Jeremy Wrenn--Wake Forest & Raleigh Home Improvements, Repairs, Handyman Services

Whether you say 20-12 or two thousand twelve (or something else), it's a new year!

So here's to making it great, and a big hearty thanks to all those that made 2011 great for Wrenn Home Improvements: our employees, our customers, and our vendors! Thanks!

We look forward to continued success and growth in 2012 with each of you.

Happy New Year!

Many of us are aware of a lot of the high profile charity foundations, but I'd wager that many of us may not be familiar with CHERUBS and their cause.

CHERUBS is short for:

The Association of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Research, Awareness and Support

They support families of this birth defect all over the world, from right here in Wake Forest. And below is a great chance to support their cause, and dance the night away!

Please consider purchasing a couple of tickets for you and your sweetie, and heading out to the dance floor on Oct. 22nd!

2011 CHERUBS Masquerading Angels Ball

October 22, 2011
6:00 pm - Midnight

Hampton Inn & Suites
(near Raleigh-Durham Airport at Brier Creek)
8021 Arco Corporate Drive
Raleigh, NC 27617

Formal Charity Masquerade Ball

You can forget the days of only dialing 7 digits soon if you live in the Triangle area. You can start dialing 10 digits as of Oct. 1st (well, really, I think my phone already dials 10 digits), but it will be required on your cell phone after March 31, 2012. So there probably will be a bunch of April Fools that next day!

WRAL.com has a story on this that gives more background on the why, but suffice it to say, there's a lot of people around here now!

Heck, there will even be a new area code in our area: 984! 919 won't be all alone here anymore, and the area codes will be mixed around based on when a number is issued, not on geography alone.

So get used to dialing that area code as well, soon you'll have to!

I have SO missed this park. I grew up going to Pullen Park, and can remember my dad taking me there and riding in the little boats on the turnstile and ringing the bell. According to WRAL.com, even a now Raleigh City Councilman, Russ Stephens, remembers those:

"The boats would just go round and round and round," he said. "You got to steer, and there was a string to a big bell on the front of the boat, so you got to make a big racket."

And I remember riding the merry-go-round (one of the oldest in the US!). According to Raleigh's website:

"The circa 1900, intricately hand carved machine, was made by master carver Salvatore Cernigliaro and his apprentices in Germantown, Pennsylvania for the Dentzel Carousel Company. According to the National Carousel Association Census, this is one of 23 remaining historic Dentzel carousels and one of 14 Dentzel menageries still operating in Northern America."

But I remember especially riding the train around the entire park! Fun times! The train is a 1/3 size replica of an 1863 locomotive, and even adults can ride.

But the last two summers I haven't been able to go! It's been a bummer, but I think it will be worth it with all the improvements and repairs they did there.

We've taken our kids there each summer, so that I can relive my childhood. Oh, and so the kids can enjoy the place, too. We've been able to have everyone ride the merry-go-round and the train, and get the kids on the boats. Yes, I'm too big to get into them now. Sigh...

But the exciting news is that Pullen Park reopens in less than 2 months! The official re-grand opening is set for Nov. 19th. You can read more about it at this article by WRAL.

From what I understand, when they dug up the ground to work on the underground utilities, there were some, uh, surprises. I'd bet with over 100 years of stuff down there. Yipes!

Anyway, should be fun to get back there and ride the train again! I can't wait! Oh, and the kids are probably excited, too.

From the Town of Wake Forest:

Portion of North Main Street Closed Thursday

x

The Town of Wake Forest will close the southbound lane of North Main Street, from West Walnut Avenue to West Pine Avenue, on Thursday, Sept. 8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. while crews repair several potholes.

Detour signs and flaggers will direct traffic around the work area. Motorists are encouraged to take the signed detour or choose an alternate route.

In case of inclement weather, the work will be postponed to Friday

If you can use an alternate route (i.e. N. White St. or Capital Blvd. south) to get where you are going today if you're heading south, it might be easier on you.