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Good morning, Wake County! 🍂
Today is National New Friends Day—a lovely reminder that a friendly hello can be the start of something special. We’re glad you’re here, and we hope you find something fun to enjoy, a local business to discover, or a new friend to meet!
Be sure to check out our new Wake County Events Calendar! We are making it easy to discover what’s happening across Wake County—all in one fantastic place! We invite local organizations, entertainers, chambers of commerce, and municipalities to register and share their upcoming events for free. We want to help you get the word out! Help us fill the calendar with great things to do throughout our community!
See you out there in beautiful Wake County,
Diane
P.S. Be sure to join our NEW Facebook Group. 👈
—Philippians 4:6
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Why don’t ghosts like rainy weather?
It dampens their spirits!
It’s That Time! Let’s take a North Carolina adventure. This is worth the drive.
Follow the White Rabbit to the BOOtanical Garden
Ready for a Halloween adventure with a little Wonderland magic? On Friday, October 23, Cape Fear Botanical Garden transforms into the BOOtanical Garden, where glowing paths lead curious explorers into an Alice in Wonderland-inspired world of fantastical plants, mysterious gardens, and Halloween surprises.
Follow the White Rabbit and meet the garden’s colorful Boo Crew characters as you wander through thousands of lights and displays. Along the way, look for candy stations, interactive animations, photo spots, and a costume contest. There will also be food and drinks available, so your crew can pause for a treat before setting off toward the next curious discovery. Bring a bag for trick-or-treating—and a camera for those wonderfully weird Wonderland moments!
The family-friendly event is presented by Fayetteville PWC and takes place 4:30–9 p.m. Friday, October 23, at Cape Fear Botanical Garden, 536 N. Eastern Boulevard, Fayetteville.
Advance tickets are $14 for nonmembers ages 11 and up, $12 for members ages 11 and up, and $9 for children ages 3–10. Children under 3 are free. Walk-up tickets, if available, cost more, and advance tickets are recommended because capacity is limited. Check ticket availability and plan your visit.
Pack your costume, gather your favorite adventurers, and let the garden path lead you somewhere delightfully spooky.
Wake County’s Big News This Week
Unwelcome Hitchhikers in Returned Books
Wake County Public Libraries is responding after bed bugs were found in books returned to Oberlin Regional Library. Pest treatments began in August and continued into October, and more than 300 affected books were reportedly removed. Other branch reports are still unconfirmed, and library services remain open. Read WRAL’s full report.
Pull Out Your Wallet
Wake County voters will decide on a proposed $680 million school bond focused largely on renovations and upgrades, including heating and air-conditioning replacements at nearly two dozen schools. It would also direct about $143 million toward three new eastern Wake elementary schools—Marshburn Road, Poole Road, and Little Creek. The estimated tax increase is $4.10 per $100,000 of property value each year, or about $16.40 for a $400,000 home. Read WRAL’s full breakdown.
An Old-Fashioned Date Night:
Hayride, Moonlight and S’mores
Trade a dinner reservation for a country evening at Crossroads Corn Maze, 5712 Watkins Road in Wendell. Take the farm’s hayride, then test your teamwork in the corn maze. On nights when “When the Stalks Go Dark” is scheduled, the maze is open after sunset—bring a flashlight and check the farm’s event page for the specific dates.
Afterward, settle in by a fire pit and toast s’mores beneath the open sky. The farm lists fire-pit use as complimentary with admission, and its all-inclusive pass covers the corn maze, hayride and one pumpkin per paid guest. The 2026 season runs through Nov. 1, with Friday and Saturday hours until 9 p.m.
Raleigh’s Halloween Season Brings Ballet, Theater & Family Fun
Raleigh, N.C. — Spooky-season entertainment is taking the stage across Raleigh, from a comic Dracula to an immersive park performance.
Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors — The opening performance is Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 7:30 p.m. Theatre Raleigh’s comic take on Bram Stoker’s classic plays at De Ann S. Jones Theatre, 6638 Old Wake Forest Road. Event and ticket information.
Carolina Ballet: Dracula — Performances are Friday, Oct. 23, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 24, at 2 and 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday, Oct. 31, at 2 and 7:30 p.m. The original gothic ballet is at A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater, 2 E. South St. Performance details.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead — Opens Friday, Oct. 23, at 7:30 p.m. at Raleigh Little Theatre’s Gaddy-Goodwin Teaching Theatre, 301 Pogue St. Tom Stoppard’s comedy follows two minor characters from Hamlet. The run is listed as Oct. 23–Nov. 8; performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m., and Thursday, Oct. 29, at 7:30 p.m. Show details.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Early Edition — Friday, Oct. 23; doors open at 8:30 p.m., show at 9 p.m. The screening features a live performance by the Low Down Cheap Little Punks at The Rialto, 1620 Glenwood Ave. Event page.
CHAOS CHOIR: DARK — Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 28–29, at 6 p.m. This free, registration-required immersive music and theater performance begins inside Fred Fletcher Park’s historic Borden Building and travels through the park to the amphitheater, 820 Clay St. City event details and registration.
Halloween at Hogwarts — Saturday, Oct. 31, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The North Carolina Symphony’s family concert features Harry Potter-inspired music, a costume contest and kid-friendly lobby activities at Meymandi Concert Hall, 2 E. South St. Concert details.
The votes are in—and now it’s your turn to taste, sip, and enjoy the best! Visit Readers’ Choice winners like Branches Coffee Co. in Zebulon, Burger Village in Raleigh, and pizza favorite Bambino’s in Morrisville. Every visit is a delicious way to support a local small business—and discover for yourself why readers named them the Best of the Best!
Get your FREE Wake News & Events Halloween Guide featuring more than 66 spooky, silly, and family-friendly things to do around Wake County. Find pumpkin patches, trunk-or-treats, festivals, and plenty of Halloween fun—all in one handy guide. Pick your favorites, gather your goblins, and let the fun begin! 👉 Get your free guide here
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For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
