Now might be a good time to double your daily dose of vitamins. You will need all the energy you can summon to attend – or help with – the flurry of public holiday events that begin Monday with the 67th annual Wake Forest Community Christmas Dinner.
You can find the $15 tickets at the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce, The Forks Cafeteria and the Wake Forest Historical Museum.
Each year the highlight of the dinner is the presentation of three awards, the Citizen of the Year, the Organization of the Year and the Peggy Allen Lifetime Achievement Award. The dinner is organized by the General James Moore Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Wake Forest Historical Association, the Wake Forest Rotary Club, the Wake Forest Purple Heart Foundation and the Wake Forest Historical Museum.
On Friday night, Dec. 5, Mayor Vivian Jones will preside at the Lighting of Wake Forest in Centennial Plaza on Brooks Street in front of the Wake Forest Town Hall. She will be the center of attention un til Santa Claus arrives aboard a Wake Forest Fire Department fire truck.
Be sure to get there before 6 p.m. to see and hear everything, including performances by local choirs, free hot cocoa, children’s craft activities and complimentary Pictures with Santa inside town hall. For the photos, pick up a time ticket in the town hall lobby beginning at 5:30 p.m. The tickets will reduce the wait times by listing the time guests should arrive at the line-up for the photos.
If the weather permits there will be free horse and carriage rides along South White Street beginning at 6:30 p.m. and leaving from the depot parking lot on South White.
Saturday is packed with events: the opening of the Walk Through Bethlehem: Search for the King, the Christmas Historic Home Tour, the Downtown Holiday Open House, and A Joyful Collective, a free Christmas concert.
The Walk Through Bethlehem is sponsored by the Wake Forest Presbyterian Church and is performed on the church grounds. See the article in this week’s issue for all the details.
The Christmas Historic Home Tour is held each even-numbered year and this year will be from 1 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6, featuring about 10 historic homes in three of the town’s four historic districts. See article in this week’s issue for tickets.
A Downtown Open House will happen from 10 a.m. to 6 pm. on South White and nearby streets on Saturday, Dec. 6. There will be special offers in the shops, complementary refreshments, , performances by school and dance groups, horse and carriage rides and fun activities for children and families.
A Joyful Collective, a free Christmas concert for the community will be presented by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Saturday, Dec. 6, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Binkley Chapel on the campus. Bring the family to enjoy Christmas carols and hot chocolate.
On Sunday, Dec. 7, celebrate the magic of the holiday season at Christmas in New York with Franc D’Ambrosio , best known as the Phantom in the award-winning musical, “The Phantom of the Opera.” Advance tickets to the event in the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre are now on sale: $30 for adults, $25 for seniors, $12 for children 12 and under. At the door tickets will be $35 for adults, $30 for seniors and $25 for children.
The biggest holiday event, the Wake Forest Christmas Parade, which will bring thousands to the downtown streets, will top off the events. It will take place Saturday, Dec. 13, beginning at 1 p.m. If you want to secure a nearby parking space, go to downtown about 11 a.m., have a leisurely lunch in one of the downtown restaurants, then find a good curbside spot and enjoy.
