COPENHAGEN, N.Y. -- The summer heat and lack of rain made the village of Copenhagen and the town of Denmark take drastic measures.
Two of the three village wells are dried up and one just has a fraction of the water it can hold. Homeowners are being asked to help out.
"We're asking them not to water lawns, water flowers, use water to wash their cars or pets and animals at this point. Try to conserve all the water they can," said Patrick Mahar, Denmark Town Highway Superintendent.
It's not just affecting residents, though. It's also having a big impact on a local church. For the first time in more than 70 years, St. Mary's Church had to cancel their annual turkey dinner, which was scheduled for next week.
"It's a big shock for us because our volunteers were all in place and some of them even take the day off for the event, to be able to help prepare and get everything ready for that evening," said Sister Mary Ellen Brett of the church.
The turkey dinner is one of the church's biggest fundraisers, bringing in about $8,000 each year.
"It's used a lot for our maintenance of the church, taking care of the repairs of the church," said Brett. "Also, for buying our materials that we need for religious education for different events within the parish."
Now, church members say they'll have to host other smaller events and hopefully raise the same amount of money. A Turkey Relief Fund has been started to help bring in donations.
"We hope that everybody will realize our situation and perhaps help us out with the raffles and be there for us if we have little events in the future," said Brett.
Members say this is just one little bump and they hope to bring back the popular tradition next year.
There's a raffle that's always held along with the turkey dinner. The deadline for that was extended to November 6th.