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.

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. Only protected workers will be allowed inside the center during this period.

Make plans now to join your friends and neighbors in downtown Wake Forest Saturday, Feb. 22, for the eighth annual Wake Forest Mardi Gras Street Festival. 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. 

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 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.
Forest Moon Theater will present “Prelude to a Kiss” Friday-Sunday, Feb. 14-16 and Feb. 21-23, at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St. Showtime Friday and Saturday is 7:30 p.m., while the Sunday showtime is 3 p.m.
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. 
The Wake Forest Police Department has scheduled its next Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) class for Tuesday, Feb. 18. The session will take place from 6:30-8:30 p.m. inside the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St. There is no cost to participate, but registration is required.
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 .
The  next census   is coming this year! 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 .
@  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!"
Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) will offer free class demonstrations of Zumbini, “Bring It” Majorette/Dance Style and All Level Yoga over the next several weeks. Pre-registration for each demonstration class is required.
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, 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.
Flaherty Dog Park , 1100 N. White St., will remain closed for the foreseeable future as crews work to complete a series of renovations in time for a reopening in early spring.
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.