Budget Review & The Peak Bloomly

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, June 18, 2026 and this is the 76th weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

Big weekend ahead! Tomorrow is Juneteenth with the celebration to follow on Saturday (details below). And then we wrap up the weekend with Father’s Day.

This coming week will be buzzing too. June 22 - June 28 is recognized by the Town of Apex as Pollinator Week 2026. And next Saturday, (June 27) from 3-5pm will be the official Pollinator Week special event: Afternoon in the Garden.

During the event, grab some refreshments, speak with local vendors, pick up native seeds for your garden, and learn how you can help pollinators in your own back yard.

You can also see the Native Pollinator Garden at Apex Nature Park any time. Take a stroll through the garden and learn more about pollinators, the important role they play in the ecosystem, and how YOU can support them!

If you follow me on Instagram, you might be sick of me talking about it - but the Town of Apex, an official Bee City USA member, hosts its own Pollinator Habitat Certification Program to teach, encourage, support and recognize the efforts of those in our Town who are creating or improving pollinator habits.

People like… me!

I turned part of my back yard into a pollinator habitat with over 20 different native flowers, which is now blooming like crazy, and has earned official status from the Town.

You can learn more about all things Pollinators in the Peak here.

Miscellaneous Info:

🥏 Disc Golf Course Closure
The disc golf course at Apex Nature Park will be closed this Saturday, June 20 for a tournament (8am-5pm).

🚧 Athletic Field Closures
Apex Community Park Fields 1, 2 & 3 are closed to prepare for the upcoming fall season. Jaycee Cricket Fields will close on July 1. Both are expected to reopen by August 8.

🍁 Fall Program Registrations
Get ahead of the game and mark your calendars. Many programs fill up very quickly. Fall 2026 parks/rec programs open up for registration at 9am on July 20.

🗓️ July 1 Changes
When you hear the quarterly Harris Plant siren test on July 1, that will serve as a reminder that standard utility billing operations have resumed, which means late fees and disconnections due to non-payment. Also on July 1, changes to yard waste collection go into affect. Contractors and landscapers must take away the yard waste they generate, yard waste amounts more than 2 cubic feet are now subject to a fee, and tree limbs must be less than 6 feet long and less than 6 inches wide.

🏗️ Apex Peakway SW Connector Update
Recently, crews completed significant work on the bridge as well as a nearby retaining wall and portions of water line construction. Work continues on the bridge and in the surrounding area, including further utility construction, widening S Salem St, building a barrier rail, and more. The project remains on track to finish this year.

🖼️ Public Art Survey
Town of Apex is working on a Public Art Plan for the next 10 years. Share your thoughts by taking this short survey between now and July 10.

🏳️‍🌈 Speaking of Art
The Apex Pride Art Exhibit remains on display at The Halle Cultural Arts Center Gallery through June 28.

🔒️ Town Facilities Closed Friday
All Town office facilities will be closed on Friday, June 19 for the Juneteenth holiday. Trash/recycling pickup will not be affected.

🛂 Local Spot Passport
the Local Spot Passport returns this Friday, June 19. Grab a passport and start checking off spots for a chance to win prizes.

🐶 🐈️  World Adoption Cup 2026
USA plays Australia at 3pm tomorrow, but even more important - the Wake County Animal Center’s Adoption Cup campaign comes to an end tomorrow. Team Dog vs. Team Cat are competing to see which side can score the most adoptions. Help your team win by adopting today or tomorrow while adoption fees are discounted ($25 - dogs, $5 - cats). View the Gallery

Things to Do This Weekend in Apex:

Today, June 18

🥪 Learning Lunch - Pollinator Month
12pm - 1pm | Apex Senior Center

🚶‍♂️ NCRC Bottle Theory Weekly Social Run/Walk
6pm | Bottle Theory

Friday, June 19

🎹 The Exchange Barbershop & Lounge presents Lounge Doctors
8pm | The Exchange Barbershop & Lounge

Saturday, June 20

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
8am - 12pm | The Depot

🏀 3v3 Hoops Tournament
8:30am - 1pm | John Brown Community Center

🏃‍♀️ Run Club Apex
Meet at 9am | Foxtail Coffee

🗑️ Roadside Litter Cleanup
9-11am | The Optimist Club Farm

👩‍🌾 She FARMS Apex 2026
9am - 2pm | Cloer Family Vineyards

🎨 SuperFun Saturday (ages 4-12)
10:30am - 12:30pm | The Halle

🇲🇱 Juneteenth in the Peak
1pm - 8pm | Town Hall Campus

🎤 Mike Edwards & His Only Friends
6pm - 9pm | South Line Apex

🎸 Free Concert by American Garage Band
6pm - 8:30pm | Apex Nature Park and Amphitheatre

🤠 Live Music: Kat Taylor
6:30pm - 9pm | Southern Peak Brewery

🤣 a Good Time presents Stand-up Comedy Night at Bottle Theory Apex
8pm | Bottle Theory

Local Business Updates

An Idea to Discover More of Apex
With no big opening/closing news this week, I wanted to take the opportunity to piggy back off of the Mayor’s recent conversations and outreach to downtown property owners, by sharing an idea.

Earlier this week, I took my neighbor to The Local (formerly Vicious Fishes) where we had a couple of drinks and enjoyed dinner from the Portable Portugy food truck.

This man has lived in the Triangle his entire life and has lived in Apex for something like 11 years. Prior to Tuesday, he had never eaten from a food truck - ever. And had also never been to VF/Local which is like 6 minutes away.

It just made me think that sometimes we live in our little bubble and routines which means we might be missing out on some really cool places.

And I think - I’m hoping anyway - that by sharing our own bubbles and routines, we can help each other both explore new places while also increasing some foot traffic downtown during construction, as well as all over Apex.

Share Your Itinerary
I set up a short survey here. It’s 2 questions: what is your first name and what is your itinerary?

I don’t usually ask for your name in surveys but this can’t be completely anonymous. They need to be Adam’s Taco Tuesday and Katie’s Downtown Saturday.

Here are some examples: (Almost) every Saturday morning we go to Common Grounds to get a coffee, pop into Apex Outfitters, then to the Farmer’s Market. For lunch during the week, we like to go to La Rancherita, then go take a look around Antiques on Salem before heading upstairs to see what new vinyl records Hunky Dory got in. On Friday/Saturday evenings we like to head over to Oaklyn Springs where we’ll bring Frasketta’s Pizza in with us which is just a short walk through the parking lot.

I’m pretty boring - you probably have more exciting routines. But imagine trying to think about what to do on Wednesday for lunch or date night on Friday or a family day on Sunday and scrolling through some of the favorites of other residents to try new things and support Apex business owners.

If I get enough survey responses, I’ll put together a quick website to share all of them (free, no ads, not in the app). Good idea or no? I guess we’ll find out! Share Your “Itinerary” Here

🚜 The Peak Weekly Farm Series (Part 12/17)

🍇 Cloer Family Vineyard

This article was written by The Peak Weekly’s amazing content contributor, Susan McGrath

By now you must know how awesome Apex is, with all its amazing farmers and farms. So it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that Apex also has a winery/vineyard!

Cloer Family Vineyards, a full-service winery/vineyard and event space, is located at 8624 Castleberry Road. What started as a hobby shared with friends and family turned into a passion for winemaking, and Cloer Family Vineyards opened to the public in 2010.

Some of their wines are made from grapes that are grown and harvested on site. The entire operation, from planting the grapes to bottling the wines, is done on the property. They offer wine flights for sampling, and their full bottles are available for purchase.

Fun fact: Cloer Family Vineyards in Apex is the only family-owned and operated winery/vineyard in the Raleigh area!

The vineyard has five acres of grapevines to explore, plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, and family-friendly activities, including visiting their sheep and horses. On Saturdays throughout the year, they offer seasonal specialty drinks like wine spritzers, wine slushies, and sangria.

You can bring your own food or order their Build-Your-Own Charcuterie Basket filled with North Carolina favorites and sit inside or outside, with an option to take along a blanket if you’d prefer a picnic-style experience. For more information about visiting the vineyard, click here.

Cloer Family Vineyard is also an event venue offering many different packages and customizations. The natural beauty of their setting is a perfect backdrop for bridal showers, graduation parties, birthday parties, networking events, retirement parties, and more. They can accommodate 30 to 75 guests, and events can be held during the day or evening hours. Customizations include adding wine flights, catered lunch and dinner options, and Wine & Design activities.

They also offer vineyard picnics for smaller gatherings. For more information on their event venue, click here.

But that’s not all! They are always hosting fun one-day events, like cookie-making classes and paint nights and much more. To find out more information or sign up for a class, check out their website and follow them on Instagram to be in the loop. Some upcoming events include:

She Farms Tour 2026
Saturday, June 20, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This is a great opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes view of how a vineyard operates.

Stained Glass Workshop
June 20, 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Create a gorgeous stained glass design, all materials included.

Modern Calligraphy, Greeting Card Lettering & Blinging for Beginners
July 14, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Learn the basics of modern calligraphy with a pointed dip pen and ink, all materials included. 

Cloer Family Vineyards is open year-round, Fridays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (with the exception of July 3–4 and December 25–26, 2026).

Be sure to check out their website for the latest offerings, and follow them on Instagram @cloerfamilyvineyards and Facebook so you don’t miss the fun!

Civic News:

🚉 Recent Work Session - Downtown Train Disruptions
The Town of Apex has been actively working with regional partners to address community concerns (idling engines, track vibrations, and traffic delays) around CSX’s downtown train switching operations. As it turns out, completely relocating the rail line isn't feasible due to strict railroad crew shift limits, so the town is looking to speed things up instead. By upgrading 18.55 miles of the Durham Spur track from a crawling 10 mph to a brisker 25 mph, trains will be able to clear downtown significantly faster, drastically reducing idling and blocked crossings. The total estimated cost for these track and infrastructure upgrades is $18.1 million, and Apex is aggressively exploring federal and state grant opportunities to pick up the tab.

🏞️ Crowder Park Expansion
The Wake County Board of Commissioners Monday approved the schematic design for the Crowder County Park expansion. This decision paves the way for new trails, new facilities and new opportunities for residents to enjoy the outdoors. Construction is projected to start in early 2027, and the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2027. See the Master Plan here. (Note: the park is in Apex, but is a Wake County park and a Wake County project).

🔎 Seven years on the Apex Town Council. Seven tax increases.

On June 9, the council had two budgets in front of them: one that raised your property taxes and one that didn't - and the no-tax version actually funded more police.

They voted 5-0 for the tax hike, then spent the next week insisting it was "literally" just for new police officers. It wasn't. The majority of the increase goes to capital projects; police hiring is less than half of what's left. The same council member who called public safety "the most important thing" then cut a fire-safety position to free up money. And the tax rate he swore was "no tax increase last year"? It wasn’t.

I pulled every figure from the Town's own budget documents, audited financials, and on-the-record proceedings. Then I checked it against what your elected officials actually said. The full breakdown - including what this year's budget really costs the average household, and why the 37.35¢ rate is now locked through June 2027 - is here.

→ Read the full investigation

Upcoming Meetings:

Today, June 17
Multimodal Transportation Advisory
4pm - 5:30pm | Town Hall

Today, June 17
Environmental Advisory Board
6pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, June 23
Town Council Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Wednesday, June 24
Parks & Rec Advisory Board
6pm | Town Hall

A Look Ahead:

June 25
CommUniversity: Parks Planning | Town Hall Campus

June 27
Afternoon in the Garden | Apex Nature Park

June 27
Clean Jordan Lake Cleanup | Seaforth Boat Ramp

June 28
Classical Concert Series | The Halle

June 30
Invasive Plant Removal Workday | Apex Community Park

July 2
Learning Lunch: Peak into the Past | Senior Center

July 4
Fireworks Frenzy | Hunter Street Park

July 10
Art Reception - Susan Parrish | The Halle

July 11
Summer Fun Dance | The Halle

July 17
Pickleball Palooza | Apex Nature Park

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... 😘