Hands” at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts on Saturday, March 7, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $18.
You’re invited to the 2 nd Annual Wake Forest Film Festival on Friday and Saturday, March 13-14, at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St. Entitled “A Light in the Forest,” this cinematic tour de force will spotlight passionate, creative and thought-provoking movies by some of today's most promising and accomplished local, national and international filmmakers. A variety of film festival ticket packages are available for purchase.
March 9-11
Fred Smith Co., a private contractor working on behalf of the Town of Wake Forest, will close the portion of Stadium Drive from Rock Spring Road to North College Street Monday-Wednesday, March 9-11, from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. each day. The temporary closure is necessary to allow crews to repour the curb as part of the Stadium Drive Complete Street Project. A signed detour will be in place directing motorists around the work area. Traffic delays are expected, so motorists are urged to avoid the area and take an alternate route.

The Joyner Park Community Center (JPCC) will be closed for several weeks beginning Friday, March 13, so crews can re-stripe and re-finish the gymnasium floor. The walking track and fitness room, along with JPCC administrative offices, are scheduled to reopen Monday, March 30, at 6 a.m., while the gym will reopen Saturday, April 4, at 8 a.m. Although work inside the center will be restricted to the gym only, the closure of the entire facility from March 13-30 is necessary due to fumes that will be produced by the finish applied to the floor.
The Town of Wake Forest and Wake Forest Downtown (WFD), Inc. have announced plans for a new holiday event on the second Saturday in December that will replace the annual Christmas parade. Modeled after last year’s grassroots event coordinated by local resident Wesley Spottiswood, the inaugural “Wake Forest Cares Christmas Festival” is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 12. Themed “Embracing the Season of Giving,” the occasion will invite area residents to downtown Wake Forest for an afternoon of food, fun, caroling and local entertainment.
Loose leaf collection service ends Friday, March 13, so the week of March 9 offers residents one last chance (until October) to place loose leaves behind the curb on their normal collection day. From March 16-Oct. 2, residents must bag for collection all leaves, pine needles and grass clippings or place them inside a garbage receptacle marked ‘YW’ (yard waste). Residents that currently use a 48-gallon recycling cart can upgrade to a 96-gallon cart and keep the smaller receptacle for yard waste by marking YW on both sides. Similarly, residents that already have a 96-gallon recycling cart can request and obtain a free 48-gallon cart for yard waste. Use our online form to request a cart.
The popular beach music band, The Magnificents Band, will headline this year’s final Rockin’ the Forest concert on Friday, March 27. The performance gets underway at 7:30 p.m. at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts, 405 S. Brooks St. Advance tickets are $15 plus tax.
Area residents are invited to the official grand opening of the newly renovated Northern Wake Senior Center (NWSC) on Friday, March 27, at 10 a.m. The grand opening celebration will include a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony, brief remarks by Mayor Vivian Jones and other Town officials, tours of the facility, class demonstrations and light refreshments.
Raleigh Water temporarily stopped adding ammonia to its water treatment disinfecting process on February 25. Raleigh Water will resume adding ammonia to the water treatment process on Tuesday, April 7, at 10 a.m. This switch to chlorine-only disinfection is conducted every other year to ensure optimal disinfection of the water distribution system. 
Wake County has completed the initial drafts of the 2020-2025 Consolidated Plan and 2020 Action Plan for HUD grant funds, which address housing and community development needs for low-income households in the County. The County will receive comments from the public and interested parties on the draft for a period of thirty (30) days starting March 1, 2020. 

If you love the best in beach music, then don’t miss the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre’s “Summer Beach Music Party” featuring The Chairmen of the Board on Saturday, June 6, at 7:30 p.m. Advance tickets are $15 each plus tax and selling fast.
Talbot the Town Crier is spreading the word about the 2020 Census . By April, households will receive an invitation to participate in the census. The process is quick and easy. You'll 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 Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department is reminding residents and non-residents ages 11 and older that they must present a Recreation Card (Rec Card) to access amenities offered at PRCR facilities, including the Joyner Park Community Center (JPCC) and Flaherty Park Community Center (FPCC). Rec Cards are free for Wake Forest residents, but the following fees apply for people who live outside the Wake Forest town limits and do not pay Wake Forest property taxes: Individual, $25; Family, $50; Drop-in fee, $5.

Beginning Monday, March 16, the Northern Wake Senior Center will offer a six-week introductory class in American Sign Language (ASL) on Mondays from 1-3 p.m.
Open to all Wake County residents ages 55 and older, “Sign Language for Seniors” will teach the fundamentals of ASL and its cultural context, along with basic communication skills.

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is accepting team registrations for the Spring Church Adult Men’s Softball League through Tuesday, March 31.
League play will begin in mid-April with games played on Monday, Tuesday and/or Thursday nights at Flaherty Park, 1226 N. White St.

The Greenways Advisory Board will host a family-friendly 5K race as part of National Trails Day on Saturday, June 6, at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road. New this year, the day’s festivities will also include a Kids’ 1-Mile Fun Run for ages 12 and under. Online registration for both races is underway.
The Town of Wake Forest is accepting applications for the 2020 Citizens Planning Academy through 5 pm on Friday, March 13. The Citizens Planning Academy (CPA) is designed to educate residents of Wake Forest and its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) about the Town’s planning processes and practices. CPA topics will emphasize public hearings procedures, legislative and quasi-judicial decisions, the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), transportation planning, historic preservation, architectural review and more. Applications must be completed and submitted online . 
The Wake Forest Chamber Foundation for Common Progress will relaunch the very successful Youth Leadership Wake Forest program in September 2020.  Applications are now available and due by March 20. Rising 10th, 11th and 12th graders in the 2020-2021 school year can apply if they attend the following schools: Wake Forest High School, Wakefield High School, Heritage High School, Rolesville High School, and Franklin Academy. Students that live in the 27587, 27571 or 27614 zip codes can also apply if they attend another school. For more information, call 919-556-1519. 
The March-August 2020 issue of   RecConnect is now available. RecConnect includes information about all programs, classes, special events, sports programs and registrations offered by the Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department. For more information, call 919-435-9560.
The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre's February-August 2020 Program Guide is now available online. Here's your chance to browse information on upcoming performances, recurring monthly events, cultural programming and more! For more information, call the Renaissance Centre Box Office at 919-435-9458. 
The Wake Forest Board of Commissioners approved new fees for the Wake Forest Cemetery during Tuesday’s regular monthly meeting. Effective immediately, the cost of a cemetery plot for Wake Forest residents is $600 and $1,800 for non-Wake Forest residents. Also, niches are now priced at $900 for Wake Forest residents and $2,000 for non-Wake Forest residents.
The Town of Wake Forest offers an array of volunteer opportunities for individuals, families, businesses, churches and civic groups interested in contributing their time and talents towards serving the community. Service opportunities range from participation in environmental efforts, including Adopt-A-Stream, Adopt-A-Trail and Tree Stewards, to Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources initiatives, such as Dream League Baseball Buddies and youth league coaches.
The Northern Wake Senior Center officially re-opened Feb. 3. Located at 235 E. Holding Ave., the senior center offers adults ages 55 and older a full schedule of recreational activities, such as aerobics, line dancing, ballroom dancing, wood carving, painting, and craft making. The center also provides several social events each month, as well as educational classes on subjects including computers and ceramics and clay. Check out our January/February calendar of events .
Mark your calendars for the Town of Wake Forest’s fifth annual paper-shredding event on Monday, April 20. Free and open to the public, the shred event will take place rain or shine in the parking lot of the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St., from noon to 6 p.m. – or until the four paper shredding trucks are full. The occasion will offer area residents and businesses the opportunity to protect themselves from identity theft and dispose of confidential documents in an environmentally responsible manner. 
The Wake Forest Area Chamber has launched a new, local website for area employers and job seekers. Called Wake Forest Works , the site is intended to bring together businesses and employees in one place where all the job opportunities are in the immediate area.  
Closed since January 6, Flaherty Dog Park , 1100 N. White St., will likely remain closed until mid-March as crews work to complete a major renovation project. Signage announcing the temporary closure is posted at the park’s entrance.
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.
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.
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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.