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dathan

179 articles published

People & Profiles

Discover Holly Springs and Top Spots to Cool Off

BY JENNIFER AXNESS Welcome to Holly Springs! Nestled in the heart of the Piedmont, this charming town has ranked among the top places to live nationwide for years, and consistently earned recognition as one of the safest, most family-friendly towns in the state. Boasting a mild climate, thriving economy and top-notch educational system, the town offers…

June 30, 20240Comments Bydathan

People & Profiles

De and Ray O’Brien: Heroes Behind Fuquay-Varina Food Pantry

BY DREW BECKER De and Ray O’Brien returned from Carrboro one Friday evening after picking up a donated, full household’s worth of almost-new furniture and driving it back to Fuquay-Varina for a family in need. Saturday they were back at the food bank to receive donations from the post office. Besides organizing at the Fuquay-Varina Emergency…

June 30, 20240Comments Bydathan

People & Profiles

Discover Fuquay-Varina and Top Spots to Cool Off

BY DREW BECKER Welcome to Fuquay-Varina, a small town with two hearts—that is, dual downtowns—due to its history as two separate communities. Fuquay-Varina has been a unified town for over 60 years, and it is now one of the fastest-growing communities in North Carolina. If you’re new to the area, you’ll find a warm…

June 30, 20240Comments Bydathan

People & Profiles

Davis Drive Students Triumph at National Science Bowl

BY JUDITH COOKIS RUBENS A team of students from Davis Drive Middle School triumphed at the Carolinas regional competition held in March for the 2024 National Science Bowl. Utilizing a quiz bowl format, the competition requires teams to quickly buzz in and answer questions or solve technical problems in a variety of scientific disciplines, including physics, space, chemistry and…

June 30, 20240Comments Bydathan

People & Profiles

Discover Cary and Top Spots to Cool Off in Cary

BY KYLE MARIE MCMAHON So you’ve joined the booming number of people who have moved to the sprawling Town of Cary. Welcome! You’ve made an excellent choice. Cary boasts big-city amenities that draw you in, but it still retains the community feel of its small-town roots. Here are some of the first things you should do…

June 30, 20240Comments Bydathan

People & Profiles

Apex Boutique Supports Couples Struggling with Infertility

BY DAVE DROSCHAK Few things stir emotion like the birth of children. For small business owner Chelsea Jennette it was natural to name her downtown women’s fashion boutique CharleyMadelyn: A Fashion & Faith Boutique to honor her kids. But there is more to this story for Jennette and husband Jason, who went through an 18-month fertility journey with…

June 30, 20240Comments Bydathan

People & Profiles

Discover Apex and Top Spots to Cool Off in Apex

BY DAVE DROSCHAK If you are new to Apex, you are not alone. Apex—sometimes called The Peak of Good Living—was named the best place to live in America in 2015 by Money magazine and has seen unprecedented population growth in recent years. In 2010, 37,476 lived in the town that hugs the western corner…

June 30, 20240Comments Bydathan

Sports & Fitness Talk of the Triangle

Men’s and Women’s Soccer Teams Compete at TST for a $1 Million Prize in Cary

BY KYLE MARIE McMAHON The Soccer Tournament (TST) returned to Cary this week for its second annual competition at WakeMed Soccer Park. This open tournament brings together domestic and international teams, from amateur to Champions League clubs, to compete 7-on-7 for a winner-take-all prize of $1 million. Forty-eight men’s teams are competing, and for the first time…

June 7, 20240Comments Bydathan

Performing Arts Talk of the Triangle

Onstage in June

BY ELIZABETH BRIGNAC Each month we put out a listing of onstage opportunities and theater-related events for the upcoming month. Here are some onstage offerings in Raleigh, Wake Forest and Western Wake during June. They are listed in the order of the date of the first performance. June audition opportunities are listed at the end…

June 5, 20240Comments Bydathan

Performing Arts

The Justice Theater Project’s Blank: A Unique Performance. Literally.

BY ELIZABETH BRIGNAC I interviewed Matara Hitchcock, Justice Theater Project’s executive producer, about their current production, Blank, on Monday, May 13. The show had been described as “a script riddled with blanks that leaves the audience in charge of how the story will unfold.” It sounded like a theatrical version of MadLibs. I had questions. Hitchcock did…

May 17, 20240Comments Bydathan

Sports & Fitness

The Carolina Junior Hurricanes Program

BY KURT DUSTERBERG Shane Willis remembers what the kids were wearing around the arena 13 years ago. The retired Carolina Hurricanes forward had just taken over the Junior Hurricanes program in 2011, and many of the young players proudly wore the sweaters of Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby and his rival, the Washington Capitals’ Alexander Ovechkin. “Now…

May 1, 20240Comments Bydathan

4,000-Hour Training: Puppy to Service Animal

BY CAITLIN WHEELER Everyone knows that dogs can be some of the best friends and companions out there. But Margot Bennett knows that a special dog, with the right training and temperament, can be pure magic when matched with the right person. Bennett, who trains puppies with the local branch of Canine Companions, a national service dog…

May 1, 20240Comments Bydathan

Unleash the Fun at Western Wake’s Doggie Daycares

BY KATELYN RUTT From dog-friendly breweries to the vast expanse of parks, it’s evident that the Tar Heel State cherishes its four-legged residents. And at the heart of it all: top-tier doggie daycares. But don’t be fooled—these facilities offer more than a game of fetch. They’re lively hubs that celebrate the unique quirks and charms…

May 1, 20240Comments Bydathan

People & Profiles

NC Sea Turtles: Shellacious Conservation and Education

BY MARILYN JONES Men, women and children are sitting around a porch waiting for the tour to begin when I arrive at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Surf City on Topsail Island.The doors open shortly after I check in with the tour leader, and we follow volunteer Cindy Kay past the massive…

May 1, 20240Comments Bydathan

Fashion Local Business Travel

Travel in Style

BY SOFIA LUJAN AND LAUREN DOYLE | PHOTOS BY JESSICA BRATTON All clothing items available at Villa 19 Boutique. Shop in-store or online at villanineteen.com. In keeping with this issue’s travel theme, stylist Sofia Lujan teamed up with travel agent Lauren Doyle of The Travel Mechanic in Apex to create some outfits perfect for travel to popular…

May 1, 20240Comments Bydathan

Family & Education Features Visual Arts

Triangle Family’s Student Art Showcase

Triangle Family's Student Art Showcase A picture is worth a thousand words, especially when it’s created by a young person. Art plays an important role in a child’s education by nurturing creativity and self-awareness, and cultivating empathy and understanding. Triangle Family asked students in public and private elementary, middle and high schools across the Triangle to submit their…

May 1, 20240Comments Bydathan

Special Sections

The Faces of Western Wake—2024

/*! elementor - v3.21.0 - 08-05-2024 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} The Faces of Western Wake Welcome to our annual Faces of Western Wake, a portfolio of inspiring leaders and community influencers who want to personally introduce themselves to you. In every issue, 5 West magazine tells the stories of incredible individuals, entrepreneurs and leaders…

May 1, 20240Comments Bydathan

Turning a Hobby into a Legacy

BY MELISSA WISTEHUFF The recipe for sprouting a plant is much like that of creating a solid business plan: Add light, nourishment and room to grow. For Jo Ann Dewar, however, who had aspirations to start a garden center in the early 1970s as a female entrepreneur, the formula wasn’t quite so straightforward. Now 90 years…

April 24, 20240Comments Bydathan

People & Profiles

5 West Weekend Fetes (March 25-31)

BY MELISSA WISTEHUFF Spring fun has sprung! Here are some fun things to do this weekend in the towns of Western Wake. Thursday, 3/28 Cary It’s Spring BreakOUT at Downtown Cary Park (327 S. Academy Street, Cary) from 10:00-4:00. Immerse yourself with free family-friendly activities, featuring lively performances, character appearances, face painters, engaging arts…

March 27, 20240Comments Bydathan

Rhododendrons on a hill

Rewards Await Along the New River Trail State Park

BY NAN K. CHASE Jewels! Jewels! Jewels! And they’re all free. Blue ones, pink ones, yellow, red, purple—even gaudy white ones. The ephemeral wildflowers of early spring decorate the forest like a collection of the finest jewels, ranging from tiny gems barely an inch high to the blossoms of towering trees a hundred feet overhead. Perhaps nowhere…

March 1, 20240Comments Bydathan

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