The North Carolina Symphony will present a free Music Discovery & Instrument Zoo at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts on Tuesday, Oct. 17, at 10:30 a.m. Geared for children pre-K through second grade, this hands-on musical activity will feature members of the NC Symphony providing an interactive demonstration of orchestra instruments. Attendees will learn how the string instruments of the orchestra make their sounds and hear examples of classical and popular music composed for strings. Afterwards, audience members will have the opportunity to try their favorite instrument in the instrument zoo. This Music Discovery program is sponsored by PNC’s “Grow Up Great” initiative, promoting literacy and arts education for preschoolers and their families. For more information, visit www.wakeforestnc.gov/music-discovery-instrument-zoo.aspx or contact Renaissance Centre Specialist Debra Horton at 919-435-9566 or dhorton@wakeforestnc.gov.

Wake Electric, the member-owned cooperative that furnishes power to a substantial portion of Wake Forest and six counties outside Wake County, will hold a workshop about electric vehicles the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 26, at its office in Wake Forest. Participants will learn how the vehicles work, what the benefits of driving one are, and the impacts of having electric vehicles in your community. They will also have the chance to test drive an electric car. The event from 9 to 11:45 a.m. Oct. 26 is a joint effort with Advanced Energy, a Raleigh-based company working with member utilities and co-ops on energy efficiency projects. Wake Electric has invited Wake Forest town officials and Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce staff. The event is open to the public who should register individually at https://www.advancedenergy.org/portal/registration/ev_workshop_oct2016/. To get to 100 South Franklin Street, the address for the utility’s customer service center, enter

The 69th annual Wake Forest Community Christmas Dinner will be held on Monday, Dec. 5, at The Forks Cafeteria on Brooks Street. The $15 tickets are now available at The Forks, the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce, the Wake Forest Historical Museum, and the offices of The Wake Weekly. Additional tickets are being sold through local organizations such as the Wake Forest Rotary, the Wake Forest Purple Heart Foundation, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Wake Forest Woman’s Club. The Christmas Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. and ushers in the holiday season with a Southern menu of fried chicken, roast beef, bread, sides, and dessert. The invocation will be offered by the Reverend Joey Chafton of Oak Grove Baptist Church and Committee Chair Durward Matheny will open and close the program. This is also the yearly event at which Mayor Vivian Jones presents the Wake Forest Citizen

The generous women at Who Does Your Hair on South Main Street are again raffling off several baskets stuffed with goodies, including one that is a basket outdoor fireplace, another with cups and teas, and all with attractive goodies. A $10 donation gets you three tickets. The money raised will go to the Wake Forest Police Department because they wanted to show support in these difficult days. The money, Chief Jeff Leonard said, will go to the department’s programs for and with youngsters. “We’ve done a lot of juvenile-type stuff,” which includes sponsoring the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics, the D.A.R.E. program, Shop with a Cop and a Scout group, Wake Forest Police Explorers. During Shop with a Cop, which was begun by Officer Kim Warren, the 30 children are each given a winter coat and $175 to spend as they wish, usually at either Walmart or Sam’s

The Wake Forest Police Department is accepting monetary donations through Saturday, Nov. 19, as part of its 10th Annual Turkey Drive. Cash and checks are accepted and will be used to purchase additional turkeys. Checks should be written to the Wake Forest Police Department. Donations of frozen turkeys may be dropped off at the Wake Forest Police Department, 225 S. Taylor St., on Saturday, Nov. 19, from 9 a.m. until noon. The police department will distribute the turkeys while they last on Monday, Nov. 21, from 9-11 a.m., at the Wake Forest Community House, 133 W. Owen Ave. Anyone wishing to contribute to this year’s Turkey Drive should contact Officer M.W. Sattler at 919-795-7270. Officer Sattler organized the police department’s first Turkey Drive in 2007. Since then, the department has distributed nearly 5,000 turkeys to needy families in our area, including over 800 turkeys last year.