Hello friends!
Today, we’re celebrating the generation that survived shag carpet, rotary phones, paper maps, television antennas, and children who regularly disappeared outside until the streetlights came on!
Baby Boomers gave us rock ’n’ roll, drive-in movies, bell-bottoms, muscle cars—and the remarkable ability to fold a fitted sheet without watching an online tutorial.
So turn up the classic hits, pour yourself another cup of coffee, and enjoy today’s Wake News & Events. You’ve earned it—especially after spending half the morning looking for the glasses sitting on top of your head! 😂
Welcome, friends! We’re so glad you’re here.
See you out there in beautiful Wake,
Diane
PS 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.”
B’s Customer Designs – Handmade Wreaths That Make a Statement
Support a small business and a work-at-home mom when you choose a one-of-a-kind wreath from B’s Customer Designs.
Each piece is carefully crafted to be uniquely yours—beautiful, eye-catching, and the perfect statement for your front door.
Turn your entryway into something special. Shop B’s Customer Designs today and bring home the beauty of handmade. Watch for our upcoming B’s Custom Design Fall Newsletter and Digital Catalog.
Check out her latest creations and order your own: B’s Custom Creations by BR
Why did the little girl bring a ladder to school?
Because she wanted to go to high school! 😂📚
The Living Heritage of the Gullah Geechee
Along the Atlantic Coast, where moss-draped live oaks overlook peaceful marshes, one of America’s most remarkable cultures continues to thrive. The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor stretches from Wilmington, North Carolina, through the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia, and into northern Florida.
The Gullah Geechee are descendants of West and Central Africans who preserved many of their ancestral traditions despite generations of enslavement and hardship. Their distinctive language, food, music, spirituality, craftsmanship, and storytelling remain important parts of coastal life.
Visiting the corridor is more than a sightseeing trip. It is an opportunity to experience a living culture while supporting locally owned restaurants, artists, guides, museums, and historic sites.
For travelers from Wake County, Wilmington offers the closest introduction. At the Bellamy Mansion Museum, visitors can tour restored slave quarters and learn about the free and enslaved African Americans who helped build the property. Poplar Grove interprets the experiences of the enslaved and later freed families who lived and worked on the former plantation.
The Cape Fear Museum explores the region’s African American, maritime, and agricultural history. At the Cameron Art Museum, visitors can learn about the United States Colored Troops and view Rooted in Memory: The Gullah Geechee Vision of Jonathan Green through January 24, 2027.
For a deeper cultural experience, continue south to St. Helena Island near Beaufort, South Carolina. Here, Gullah Geechee traditions remain an important part of community life.
The island’s most significant destination is the Penn Center National Historic Landmark District. Originally established as the Penn School, it was among the first Southern schools created to educate formerly enslaved African Americans. The beautiful 50-acre property contains 25 historic buildings and later became an important gathering place during the Civil Rights Movement.
Guided tours of the York W. Bailey Museum introduce visitors to the history of the Penn School and the Gullah Geechee people. The nearby Reconstruction Era National Historical Park tells the powerful story of formerly enslaved people pursuing education, land ownership, political participation, and citizenship after the Civil War.
Visitors can also explore the hauntingly beautiful Chapel of Ease ruins, take a community-led heritage tour, and enjoy the coastal scenery surrounding Beaufort and St. Helena Island.
Food is another meaningful way to experience the culture. Traditional Gullah Geechee cooking blends West African influences with local rice, seafood, okra, peas, greens, and spices. Look for red rice, shrimp and grits, gumbo, Hoppin’ John, fried fish, collard greens, and seafood stews at locally owned restaurants such as Gullah Grub.
One of the best times to visit is during the Penn Center’s Heritage Days Celebration, scheduled for November 12–14, 2026. This three-day homecoming celebrates Gullah Geechee history with music, storytelling, food, folk art, crafts, and cultural programs.
Visitors are warmly welcomed, but respectful tourism is important. St. Helena Island is a living community—not an outdoor museum. Remain on public roads and designated sites, ask permission before photographing residents, and respect private land, churches, and cemeteries. Whenever possible, support Gullah-owned guides, restaurants, artists, and businesses.
Come for the graceful live oaks, quiet marshes, and beautiful coastline—but stay long enough to hear the stories. They speak of hardship and survival, faith and freedom, family and belonging. Together, they reveal a living culture that has helped shape the heart and soul of America.
Water Babies of Greater Raleigh offers expert-led swim lessons for babies and toddlers from birth to age 4 in warm, welcoming Triangle pools.
You’ll be in the water together for fun, child-led classes filled with songs, play, and gentle skill-building—creating special bonding moments while your little one gains confidence.
Why parents love Water Babies:
✅ Builds early water confidence and helps prevent fear of water
✅ Introduces foundational water safety skills
✅ Supports healthy physical and emotional development
✅ Creates quality parent-child bonding time
✅ Taught by caring, highly trained local instructors
Give your child the gift of water confidence and joyful memories. Spots fill quickly—contact Water Babies of Greater Raleigh today!
➡️ Lessons
Something Exciting Is Coming Soon for Wake County’s Small Businesses!
Wake News & Events has always been committed to supporting the local businesses that make Wake County such a wonderful place to live. Today, that support is more important than ever.
Times are challenging for many of our beloved neighborhood businesses. Behind every storefront is a dream, a family, and someone working hard to build something special. When we shop local, dine local, and support local, we are doing much more than making a purchase. We are investing in our neighbors, strengthening our economy, and helping preserve the unique character of our community.
Now, Wake News & Events is introducing an exciting new way for our newsletter—and all of you—to celebrate and support the businesses you love.
Announcing the Wake News & Events Readers’ Choice Awards!
These awards will give Wake County residents the opportunity to nominate and vote for their favorite local businesses across a wide variety of categories.
You nominate the businesses you love. You vote for the businesses you believe deserve recognition. Together, we will shine a brighter spotlight on the people and places that make Wake County special.
The Wake News & Events Readers’ Choice Awards are officially in pre-launch, which means now is the perfect time to get ready!
Invite your friends, neighbors, family members, customers, and fellow Wake County residents to subscribe to the free Wake News & Events Newsletter. Subscribers will be among the first to learn when nominations and voting officially opens.
If you own a local business, start spreading the word now. Encourage your customers and supporters to subscribe so they will be ready to nominate and vote when the contest begins.
A Big Opportunity for the Winning Businesses
Each winning business will receive:
⭐ One full year of FREE advertising in the new Wake News & Events Business Directory
🏆 An official Wake News & Events Readers’ Choice Award to proudly display
📰 A special Business Spotlight Article in the Wake News & Events Newsletter, sharing the winner’s business, people, and story with our readers
Our goal is simple: to recognize outstanding Wake County businesses, share their stories, and help send more local customers through their doors.
Local businesses continually support our schools, charities, families, events, and neighborhoods. Now it is our turn to support them.
📣 The Wake News & Events Readers’ Choice Awards are coming soon!
We will be opening nominations soon. In the meantime, we suggest you subscribe to Wake News & Events Newsletter now, rally your supporters, and get ready to nominate and vote. Together, let’s show Wake County’s small businesses how much our community sees, values, supports, and appreciates them. Share the newsletter now and ask someone to subscribe.
Raleigh Teen Makes a Huge Splash Across the English Channel!
Most teenagers spend their summer preparing for a new school year. Raleigh’s Lorelei Schmidt spent hers swimming from England to France!
The 17-year-old rising senior at Broughton High School conquered the English Channel on August 7, completing the grueling swim in approximately 12 hours and five minutes.
That remarkable achievement earned Lorelei the prestigious Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming—one of the most challenging distinctions in endurance sports. To earn it, a swimmer must cross the English Channel, complete California’s Catalina Channel, and circle Manhattan during the 20 Bridges Swim. Lorelei completed the Catalina and Manhattan swims in 2024 before adding the English Channel as her crowning accomplishment.
Her scheduled attempt was delayed by difficult weather, but Lorelei remained focused and ready. When conditions finally allowed her to enter the water, she swam all the way from the English coast to France—joining a very small and accomplished group of athletes worldwide.
From Raleigh’s swimming pools to the open waters of the world, Lorelei has shown us what determination, courage, and years of hard work can accomplish.
Congratulations, Lorelei! Wake County is incredibly proud of you! 🏊♀️🏆💙
Wake County - Free Breakfast at 19 Schools
During the 2026–27 school year, every student at 19 participating Wake County public schools—including Rolesville High—can receive breakfast at no cost, regardless of household income or meal-benefit status.
The county-funded program helps students begin the day nourished, focused, and ready to learn. Free lunch is not included, so families are still encouraged to complete the Free and Reduced-Price Meal application.
Murder Hits a High Note in Wake Forest!
Mystery, music, and a suspicious reunion are coming to the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre on Saturday, August 22!
In the interactive comedy mystery “Kill the Music,” an all-girl, one-hit-wonder band reunites to debut a new song—but someone may be silenced before the final note. Audience members will gather clues, work with their tablemates, and help expose the culprit.
Choose from an 11:00 AM brunch performance featuring pastries, fruit, and coffee or an 8:00 PM show with desserts and coffee. A cash bar will be available during both performances. Please note that a full meal is not included.
The mystery unfolds at 405 S. Brooks Street in Wake Forest. Reserved tickets are on sale now.
Sometimes, email servers can cut off parts of the newsletter, making it tricky to enjoy the full experience. For the best reading experience and to catch all the details, click here to view the entire newsletter!
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.”
