Fire Horse, Galentine's & The Local

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, February 12, 2026 and this is the 58th consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Happy Black History Month and Happy Lunar New Year!

Speaking of which… in a historic first for Apex, the Council proclaimed this coming Tuesday as Lunar New Year Day, officially welcoming the Year of the Fire Horse.

Council Member Sue Mu, who introduced the proclamation, emphasized that it is an important step in making the town's diverse population feel they truly belong.

Speakers also highlighted that the holiday is a time for family reunions and cultural reflection, further enriching the social, cultural, and economic fabric of Apex. Members of the community even shared red envelopes with golden chocolate coins, symbols of good luck and best wishes, with those in attendance.

Another significant proclamation recognized 2026 as a century of Black history commemorations, marking 100 years since the inception of Negro History Week by Dr. Carter G. Woodson in 1926.

Mayor Gilbert wore a custom Kente stole from Ghana, explaining how its colors represent the community’s shared heritage of resilience and pride. The Council honored a large group of local pioneers - from historians and activists to educators - who have paved the way and serve as the "fuel, passion, and love" within the Apex community.

📱 Lastly, before we jump into all the great things going on this week, thank you to everyone who shared feedback on the mobile app project. I received a lot of really good ideas for additional features to include like: volunteer opportunities, club links, neighborhood-based features, yard/garage sales, parking maps, more upcoming events, scheduling pickup games, new business opening dates, pet adoptions.

It’s probably still a couple months out from being downloadable from the app store. But if you want to take it for a spin, you can see the work-in-progress here.

And if you have any additional ideas for cool features, you can let me know here.

Miscellaneous Info:

📣 Missing: Little Free Library
The little free library downtown has gone missing! I reached out to the gentleman who created and donated it to see if and when it may return during or after construction. He indicated that it was removed but he had no idea by who or where it went. He said he’s willing to create and donate a new one if needed, but would also love to take this time to freshen up the existing one. If you know where it is, let me know!

👩‍🌾 Support the Farmer’s Market!
Due to winter weather, it’s been several weeks since the Farmer’s Market has been able to take place. Forecast is 60 and sunny this Saturday so get out there and show the vendors some Valentine’s Day love!

😔 Olive Chapel Road Now Open Delayed
Yesterday it was announced that Olive Chapel Road would reopen today at Noon. Unfortunately, as they were finishing up, a waterline was struck that now needs repaired. The new projected opening is Monday.

🗳️ Early Voting Starts Today
Beginning at 8am today, early voting opens up for the 2026 Primary Election. The John M. Brown Community Center is one of the twelve early voting sites in Wake County. You can see all locations, check wait times and get more info here.

🏒 Youth Street Hockey
The Town of Apex, in partnership with the Carolina Hurricanes, is now offering a street hockey programming for children ages 5-13 during the spring. Resident registration is now open (non-residents can sign up starting Feb 23). Register here.

☀️ Summer Program Guides
Summer 2026 Program guides are now available. Mark your calendar - things fill up fast - registration opens for Apex residents on March 16 at 9am. View the program guides here.

🎓️ Apex Peak Academy
This free 14-session, interactive program gives you a behind-the-scenes look into town programs and operations. Applications are now open through February 28.

👗 Free Prom Dresses
The Prom Shoppe at Apex UMC offers prom dresses and accessories for girls who need help affording to attend prom. The event will take place on Friday, February 27 from 3-7pm and Saturday February 28 from 10am-1pm. (Donations still being accepted through Feb 23). Learn more here.

🍝 Peak Charter Spirit Night
Next Wednesday (Feb 18) from 4pm - 8pm, Carrabba’s Grill will donate 10% of proceeds (you must mention it!) to benefit Peak Charter Academy.

🐈️ Your Purr-fect Match
With the Wake County Animal Hospital currently closed for renovations, they are offering a Sweetheart Adoption Special for foster pets who are available for adoption. Through February 15, adoption fees for dogs are $25 and $5 for cats. There are over 80 dogs and cats in foster care looking for loving homes. Go see them here (select location: in foster) - https://pets.wake.gov/adopt

🦉 Who Gives A Hoot?!
I’ll tell you who - these wonderful ladies right here do:

In January 2016, a small group of women gathered in a living room in Apex with a simple idea: meet quarterly for one hour, each give $100, and collectively support local nonprofits. That gathering became 100 Women Who Give a Hoot, with the first official meeting held in March 2016.

Nearly a decade later, what began as a small neighborhood idea has grown into a powerful community movement. Members of the Greater Raleigh chapter alone have supported more than 100 local nonprofits, contributing close to $800,000 in collective donations that stay right here in our community. The model has since inspired additional giving circles across the Triangle (like the 100 Men Who Give A Damn that we’ve highlighted previously), expanding the collective impact to more than $1.3 million in local support.

On April 14, the group will celebrate ten years of community giving with a special anniversary gathering at The Chapel at Dix Park. 👏 

Things to Do This Week in Apex (especially if you’re a gal):

Thursday, February 12

💘 Galentine’s Girls Night
4pm - 6pm | Rose & Lee Co

💡 Black History Month Trivia 
6pm - 8pm | Senior Center

💡 Trivia Night!
7pm - 10pm | Bottle Theory

🔢 Music Bingo
8pm - 10pm | The Backyard Bar

Friday, February 13

👕 Mabopane Marketplace
7am - 12pm | Mabopane Foundation

💘 Galentine’s Day Wine Tasting
4:30pm - 6:30pm | Bottle Theory

💘 Galentine’s Day Jewelry Making
5pm - 6pm | Sweet Talk Cafe

🎸 Live Music: Mysti Mayhem
7pm | Oaklyn Springs Brewery

🎸 Live Music: The Roguez
8pm - 11pm | Peak of the Vine

Saturday, February 14

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

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

👕 Mabopane Marketplace
10am - 1pm | Mabopane Foundation

🎸 Live Music: Keith G ft/Chris Hurley
8pm - 11pm | The Exchange Lounge

🎤 Karaoke Party
9pm - 11:45pm | Rudy’s Pub & Grill

Sunday, February 15

💘 Galentine’s Day with Heather Rogers
1pm - 5pm | Oaklyn Springs Brewery

💘 Galentine’s Favorite Things Party
2pm - 5pm | Peakway Taps

🎷 JazzLive 
3pm | The Halle

Wednesday, February 18

👮 Coffee with a Cop
10am - 12pm | Foxtail Coffee

🧜‍♀️ Free Wednesday Morning Movie
Live Action ‘The Little Mermaid’
10am | The Halle

🔢 Music Bingo
7pm - 8pm | Abbey Road Tavern

🔢 Music Bingo
7:30 - 9:30pm | Rudy’s Pub & Grill

🎤 Karaoke Night
8pm - 10:30pm | The Backyard Bar

Local (Literally) Business Update:

🐠 The Local
As you know, Vicious Fishes closed down pretty suddenly. But it’s back! (Almost and kind of). When it was Vicious, there were a couple of owners. It’s re-opening now as The Local by one of the former owners.

Should be back in business within a week or two. See you there!

Civil News:

🏗️ Apex Development Report

The updated (Jan 31) Development Report has been posted online. Here are some highlights:

• Apex has welcomed 3,133 new residents since July 1, bringing our total population size to 84,915. That’s 12 people per day. If we maintain this rate through the fiscal year, it will be a total of 33% more new residents added than last fiscal year.

• By 2030, the projected population is 102,526

• 21 commercial projects have been completed since July 1 covering 2.2M square feet (equivalent to about 50 acres). Another 2.45M square feet are currently under construction.

• 5,604 residential units are actively under construction

• And 525 residential units within mixed-use developments are under construction.

You can read the full report here.

🏛️ Town Council Annual Retreat

Today is day 2 of the 3-day annual retreat. Full recap next week, but for now here’s a high-level overview of the agenda items:

Day 1 (yesterday):

• Portfolio Updates - Presentations from leadership across three major portfolios: Performance and Strategy, Development and Operations, and Community and Safety.

• Peak Plan 2055 - An update on the Town's 18-month community-driven initiative to guide growth, transportation, and conservation for the next 30 years.

• Budget & Finance - A comprehensive overview of the Town's financial condition and a review of Capital Projects survey results.

Day 2 (today):

• Service Logistics - Detailed discussions on the Yard Waste Program and an update on the Ask Apex Call Center performance.

• Transit & Downtown - Reviewing transit service implementation priorities and the Phase 3 Downtown Master Plan, including Commerce Street.

• Policy & Utilities - Brainstorming for Council policy development and a presentation on the Return to Standard Procedures Plan for utility billing.

• Capital Projects - Two full afternoon sessions dedicated to prioritizing major Town projects.

Day 3 (tomorrow):

• Legislative Agenda - Review and development of the Town’s legislative goals with consultants from Checkmate Government Relations.

• Community Engagement - Analysis of community survey results to guide future decision-making.

• Innovation Brainstorming - A dedicated block for developing new initiatives and a "Hot Topics" lightning round where the Mayor and Council members each have three minutes to present urgent issues.

• Governance Dynamics - The final afternoon focuses on strengthening working relationships through trust, communication, and collaboration exercises.

⛪️ Peak City Church Annexation

On Tuesday, several annexation and rezoning requests passed unanimously. The annexation request for Peak City Church (Public Hearing #3) also passed, but did so with a 4-1 vote.

The dissenting vote was cast by Council Member Shane Reese, who expressed deep concern over the environmental impact of the project's proposed 6-acre spray field on-site wastewater system.

What is a Spray Field?

Spray fields are an on-site wastewater treatment method used when traditional sewer connections are not naturally feasible. Sprinkler-like heads distribute treated wastewater across the surface of a designated area to be absorbed by the soil or plants.

Key Concerns Raised:

• Scale of Use: The facility is designed to serve up to 850 people, creating a significant volume of waste.

• Potential Contamination: Critics at the meeting noted that current systems and regulations may not fully address persistent toxins like PFAS ("forever chemicals"), heavy leads, or heavy metals.

• Public Health Risks: Concerns were raised that nitrates from the affluent could infiltrate local drinking water sources, which is particularly dangerous for infants and pregnant women.

• Topography Challenges: The project engineer explained that a municipal sewer connection is currently difficult because the property sits 20 to 25 feet higher than nearby drainage basins and naturally drains in a different direction (northwest).

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

Thursday, Feb 12
Town Council Annual Retreat Day 2
8am - 5pm | Town Hall

Friday, Feb 13
Town Council Annual Retreat Day 3
8am - 5pm | Town Hall

Monday, Feb 16
Cultural Arts & Advisory Board
6pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, Feb 17
Town Council Work Session
3:30pm - 5pm | Town Hall

A Look Ahead

Thursday, February 19
State of the Town | Senior Center

Thursday, February 19
Learning Lunch | Senior Center
w/the African American Heritage Commission 

Friday, February 20
Apex Community Dance | The Halle

Saturday, February 21
Spades Tournament | Senior Center

Saturday, February 21
Romantasy Book Fair | The Studio

February 23 - March 1
Apex Restaurant Week

Thursday, February, 26
CommUniversity: Preparing Youth to Lead and Thrive | Senior Center

Saturday, February 28
United Strings of Color: Partnership in Black Music | The Halle

Saturday, February 28
Winter Vintage Fest | The Vintage Nook

Saturday, March 7
Run the Peak | Downtown & Town Hall Campus

Saturday, March 14
Day Market hosted by Makrs Society | Sweetwater Lawn

Saturday, March 14
Apex Holi Festival | Salem Middle School

Friday, March 20
Spring Concert Series | Sweetwater Lawn

Friday, March 20
Shamrock Showdown | Downtown Apex

April 10 & 11
Peak City Pig Fest | Town Hall Campus

In Case You Missed it

🏆️ Think Apex Awards
Do you know a business, individual, non-profit, or youth that has uniquely given back or positively impacted the Apex community in 2025? Help shine a light on those community members by nominating them for a Think Apex Award now through March 13, 2026!

🍪 Apex Oven Micro Bakery
A new micro bakery in Apex serving small-batch, handcrafted baked goods, including the 2025 NC State Fair blue ribbon winning chocolate chip cookies, is now open! Weekly menus are posted online with local pickup near downtown Apex. Check it out at Apexoven.com.  

🍗 Wingstop in Beaver Creek
The GNC in Beaver Creek closed down but in its place we are getting a Wingstop! I don’t know dates yet but they’ll be open 11am til Midnight.

🍝 Restaurant Week
Apex Restaurant Week is coming up (Feb 23 - March 1). A list of participating restaurants has been published.

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... 😘