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Volunteer to
light up the night
“First
Light Wake Forest” on New Year’s Eve 2008 will be the opening event for the
town’s centennial year of 2009.
The
Centennial Committee wants to see a family-friendly event in the historic
downtown, and it needs 10 to 15 volunteers to work as a team and make the event
a success. The team would begin meeting in the middle of January 2008.
If
you are interested in giving your time to plan, organize and implement the
community celebration, call Kara Louise, the Centennial Celebration Events
Coordinator, at 621-0939.
Go
to www.wakeforestnc.gov
for the centennial events.
Wake
Forest was first chartered as a town in 1880 when the name was the Town of Wake
Forest College. It was following the example of Forestville, the original area
village, which was chartered in 1879.
In
the early 1900s, Wake Forest leaders and college officials could see the
benefits of electricity. They petitioned the General Assembly in 1908 and in
February of 1909 the town was re-chartered as the Town of Wake Forest and given
the authority to issue bonds to build an electric generation plant and
distribution lines.
The
first generator, fueled at least in part by wood chips from a nearby planing
mill, was in the small brick building on East Elm Avenue next to the railroad
tracks. When it was purchased by the Bright family, they left the faint imprint
of the painted lettering on the front that says WATER LIGHTS. The building also
held the mayor’s office and a lockup.
The water treatment
plant, built 20-some years later, was on the other side of the street. It has
been substantially renovated and is now a dentist’s office.
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