Holiday Lights, Ice Skating at Fenton, Santa Sightings
HOLIDAY LIGHTS. Holiday lights are shining! Take in some festive decorations with Wake County’s Best Christmas Light Tours. The South and West Raleigh tour features 26 stops, while the North and East Raleigh event includes 31 destinations. Download the Built Story app to access the tours, which cost $10 each.
NEW LOCATION. The Apex Farmers Market will move to its new permanent location at 1515 Beaver Creek Crossings, across from Ross and Old Navy on Saturday, December 3. The market, currently located at Apex Town Campus (73 Hunter Street), will host its last day on Saturday, November 26. The farmers market runs every Saturday, 9 a.m.–noon.
PHOTO BY BETH SHUGG
SANTA SIGHTINGS. Families are welcome to visit The Mayton in downtown Cary from 2–4 p.m. Sunday, December 4 for photos with Santa. This event is free and open to the public. Attendees will be responsible for taking their own photos with Santa in the hotel’s cozy and festive study adjacent to Peck & Plume.
The Glass Jug Beer Lab – RTP hosts a visit with Santa on Saturday, December 3, noon–5 p.m. Tickets include two beverages (alcoholic or nonalcoholic) and a DIY tree ornament. The event includes live holiday music and food trucks, as well as free face painting and balloon animals for kids. Tickets are available online.
ART NEWS. The 2022 Chatham Artists Guild Studio Tour will welcome visitors into member artists’ studios on the weekends of December 3–4 and December 10–11. The free, self-guided tour includes 55 participating artists in 39 studios. Members of the guild will offer original works of art, including paintings, sculpture, pottery, photography, glass, wood, jewelry, and digital and fabric art.
ON THE RISE. Raleigh native and country singer Kaylin Roberson is starring in a new musical revue called, “She Believed She Could,” which opened recently in downtown Nashville. Roberson is part of an all-female cast of up-and-coming singer-songwriters who share their journeys and perform some of country’s biggest hits along with their own original songs. Roberson has opened concerts for country stars Chris Janson and Jon Pardi.
Country singer/songwriter Paige King Johnson, who hails from Harnett County, will play several dates in the Triangle and across North Carolina in December. The Nashville-based singer is nominated for three 2022 Carolina Country Music Awards.
ADVENTURE SEEKERS. Kendal Mountain Tour 2022 comes to the Carolina Theatre of Durham on Wednesday, November 30. The tour is the United Kingdom’s leading adventure film and speaker festival. The short adventure documentaries have been hand-selected and feature cinematically beautiful, thought-provoking stories told by a unique collection of travelers, athletes, activists and creatives.
SANTA SIGHTINGS. Families are welcome to visit The Mayton in downtown Cary from 2–4 p.m. Sunday, December 4 for photos with Santa. This event is free and open to the public. Attendees will be responsible for taking their own photos with Santa in the hotel’s cozy and festive study adjacent to Peck & Plume.
TO THE SLOPES. Ski resorts Sugar Mountain Resort, Cataloochee Ski Area, Appalachian Ski Mountain and Beech Mountain Resort are all open for business heading into the holidays. Two other North Carolina slopes, Sapphire Valley Ski Area and Wolf Ridge Ski Resort, expect to open soon.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN. Registration for the BODYARMOR State Games begins in December for winter events. The multisport festival features more than 12,000 athletes and 600 teams competing in 30 sports each year. Winter events in the Triangle include ice hockey, figure skating and pickleball.
MAGNET SCHOOLS. The Wake County Public School system will host the WCPSS Magnet Elementary Mini Fair at Conn Magnet Elementary School, located at 1220 Brookside Drive in Raleigh, on Tuesday, November 29, 9:30-11 a.m. Prospective students and parents are invited to explore Wake County magnet elementary program options, visit with school representatives and learn about the application process.
TOY SAFETY. The NCPIRG Education Fund released its annual “Trouble in Toyland” report, a reminder to parents and families about toy safety hazards during the holiday season. Investigators purchased and received more than 30 items from U.S.-based online sellers, including Facebook Marketplace and eBay, as well as several online toy shops. The toys included stuffed animals, action figures and activity balls for infants.
FOR A GOOD CAUSE. Journeys will partner with the nonprofit Can’d Aid to match customer donations with its Donate at the Register campaign through Saturday, December 24. Journeys will match the donations up to $500,000, with 100% of the proceeds going directly to Can’d Aid and its programs to promote healthy activities for children in underserved communities nationwide.
