🗓️ Add These to Your Calendar

👋 Good morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, November 20, 2025 and this is the 46th weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

The next issue of The Peak Weekly will arrive in your inbox on Thanksgiving morning, a few hours before I start sneaking deviled eggs from the fridge.

Quick update/change in this week’s edition. Until now, all of the events listed in “Things to Do” would link to that event’s Facebook page or website.

Today, if you click on any of those events, it will instead take you to a calendar-linking page. This page will still have all of the event details inside of it and will also include a link to the original event posting so you can still access the original event listing.

The difference is that each event will now have an “add to calendar” button so that you can directly sync any of the events with your calendar so that you don’t forget about it.

This is an example of what it will look like after clicking on any of the upcoming events:

Let me know if you love or hate this new feature!

Miscellaneous:

🤖 Parks & Rec Chatbot
The Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources webpages have a new feature. The AI-chatbot is part of a pilot program to enhance customer service by offering a conversational way to connect with the community. Test it out here.

🥞 Annual Pancake Breakfast
The Annual Apex Rotary Pancake Breakfast at Fire Station 1 will have pancakes, sausage, bacon, OJ and coffee. All proceeds are donated to Scholarships at Apex High School, Apex Friendship High School, and Wake Tech CC. RSVP here.

📝 FY27 Budget Priorities Survey / Peak Plan Survey
The Town of Apex creates its annual budget during a year-long process involving Town Council, Town staff, and YOU. Share your input by completing this 10-minute survey by Monday, December 1. The Peak Plan 2055 survey is also still open until November 30.

💺 Parade Chairs
APD petitioned council, and was approved, to officially update the law as it pertains to setting up chairs along the sidewalks prior to events like the Christmas Parade on December 6. This keeps things organized, official and ADA compliant. Chairs can only go out starting 10pm the night before and can only be placed in a specific roped off area. Prior to that time or outside of the designated area, chairs will be removed.

🛣️ Peakway Bridge Opening 2026
The original contract timeline set an estimated completion date of October 2027. Construction is running ahead of schedule and the latest estimated completion time is now “Late 2026”.

🅿️ Saunders Lot
All three phases are now officially complete and reopened. The updated lot includes 152 new spots.

🚧 Olive Chapel Road
The construction phase has been awarded to Ralph Hodge Construction for $2,152,317.43 and that phase started on Nov 10. I’ve heard February stated as the reopening date but NCDOT’s official update is just “early 2026”.

🏭️ Data Center Update
The most recent timeline estimated that the developer would resubmit rezoning/UDO amendments around November 3 which would be followed by the Technical Review Committee’s review today. This would put the council hearing on the data center for around March. However, as of today, the resubmission of those amendments expected on 11/3 has still not happened. It’s still coming, but will definitely prolong the timeline. The next community meeting will take place on Sunday, 11/23 at the New Hill Community Center at 7pm. Following along in the Protect Wake County Coalition’s Facebook Group here.

🎭️ 12 Angry Jurors
Apex Friendship HS Theatre’s production of 12 Angry Jurors will perform live tomorrow at 7pm and Saturday at 2pm and 7pm. Tickets are $10 ($8 for students) an on sale now. Buy tickets here.

Things to Do This Week in Apex:

Today, November 20

💚🧹 Wicked Night (ticket required)
5:30pm - 7:30pm | Mad Splatter

➡️🗓️ CommUniversity: Planning Ahead
6pm - 8pm | Apex Senior Center

🥃 Bourbon Flight Night
7pm - 10pm | Oaklyn Springs Brewery

🧠 Trivia!
7pm - 10pm | Bottle Theory
 
🎵 Music Bingo
8pm - 10pm | The Backyard Bar

Friday, November 21

🎀 Pink Friday w/Bless Your Heart Boutique
11am - 7pm | The Park at Sweetwater

🎸 Todd & Kathy Duo
8pm - 11pm | Peak of the Vine

Saturday, November 22

0||||||0 Car Show Jeep Edition
8am - 11am | Sweetwater

🏍️ November Bikes & Coffee
8am - 11am | Fratelli’s Deli

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
9am - 12pm | The Depot

⚯ ͛ A Day at Hogwarts
10:30am - 3:30pm | The Studio

🎸 Center Street Band
7:30pm - 10:30pm | Oaklyn Springs

🤘 Rock with The Roguez
8pm - 11pm | Peak of the Vine

🎤 Rudy’s Karaoke
9pm - 1am | Rudy’s Pub & Grill

Tuesday, November 25

🐮 Chic-fil-A Peakway Kids Night
5pm - 7pm | Chic-fil-A (Hughes St)

🎤 Open Mic - Salem Street Music Club
6pm - 9pm | Oaklyn Springs

🅱❻ Music Bingo
7pm - 9pm | Bottle Theory

🪩 Dancing with the Stars Finale Viewing Party
7:30pm - 10pm | Southern Peak Brewery

🤣 The Backyard Comedy Night
8pm - 10pm | The Backyard Bar

🧠 Trivia Night
7pm - 8pm | Abbey Road Tavern

Wednesday, November 26

💍 14th Anniversary Party
11am - 11:30pm | JD’s Tavern

🥳 Apex Taproom Grand Opening
 12pm - 10pm | South Line Brewing Co.

🦃🍻 BeersGiving
4pm - 10pm | TapStation

🅱❻ Music Bingo
7:30pm - 9:30pm | Rudy’s Pub

Local Business Updates

♨️ Potbelly Now Open
The sandwhich shop featuring toasty sandwhiches, soups, salads and more is now open in Sweetwater (on the Harris Teeter side). They are open 9:30am - 9:00pm every day.

🍾 Apex Taproom Grand Opening Celebration
Bring your family and help South Line Brewing Apex celebrate their new Apex taproom with the release of their Winter Warmer Christmas Ale and live music from Tom Neuhauser. Wednesday, November 26 starting at 12pm.

Add the Grand Opening to your calendar

💅 Royal Nails Bar & Lounge Grand Opening Celebration
From Friday thru Sunday, they will be celebrating their Grand Opening with a bunch of discount offers and a raffle event. See the details and learn more about them here.

🍝 Get to Know Serafina Ristorante
Downtown Apex is now home to Serafina Ristorante, an elevated Italian steakhouse that is garnering glowing reviews by the day. We spoke with GM, Dillion Williams, to learn more about the restaurant, their executive chef, Matt Greiner, their House Mom, Mama Peggy, their Sunday Brunch, the Thanksgiving Day Buffet, and much more!

👀 Read our interview here

Civil News:

🚦 Old US 1 at Friendship Rd/Holland Rd Traffic Signal
Offer letters are pending for right-of-way on this project. Once all of the property needed for the light is acquired, the Town will then bid and construct with completion currently estimated around July 2026.

🔀 Olive Chapel & Apex Barbecue
Yesterday, during the NC Capital Area Management Planning Organization meeting, Mayor Gilbert, who serves on the Executive Board, made a motion which included a popular concern about this intersection. The motion was unanimously approved which means that it initiates a big step toward pre-construction of design, right-of-way acquisition and utilities funding in FY26.

🌳 Salem Streetscape & Saunders Gathering Space
The bid for this project was extended after not getting enough qualified offers and that extension ended yesterday. I’m unsure at this time if enough were obtained this time or not. If so, construction should still be on for January. If not, it’ll likely be delayed. I’ll keep you posted.

🏢 Peak City Lofts
A Minor Site Plan Application and proposal was submitted for a 99,995 sq ft mixed-use building at the intersection of Hunter Street and Laura Duncan Road. The proposal is 5 stories with ground floor retail and/or office uses and 84 residential apartments on floors 2-5. If approved, the anticipated projected completion date is September 2027. Some early photo renderings here.

🚒 Fire & Public Safety Updates
The feasibility study RFQ for Fire Station 1 (downtown use) was re-advertised this month for 60 days. The Fire Station 2 co-location with Wake County EMS is on hold and now on the Capital Improvement Plan for 2032. The Hunter Street Public Safety Campus is now recommended for single-phase construction, bidding in July 2027 with a 2029 completion. It requires an additional $8M (FY27) for Phase 1 (Fire Station/Sitework) and $14M (FY28) for Phase 2 (Office building).

🚓 Police Department Updates
APD's "Culture of Wellness" initiative has successfully boosted staff engagement (10x in fitness, re-established Peer Support). This focus on deploying "happy, healthy" officers led to a 75% reduction in vacancies, 3x increase in proactive contacts, 35% less motor vehicle break-ins, 25% less retail larceny, and the recovery of over $2 million in fraud money. However, APD still has significant staffing needs for FY 26-27, as current minimum patrol staffing is based on a 2004 study when the population of Apex was only 26,000.

🏛️ Public Records Program Review
Due to a 42% increase in volume (308 estimated for 2025), the Public Records Coordinator recommends adopting a new Public Records Policy to enhance transparency. The policy aims for request intake within 2 business days and a response goal within 10 business days. It also proposes guidelines for charging for extensive requests (over 4 staff hours) and recommends funding a public records software service to centralize the process and allow residents to track requests.

Note: the 3 updates listed right above this message (AFD, APD, Public Records) came from the Nov 18 Town Council Work Session Agenda. That meeting was canceled so this information was not officially presented at that time. The next work session is 12/16 so it might be presented then unless rescheduled for another time. If interested, you can view the prepared presentation with these items here.

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

Today, November 20
Environmental Advisory Board Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Wednesday, December 3
Swearing in Ceremony for Town Council
6pm - 8:30pm | Town Hall

A Look Ahead

November 29 | All Day
🛍️ Small Business Saturday | Apex

December 4 | 12pm - 1pm
🥪 Lunch Series w/ Water Resources Dept | The Halle

December 5th-19th | The Halle
🥗 18th Annual Holiday Tree & Wreath Exhibit and Auction

December 5 | 4:30pm - 7pm
🎄Tree Lighting Ceremony | Town Hall Campus

December 6 | 5pm
🎅🏻 Christmas Parade | Downtown Apex

December 6-31 | 6pm - 9pm
✨ Holiday Tour of Lights | Map Coming Soon

December 12 | 5pm - 9pm
🎄🛍️ Tree Lighting & Holiday Night Market | Sweetwater

December 14 | 4pm - 6pm
🕎 Chanukah Festival | Senior Center

December 18 | 12pm - 1pm
🕯️ Learning Lunch: Kwanzaa | Senior Center

In Case You Missed it…

🚲️ Bikes for Hope
With a goal of delivering 150 bikes and helmets to local children this Christmas, Apex-based community initiative, Bikes for Hope, has returned for its third annual bike drive. Donations are being accepted now through December 6 either via GoFundMe (funds will be used to purchase bikes) or by bike drop-off at Hope Community Church Monday-Saturday 8am-6pm, or during Sunday service.

🌳 Get A Free Tree
Apply to Plant the Peak to have a free tree professionally installed at your home. This year's lineup of native species includes dogwood, fringe, gem magnolia, redbud, and serviceberry. Apply here.

🎄 Jordan Lake Farms Opening Weekend
It’s opening weekend at Jordan Lake Farms. To make sure every guest can enjoy the full experience, this year the farm is welcoming visitors by reservation only (it’s free). Christmas season opening weekend is Nov 22/23 and the 3rd Annual Tree Farm Market will be held on Nov 23 from 10am-3pm.

🪴 Lichen or Knot Plant Company
The highly anticipated houseplant and decor store has opened in downtown Apex at 122 N Salem Street.

🍔 Al’s Burgers is Open
The burger shack teased us on their opening date a little bit, but it’s well-worth the wait. Al’s Burger Shack is now open at 2832 Teachey Place.

🍕 🍺 Southern Peak Taproom & Pizzeria Now Open
Southern Peak Brewery is now officially open with second location - but this one with a kitchen - in Sweetwater. Items on the menu include meatballs, a charcuterie style board, nachos, garlic knots, soft pretzel and, of course, pizza.

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at [email protected]

See you next Thursday... 😘