Looks like a GREAT weekend ahead. Easter Sunday morning should be mostly cloudy skies with temperatures in the low 60s.  Sunrise will be 6:41am.

Unfortunately, we all will be experiencing ELEVATED LEVELS of TREE, GRASS and WEED pollen! Tis the season! https://www.forsyth.cc/EAP/pollen.aspx

Holy Week Timeline for Maundy Thursday

Maundy = ‘mandate’ or ‘command’

“Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another.

As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 

John 13:34-35

Jesus and the Disciples preparing and celebrating Passover in the Upper Room.

Then the Garden of Gethsemane and the Betrayal of Jesus.  

“And (Jesus) took bread, and when he had given thanks,

he broke it and gave it to them, saying,

‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’

And likewise, the cup, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” Luke 22:19-20

Follow Jesus and his disciples during Passion Week…

Check out the daily events and scripture references on the News Blog + Facebook

https://wbfj.fm/holy-week-passion-week-timeline

Fire crews battling several brush fires…

Northeast Forsyth county = 12 acres burnt.

Surry County (Low Gap community) = 65 acres burnt.

McDowell County: The Bee Rock Branch (wildfire) started on Tuesday has grown to 300 acres northeast of Marion. An evacuation order remains in place, just south of Little Switzerland.  https://www.wbtv.com/2025/04/15/multiple-fire-crews-battling-wildfire-mcdowell-county/

American Red Cross: Local blood drives for Thursday, April 17, 2025

Finch Auditorium on Unity Street in Thomasville = 8:30am – 1:30pm

Memorial United Methodist Church in Thomasville = 1:30pm – 6pm

Davie County Library in Mocksville = 2 – 6:30pm

Schedule your blood donation appointment TODAY at https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/

Download the Red Cross Blood Donor App or call 1-800-RED CROSS

Reminder: April sun = August sun?  News 2 Meteorologist Tim Buckley sharing that our solar angle this time of year is equal to late August. Please, slather on some sunscreen (SPF 50) before spending time outside!

April is Child Advocate Month

Learn more about volunteering with Guardian ad Litem of North Carolina

by calling 1-800-982-4041 or click www.volunteerforgal.org

Real eggs too expensive? How about the Jet-Puffed ‘marshmallow dying kit’.

The first-of-its-kind marshmallow color dying kit costs around $2 dollars at www.Walmart.com

Think of it as an Easter egg alternative? https://www.scrippsnews.com/life/holidays-and-celebrations/jet-puffed-creates-marshmallow-dying-kits-as-an-affordable-alternative-to-easter-eggs

Resurrection Rolls:  A tasty object lesson!

These homemade goodies are a meaningful way to explain the real meaning of Easter – an empty tomb. Instructional videos at wbfj.fm and our Facebook page.

REZ ROLLS (Videos)  https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/resurrection-rolls-recipe

https://secure.cbn.com/partners/video/premiumcontent/cbn/easterwithcbnfamily/springrecipes/607729

https://www.facebook.com/WBFJ.FM/videos/285845739816379/

Note: Winston-Salem city offices will be closed on Good Friday.

Garbage collections (WS) scheduled for Friday will take place on Monday (April 21).

Free Leaf Mulch for residents in Forsyth. First-come, first-served basis starting this Friday (April 18) between the hours of 8am – 3pm at the Forum 52 Yard Waste Facility on Northstar Drive in Rural Hall. The Free Leaf Mulch giveaway will continue over the next few Saturdays – April 19, April 26 and May 3 – while supplies last.

Operators will be available to help load your vehicle.

You must bring a tarp to fully cover your mulch before leaving the site.

Updates at https://www.cityofws.org/1334/Leaf-Yard-Waste-Disposal

Let’s go racin’ at the Mad House. The 77^th season of racing at Bowman Gray Stadium begins this Saturday night in Winston-Salem.  200-lap Modified race; 40-lap Sportsman race.

https://journalnow.com/sports/other/motorsports/article_b3af2fe8-9195-4d2f-8d28-b8561b80a014.html?

Forsyth County experienced a ‘rise’ in overdose calls over the past year.

Officials responded to more than 1,700 calls in 2024, according to a real time interactive ‘story map’ called “Unseen Patterns: The Overdose Story in Forsyth County.”

The project shows data ranging from how zip codes are affected to impact sorted by age, gender and race.  Forsyth County Health Services Coordinator Annie Vasquez says the tool can help officials create more targeted approaches, while sparking more conversation about overdose in our communities.   WFDD

Nearly 1 in 10 Americans (9%) are going to a wedding this summer that requires at least one night away from home, according to NerdWallet.  Average estimated cost (lodging, travel) to attend a destination wedding is over $1,900 dollars!

Question: *Do you bring a ‘gift’? Or are you the gift just by showing up???

https://myfox8.com/news/national/wedding-travel-how-to-minimize-costs-to-make-it-work/

It’s ‘Public Safety Telecommunicators’ Week, 911 dispatchers are the first point of contact for the public in emergencies. They receive calls, gather information, and coordinate responses from law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services.    

      Thank you!!!            https://www.co.forsyth.nc.us/article.aspx?NewsID=28667

Besides money, what would you like in your “Adult Easter Basket?”

Money. Relationship. New car.  New house.

Lots of candy! Chocolate. Sour patch Kids. Peeps…?

What about ‘fruit’? As in fruits of the spirit…as in Galatians 5:22-23

An extra serving of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control this Easter season.

The greatest? Remember that new ‘command’ from Jesus in John 13…

“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

*So, here’s to Fruits of the Spirit overflowing from our Adult Easter basket!

-Verne