The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts will host “Storytelling Pajama Night” on Friday, Dec. 16, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Free and open to the public, the event will feature Rags to Riches Theatre’s performance of “The Gingerbread Man.” Storytelling Pajama Night is geared for young and school-age children but open to all ages. No registration is required, and hot chocolate will be served. Storytelling Pajama Night is part of the Renaissance Centre’s “Arts for All” free community performance series, which is supported by United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County.

Wake Forest Girl Scout Breanne Smith of Wake Forest has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouting. For her Gold Award project, Happy Smiles, Smith hosted dental hygiene workshops for children to encourage them to regularly brush and floss their teeth and to visit the dentist. After shadowing her dentist during appointments, she recognized that many children developed multiple cavities after eating sugary foods without brushing their teeth after, and that some feared visiting the dentist. This inspired her to develop a lesson plan about proper dental hygiene practices, which she taught to approximately 100 children at local schools and at Girl Scout troop meetings. She further engaged them by singing songs, doing crafts, and putting on a puppet show that encouraged brushing, flossing, and healthy eating. Smith collected donations from local dentist offices and was able to provide the children with goodie bags containing

For everyone who would like to be a member of the Wake Forest Planning Board or has aspirations toward the town board, your first step will begin in February. It is the Wake Forest Planning Board Academy and applications will be accepted through Friday, Dec. 30. The Planning Board Academy is a comprehensive training program designed to prepare residents of the town and its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) to serve as members of the Wake Forest Planning Board. Applications may be completed and submitted online by visiting www.wakeforestnc.gov/planning-board-academy.aspx. Applications are also available at town hall, 301 S. Brooks St. Academy participants are expected to attend one training session one evening per month from February through May 2017. The session dates are Feb. 13, March 13, April 10, and May 8. Each session is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. at town hall and will include dinner. Class size is limited, and

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 Wake Forest Historic Preservation Commission and the Wake Forest Woman’s Club will present their biennial Christmas Historic Home Tour on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 1 to 7 p.m. Advance tickets are now on sale for $18 including tax at the following locations: The Cotton Company, 306 South White Street For Old Times Sake Antiques, 223 South White Street NC General Store, 150 South White Street Ollies, 213 South White Street Page 158 Books, 158 South White Street Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce, 350 South White Street Wake Forest Historical Museum, 414 North Main Street Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 South Brooks Street Tickers are for sale online at www.wakeforestnc.gov/christmashometour.aspx. There are only 2,000 tickets to ensure the best possible experience for everyone and may not be available for purchase on the day of the tour. Well-mannered children under the age of 12 will be admitted free. Offered only in even-numbered years,

What fun! Start the holidays with the annual Senior Center Anniversary Party and Veterans and Christmas Celebration on Wednesday, Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre on Brooks Street, the same location for the Willie Ray Cookout. There will be entertainment by the Capital Transit Singers sponsored by the Town of Wake Forest, the Ladies of Valor will present quilts to veterans, and more. To attend, call the senior center to sign up by Dec. 5. Then on Wednesday, Dec. 14, there will be a Meals on Wheels County Wide Christmas Celebration. Sign up at the front desk by Dec. 9 and bring a dish to share on the day. Also, each year Resources for Seniors sponsors a Holiday Dreams Program to help seniors during the holiday season. To participate, you are asked to purchase a Christmas ornament or more than one at the

*The Wake Forest Farmers Market will be open in the Renaissance Plaza parking lot on Saturday, Dec. 3, with its winter hours, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. *The Holiday Artisans Market  sponsored by Wake Forest Arts and the Wake Forest Farmers Market will be open for shoppers from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Renaissance Centre on Brooks Street. *Monday Night Bingo at The Factory is hosted by the Wake Forest Kiwanis Club in the Mill Room from 7 to 9:30 p.m. every Monday night. All profits support the club’s projects for children. Visit www.wakeforestbingo.com for more information. *The first Wake Up Wake Forest event will be held Tuesday, Dec. 6, from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Wake Forest Renaissance Center. Economist Mark Vitner will offer an indepth look at the future of our economy. The $10 tickets are available at the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce