Woman’s Club Celebrate Past project

On April 24 the highlight of the Wake Forest Woman’s Club GFWC Federation Day celebration was the presentation of a historical one-act play, “Libraries: There is a Need Indeed,” authored by WFWC Historian 2023-2024 Salina Gary. Federation Day celebrates the formation of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs as a national and now, international organization.

A homemade Spaghetti Supper preceded the play as a nod to the history of our clubwomen, who were known for hosting successful supper fundraisers for our projects.

Our historian wished to share with current clubwomen, the history of their predecessors in making the Wake Forest Community Library a reality. In writing the play, she researched our club’s archives from the early 1960s and 1970s; reviewed the Wake Weekly newspaper articles; and information from the Wake Forest Historical Museum. She also interviewed long-time clubwomen, and town residents to chronicle the WFWC role in the establishment of the Wake Forest Community Library.

WFWC fundraising, donation solicitations, and goodwill gave way to the Wake Forest Public Library opening on November 17, 1961, and with subsequent town growth, the WFWC again fundraised to open a larger library for the town in 1973.

After the dinner, club members and invited guests who had assisted in the historical retrospective, moved to a stage-set area, replete with furniture and décor of the era.  A cast of seven, dressed in 1970s period attire, portrayed early members whose efforts were instrumental in making the library a reality.

Videographers taped the performance for posting on the WFWC’s website for current and future generations of clubwomen to view. Club members specially designed a colorful playbill program. Flower centerpieces in the federation’s colors decorated the venue.

As an additional project and its emphasis on literacy, clubwomen are donating books for WAKE Up and Read, an organization of over 30 agencies in Wake County who support literacy for all children.

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