Features

01

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…

10 minRead time

01

Jul 2025

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…

8 minRead time

01

Jul 2025

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…

7 minRead time

01

Jul 2025

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…

7 minRead time

01

May 2025

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…

9 minRead time

01

May 2025

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…

15 minRead time

01

May 2025

Drink Features

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…

13 minRead time

05

Mar 2025

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…

11 minRead time

02

Jan 2025

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…

9 minRead time

02

Jan 2025

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…

13 minRead time

01

Jan 2025

Features Visual Arts

Painting the Towns: The Murals of Western Wake

PAINTING THE TOWN: APEX TEXT AND PHOTOS BY DOLLY R. SICKLES For the last 10 years, the Town of Apex has focused on developing its Public Art Master Plan. The Apex Public…

29 minRead time

01

Nov 2024

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,…

10 minRead time

01

Nov 2024

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.…

10 minRead time

03

Sep 2024

Features

This Year’s Diamond Award Winners

Voting has begun for the 2025 BEST OF WESTERN WAKE and BEST OF RALEIGH Diamond Awards! Click here to vote for the Best of Western Wake 2025 Click here to vote for…

15 minRead time

31

Aug 2024

Features Special Sections

2024 Meet the Doctors

PHOTOS BY JENN MCKINNEY PHOTOGRAPHY AND LEAH MARIE PHOTOGRAPHY The Triangle offers some of the highest-quality health care in the country. Here’s your chance to meet local providers and learn…

3 minRead time

31

Aug 2024

Fashion Features

Designer Julie Patel brings new life to traditional garments

SARIS REBORN BY USHA SANKAR ABOVE: Sheetal Patel (left) is wearing the ‘Sarina’ —a midi dress with a cutout at the waist. It was made from a multicolor embroidered dupatta, a traditional…

12 minRead time

31

Aug 2024

Fashion Features

Fashion: Preparing for the Glam Season

BY CRYSTAL WATTS | STYLED BY SOFIA LUJAN STYLING HAIR & MAKEUP BY EVELISSE HAHN | PHOTOS BY JESSICA BRATTON PHOTOGRAPHY Fall brings in the most influential fashion season of the year…

10 minRead time

30

Jun 2024

Features Local Sightseeing

Fun in the Sun on Jordan Lake

PICTURED ABOVE: A family enjoys a canoeing adventure on Jordan Lake. Photo courtesy of the Town of Cary. Camping, swimming and boating are great ways to spend warm summer days…

8 minRead time

30

Jun 2024

Features Travel

Historic Resorts and Nostalgic Beaches Along the NC Coast

PICTURED ABOVE: Beach homes in popular Outer Banks vacation spot, Avon, NC. Photo by stock.adobe.com - Kyle. Beach Fun Back in the Day: NC Seaside Vacations a Century Ago. BY ERIC MEDLIN This…

11 minRead time

01

May 2024

Drink Features

Cape Fear Distillery: A Little Bit of Everything

From an art and memorabilia collection to a winery, a mini spa and a petting zoo—to, yes, a distillery—Cape Fear Distillery offers visitors an eclectic, multifaceted experience. BY DAVE DROSCHAK…

10 minRead time

The Blind Pelican’s Bloody Mary Revolution

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

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

What Each Swim School Offers May Surprise You

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

Chef Scott Crawford’s Personal Journey

Date Night Under the Stars in Holly Springs

Treasure Hunting for Vintage Pieces

Local Towns Team Up to Fight Fires

Senior Living: New Ways to Experience the Golden Years

Painting the Towns: The Murals of Western Wake

Having Their Cake—and Selling It Too

Combating homelessness in Wake County—one family at a time

This Year’s Diamond Award Winners

2024 Meet the Doctors

Designer Julie Patel brings new life to traditional garments

Fashion: Preparing for the Glam Season

Fun in the Sun on Jordan Lake

Historic Resorts and Nostalgic Beaches Along the NC Coast

Cape Fear Distillery: A Little Bit of Everything

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