Help us ring in the holiday season and launch our annual Holiday Donation Drive during the Wake Forest Cares Holiday Kick-off on Saturday, Nov. 19, from 1-5 p.m. in downtown Wake Forest! 

Free and open to the public, our Holiday Kick-off will offer a slew of activities the entire family can enjoy, including award-winning ice carvers, roaming street performers, community performances, a children's craft activity, and more! 

You will also have the chance to learn more about several Wake Forest Cares initiatives and how they are making a positive difference in our community. 

The Wake Forest Police Department is accepting monetary donations through Saturday, Nov. 19, as part of its 16th Annual Turkey Drive. Area residents can support this worthy cause by submitting online donations via PayPal.

Cash and checks written to the Wake Forest Police Department are also accepted. Anyone wishing to contribute cash or check to this year’s Turkey Drive should contact Officer K. Abshire.

On Tuesday, Wake Forest voters approved all four questions on the referendum ballot for the Town of Wake Forest:





The Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St., is being illuminated in green every evening this week as part of “Operation Green Light.” The initiative, which started Monday and continues through Sunday, is designed to support military veterans and raise awareness about the unique challenges faced by many veterans and the resources that are available to assist veterans and their families.

The street towers along East Owen Avenue are also lighted in green as part of this effort.

The Wake Forest Town Hall and other administrative offices will be closed Friday, Nov. 11, in observance of the Veterans Day holiday.

Yard waste and loose leaf collection will be suspended November 11, but trash, recycling, and bulk waste collection will not be interrupted. Wake Forest Bus Service, including the Wake Forest-Raleigh Express and the Wake Forest Loop, will also follow the normal schedule.

The Town of Wake Forest and the Local Government Federal Credit Union will co-sponsor a drive-thru paper shredding event on Monday, Nov. 14, from noon-4 p.m. – or until the two paper shredding trucks are full. 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.

You're invited to enjoy the vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows of autumn while also learning about native trees during a series of Fall Foliage Tours at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road.

Urban Forestry Coordinator Luke Devores will lead the free, one-hour tours “rain or shine” on Saturday, Nov. 12, at noon and 2 p.m. 

The Wake Forest Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) and the Wake Forest Woman's Club will present their biennial Historic Home Tour on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 1-7 p.m. – rain or shine.

Offered only in even-numbered years, the Historic Home Tour is a self-guided tour featuring several Wake Forest properties decorated for the holidays and open for viewing. This year’s event will also offer wonderful Christmas music and more.

Tickets are $25 each (plus taxes and fees) and available online and at the Renaissance Centre Box Office, 405 S. Brooks St. The box office is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m.
 
Wake Forest offers a variety of yuletide events in November and December guaranteed to deliver a hearty helping of holiday spirit for your entire family. From the Wake Forest Cares Holiday Kickoff and the Lighting of Wake Forest to the Plaid Tidings and One Christmas Night in Memphis, the holiday season is jam-packed with fun-filled happenings guaranteed to put you in a festive mood.
 
You can stay current on all our holiday events by visiting and bookmarking the Christmas in Wake Forest portal on the Town website. It provides easy access to event dates, times, locations, and more, so “tis the season” to mark your calendars, so you don’t miss a thing.

From November 10 through January 4, the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre will host The Earth Elements Showcase featuring artwork by members of the Wake Forest Guild of Artists.

Dating back before the time of Aristotle and Plato, people believed the basis of the physical world were the natural elements of earth, water, air, fire, and space. Metal and stone were later added to this list.

“The Earth Elements Showcase” will feature works by members of the Guild of Artists interpreting these elements into art for your viewing pleasure.

The Renaissance Centre will honor these artists and their work during a special reception on Thursday, Nov. 17, from 5-7 p.m. in the Renaissance Centre Arts Annex, 407 S. Brooks St. The reception is free and open to the public.
 
Tickets are on sale for North Wake Theatre’s Plaid Tidings – A Holiday Edition (December 10-11) and One Christmas Night in Memphis (December 16-17) at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St.

Tickets for these performances may be purchased online with a Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover credit card. Advance tickets may also be purchased with cash, check, or credit card at the Renaissance Centre Box Office, 405 S. Brooks St.

These shows are expected to sell out, so anyone interested in attending is encouraged to purchase their tickets now.

The Wake Forest Police Department (WFPD) is seeking young men and women interested in joining the new Police Junior Cadet Program. The initiative, which replaced the Police Explorer Program, is dedicated to preparing young adults for careers and leadership in public safety.

To qualify as a Police Junior Cadet, a person must have completed the eighth grade, be between the ages of 14-20, and have an interest in the field of law enforcement.

Junior Cadets participate in meetings, training sessions, ride-alongs with experienced police officers (cadets 18 and older), and other activities as part of the learning process.

The PRCR Department is partnering with Wake Forest FUNGO to offer a new off-season development program for baseball and softball players (boys and girls, respectively) ages 8-15.

Led by FUNGO's professional staff, the program is designed to help players develop their baseball and softball skills through group and individual workouts. Program participants will meet on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, Dec.6-Feb. 9, from 7:30-9 p.m. at Heritage High Park, 1150 Forestville Road.

Registration is open via RecDesk through Wednesday, Nov. 30 (search “ODP”). The cost is $300 for Wake Forest residents and $375 for non-Wake Forest residents.
WFTV 10 is off the air - except during live meeting broadcasts

WFTV 10 is off the air (except during live meeting broadcasts) due to malfunctioning equipment that controls scheduled video playback.

We have ordered a replacement but continue to experience delays due to supply chain issues.

Until the new equipment is delivered and installed, Channel 10 broadcasts will continue to be limited to live meetings.

In the meantime, residents are urged to visit our Public Meetings Portal to watch replays of Town meetings.
 
The following monthly meeting schedule is now in effect:

Board of Commissioners Work Session
First Tuesday/month - 6 p.m.

Joint Public Hearings
First Tuesday/month (as needed) - 7:30 p.m.

Planning Board Meeting
Second Tuesday/month - 6 p.m.

Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting
Third Tuesday/month - 6 p.m.

The Town of Wake Forest is in the process of updating its Unified Development Ordinance (UDO).

The UDO combines into a single document the Town's zoning, subdivision, land use, grading, storm water management, and historic preservation regulations. It outlines the requirements for all development activity.

The UDO was first adopted in 2013, along with the Manual of Specifications, Standards and Design (MSSD). With the update and adoption of several comprehensive plans, including the 2022 Community Plan and 2021 Northeast Community Plan, as well as several other comprehensive plans that are underway, the UDO and MSSD must be updated to implement the policies and recommendations of the plans.

In addition to reflecting the goals and actions of the comprehensive plans, the UDO needs to maintain compliance with state, federal and case law, which are constantly evolving. Finally, the update will exam best practices and trending topics.

The update process will involve multiple steps and take approximately two years. The updated UDO and MSSD will set the development rules for Wake Forest.

In 2021 the Town of Wake Forest launched a comprehensive public education campaign on proper recycling behaviors.

#RecycleRightWF introduced and emphasized a series of easy-to-understand messages aimed at simplifying the recycling process and improving the quality of materials residents place in their rollout recycling carts.

Thanks to the cooperation and efforts of our residents, we have recorded a significant decrease in recycling contamination over the past year. Great job!

For nearly 20 years the Town of Wake Forest has been introducing ways for residents to stay up to date on its programs, services, and events. Those offerings range from our website, email notifications via E-Notifier, and various social media platforms to our text/phone notification system and Town app.

Despite our best efforts, there are still some who complain about not knowing what is happening in our community. That's why we thought it might be useful for Talbot the Town Crier to again offer his "olde school" overview of all the ways you can stay informed.

The Town of Wake Forest is inviting individuals, families, churches and civic clubs to join the “Show Some Love, #KeepWFclean” campaign by picking up trash in their neighborhoods and along local streets and roadways. The initiative allows volunteers to pick up litter on a one-time or ongoing basis. Participants may also choose the area they wish to clean or request direction to high need areas around town.

To aid the effort, volunteers may reserve litter kits at no charge by completing the online reservation form. Each litter kit includes reflective vests, gloves, buckets, grabbers, trash bags, data collection sheets, hand sanitizer and litter education materials. A special thanks to B&W Hardware for donating the litter kits.
 
Loose trash in trucks creates litter along Wake Forest roadways.
 
Help keep Wake Forest roadways clean by securing any trash in your truck bed. When you throw trash in the back of your truck, it inevitably blows out and becomes litter on the roadside. In fact, half of all litter is blown, not thrown! Roadside litter costs millions of dollars to remove, decreases property values and has a negative impact on tourism.
 
The NC Department of Public Safety reports that an even bigger problem is unsecured loads in the back of trucks. At high speeds, even large items can fly out and hurt or startle other drivers causing accidents. Put trash into built-in containers. Use tarps, cargo nets and tie-downs to secure any loads. #KeepWFclean
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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.