Now it will get the foot soldiers.

For several months, the advocates have gotten high-level support from the CEOs and philanthropists of the Dix Visionaries and midlevel support from the nonprofits associated with the Friends of Dorothea Dix Park.

This weekend, the yard signs are coming out. The green signs feature two oak trees and a slogan that tries to tie the City of Oaks to the Big Apple: "Save Raleigh's Central Park."

Advocates with Dix 306, which started in December, began putting out signs last night. They'll be out en masse today putting them in yards and roadways around Raleigh.

See a picture of the signs at blogs.newsobserver.com/wakepol.

ISLEY MAKES IT TO WHITE HOUSE: Philip Isley, a Raleigh councilman, was one of a group of Wake County Republicans tapped for a trip to Washington to see President Bush honor the Carolina Hurricanes.

Richard Hill, vice chairman of the Wake GOP, also took friends and family.

Isley took his 9-year-old daughter Grace and spent Thursday taking her through museums on the mall.

The trip had another historic twist. Isley's father-in-law and law partner Gene Boyce worked for the U.S. Senate committee that first uncovered the existence of the Watergate tapes.

"I figured if I was taking Grace out of school, that she should learn something," Isley said. "We're staying at the Watergate Hotel."

THE ALGONQUIN ROUND TABLE: County commissioners should have kept their eye out for the ghost of Dorothy Parker when they were in New York City.

Commissioners Tony Gurley, Paul Coble and Betty Lou Ward went there, along with the county manager, finance manager, budget director, two attorneys and two independent financial advisers.

They met with all three bond rating agencies -- Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch -- to make sure Wake keeps its rare triple-AAA grade even after it sells $970 million in school bonds.

According to county records, they stayed at the Algonquin Hotel, home of Parker's circle of writers and humorists, the Algonquin Round Table.

The hotel charges about $254 a night. With $1,476 worth of meals and $224 plane tickets, the trip cost taxpayers about $8,000.

POLITICAL TRAIL

* WAKE YOUNG REPUBLICANS: The Wake Young Republicans will have Phil Kirk, former president of the N.C. Citizens for Business and Industry, at its monthly meeting Feb. 12. Kirk will discuss the wine industry and its impact on the state's economy.

The meeting will be held at Moonlight Pizza, 615 West Morgan St. in downtown Raleigh. A wine tasting will be held before the meeting at 6:30 p.m.; the meeting begins at 7 p.m.

Dinner is $8. RSVP to wakeyr@gmail.com before Feb. 8.

* WAKE COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY: The Wake County Republican Party will hold precinct meetings Tuesday at 7 p.m. Republican precincts are organized by districts of the N.C. House of Representatives. To find your precinct and meeting location, visit wakegop.org.

* JOHNSTON YOUNG REPUBLICANS: The Johnston County Young Republicans will meet Tuesday at Lone Star Steakhouse on U.S. 70 in Clayton. Dinner will be at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will follow at 7. The group is for adults 18-40.

POLITICALLY SPEAKING

"Or the donkey."

-- Commissioner Kenn Gardner, in response to a statement by a facilitator at a retreat last week that the board sometimes needs to talk "about the elephant in the middle of the room."