The Birds and the... Worms

👋 Good morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, March 13, 2025 and this is the tenth consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

Here is what’s inside today:

🪱 The Birds and the Bees Worms: Because I can’t talk about bees again…

📂 Miscellaneous: Some town-related notes that didn’t fit anywhere else

🗓️ Things to Do This Week: Events and activities this coming week in and around Apex

🏢 Local Business: The latest in local small business news

🏛️ Civil News: The latest from our local government

🐶 Animal(s) of the Week: Featured animals looking for a good home

👀 A Look Ahead: A quick peak at things to know beyond this week

📃 Survey Results: A quick recap of last week’s questionnaire

The Birds and the Bees Worms

“If you’re a bird, be an early bird —
But if you’re a worm, sleep late.”

I’ve done a lot of things backwards in my life.

I dropped out of college. We had our children before we got married. I bought a bunch of bees.

I’ve faced some judgements and/or criticisms for some of these decisions. From others… from myself.

These decisions went against the traditional norms… the “be an early bird” type of advice.

But if we all follow the same advice, some of us (the worms) get eaten.

So yeah, I’ve made some decisions that might be a little backwards or crazy to some. But you know what, it worked for me.

I guess what I’m saying is… Perspective matters.

By the way, that quote is by Shel Silverstein from my favorite childhood book, Where the Sidewalk Ends.

Wait… so does that mean this week’s email is going to be sidewalk themed?

You betcha.

Miscellaneous:

🚶‍♀️ SIDEWALK NEWS!
We have some sidewalk needs here in Apex and the Town has developed a “Sidewalk Needs” prioritization map which you can see here (unless you are on a mobile device, then that map is useless). If interested, this link also details some of the current and upcoming sidewalk projects and is a bit more mobile-friendly.

🛤️ Railroad Repairs Are Underway
8 of the 21 railroad crossings (to the best of my knowledge) are complete. The other 13 will be closed on various days over the next week. Plan ahead and view the railroad crossing closure schedule here.

🚒 Apex Fire Department Wants Your Feedback
AFD is updating their strategic plan for 2026-2030. They want your feedback. Take the survey here.

🍤 Cape Fear Seafood Company
I am so excited for this. Technically it’s a Cary address (1885 Lake Pine Dr), but it’s still basically Apex over by the Costco & Harris Teeter at Hwy 64 / Lake Pine Drive. Opening in May!

🧑‍🌾 Simple Gifts Community Garden Now Open
The community garden in Apex opened up for Spring a couple of weeks ago. If you don’t know about the garden, check them out here. It’s a fun activity and a great cause.

Things to Do This Week in Apex:

Friday, March 16

🍻 St. Paddy’s Weekend Kickoff
12pm - 10pm | Southern Peak Brewery

Saturday, March 15

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

🪧 Downtown Apex Sidewalk Sale
10am - 5pm | Downtown Apex

🇮🇪 Irish Beer Fest
2pm - 9pm | Oaklyn Springs

🍀 2025 St. Patrick’s Outdoor Party
2pm - 9pm | Doherty’s Irish Pub

Sunday, March 16

🐠 Saint Patty’s Day Weekend
12pm - 8pm | Vicious Fishes

Monday, March 17

📚️ Family Storytime
10:30am - 11:00am | Eva Perry Library

🩸 Apex Police Blood Drive
12pm - 5pm | Apex Police Department

🍀 2025 St. Patrick’s Outdoor Party
12pm - 9pm | Doherty’s Irish Pub

Tuesday, March 18

🐦️ Wild Birds and Feeders
3:30pm - 4:30pm | Eva Perry Library

🍀 2025 St. Patrick’s Outdoor Party
12pm - 9pm | Doherty’s Irish Pub

Wednesday, March 19

🎬️ Wednesday Morning Movie (Pocahontas)
10am - 12pm | Halle Cultural Arts

Things to Do This Week Nearby:

🧚 Away with the Fairies
Saturday, 10am - 3pm | Mordecai Historical Park (Raleigh)

🛍️ Cary Vintage Market
Saturday, 12pm - 5pm | Vicious Fishes (Cary)

🐸 Eco Kids: All About Frogs
Saturday, 10:30am - 12:30pm | Bass Lake Park (Holly Springs)

Local Business:

🚶 The Sidewalk Edition

This Saturday, from 10am - 5pm, several downtown businesses are participating in the semi-annual Downtown Apex Sidewalk Sale.

So let’s highlight those businesses! (descriptions pulled from their websites)

👗 Rose & Lee Co.
104 W Chatham Street
Rose & Lee Collective is a women-owned, community-focused boutique that curates a beautiful collection of clothing, accessories, and gifts from thoughtful, conscientious brands.

📚️ Alleyway Bookstore
118 N Salem
At Alleyway Bookstore, we believe every book deserves a second chance to bring joy and knowledge to more readers. Our collection ranges from timeless classics to modern bestsellers, all at prices that make reading more accessible to everyone.

🧸 Stylish Living
120 N Salem
Note: I could not find a website or formal description on any socials for Stylish Living (Facebook link). But I have been in here before and it has a nice mix of women’s apparel, jewelry & accessories, baby/kid stuff, and a spot for some cool gift items for the guys.

👢 Monroe Boutique
209 N Salem St.
Monroe Boutique is your haven for luxury women's clothing and empowering style. We're a curated space for the fashion-forward woman, offering a selection from coveted brands like Citizens of Humanity, Agolde, Clare V, Pistola, and more.

👚 CharleyMadelyn
209 N Salem ST.
At CharleyMadelyn you can find the latest women’s trends along with inspirational gift-based items such as devotionals, coffee mugs, and journals. Here’s to exploring the world with Faith and Fashion!

🍺 Adventures in Bloom
110 N Salem St.
Adventures in Bloom is a gift shop and craft space. We offer metal stamped jewelry classes as well as handmade boutique items (sourced from small businesses in North Carolina and across the country!), as well as curated gift items.

👟 Apex Outfitters
225 N Salem St.
We wanted to fuse our passion for the outdoors with our love of action sports. Apex Outfitters is packed with high quality apparel and accessories from brands like Patagonia, The North Face, Chaco, Birkenstock, Toad & Co., Prana, Vans, Vuori and much more to outfit your adventurous side.

🎨 Artfully Apex
111 N Salem St.
After ten years of owning Apex Gallery and Custom Framing on Salem Street, Nick and Bethany Bryant are thrilled to introduce our newest venture, Artfully Apex - a gift and art supply store. This exciting expansion allows us to bring more art supplies, gifts, and art to Apex!

👜 Gail & Grace
122 N Salem St
Gail and Grace is a women's clothing boutique located in the heart of Apex, NC. Our focus is providing a unique experience to women of all ages that are in search of the perfect addition to their wardrobe. We feature both trendy and classic styles.

👖 The Tulip Magnolia
103 E Chatham St.
At The Tulip Magnolia, we believe fashion should be both stylish and comfortable. We are proud to be a size-inclusive boutique, offering well-made clothing with quality materials, a great fit, and a feel-good touch. We also carefully curate home décor that turns houses into homes, thoughtful gifts for loved ones, sparkling jewelry, and so much more.

Not sure where all of these stores are? No problem. I made you a map.

Civil News:

🅿️ SMART Parking
Soon, you’ll be able to see real-time information about the number of parking spaces available in our downtown lots. There will be illuminated signage (you may have even seen the one that has popped up by Sushi Suyu) as well as a mobile app. I’m not sure of the exact roll-out date, but for now, you can use this map to view the parking lots, their current/temporary time limits, and view the shuttle location.

🏙️ Downtown Project Timelines
Last Thursday was the Apex Downtown Stakeholders meeting. Key takeaways:

• Saunders lot Phase 1 scheduled to complete in June. Phase 2 (gravel lot) will be complete July/August. Phase 3 will complete August/September.

• Salem Streetscape project is estimated to start January 2026.

• Commerce Street will start after Salem Street is done. Alleys & Peak Gathering Space will start after Commerce (Spring 27 - Spring 28)

🗓️ Important Upcoming Dates

Thursday, March 13
Personnel Committee Meeting
4:30pm - 6pm | Town Hall

Monday, March 17
Public Art Committee Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, March 18
Town Council Work Session
3:30pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, March 18
Board of Adjustment Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Wednesday, March 19
Learning Lunch: Women in Politics
12pm - 1pm | Apex Senior Center

Thursdsay, March 20
Lunch Series with Randy Vosburg
12pm - 12:45pm | Apex Senior Center

Animal of the Week:

Just too many to choose from this week.

Go see all the available dogs at Peak Lab Rescue in Apex.

A Look Ahead:

March 21-23, 2025
LITE Theatre | Halle Cultural Arts

March 22, 2025
GameMakers Showcase
12pm - 2:30pm | Apex Senior Center

March 29, 2025
Street Hockey Rinks Grand Opening
TBD | Apex Community Park

April 5, 2025
Holi Celebration 
2pm - 6pm | Salem Middle School

April 5, 2025
Fest in the West
11am - 5pm | Mills Park (Cary)

April 8, 2025
UltiMutt Dog Egg Hunt
6pm & 6:45pm | Apex Nature Park

April 11-12, 2025
Peak City Pig Fest | Town Hall Campus

April 10 - May 15
Town of Fuquay-Varina Concert Series
6:30 - 9:30pm | Centennial Square

Survey Results

Last week, I shared a brief survey to get some feedback from you on this weekly newsletter.

148 of you took the survey (thank you so much) and here are the results:

I usually start my email with some thoughts or short story. Should I keep doing this?  
92% - Keep it the way it is

For Civil News, do you care about the dates of upcoming meetings?  
62% - Keep it the way it is

Should we include more happenings in any of the surrounding towns?
61% - Keep it the way it is

How often do you want to receive The Peak Weekly?
97% - Keep it the way it is

Thank you for voting that everything is already perfect 😆 

Here are some of the additional ideas that we received in the comments portion of the survey:

• More kid-oriented events

• More school stuff - sports, fundraisers, festivals, school board meetings, etc.

• Volunteer opportunities / Highlight nonprofits

• Offerings/classes at the Community Center

Stay tuned as I’m working on a few of those ideas. And of course, if you have any feedback on anything here, or additional ideas, I’m always open to feedback!

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 have any ideas of how to make this 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. 😘