January 11, 2005

Published in Wake Forest, NC

            Lisa Newhouse, representing Hoops for Wake Forest, said the Boys & Girls Club plans its annual steak supper for March 23. Hoops, Newhouse said later, would return to its May date this year.

            Chairman Carolyn Furr said the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Reverse Raffle will be held March 9 at the Wake Forest Civic Center and tickets will go on sale soon.

            Also, Furr said, the chamber plans a luncheon, a salute to women in business, for Feb. 9.

            Carol Pelosi, representing the Wake Forest Gazette, invited everyone to The DuBois Center on March 4 when her husband, John, will celebrate his 70^th birthday with a auction featuring works from local artists and other donated items. The event will benefit the center’s School of the Arts.

            Thelma Wright, speaking for the Wake Forest Woman’s Club, said club members had held a Christmas party for residents at Murdoch Center, distributed Christmas gifts and provided refreshments for the Lighting of Wake Forest.

            At its January meeting, Wright said, the club heard from a representative of Habitat for Humanity. That group is building three houses on Seventh Street in Wake Forest, and the club will donate homemaking kits for the new owners when the houses are complete.

            The club also gave $528 to the Town of Wake Forest to help residents with their utility bills.

            For the Friends of Wake Forest Public Library, President Lynda Creutzberg said the club now meets at 7:30 p.m. every third Wednesday at the library.

            The Friends upcoming programs are a talk about the area’s geology by Hugh Nourse on Thursday, Jan. 26, at the library, a genealogy program in March, a discussion of Emily Dickenson’s poetry in April and the annual book sale in May.

            Sue Cascio, speaking for the Wake Forest Garden Club, asked if more volunteers were needed for the April Herb Fest. She also offered a donation of a free car wash and wax for the many fund-raising events this spring.

            Several people thanked the garden club for providing the table arrangements for events from the Christmas dinner to the Koinonia dinner.

            Shirley Wooten said the Wake Forest chapter of the DAR will soon have a box at the Green & Wooten insurance agency on Brooks Street to collect items for the veterans who are patients at the Durham VA hospital. The items – socks, games, magazines, etc. – will be taken to the hospital in February. “They just need a lot of attention,” Wooten said.

            Barbara Massenburg said the Wake Forest Cultural Arts Association is thrilled by being named club of the year at the Christmas dinner.

            She reminded people of the DuBois Jazz Festival on March 18 at the center.

            Then Massenburg talked about two art projects for the town. One is public art. That could even be well-designed trash cans or benches, she said. The other is a covered area for the farmers’ market that could also be used for festivals like Meet in the Street and the Autumn Arts Festival.

            Karen Diebolt, the treasurer, said the $10 dues are payable the first of February.

            Beverly Whisnant wore two hats, one for Koinonia and one for Kiwanis. Koinonia’s major fund-raising event, a dinner with both a silent and live auction, will be held at The Forks on Saturday, Jan. 28. The group, whose goal is “helping people through a hard time,” provides funds to many local charities and programs.

            Kiwanis, Whisnant said, distributed toys to needy children at Wakefield Elementary this year and also built handicapped ramps in December. She told the group about the Lobster Bingo fund-raiser which will be held at The Factory on Saturday, March 4.

            Agnes Wanman said the Downtown Revitalization Corporation and the Wake Forest Junior Women’s Club are planning its first Renaissance Ball, called the Mardi Gras Masquerade, which will be held Saturday, Feb. 25, at The Cotton Company with a jazz band and dinner. The tickets are $55 a person.

            Wanman also said DRC will hold a meeting at 7 p.m. on Feb. 23 at town hall at which the consultant will unveil plans for the downtown’s logo, its marketing strategies and the signs which will guide people into downtown.

            The group discussed the possibilities of expanding the Christmas dinner into the entire seating area of The Forks, which would allow more people to attend. This season’s dinner was sold out two to three weeks in advance, and several people who wanted tickets were disappointed, Furr said.

            She passed out calendars for the first four months of the year and encouraged everyone to tell her about their events to be placed on the calendar.