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 a friend and visit our
E-Notifier page to learn about our other email offerings.

The Wake Forest Police Department will accept frozen turkey donations this Saturday, Nov. 23, from 9 a.m.-noon, as part of its 13th Annual Turkey Drive. Police officers will be available at the Police Department Main Station, 225 S. Taylor St., throughout the morning to thank donors and unload the turkeys.

Officers will also accept monetary donations throughout the event, which will be used to purchase additional turkeys. Checks should be written to the Wake Forest Police Department. Online donations are also being accepted via PayPal.

The Wake Forest Town Hall and other administrative offices will be closed Thursday-Friday, Nov. 28-29, in observance of the Thanksgiving Day Holiday . The collection of garbage and recycling for the week of Nov. 25 will change as follows: Thursday’s route will be collected Friday, Nov. 29, and Friday’s route will be collected Saturday, Nov. 30.  

The Town of Wake Forest is introducing important changes aimed at increasing citizen awareness of scheduled public hearings .

The first involves a redesign of the Town’s public hearings notice signage which are posted on properties being considered for public hearing - typically a minimum of two weeks prior to the public hearing date. The signs, which were green and white, are now bright yellow, so they are easily recognizable. In addition, the information on the signage has been streamlined and the text enlarged to make it easier to read.   

The 72nd Annual Wake Forest Christmas Parade is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 14. Sponsored by PowerSecure and presented by Wake Forest Downtown, Inc., the parade gets underway at 1 p.m. – rain or shine.

The parade will begin at the intersection of Elm Avenue and South White Street and continue north along South White Street before turning east onto Wait Avenue. It will then turn south onto South Brooks Street and east onto Elm Avenue. The procession will end at the intersection of Elm Avenue and South Taylor Street.

Due to the nature of the event and its popularity, several street closures will be in effect in the downtown area prior to, during and after the parade. The closures are necessary to help ensure the safety of parade visitors and participants, as well as Town residents.
During its normal monthly meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 19, the Board of Commissioners received the results of an independent audit report from Cherry Bekaert LLP for the period July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2019. In addition to not revealing any audit findings or problems, the report acknowledged that the Town is in compliance with all of its financial policies and operating with strong internal controls in place. The report also included several financial performance highlights .
You're invited to experience the wonder and magic of the holiday season at the annual Lighting of Wake Forest on Friday, Dec. 6. Sponsored by Traditions at Wake Forest and presented by Wake Forest Downtown, Inc., the tree lighting will take place in Centennial Plaza, 301 S. Brooks St., the gateway to the Wake Forest Town Hall. Mayor Vivian Jones is scheduled to light the Town’s 30-foot-tall Christmas tree at 6:15 p.m.
Tonight's 7 p.m. performance of “Life is Magic” by Joshua Lozoff is sold out .
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.
A phone call from Santa Claus is on every child’s wish list. The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is making those wishes come true by offering Calls from Santa to kids ages 3-9 on Thursday, Dec. 5, from 6-8 p.m. 
Registration forms will be available Friday, Nov. 29, online and at the Joyner Park Community Center, 701 Harris Road, and Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St.
The Wake Forest Police Department (WFPD) is again urging residents to help reduce motor vehicle break-ins by locking their car doors. Nearly 100% of the reported car break-ins in Wake Forest involve unlocked vehicles. Police say thieves often engage in what is known as car-hopping . Car-hopping occurs when criminals roam neighborhoods at night, pulling on car door handles, hoping to find an open vehicle.  
Bright Star Touring Theatre, a national professional touring theatre company based in Asheville, NC, will offer a free performance of Cratchit Family Christmas on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 3 p.m. at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre. 405. S. Brooks St.
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 .
The Wake Forest Police Department is accepting donations from area residents and businesses for the 21st Annual Shop with a Cop . Donations are accepted online but can also be mailed or delivered to the Wake Forest Police Department, 225 S. Taylor St.
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.
Although Christmas is still several weeks away, Wake Forest offers a variety of yuletide events in early December guaranteed to deliver a hearty helping of holiday spirit for the entire family. From the Lighting of Wake Forest and Pictures with Santa to Merry Country Christmas and the annual Christmas Parade, the holiday season is jam-packed with fun-filled happenings guaranteed to put you in a festive mood.
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.
Wake Forest sanitation customers can now use 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 Wake Forest Loop (WFL), a weekday, fare-free bus for residents traveling within Wake Forest and a portion of Wakefield, is now offering an early/late extension along North Main Street and a mid-day extension into Heritage.
Before wintry weather comes our way, 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.
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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.