Gallery open house

The Franklin County Arts Council will hold its first gallery open house of the year with new Executive Director Katherine Denton at 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 15, at the Gallery on the Hill, 99 S. Bickett Blvd., Louisburg.

Masks are required. The first 20 guests will receive a gift.

Blood drive

The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive on Dec. 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Wendell Baptist Church, 3651 Wendell Blvd., Wendell.

Brunswick Stew Sale

Franklinton American Legion Post 52 will sell quarts of its famous Brunswick Stew for $8 on Saturday, Jan. 16. To reserve quarts, call or text Steve at 919-727-0087 or Tony at 919-264-1671. Proceeds support local veterans.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day closures

Wake Forest Town Hall and other administrative offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 18, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Police services and garbage and recycling collection schedules will not be affected.

Yard waste will not be collected Monday. On Tuesday, crews will follow the normal collection schedule beginning with Monday’s route. Collection of the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday routes will occur throughout the remainder of the week.

Wake Forest Bus Service, including the Wake Forest-Raleigh Express and the Wake Forest Loop, will not be provided Monday.

Rolesville town office will be closed Monday, Jan. 18, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Franklin County government offices, including all library branches, will be closed Jan. 18 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The solid waste transfer station, all convenience centers and the Triangle North Executive Airport will remain open.

CIP update public hearing

The town of Wake Forest will host a public hearing on the proposed 2021-26 Capital Improvement Plan update during the Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 19. The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall board chambers, 301 S. Brooks St.

A copy of the proposed CIP update is at http://bit.ly/TOWF_CIP and in the town clerk’s office at Town Hall.

Martin Luther King Jr. community celebration

Churches and community organizations will honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a virtual livestream program that will air Thursday, Jan. 21, at 6:30 p.m on the Friendship Chapel Baptist Church Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/FCBCWF.

Fiber installation

Through Friday, Jan. 22, Utility Service Contractors, a contractor working on behalf of the town of Wake Forest, will install fiber lines and communication boxes at the corners of South White Street at Wait and East Roosevelt avenues.

The installation will require the closure of a portion of the sidewalk along the west side of South White Street. Pedestrians are encouraged to avoid the area.

Black History Month honor roll nominations

The Wake Forest Human Relations Council is celebrating Black History Month in 2021 by offering town residents the chance to recognize local African Americans who have made a difference enhancing and improving the quality of life in their community, family, church, business or other group.

Through Saturday, Jan. 23, the HRC is soliciting nominations in several categories, including educator, actor, healthcare worker, business owner, front-line worker, musician and politician. The online nomination form is available at http://bit.ly/WFBHMHonorRoll.

Bicycle and pedestrian plan

Franklin County residents are invited to participate in an interactive virtual workshop to help shape the county’s bicycle and pedestrian master plan.

Two virtual Zoom workshops will take place. A project introduction and open house will be 4-5 p.m. on Jan. 25 and a work-in-progress presentation is scheduled 4-5 p.m. on Jan. 28.

Registration is required at https://bit.ly/3qfZAWF.

Blood drive

The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive on Jan. 27 from noon to 4:30 p.m. at Rotary Woman’s Club Zebulon, 405 Sycamore St., Zebulon.

Blood drives

The American Red Cross will hold two blood drives in Wake Forest on Jan. 29. One will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Raleigh Family Moose Lodge, 2824 Forestville Road, and the other from 2:30-7:30 p.m. at American Legion Post 187, 225 E. Holding Ave.

Blood drive

The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive on Jan. 30 from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Franklinton Baptist Church, 102 W. Mason St., Franklinton.

Call to artists

The Wake Forest Public Art Commission is issuing a call to artists for its fourth annual Spotlight on Wake Forest Artists Exhibit. These exhibits provide for the display of public art murals throughout Wake Forest from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2023.

Wake Forest Guild Artists, Wake Forest-area high school students, and artists residing in Wake Forest and its ETJ are invited to submit one piece of original art for consideration.

The Call to Artists is open at https://www.publicartist.org/call.cfm through Sunday, Jan. 31.

House Wake! eviction prevention program

The House Wake! COVID-19 Eviction Prevention Program has extended the application deadline to Jan. 31, to continue to run alongside the extended eviction moratorium.

Residents can visit http://wakegov.com/housing or call 919-899-9911 to learn more and apply.

House Wake! is a strategic plan to minimize the effects of COVID-19 on homeless and precariously housed Wake County residents, while maximizing opportunities for positive long-term outcomes.

Black History Month webinars

The Wake Forest Historic Preservation Commission is celebrating Black History Month in February by partnering with the Wake Forest Historical Museum to offer a series of free Zoom webinars on African American history in our community and state.

On Mondays, Feb. 1, 8 and 22, the public is invited to attend online or by phone. There is no cost to participate, but registration is encouraged at https://bit.ly/WFBlackHistoryWebinars.

Beginning at 6 p.m., the Feb. 1 webinar will feature Adrienne Nirde, Associate Director at N.C African American Heritage Commission, who will discuss the mission of the NCAAHC and the Freedom Roads Initiative.

On Feb. 8 at 7 p.m., Senior Planner Michelle Michael and special guest Ricardo Young will discuss the Preservation of the Ailey Young House and site.

The Feb. 22 webinar will also begin at 7 p.m. and feature Sean Colbert-Lewis, associate professor of history and director of teacher education for the history department at N.C. Central University.