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 Loop (WFL), a weekday, fare-free bus for residents traveling within Wake Forest and a portion of Wakefield, will welcome the New Year by adding a second bus to run a reverse route and introducing Saturday service.

Currently, the WFL is comprised of one bus running the hour-long route Monday-Friday in a clockwise direction. Beginning Monday, Jan. 6, the WFL will operate six days-a-week enabling riders to travel both clockwise and counter-clockwise along the existing route cutting wait times in half from 60 to 30 minutes. The local service will remain free of charge.

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.

The Wake Forest Town Hall and other administrative offices will be closed Tuesday-Thursday, Dec. 24-26, for the Christmas holiday .
 
The collection of garbage and recycling for the week of Dec. 23 will change as follows: Wednesday’s route will be collected Thursday, Dec. 26; Thursday’s route will be collected Friday, Dec. 27; and Friday’s route will be collected Saturday, Dec. 28. 

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.
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 Town of Wake Forest has installed a Letters for Santa mailbox in Jones Plaza at the intersection of South White Street and East Jones Avenue. Children of all ages are invited to bring their letters to Santa’s Mailbox anytime between now and Dec. 24, for immediate delivery to the North Pole. Letters received by Sunday, Dec. 15, will receive a personal response from Santa Claus himself.

Over the next several days, road and lane closures are scheduled along Elm Avenue , Stadium Drive , Forest Road and East Chestnut Avenue . Delays are expected, so drivers are urged to avoid these areas and use an alternate route.
Police officials are reminding Wake Forest motorists to park in the direction of traffic flow or risk a $25 fine. Wording in Sec. 30-251 of the Town’s Code of Ordinances addresses “Parking in direction of traffic flow: Parking shall be established in the direction of traffic flow on all streets within corporate limits of the Town of Wake Forest with passenger side (right) tires to the curb on two-way streets.” In summary, on a two-way road, you must park with the right-hand wheels next to the right-side curb. Otherwise, you are parked illegally.
In October, the Town of Wake Forest officially transitioned from providing weekly to bi-monthly (twice a month) loose-leaf collection service . For years, the Town attempted to provide weekly loose-leaf collection service with mixed success. Several factors, including weather, mechanical issues and the sheer volume of leaves, made it difficult, and sometimes impossible, to honor such a schedule. The bi-monthly service extends from the first Monday in October through the second Friday in March.

The Wake Forest Fire Department (WFFD) will conduct a controlled burn exercise at 152 South Allen Road, Friday, Dec. 20, from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. The exercise secures mandatory training for prospective firefighters enrolled in the Wake Forest Fire Academy. A portion of the 600 block of Elm Avenue will be closed throughout the exercise. In addition, one lane of South Allen Road in the vicinity of the training will be reduced to one lane with intermittent two-way traffic.
Wake Forest officials are urging area motorists to pay attention to an updated parking ordinance or risk a hefty fine. The updated ordinance specifically prohibits all motorists, regardless of whether the driver and/or the passenger(s) have a disability plate or placard, from parking in the access aisles of handicap parking spaces .

The Town of Wake Forest is introducing important changes aimed at increasing citizen awareness of scheduled public hearings .  
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.
Before wintry weather strikes our area, 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.
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  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 .
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.