Home Care In Wake Forest, NC

The holiday season has officially arrived, and several North Carolina neighborhoods are being transformed into the North Pole.

From festive floats and dazzling decor to twinkling lights with synchronized jingles, many homes in the area are taking “deck the halls” to the next level.

Whether you want to take a stroll to see Santa or enjoy from the comfort of your car, here is a list of local free holiday lights displays around the Triangle to check out through the end of the year.

Did we miss any? Let us know at [email protected].

Lake Myra Christmas Lights

Location: 10 S Cypress St, Wendell, NC 27591

The dog-friendly holiday lights display will be up and open to the public daily, weather permitting, from 5:30-10 p.m. with special visits from Santa every Saturday through Dec. 20 from 7-9 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. You can find updates online at facebook.com/LakeMyraChristmasLights.

Lights On Cedar

Location: 206 W Cedar Ave, Wake Forest, NC 27587

The holiday lights display will be up from 5-10 p.m. every night, weather permitting with visits from Santa on select Saturdays and Sundays. You can find updates online at facebook.com/lightsoncedar.

Location: 7510 Guess Rd, Hillsborough, NC 27278

The Christmas lights show is on display daily at 5:30 p.m. through Wednesday, Dec. 31. You can tune into 90.3 FM on the radio for synchronized music in tune with the lights. You can find updates online at facebook.com/MangumLights.

Location: 3909 Falmouth Dr, Raleigh, NC 27604

The holiday lights display will be up every day from 6-10 p.m. for guests to walk around and take photos. You can find more updates online at facebook.com/TheNelsonsCLS.

Piper Lights

Location: 5725 Fixit Shop Rd, Wake Forest, NC 27587

The holiday lights at the drive-thru display will be up from 5:30-9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays from 5:30-9 p.m. and 5:30-10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. You can find updates online at facebook.com/piperlights.

The Rogers Family Christmas Lights

Location: 700 Bay Bouquet Ln, Apex, NC 27523

The synchronized holiday lights display is officially open for the season for free. Donations are accepted in support of Cure SMA. You can find updates online at facebook.com/rogersfamilylights.

Goldman Family Lights

Location: 6331 Deerview Dr, Raleigh, NC 27606

This free light show is open through the end of the year. Last year, donations were raised to support victims of Hurricane Helene. The family asks onlookers to turn off their headlights and tune radios to 90.9 WGFL for music to accompany the lights. You can find updates online at facebook.com/GoldmanFamilyLights.

Houston Family Lights

Location: 9021 New Century Rd, Wake Forest, NC,

You can find updates online at facebook.com/HoustonFamilyLights.

Location: 4109 Guess Rd, Durham, NC

The church’s annual light show runs nightly from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day. You can find more information online at rosbc.org.

Raleigh Christmas Lights

Location: 2612 Beehnon Lane, Raleigh

The annual family-friendly Christmas lights show, which opens Friday, Dec. 5, is timed to music (90.3 FM). This year’s display will include a song touch screen. You can find updates online at facebook.com/RaleighNCLights.

Location: 178 Kilborne Road, Mooresville, NC

The show runs 5:30-10 p.m. nightly in all weather. Tune to 89.1 FM for music. You can find updates online at facebook.com/gibsonfamilylightshow.

Location: 9401 S Mere Ct, Raleigh, NC 27615

The annual display includes a playable Candyland game during the day and lights at night. The family also does an annual Halloween display, and donations this year raised more than $1,600 for Cancer for College, according to its Facebook page. Find updates online at facebook.com/edwardsbattlehauntedhouse.

Anchanew Lights

Location: 1004 Quail Oaks Circle, Raleigh, NC

The annual light show will run through New Year’s Day, 6-9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 6-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The family requests onlookers park out front, turn off headlights and tune radios to 90.3 FM. When exiting, use the cul-de-sac to turn around, and avoid neighbor’s driveways. Donations are welcome to cover the cost of the display. Find updates online at facebook.com.

Holidays on Hemby

Location: 1001 Hemby Ridge Lane, Morrisville, NC 27560

The annual light show is partnering with Diaper Bank of North Carolina and will accept all sizes of diapers, including adult sizes. This annual show includes a train schedule, which runs 5:30-8:30 p.m. (weather permitting) on select nights. Saturday, Dec. 13 is the annual Candy Canes & Cocoa night. Find updates online at facebook.com.

Holland Road Lights

Location: 409 Holland Road, Fuquay-Varina, NC

The show starts at dusk (around 5 p.m.) and goes until 10:30 p.m. nightly. An annual New Year’s Eve dance party show runs through just after midnight. Monetary donations are accepted online for toy drives, food and/or for the light show itself. Find updates online at hollandroadlights.com.

Ashley Heights Lights Clayton

Location: 340 Ashpole Trl, Clayton, NC

Hours are 6-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 6-10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday through Wednesday, Jan. 7. Tune your radio to 89.5 FM for a show with lights synchronized to music. You can scan a QR code or visit fx72.com to pick the next song or choose audio options. Find updates online at facebook.com/AshleyHeightsLightsClayton.

Sutphen Christmas Trail

Location: 3200 Beane Dr. Raleigh, NC

The holiday show will open Dec. 7 at 5:30 p.m. Donations to St. Jude are appreciated. Find updates online at instagram.com/sutphen.about.her.

Lights on Birch Hollow

Location: 393 Birch Hollow Road, Chapel Hill NC

This home in the Briar Chapel community runs shows nightly 5-9 p.m. Find updates online at facebook.com/bayfieldlights.

Gebhardt Family Lights

Location: 1033 Hortons Creek Road, Cary NC

Tune to 90.3 FM for accompanying music. Find updates online at facebook.com/gebhardtfamilylights.

South Mills Christmas Lighting Spectacular

Location: 178 Nosay Road, South Mills, NC

The Walker family’s annual display runs 5:30-10 p.m. nightly through Jan. 1. Santa will be visiting Dec. 7 and 20. The show is free, but donations are encouraged to support a local charity, the family’s Instagram page says. Find updates online at instagram.com/walkerspalms.

The News & Observer’s Kimberly Tutuska contributed to this story.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Wake Forest’s Carlos Hernandez scored two touchdowns, including one by returning a teammate’s fumble, on plays that caught North Carolina off guard and the Demon Deacons didn’t allow a touchdown in a 28-12 victory Saturday.

Hernandez racked up 100 receiving yards on six catches and Robby Ashford threw for a touchdown and ran for another for Wake Forest (7-3, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). Demond Claiborne ran for 98 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown.

It marked the first victory for first-year coach Jake Dickert against an in-state conference rival.

“I could feel a difference,” Dickert said. “I could feel the energy.”

North Carolina’s Rece Verhoff kicked four field goals, including a record-setting boot, but he had two other attempts blocked. The Tar Heels (4-6, 2-4) had a two-game winning streak snapped. They’ll have to win their final two games against in-state rivals to reach bowl eligibility in coach Bill Belichick’s first season as a college head coach.

“We just didn’t have a good night,” Belichick said. “It certainly wasn’t enough here.”

Ashford was 15-for-25 passing for 191 yards and also picked up 50 yards on the ground, with his 2-yard, fourth-down TD run coming with 22 seconds left.

Gio Lopez went 21 for 36 for 201 yards for the Tar Heels, who had 56 rushing yards compared to Wake Forest’s 223.

“Our physicality took over and I thought our mentality took over,” Dickert said. “… This is a gutty, gritty team.”

Hernandez scored the first touchdown after recovering Ashford’s fumble, scooping the ball near a pile of players and racing 50 yards to the end zone to conclude the game’s opening possession.

Verhoff booted a school-record 57-yard field goal on the last play of the first half, pulling North Carolina to within 14-6. He had other field goals from 40, 42 and 47 yards.

The Demon Deacons went up 21-9 in the third quarter on a flea flicker, with Hernandez going 56 yards down the sideline to complete a 70-yard play.

“We had a couple of trick plays in the bag,” Dickert said. “Our guys went out there and made big plays.”

The Takeaway

North Carolina: The Tar Heels got away with stretches of sluggish offense against Syracuse and Stanford, but that wasn’t the case in the first of three consecutive games against in-state opponents.

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons went 2-2 in ACC home games and assured themselves of a winning season.

No TD zone

It marked the second game in a row that Wake Forest’s opponent didn’t score a touchdown following an upset a week earlier at Virginia. The Demon Deacons recorded two sacks, but there was regular pressure applied on Lopez.

North Carolina came up empty after recovering a fumble at the Wake Forest 31-yard line. The Tar Heels converted on their lone fourth-down gamble, but it didn’t matter.

“We need to finish those drives,” Belichick said. “We got the ball down there and just didn’t have enough to show for it.”

Getting his kicks

Verhoff’s 57-yarder instantly became a career highlight for the senior transfer.

“It was a great hit,” Verhoff said. “From my angle, I’m not going to lie, it looked like it was going to hit the upright. … All of a sudden I saw people hold their hands up ‘good’ because I couldn’t see it go in. I was ecstatic because I’ve worked a lot to hit one of those.”

Verhoff, who previously kicked for Marshall, tied the North Carolina single-game record with the six attempts.

Up Next

North Carolina: Saturday at home vs. Duke

Wake Forest: Saturday at home vs. Delaware

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

END

North Carolina Tar Heels football coach Bill Belichick has endured an embarrassing introduction to the college game after 48 years in the NFL. While UNC’s latest 21-18 loss to the Cal Golden Bears in Berkeley, California, was respectable in many regards, the Power 4 losses that preceded it weren’t.

Belichick’s Tar Heels took a 38-10 loss to the now-3-4 Clemson Tigers at home, a 34-9 loss to the UCF Knights at the Bounce House, and a 48-14 Week 1 loss to the TCU Horned Frogs at home before the Cal loss.

The Washington Post’s Patrick Stevens believes North Carolina’s remaining schedule, one likely filled with losses like the first half of it, won’t be a national story anymore. The Tar Heels face regional rivals like the Virginia Cavaliers, Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Duke Blue Devils, and NC State Wolf Pack, plus the Syracuse Orange and Stanford Cardinal, the rest of the way.

“If there is a silver lining for the Tar Heels, it’s that this is probably one of the last times a clearly middling team is going to command much attention. They have another Friday night game on Halloween (at Syracuse), but the remainder of their second-half schedule (Virginia, Stanford, at Wake Forest, Duke, at N.C. State) is mostly longtime, regional rivals,” Stevens wrote.

“Now that creates other problems closer to home. But on a national scale, the time has just about come to tune out the Tar Heels until 2026.”

Much like “Prime Time” in Boulder towards the end of the 2023 season, a poor product is unraveling during the Power 4 debut of a previously established NFL personality. Given UNC GM Michael Lombardi’s front office dealings since taking over player movement in “Chapel Bill,” many have little faith there will be a revival like the Colorado Buffaloes had in 2024 with a 9-3 regular season.

Deion Sanders brought Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter with him to CU. Belichchick is bringing his unproven sons, Steven and Brian, to coach the defense while inappropriately featuring Jordon Hudson in team meetings.

Different types of nepotism are creating different types of results. Especially because Coach Prime’s “Daddy Ball” was proven to be just good football.

That’s the opposite of what’s been happening on the field for North Carolina.

Wake Forest is the recipient of three 2025 NC Chapter of the American Planning Association’s Marvin Collins Awards for the following initiatives:

• Wake Forest Downtown Plan ( Small Area Plan).

• Go Wake Forest (Implementation).

• South Main Street Corridor Study (Specialized Plan).

Several members of the Wake Forest Planning Department accepted the award Oct. 15 at the APA-NC Conference in Charlotte.

Adopted in 2024, the Wake Forest Downtown Plan provides recommendations and serves as a guide for future land use and development, transportation and parking, pedestrian mobility, redevelopment opportunities, and streetscape improvements throughout Downtown Wake Forest.

Introduced on October 1, 2024, “Go Wake Forest” is a ridesharing transit service that operates similar to Uber and Lyft connecting riders directly from their doorstep to anywhere in Wake Forest’s jurisdiction and a portion of Raleigh’s Wakefield neighborhood. Riders can schedule rides through the official Go Wake Forest smartphone app and by calling 984-342-2319.

Approved in July 2024, the South Main Street Corridor Study represents a focused examination of safety, connectivity, and equitable access on South Main Street and presents a preferred conceptual design, offering a detailed "perspective" for the future of South Main Street.

For more information on the Downtown Plan and South Main Street Corridor Study, visit wakeforestnc.gov/planning/maps-plans-ordinances. For more information on Go Wake Forest, visit wakeforestnc.gov and search “Go Wake Forest.”

This marks the second year in a row Wake Forest has been recognized by the NC Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA-NC). Last year the Town was the recipient of the 2024 Marvin Collins Award in the category of “Comprehensive Plan” for its “Town of Wake Forest Community Plan.”

The APA-NC is an association of 1,400 professional and citizen planners working to preserve and create great places throughout North Carolina. The APA-NC Marvin Collins Planning Awards program annually recognizes agencies and individuals that have completed outstanding plans, programs, and projects; have excelled as planning students; or have made notable contributions to the planning profession. The awards signify the highest standards of achievement for planning in North Carolina and highlight work that is worthy of attention.

The Awards Program is named in honor of the late Marvin Collins, a former Planning Director for Orange County, North Carolina, who developed the idea for the program in 1975. He received a Professional Achievement Award from the APA-NC just prior to his death in 1998. For the 25th anniversary of the awards program, the APA-NC Executive Committee recognized Collins' service to the chapter by adding his name to the awards program.

Early voting has commenced for North Carolina's November 2025 municipal elections across 380 municipalities, ending November 1. With low odd-year turnout, locals are urged to vote for leaders who impact community decisions.

Early voting has begun across 380 North Carolina municipalities for the November 2025 municipal elections.

Voting kicked off Thursday, Oct. 16, and ends at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1.

Other WRAL Top Stories

Across the state, 447 cities, towns and villages in 88 counties are conducting elections this November. Of these, 67 municipalities chose not to use early and absentee voting. In those municipalities, voters cast their ballots only on Election Day, which is Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Odd years typically have low voter turnout, even though local elected leaders make decisions that deeply affect lives.

“These politicians need to know what's happening around us so that they can focus on us. I know the national elections usually get all the spotlight. Still, it really starts back home, and people really need to understand these are the people that are making the decisions right here in our own city, states, towns, communities,” said Stephanie Wilson Jones.

Jones is a small business owner who lives in Knightdale, encouraging residents to get out and vote.

She added, "Especially for my type of business, with the zoning and just the development of the community, I need to be making sure that things are happening out here too, because I want people to come here. I need that growth. I need to be able to have the people want to buy and live here, because if there's nothing going on, people are going to go elsewhere, and that kind of hurts my business."

City and town officials on the ballot this fall will guide growth and development, set property tax rates and spend on things like parks, policing and roads.

Here’s a breakdown of who’s running in Wake County:

KNIGHTDALE TOWN COUNCIL (THREE SEATS)

APEX TOWN COUNCIL (THREE SEATS)

CARY TOWN COUNCIL (AT-LARGE, DISTRICT A & DISTRICT C)

At-Large

District A

District C

FUQUAY-VARINA MAYOR

FUQUAY-VARINA BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS (TWO SEATS)

GARNER TOWN COUNCIL (TWO SEATS)

HOLLY SPRINGS MAYOR

HOLLY SPRINGS TOWN COUNCIL (THREE SEATS)

MORRISVILLE MAYOR

MORRISVILLE TOWN COUNCIL (AT-LARGE, DISTRICT 2 & DISTRICT 4)

At-Large

Current council member Steve Rao, whose term expires in December, is seeking a seat on the Wake County Board of Commissioners.

District 2

District 4

ROLESVILLE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS (THREE SEATS)

WAKE FOREST MAYOR

WAKE FOREST BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS (TWO SEATS)

WENDELL BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS (THREE SEATS)

ZEBULON MAYOR

ZEBULON BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS (TWO SEATS)

November 4, 2025 Municipal Election Information

Voters in many municipalities will select mayors and members of their local governing bodies. In some areas, voters will choose water and sewer or sanitary district commissioners or board of education members. Additionally, several towns have referenda on the ballot.

There are numerous non-party elections taking place in Wake County including Garner, Apex, Holly Springs, Cary, Morrisville and Fuquay-Varina.

During the early voting period, eligible individuals who are not registered to vote may register and vote at the same time at an early voting site in their county. For more information, see Register in Person During Early Voting.

“Municipal elections are a huge undertaking across North Carolina. We appreciate the hard work of our county officials and poll workers in administering these important elections,” said Sam Hayes, executive director of the N.C. State Board of Elections. “Municipal elections represent another opportunity for voters to make their voices heard in choosing their government leaders.”

Early voting sites and schedules are available at the State Board of Elections' Early Voting Site Search and at Early Voting Sites for the Nov. 4, 2025 Municipal Elections. Statewide, 144 early voting sites will be open for the November elections.