Sunday, August 17, 2008

I remember the '80s (Part 1)


I remember the 1980s rather well. Of course, my '80s were spent in western New York. But I feel as if I remember the '80s in Wake Forest, after writing down much of what happened here in our July 31 centennial installment, which featured 1979-88.

Newspaper space is limited though, and not everything made the final cut. The next several installments on this blog will feature the weather events, heroes, and other odds and ends that caught Wake Weekly journalists’ eyes.

Baby, it’s cold outside

Wake Forest experienced several notable weather events in the 1980s. Perhaps the most notable came in November 1988 when a tornado (wreckage, above) tore its way down from Franklin County, passing between Wake Forest and Rolesville, knocking down trees, before moving west into rural southern Wake Forest. No one was killed, but one man was injured when his mobile home at Ligon Mill and Burlington Mills roads was destroyed. A lesser tornado did some damage west of U.S. 1 in February 1981.

Snow, ice and freezing temperatures struck several times over the decade. In January 1979, an ice storm shorted out transformers. A month later, 10 inches of snow fell on Wake Forest, the most since 1948. Back-to-back snowfalls blanketed the town in early 1980.





A cold snap in January 1982 dropped temps to 4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 9 wind chill), and electric line damages knocked out power to close to 1,900 people. That year, on Christmas morning, the temps got as low as 2 degrees. Another 1,700 people were without power the following January after a snowfall as well. Seven inches of snow fell in February 1984, and a year later, the mercury dropped to minus 9.

And a sleet storm that one local called “the worst in 39 years,” hit in February 1987, paving the streets, yards, and homes with five inches of ice.

Snow photos: Top - taking a stoll along Juniper Street during an early in the decade snowstorm is Rae Gerstacker with her dog Sigi and (from left) Stasi and Mindi Mulvihill and Lisa Gerstacker. Middle - with this icy Snoopy in the yard of Jim Medlin is Kevin and Christy Medlin and their dog, Red. Bottom - Guy Spencer enjoys a long slide down Holding Avenue in 1988 with kids Matt (top) and Sam.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Raleigh's cow pasture



In 1995, the city of Raleigh — formerly a 25-minute drive from the southern tip of the Wake Forest town limits — annexed 1,800 acres of the Wakefield family farm.


What was once considered to be in the neighborhood of Wake Forest, had a local mailing address, whose kids attended Wake Forest schools and long thought to one day be part of the town’s development spiral, suddenly became part of the big city.



Attorney James Warren describes his reaction:


“[I] remember when Wakefield was a cow pasture. It was a significant thing was when Wakefield became part of Raleigh… we always thought it being the Wake Forest area it would be part of Wake Forest someday. I guess Raleigh offered a good deal on providing water and sewer. [It] was quite a blow for this community — we just figured whenever it got developed, it would be part of this community.”


In the photo above, Daril Wiggins paints the Wakefield Plantation sign on Falls of Neuse Road when Wakefield Elementary school was set to open in 1998.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Cash 'n carry


One of the more interesting things about reading through old newspapers is seeing familiar faces. Here's a picture of Daryl Cash proudly displaying giant turnips, the largest 7 pounds, which he grew with his father Bryant in the 1980s. Daryl is now a captain with the Wake Forest Fire Department.