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sean

55 articles published

Features Travel

A Season to Stay: Blowing Rock Beckons

| By Dathan Kazsuk | When the air turns crisp and the leaves begin their slow, colorful descent, the call of the Blue Ridge Mountains becomes impossible to resist. Each year, North Carolinians flock to the western part of the state, eager to embrace the chill, the views, and the charm of small-town retreats. Whether…

September 1, 20250Comments Bysean

Entertainment Features

Spooky Good Times in Kersey Valley

| By Mario Boucher | In 1984, movie fans met a man with knives for hands and seemingly cute creatures that turned nasty in a hurry. The next year, Tony Wohlgemuth answered a teenage dare and turned a simple idea into a backyard nightmare that developed into the Spookywoods it is known as today. “At…

September 1, 20250Comments Bysean

Features People & Profiles Sports & Fitness

Former Apex, UNC catcher Tim Federowicz nearing return to majors as a manager

| By Kurt Dusterberg | For 13 seasons, he climbed the professional baseball ladder, often shuttling back and forth between Class AAA—the highest level of the minor leagues—and the major leagues. As a catcher with a strong bat, he found his way onto the big league rosters of six different teams from 2011 to 2019.…

September 1, 20250Comments Bysean

Features People & Profiles Sports & Fitness

Rod Brind’Amour: Reaching Milestones, Making Memories

| By Kurt Dusterberg | Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour spends most of his days living in the moment. For the past 37 years, his life has revolved around the National Hockey League’s schedule, where it takes 82 games across 6 months just to reach the playoffs. So it may come as a surprise that…

September 1, 20250Comments Bysean

The Blind Pelican’s Bloody Mary Revolution

From Brunch to Bucket List BY JENNIFER PRIMROSE | PHOTOS BY JESSICA BRATTON In Holly Springs, something wildly unexpected has been happening, and we had to get to the bottom of it—a bloody mary revolution! Enter Joshua Self, proprietor and manager at The Blind Pelican, who, alongside assistant bar manager Brianna Scott, has been turning heads with the…

July 1, 20250Comments Bysean

Features People & Profiles Visual Arts

Cary artist Shalimar Waffa brings color, music and joy to her canvases

Artist at Work BY DOLLY R. SICKLES | PHOTOS BY JESSICA BRATTON A registered nurse by training, Shalimar Waffa was on track to become a nurse anesthetist when she became pregnant with her daughter, Rowan, during the pandemic. “Rowan was my fourth pregnancy,” she says, “and a miracle baby.” Pregnancy gave her the perfect opportunity to step…

July 1, 20250Comments Bysean

Features Sports & Fitness

Bonus Baseball: The Holly Springs Salamanders Give Local Players and Fans a Hometown Summer Experience

BY KURT DUSTERBERG If you drive along NC Hwy 55 Bypass in Holly Springs on a summer evening, you might catch a familiar slice of Americana. On the east side of the highway, stadium lights splash across Ting Park, a modern baseball venue where the seats are often brimming with fans. At first glance, the view gives…

July 1, 20250Comments Bysean

Family & Education Features Home & Garden

What Each Swim School Offers May Surprise You

What to know before you choose BY SARAH MERRITT RYAN When our son was 18 months old, my husband and I wanted him to learn to swim. We just chose the first swim school that came to mind—one that was reasonably close to our house. I assumed all swim schools were alike and that they were there…

July 1, 20250Comments Bysean

The Hot Dog Days of Summer

By Dathan Kazsuk Let’s get one thing straight: There’s no shame in loving a good hot dog. Sure, it’s not caviar and an expensive bottle of French Champagne. It’s not a handcrafted sushi roll placed delicately on artisan rice. But when that frankfurter hits the grill, when the snap of that casing gives way to…

June 30, 20250Comments Bysean

Features Sports & Fitness

Carolina Hurricanes expand hockey’s reach with the Triangle’s first outdoor ball hockey rinks

Takin' It to the Streets BY KURT DUSTERBERG | PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOSH LAVALEE/CAROLINA HURRICANES On a warm, sunny afternoon in late March, more than 200 kids spread out across two street hockey rinks in Apex. Some of the teenagers knew how to stickhandle and put a shot in the net, while the younger kids mostly pushed…

May 1, 20250Comments Bysean

Features Food People & Profiles

Chef Scott Crawford’s Personal Journey

Brothers and Survivors Crawford Brothers Steakhouse owner learned tough life lessons with sibling BY KURT DUSTERBERG PHOTOS BY JESSICA BRATTON It is late morning at Crawford Brothers Steakhouse in Cary, and Scott Crawford is already in motion.While the kitchen staff tends to food prep and deliveries, the acclaimed chef and entrepreneur chats with his…

May 1, 20250Comments Bysean

Date Night Under the Stars in Holly Springs

Nightingale is Calling BY DATHAN KAZSUK | PHOTOS BY JESSICA BRATTON FOOD STYLING & PHOTO ASSISTANCE BY RACHEL DANIELLE It was a cool night in downtown Holly Springs—the kind of evening where the air hums with possibility and the clinking of cocktail glasses sets the soundtrack—and it was only Thursday. Along with my wife (and fellow 5 West writer) Jennifer…

May 1, 20250Comments Bysean

Home & Garden Nonprofit

A pay-what-you-can program is nourishing the Triangle, one garden box at a time

Gardens for Everyone BY SUSANNA KLINGENBERG PHOTOS COURTESY OF INTER-FAITH FOOD SHUTTLE I magine a generous bowl of steaming vegetable soup on a chilly day. Or a classic tomato and mayonnaise sandwich in the heat of summer. It’s nourishing, it’s delicious, and here’s the best part: It’s made with produce from your own backyard. A garden-grown meal is no…

March 5, 20250Comments Bysean

Features Home & Garden

Treasure Hunting for Vintage Pieces

Sally Nicol, curator of The Cary Cottage, shares tips for finding high-quality vintage pieces at secondhand markets BY ELIZABETH BRIGNAC PHOTOS COURTESY OF SALLY NICOL EXCEPT WHERE OTHERWISE NOTED Sally Nicol has an authenticated work of art signed in 1946 by Henri Matisse hanging on her wall. It is not an original, but a reproduction…

March 5, 20250Comments Bysean

Features Nonprofit People & Profiles

Local Towns Team Up to Fight Fires

BY JUDITH COOKIS RUBENS Morrisville firefighter Natasha Byrd rides a ladder truck in her second career. She worked eight years in pharmaceutical manufacturing before, at age 28, changing direction to pursue the career she always wanted. “I’m a people person. I want to serve people,” says Byrd, now one of four women in the Morrisville…

January 2, 20250Comments Bysean

Features Health & Wellness

Senior Living: New Ways to Experience the Golden Years

BY MARIO BOUCHER Senior homes are transforming their image just in time for a “booming” generation seeking high-quality health care while maintaining an active lifestyle into their golden years. Long-term care can cover many services tailored to meet each person’s unique needs to maintain the best quality of life. Esther Cromwell, CEO and founder of Avendelle…

January 2, 20250Comments Bysean

People & Profiles

Morrisville Celebrates the Holidays

Morrisville Celebrates the Holidays BY ELIZABETH BRIGNAC The holiday season starts early in Morrisville. Beginning in October, local communities begin putting up lights and enjoying Diwali holiday celebrations. As the date of Diwali approaches (it took place at the end of October this year), the sound of fireworks becomes common, and community celebrations include lights,…

November 3, 20240Comments Bysean

People & Profiles

Holly Springs Celebrates the Holidays

Holly Springs Celebrates the Holidays BY JENNIFER AXNESS Holly Springs comes alive each holiday season with a variety of activities that offer something for everyone. Whether you’re looking for town-wide, family-friendly celebrations, a lively holiday farmer’s market or cheerful musical performances, this guide highlights some of the best ways to experience the Holly Springs holiday…

November 3, 20240Comments Bysean

Features Food Local Business

Having Their Cake—and Selling It Too

The often-maligned fruitcake has a loyal following thanks to a family business with a just-right recipe. BY KURT DUSTERBERG No matter how you approach Southern Supreme Fruitcake & More on your drive, you encounter long stretches of rambling countryside. This section of southwestern Chatham County is the kind of deep country where many roads are identified by…

November 1, 20240Comments Bysean

Features Nonprofit People & Profiles

Combating homelessness in Wake County—one family at a time

The Carying Place BY CAITLIN WHEELER | PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CARYING PLACE Every January, Wake County conducts a “point in time count” to determine the number of its people experiencing homelessness. Since some homeless families do not stay in shelters and encampments, an accurate figure can be hard to pin down. “It’s really hard to figure…

November 1, 20240Comments Bysean

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