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.

Despite this week's wintry weather, Saturday's Wake Forest Mardi Gras will go on as scheduled! Make plans now to join your friends and neighbors in downtown Wake Forest for this popular annual event. Presented by Thomas G. Walters Allstate Insurance and Primrose School of Heritage Wake Forest, this family-friendly celebration is scheduled from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and admission is free.
 
Promising fun-filled activities for both children and adults, the Mardi Gras Street Festival will include face painters, strolling entertainers, live music, special contests and much more.  View this year's Schedule of Events .  

Please note: A portion of South White Street and South Brooks Street will be closed to through traffic from 9 am-5 pm, and East Owen Avenue (Festival Street) will also be closed. Parking will be available along the open portions of South White and South Brooks, as well as along South Taylor Street (behind Town Hall), Elm Avenue and in the SunTrust Lot. 

Mayor Vivian Jones’ 2020 State of the Town Address is now airing three times daily on Wake Forest TV 10. The mayor’s 33-minute speech can be viewed from now through the end of March at 8 a.m., noon and 6 p.m.
The address is also provided in streaming video by clicking on the image above.

Mayor Jones delivered the annual address to over 250 area residents during the State of the Town Address & Dinner on Feb. 17. The event was sponsored for the 12th  consecutive year by the Wake Forest Rotary Club.

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.

The 2020 Wake Forest Film Festival will engage audiences with films of all lengths and genres, including short and feature, documentary, horror, animation, narrative and student. Intended for both the general public and film professionals, the festival is an opportunity for filmmakers to showcase their films in a unique location to a discerning audience. 

One of the highlights of this year’s event promises to be the participation of civil rights attorney and long-time University of Missouri administrator Michael Middleton. Middleton is the subject of the documentary, “Only the Educated are Free,” scheduled for screening on Saturday, March 14, at approximately 5:09 p.m. To learn more about Michael Middleton, read this 2015 Washington Post article . 

A variety of film festival ticket packages are available for purchase.
Talbot is at it again, and now he's 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 .
When wintry weather strikes our area, be sure to visit our Severe Weather Updates web page . There you'll find current information on Town operations, road conditions, safety tips and more! While you're there, be sure to bookmark the page and check it often for updates as schedules are subject to change.
The Town of Wake Forest is accepting applications for the 2020 Citizens Planning Academy through noon on Monday, March 2. 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 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.
Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources is offering “Zumba Gold” classes on Monday afternoons from 1-2 p.m. and Wednesday afternoons from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Led by licensed Zumba instructor LeAnn Swanson, the classes meet at the Flaherty Park Community Center, 1226 N. White St. The monthly session fee is $20 for Wake Forest residents and $35 for non-Wake Forest residents.
The Rockin’ the Forest music series continues with the popular beach band Jim Quick & Coastline on Friday, Feb. 28. The concert gets underway at 7:30 p.m. at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts, 405 S. Brooks St. Advance tickets are $15 each plus tax and selling fast.
Tickets are still available for this weekend's Forest Moon Theater presentation of “Prelude to a Kiss.” The performances are scheduled Friday-Sunday, Feb. 21-23, at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St. Showtime Friday and Saturday is 7:30 p.m., while Sunday's showtime is 3 p.m.
From now through Saturday, Feb. 29, the Northern Regional Center, 350 E. Holding Ave., is one of 12 early voting sites for Wake County voters wishing to participate in the March 3 primary election. Early voting is available Monday-Friday, 8 am-7:30 pm; Saturday, 8 am-1 pm; and Sunday, 1-6 pm. You will not be required to show photo identification at the polls. For complete information, visit Wake County Early Voting .
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 is recruiting Adopt-A-Stream volunteers to help keep the town’s streams healthy. The initiative offers residents the opportunity to become involved in an environmental effort that helps protect our natural resources, therefore improving water quality and stream habitats. Anyone with an interest in healthy streams and the outdoors is invited to participate. 
The Northern Community Food Security Team (NCFST), the Society of St. Andrew and a network of Wake County partners committed to a sustainable food future are recruiting volunteers for the 2020 Wake Forest Potato Drop. Scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 29. in the parking lot of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, 520 W. Holding Ave., the Potato Drop will kick off at 8:50 a.m. with a brief word of welcome and prayer, followed by the start of potato bagging at 9 a.m.
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.
The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is accepting Dream League baseball applications through March 20. The PRCR Department is also accepting applications for youth baseball, softball, and T-ball for boys ages 5-17 and girls ages 5-15 through Saturday, Feb. 29. Online registration is available.
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. 
On Thursdays from March 5-26 and April 16-May 27, the Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department will offer a series of classes at the Flaherty Park Community Center, 1225 N. White St., for children ages 2-11 interested in learning Spanish. The instructor for each class is Saida Bowlin.
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 Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is partnering with GSK and the UNC Morehead Planetarium & Science Center to offer Science in the Summer in July for rising 2 nd through 8 th graders. There is no cost to participate, but due to limited seats in each session, registration is required. The online application is available on the Town’s website .
@  MaggieHotShoes
Talbot the Town Crier and his sidekick Fitz are back, and this time they're confronting one of the willfully uninformed. "Boom goes the dynamite!"
Registration is underway for several Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department-sponsored adult leagues , including Men’s Softball (Competitive); Men’s Softball (Recreational); Co-Rec Adult Softball; and Co-Rec Kickball. Online registration is available for all adult leagues. Registration information is also available at the Joyner Park Community Center, 701 Harris Road.
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.
Before wintry weather strikes our area, 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.
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.