The Wake Forest Community Christmas Dinner, now in its 70th year, was first held in 1947 as a way to show appreciation to the town’s returning World War II veterans. Organized by the Wake Forest Garden Club and the Civic Club, the original dinner was held in the Community House on Owen Avenue, which was decked in live greenery for the occasion. The event was a tremendous success and a new tradition was born. In the seventy years since, the Wake Forest Community Christmas Dinner has retained that spirit of giving and friendship and has become part of the story of Christmas in Wake Forest. The dinner still ranks among the very best celebrations the town has to offer each and every holiday season.
Always held on the first Monday in December, this year’s Community Christmas Dinner will be at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 4, at the Forks Cafeteria, 339 Brooks Street. Following a Christmas invocation offered by the Rev. Rebekah Maul of Wake Forest Presbyterian Church, Dave Greenwell and his kitchen staff will serve this year’s menu of fried chicken, roast beef, baked apples, potatoes au gratin, carrots, broccoli casserole, dinner rolls, and assorted desserts. After a brief musical program, the winners of the Citizen of the Year, Organization of the Year, and Peggy Allen Lifetime Achievement awards will be recognized. The evening will conclude with Christmas carols and a short group sing-along.
Everyone is welcome at this special celebration! Tickets priced at $15 each are available at the Forks Cafeteria, the Wake Forest Chamber of Commerce, and the Wake Forest Historical Museum. They’ll remain on sale through the last week of November. Please make checks out to the Wake Forest Purple Heart Foundation.
