April 2012

Holly Glen
204 Capeside Ave., Holly Springs
Near: Holly Grove Schools
Builder: K. Hovnanian Homes

For small-town atmosphere and big-city conveniences, consider Holly Glen neighborhood in Holly Springs, off Avent Ferry Road near Highway 55. Holly Glen is a large planned community with abundant amenities, namely a swimming pool with a water slide, tennis courts and a clubhouse. The Overlook at Holly Glen is the newest section, available through K. Hovnanian Homes.

Read more

The Park at Westlake
5213 Moneta Lane, Cary
Near: Middle Creek School Park
Builder: Standard Pacific Homes

Tucked away in southern Cary, near the intersection of Optimist Farm and West Lake Roads, is the bustling neighborhood The Park at Westlake. The community contains more than 450 single-family homes divided into pocket neighborhoods. National builder Standard Pacific Homes is ready and waiting to build your dream home in The Commons, a pocket neighborhood of maintained homesites within The Park at Westlake.

Read more

A Beautiful City.
Affluent Business Climate.
Always Benevolent Community.
What do the ABCs of Cary really stand for?
 

Read more

Local. Hometown. North Carolina.

These things mean a lot to you. That’s why we created the Local List — a compilation of destinations and businesses that have their homes right here, just like you.

We pored over the nominations from this year’s Maggy Awards to determine what local favorites may be hiding under the radar, from appetizers to women’s clothing.

Read more

Unique is the location that can simultaneously be a small town, a cultural center, a restaurant mecca and a family hub. Yet many have found just that combination here in Western Wake. The diverse opportunities in the job market, education and recreation attract all types of people and increasingly, multi-generational families. The strong pull of grandchildren combines with warm weather, convenient services and world-class health care to entice newcomers to retire in Cary. Cary Magazine spoke with three families, from a great-grandmother to twin toddlers, who love calling Cary home. Keep their stories handy next time your grandma comes to visit.

Read more

As an area of extreme growth, economic resiliency and high quality of life, Cary has long been acknowledged as one of the best places to live in the nation. Local real estate professionals have seen exciting growth in the market so far this year. New home sales have been up, indicating people are selling their homes and gaining confidence in the economy.

Read more

School.

Did an image just pop into your head with a group of students seated neatly in rows listening to a teacher?

Wake County has a strong public school system, but local parents are increasingly considering alternative avenues for their children’s education. The image of a traditional classroom may wane as differing styles of education pick up steam.

Read more

If you’re new to the area, you’re probably going through the tough decision of year-round school or a traditional calendar schedule. And if you’re not already familiar with year-round school, you might not be aware of what the differences are.

The big difference is that year-round schools operate on tracks, or different schedules assigned to groups of students, utilizing the 45/15 calendar — 45 days of instruction followed by 15 days of vacation. The weeks of vacation are staggered so that only one track is on vacation at a time. This means your kids won’t have the long summer break that you probably had as a kid, but they will get several weeks of vacation more often.

Read more

Gardeners who love the sight of flower borders on a sunny day are enjoying half the pleasures the outdoor landscape has to offer during the summer months. There is also the night, and along with it, strange, mysterious plants that only bloom after the sun’s rays fade away. And arguably, the queen of the night garden is the moonvine.

Read more

For those who think that Carrboro is the only place in the Triangle where you can find locally grown foods, guess again. Just a few blocks from the heart of downtown Cary there is a small but growing community garden that produces organic food in a sustainable way — and grows more than 2,500 pounds of produce each year.

The garden’s founder and organizer, Cary resident and real estate agent Keith Bliss, became interested in the local foods movement after realizing how expensive the organic foods were that he and his wife were buying for their children. He and his family began to frequent local farmers markets and research other opportunities, but were drawn to the idea of growing their own food.

Read more

Nothing beats the savory unpretentiousness of fried chicken. Consider it the quintessential Southern comfort food. It should come as no surprise, then, to find this crackling culinary staple at Cary’s Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen — but only on Wednesdays.

“We serve it from 4 p.m. until we run out,” said Executive Chef Jay Pierce, whose concoction represents a rendition of the late chef Austin Leslie’s recipe (featured below) spotlighted in John T. Edge’s book Fried Chicken: An American Story. “He was killed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, so this is my way of paying homage to him.”

Read more

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences celebrated the grand opening of its new expansion, the Nature Research Center, with a 24-hour event Friday, April 20. The grand
opening was expected to attract an estimated 75,000 visitors, with performers, interactive science exhibits and town hall meetings on diverse science topics. The new Nature Research Center will house state-of-the-art laboratories for scientific researchers and will allow visitors to observe their work as “science in action.”

WakeMed Cary Hospital has been designated as a Bariatric Surgery Center for Excellence by

Read more

Garner is known as a toe-tapping place, from its annual Showcase of Talent to its hometown heroes, platinum recording artist Scotty McCreery and bluegrass great Lorraine Jordan.

All that music is just  fine by Teresa Patterson, who relocated to Garner from Pennsylvania when she retired, to be nearer her son. She also joined the G Squad, a seniors’ hip-hop dance troupe based at the Garner Senior Center.

“I love it in Garner,” Patterson said. “It’s a great community that’s really supported and accepted us. I understand how Scotty feels!”

Read more

Becky Beasley likes mystery novels, Scotty McCreery, and leading a team of writers and artists in publishing A2S Post, the news digest of Garner-based Able to Serve.

Read more

Third Safest City in America was Cary’s rank on the CQ Press 2011-2012 City Crime Rankings list for mid-size cities. It was the only North Carolina city in the top 10.

 

Read more

Jobs are solid here, with Wake County taking the No. 15 spot on CNN Money’s list of U.S. counties with highest job growth in the last decade. Wake County jobs increased by 35.9 percent from 2000 to 2010, according to Census data.

 
 

Read more

Charitable giving is highest during the holidays, but people need help all year long. The Western Wake Crisis Ministry helps about 1,000 people per month — every month — put food on the table.

That’s 350 families in Apex and Holly Springs who can afford to pay a bill or stretch their food budgets a bit further thanks to the support of the community.

The Crisis Ministry recently changed its food pantry model, offering families a choice about the foods they take home. The organization also makes an effort to include fresh items like milk, cheese, frozen meats and produce when they are available.

Read more

From straight-up concerts to festivals featuring a range of performances, there’s no shortage of opportunities to get your live music fix in the coming weeks.

Tonight: Such Sweet Thunder combines the genius of William Shakespeare and jazz giants Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Jazz compositions inspired by Shakespeare’s works from Romeo and Juliet to Hamlet will highlight the evening. Each piece will be introduced by actors from the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival. Purchase tickets here.  

Read more

Food, fun, friendship and fight: It’s Relay for Life time in Garner!

Set for this Friday and Saturday, join locals as they team up to offer unique fundraisers from their trackside campsites all through the night. Past fun has included everything from pay-to-play video games on a giant screen to dance school students clogging for donations.

“It’s like a fair atmosphere, with music and a DJ; the entertainment is constant the whole time, and there’s really good food,” said event chair and cancer survivor Jill Cottengim. “It’s always been fun.”

Read more

It’s not quite Hogwarts, but the Cameron Village Regional Library will give kids a chance to try their hand at magic this Saturday.

The Raleigh Magic Club will offer Volumes of Magic on April 21, with magic classes for children ages 7 to 17. Sessions run from 11 a.m. till noon and from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. At 3 p.m., members of the Raleigh Magic Club and students from the classes will hold a magic show for the public.

Members of the Raleigh Magic Club will also present a collection of books about magic to the Wake County library director, Michael Wasilick.

Registration is required to participate in the classes. Call the library at (919) 856-6723 to reserve a spot. Attendance is limited to 30 students per session.

Read more

Children’s Day is celebrated in Turkey on April 23, with festivals and festivities dedicated to the children of the country and the world.

The American Turkish Association of North Carolina will bring that celebration to Cary on April 22. From 1-5 p.m., the Cary Arts Center will host Children’s Day — A Global Celebration, with cultural activities of all kinds.

“This event is bringing together different visions: a mini version of the nation-wide celebrations that have been taking place in Turkey for the past 82 years as a national holiday, a children’s version of the international festival, and an event where children are exposed to different art forms,” say event organizers.

Read more

Blink your eyes and technology changes, both at home and in the office.

So what do you do with outdated technology equipment? Drop it off for free recycling, at Technology Spring Clean!

The fourth annual Technology Spring Clean, presented by Garner-headquartered information technology consulting firm WingSwept, will be held this Saturday, April 21.

A free drop-off event, Technology Spring Clean has become an annual Earth Day event in Garner, and was named 2010 Green Action Program of the Year by Triangle Business Journal.

Read more

Tweet this: Today’s the day for the first-ever Greater Garner Competweetion!

That’s right, it’s a Twitter contest — tweet during today’s Garner Chamber of Commerce Business & Consumer Expo, for the chance to win a free ad for your business or the charity of your choice.

A large onstage screen at the expo displays the day’s Tweets, which you can send using the hashtag #garnerexpo.

The winning Tweeter will be announced on the Twitter pages of both the Chamber and S&A Cherokee (publisher of Triangle East and Cary Magazine) on Friday.

The annual expo also offers the opportunity to meet face-to-face with local businesses offering the area’s best products and services.

Read more

The streets of Downtown Cary went back in time on March 24 for the first annual Wheels on Academy car and motorcycle show. Antique and classic cars and motorcycles were displayed for all to enjoy, along with entertainment and interactive exhibits for attendees of all ages.

Read more

Toddler + pet = stress for many parents.

Children are much more likely than adults to be bitten by their pets because they don’t have the experience with animals that they need. Overzealous hugs, pulling of tails, or manhandling them in the most loving way possible may not end well for either party.

That’s why kids need to learn safe and kind treatment of animals early. To help, the SPCA of Wake County has a twice-monthly education program for young children called Preschoolers and Pets. The program meets on the first Tuesday and the third Wednesday of every month, from 11:15 to 11:45 a.m., and aims to build empathy and teach children to interact safely with the animals in their lives.

Read more

Triangle Area Polo Club hosted the Town of Cary Challenge Cup Polo Match at WakeMed Soccer Park on March 31. The Triangle team faced off against the Atlanta Regional Polo Center. More than 500 attendees showed up to enjoy the game. For more information on the Triangle Area Polo Club, visit triangleareapolo.org.

Read more

Who doesn’t love a BOGO deal?

A musical buy one-get one is coming soon to Garner, as two bands perform on one ticket.

The John Brown Quintet and The Groove Shop take the Garner Performing Arts Center stage on Friday night, April 13, at 7:30.

The second chapter in the GPAC’s new It’s Showtime series, the evening will feature the award-winning John Brown Quintet jazz group, specializing in the bebop and hard bop eras of jazz.

The Quintet grabbed national music attention when its first recording reached No. 8 on the national JazzWeek chart, and stayed in the top 50 for 16 consecutive weeks.

Read more

Food tastes a little better when it’s grown in your home soil. Little Hen, a new Holly Springs farm-to-table restaurant, has been generating a big buzz by capitalizing on that notion.

We met with the eatery’s owners shortly before it opened to get a preview of the ever-changing menu, featured in the March/April issue.   

Little Hen serves Sunday brunch weekly from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Easter brunch will be an extra special spread this weekend. The tentative menu (subject to farm availability) is as follows:

Read more