It's November in Apex!

Here is most of what you need to know about what's going on in Apex, NC for the week of Thursday, November 5, 2026.

Author

Adam Whitaker
November 05, 2026 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Disclaimer: The Peak Weekly is an independent publication and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or otherwise associated with the Town of Apex. We have done our best to provide accurate and insightful information but can make mistakes so please always double-check the information yourself for accuracy.

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👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, November 5, 2026 and this is the 96th weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

Happy November! A quick Weekly Family update: My daughter and I returned home on Friday from her successful appendectomy surgery - after a grueling 35 hours of waiting. She’s not fully recovered quite yet but doing much better and she’s almost there. And Mrs. Weekly, who is now halfway between infusion #2 and #3 is also staying strong and doing well!

Thank you so much to all of you who reached out offering kind words and your help during what was a fairly eventful October.

Because of all that, last week’s Peak Weekly was a little… weak.

So let’s make up for that with an awesome #96.

One quick fun fact about that number. ‘96 was the year in which the Eva H. Perry Regional Library opened up here in Apex. The library celebrated its 20th birthday earlier this year, but the story of how it came to be is actually quite interesting.

The library’s opening marked one of the most important civic shifts in Apex's modern history. For over two decades (1973–1996), the town's small public library was crammed inside the historic 1914 Apex Union Depot on Salem Street. On January 22, 1996, the Eva H. Perry Regional Library officially opened its doors after Apex secured Wake County approval for the regional branch over larger neighbor Cary.

Moving the library out in 1996 allowed the town to lease and renovate the 1914 Depot as the Apex Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center, anchoring the downtown historic district's revitalization.

Like my favorite shirt from The Studio says:


Miscellaneous Info:

🪶 American Indian Heritage Month
Mayor Gilbert proclaimed November 2026 as American Indian Heritage Month in the Town of Apex, recognizing the history, traditions, cultures, and enduring contributions of American Indian communities.  Representatives of the Triangle Native American Society and Apex residents joined the Mayor and Council to receive the proclamation last week.

🎃 Pumpkin Collection
Reminder: trash collection does not pick up pumpkins from the curb. You can place them inside your trash can, compost your pumpkins, or drop them off at Public Works between now and November 8.

🤝 Mayor in the Community: Casual Town Hall
Today, November 5, from 6pm-8pm at Bottle Theory, connect with Mayor Gilbert after hours in a relaxed environment. He is ready to discuss any topic you care about, including automated license plate readers (ALPR), transportation infrastructure, utility bills, yard waste collection, tax rates, or the budget.

🎖️ Veterans Day Ceremony
This coming Wednesday, November 11, all Town facilities and offices will be closed in observance of Veterans Day. Trash/Recycling will not be affected. The Downtown Service Memorial will take place at the corner of Saunders and Salem from 9:30am - 10:30am.

🎄 32 Trees, 32 Families
Mayor Gilbert is looking for 32 Apex businesses to participate in Giving Trees, each of which will sponsor a family in need of support this holiday season. Get the details here.

🌲 Winter Tree Walk
Sign up to decorate a tree for Apex’s first Winter Tree Walk. Apply by November 20 to be considered.

🤾‍♂️ Spring 2027 Program Registration
Registration opens for Apex residents on November 16 for Spring programs (Jan - April) through Parks & Rec. You can see the Spring 2027 Program Guide here and the Senior Program Guide here.

💻️ MyServices is Live
MyServices, which replaces ePermits, is now live for development applications, permit requests and payments at myservices.apexnc.org

🐕️ Adopt a Senior Pet
This November, the Wake County Animal Center is celebrating Adopt a Senior Pet Month by offering special adoption fees for dogs and cats ages 8 and older. Throughout November, senior dogs are available for $25 and senior cats for just $5. Adoption Gallery →

Things to Do This Weekend in Apex:


Friday, November 6

🎤 Live Music with It’s Those Guys
8pm - 11pm | Peak of the Vine

Saturday, November 7

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

*Note: Winter Market hours begin this Saturday (start time now 9am)

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

🎁 9th Annual Art & Gift Market
9am - 3pm | Apex UMC

🎨 SuperFun Saturday
10:30am - 12:30pm | The Halle

🌳 Eco Kids Tree Planting
1pm - 3pm | Crowder Park

🩰 Infinity Ballet: Fairytale Fables
2pm | The Halle

🩰 Infinity Ballet: Fairytale Fables
4pm | The Halle

🎤 Live Music with Vibe after Nine
8pm - 11pm | Peak of the Vine

Sunday, November 8

🌵 Invasive Plant Removal Workday
9am - 11am | Kelly Road Park

Local Business:

🍺 Bernie’s Bar
Bernie's Bar is anticipated to open in downtown Apex this March. It is a unique twist on a bottle shop with a wide variety of canned beverages and 15 TVs. They’ll also offer an event space for private gatherings & a game room. Bernie's Bar will be right next to Bear Hands (in the former French Bleue location).

🧘 Neighborhood Barre Grand Opening Celebration
The workout studio that combines the elements of dance conditioning, pilates, and resistance training to sculpt and tone the entire body held their official ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday. But the grand opening celebration continues:

 Friday, November 6
• Free classes at 6 AM, 8 AM, 9:45 AM + 12 PM
• Alani energy drinks + snacks
• Raffles, giveaways + special surprises

Saturday, November 7
• Free classes at 8 AM + 9:45 AM
• Playa Bowls from @playabowlsapex
• B-12 shots from @vegafenton
• More raffles, giveaways + special surprises from our favorite local businesses, including @degree_hollysprings_apex + @ashorethingspraytansapex

🍎 Friendship Roadside Market
There’s a new family-owned-and-operated roadside market bringing fresh produce, sourdough, baked goodies, local pottery, handmade treasures, hot coffee, cold drinks, and more over at 3205 Friendship Road. Check out their Facebook page here. Their hours this week are 9am-6pm today/Friday, 9am-4pm Saturday, 9am-2pm Sunday.

The Weekly Pick 2 Challenge

Here are a few random and/or reader-recommended places I encourage you to visit this week!

🥪 Fratelli’s Deli
Located in Sweetwater, Fratellis offers a fantastic selection of meats, cheeses, and sandwiches that cater to every taste. Their Thanksgiving Sandwhich looks delicious!

⏺️ Hunky Dory
Located above the downtown Antique Mall, Hunky Dory Apex is a record shop with character in every corner. Each room has its own distinct vibe, creating a one-of-a-kind space to explore carefully curated new and used vinyl.

🏈 CARDiacs Sports & Memorabilia
Located at 1101 Marco Dr back behind La Taberna is CARDiacs, a 6,000+ square-foot sports card and hobby shop featuring a vast selection of trading cards and sports memorabilia.

🍣 Akami Sushi Bar
Located in the BP gas station, on the backside of the Handee Hugo, Akami goes by the nickname Gas Station Sushi… but no it’s not what you think. It’s high quality sushi crafted to perfection!

🛍️ Bless Your Heart Boutique
After you grab some lunch at Fratelli’s, make your way over to Bless Your Heart Boutique - known for affordable boutique clothing, meaningful gifts, and a warm, welcoming shopping experience.

Civic News:

📋 Salem Street Mixed-Use PUD
There has been a lot of community interest in this rezoning application. Heads up - this will be presented to Council for vote this Tuesday, November 10.

🛝 Pleasant Park Access Study
Public input from the Pleasant Park Access Study’s first public meeting will be presented to the Planning Board on Nov 9 and to Town Council on Nov 10.

🖥️ Public Records and Technology
The anticipated launch of JustFOIA, the Town's new public records management system, has shifted to December 2026. The Town is also transitioning to a new agenda management platform in early 2027. Side note, I have filed 12 public record requests since August. 11 of those 12 are still outstanding. The average time since filing is 42 days - and growing each additional day.

💰️ $440,000 Budget Amendment
Last week, Council Approved a $440,000 budget amendment, including $250,000 for the Apex Utility Customer Assistance Program (UCAP) and $190,000 in state funding for one-time $1,750 bonuses to eligible sworn law enforcement officers.

✅ Veridea Expansion V - Approved
Council unanimously approved Rezoning Case No. 26CZ10 – Veridea Expansion V, incorporating approximately 23 acres across eight additional parcels into the existing Veridea Sustainable Development Plan.

⏱️ Data Center Moratorium… Extension?
During a Data Center Resident Call-in Meeting last week, Town Staff indicated that the drafting of data center rules - along with the time for council to review and approve - may not complete before the moratorium expires: “I’m honestly anticipating that there will be an extension of the moratorium for at least six months.” The problem with that is that an extension isn’t automatic under North Carolina law, and the Town has to earn it.

G.S. 160D-107 says a moratorium can’t be renewed or extended unless the local government has taken all reasonable and feasible steps proposed in the moratorium ordinance to address the problem, and new facts and conditions justify more time. 

Why that matters:

  • Two of five subcommittee seats sat empty or thinly filled for months, and two more members will roll off in December.

  • Legal hasn’t answered on bonding since residents raised it around May or June.

  • There’s no cost-benefit analysis from Finance yet.

  • The only outside noise expert (Black & Veatch) was, per staff, “not very helpful.”

  • The Planning Board “has not really been involved.”

A developer who wanted the moratorium to end could point to exactly this record and argue the Town didn’t take “all reasonable and feasible steps.”

All the more reason to just ban data centers outright which would take about 5 minutes, as I wrote about in an article last month, which Terry Mahaffey called “...wrong here, more wrong than you’ve ever been.” (That’s how you know it’s good)

Important Upcoming Meetings:


Thursday, November 5
Public Safety Council Committee Meeting
3pm | Town Hall

Monday, November 9
Planning Board Meeting
4:30pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, November 10
Town Council Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Thursday, November 12
Peak Plan 2055 Public Forum #3
4pm - 7pm | Apex Senior Center

Wednesday, November 18
NCDOT Public Meeting: Proposed Improvements to US 64
5pm - 8pm | John M. Brown Community Center

A Look Ahead:

November 18
Wednesday Morning Movie | The Halle

November 19
Native American Tasting Experience | Senior Center

November 19
Connecting our Community (CommUniversity) | Apex Senior Center

November 20
Jazz & Jive Night | Downtown Apex

November 20 & 21
Holiday Market | Salem Baptist Preschool

November 28
Small Business Saturday | Apex, NC

December 4
Tree Lighting Ceremony | Town Hall Campus

December 5
Rotary Christmas Parade | Downtown Apex

December 12
Annual Holiday Market w/Santa | New Hill Community Center

In Case You Missed it:

🏡 Neighborhood Beautification Grant
The Neighborhood Beautification Grant is an annual grant application that provides direct funding to community members to create, organize, and complete projects that improve their neighborhoods. You can learn more on November 14 at the info session.

💰️ FY28 Budget Priorities Survey
If you want to share your thoughts and priorities for the FY28 budget, you can take this budget priorities survey, speak at the pre-budget public hearing on January 13, 2027 or email [email protected].

🗓️ Peak Plan 2055 - Draft Recommendations
The final Peak Plan 2055 public forum is coming up on November 12 from 4pm-7pm. Policy recommendations, action plan and review drafts of the plan production will be shared on this day.

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly. If you love it, please forward it to a friend. If you don’t love it, please unsubscribe.

And, 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... 😘