Happenings

At a June 26 ceremony, the Town of Cary officially marked the beginning of construction for Downtown Cary Park, opens summer 2023 at 327 S. Academy St. The park will feature active performance places, farmers market spaces, interactive public art installations, botanical gardens, food and beverage facilities, a children’s nature play area, a dog park and an elevated bridgeway. downtowncarypark.com

CATHERINE “KATY”

CROSBY is the new

Apex Town Manager. The Town

Council approved her appointment

at the May 25 meeting, and her first

day was set for July 12. Crosby is only

the fifth Town Manager to serve in

Apex, and the first female and first African American to hold

the position. She is touted for commitment to community

engagement, and her passion for mentoring up-and-coming

talent and for building strong teams. apexnc.org

DATA SOAPBOX was recently launched by Dr. Lori Palen in Cary. The business helps clients in the public health, education, and human service sectors effectively communicate the results of their research. Data Soapbox’s services include planning and developing reports, presentations, infographics, and other communication products. datasoapbox.com

Anthony

Tutwiler, a high school senior from Green

Hope High School, is the recipient of the 2021 $1,000 Friends of the Page-Walker Scholarship. Anthony lives in Cary and is the son of Suzanne and Anthony Tutwiler. friendsofpafewalker.org

Amy Lee, 17, Panther Creek High School (First Place, Senior Category)

Anish Upadhyaya, 13, Alston Ridge Middle School (Second Place, Intermediate Category)

Three Cary students earned

top honors in the 2021 International Aviation Art Contest. The students’ art work took the top three spots in the N.C. Department of Transportation’s art contest earlier this year. Their paintings were then submitted to the national competition hosted by the National Association of State Aviation Officials in Washington, D.C. After finishing in the top three in that contest, their art was sent to Switzerland to compete in the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale’s art competition.

The TOWN OF MORRISVILLE was

recognized in June as one of 10 AllAmerica City award-winners. The National Civic League recognized Morrisville's work in inclusive civic engagement to build equity and resilience and create stronger connections among residents, businesses and nonprofit and government leaders. Morrisville established an accessible and healthy food hub, responded to the pandemic collaboratively, and created a welcoming atmosphere for immigrants by embracing the game of cricket. townofmorrisville.org

Hannah Aspden and Morgan Stickney, two swimmers from The Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary will represent the TAC Titans and the Triangle region at the Paralympic Games Aug. 24 through Sept. 5 in Tokyo. Aspden, from Raleigh, attends Queens University of Charlotte. In 2016, Aspden made her Paralympic debut at 16 years old and took home bronze. Morgan Stickney, from Bedford, N.H., has joined the U.S. team for her first Paralympic Games. Both swimmers are coached by John Payne, TAC Titans associate head coach. triangleaquatics.org

A groundbreaking celebration for MOTHER TERESA CATHOLIC CHURCH was held May 23 at 1221 Yates Store Road in west Cary, with roughly 250 people attending the event. Parishioners have been attending mass in the Green Hope High School auditorium since 2001. The worship center is expected to be complete in September 2022. mtccary.org

Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht, left, and Father Dan Oschwald, right

Three western Wake residents served as judges at the annual Westminster Kennel Club

Dog Show in June — Dennis McCoy and Randy E. Garren of Apex, and Bonnie P. Threlfall of Cary. Due to the pandemic the dog show was moved from its traditional winter date in New York City to an outdoor venue this spring in Tarrytown, N.Y. westminsterkennelclub.org

Wake Monarch Academy, the

Triangle’s first recovery high school, celebrated its opening in June. Leah Wright, founder of the nonprofit private school, realized the need for adolescents in recovery from substance use disorders to have a safe and supportive environment in which they could successfully pursue academic, personal, and professional goals. The school will begin accepting students in August for the 2021-2022 school year. wakemonarchacademy.org

COASTAL CREDIT UNION was named to the Forbes list of America’s Best-In-State Credit Unions for 2021. The list of America’s Best-In-State Credit Unions 2021, which was announced June 24, was based on an independent survey of approximately 25,000 U.S. consumers. Other recent accolades include: Business NC magazine named Coastal one of the Best Employers in North Carolina, for the fifth year in a row. Readers of Wake Living magazine voted Coastal as Best Bank in their Readers Choice Awards. Additionally, Coastal won Best Bank in Durham Magazine’s Best of Durham contest, also voted on by readers of the magazine. coastal24.com

LA FARM BAKERY + CAFÉ is now open at RDU in the Terminal 2 Marketplace, serving French bistro-inspired breads, pastries, sandwiches, all-day breakfast dishes, and more. Diners will also find burgers, grab-and-go items, a full-service bar and coffee from Durham-based Counter Culture. rdu.com/la-farm-bakery-cafe

Amber Nicole Dilger, a voice teacher with more than 20 years’ experience, recently opened a studio in Cary. Dilger specializes in coaching people — performers and business professionals — to overcome performance anxiety. ambernicoledilger.com

STEVE POND, principal at Peak

Charter Academy, has been named a 2021 Charter One

N.C. Charter Co-Principal of the Year. This award recognizes

the role of the charter school leader for establishing an

environment conducive to academic excellence in North

Carolina. Pond shares the award with Thomas McKoy,

principal at Reaching All Minds Academy in Durham. Pond

and McKoy each received a $1,000 check in addition to the

award. peakcharteracademy.org

STARPATH DANCE ACADEMY held 10 outdoor dance recitals in the parking lot of their Apex location in June. The performances included dancers of all ages in all genres as well as special Daddy Daughter, Parent-Child and Finale dances in which all students danced across the parking lot together. starpathdance.com

THE CARY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE announced the seven winners of its Small Business Excellence awards in May. The honorees are Cotton House Craft Brewers, Innovation Award; Salvio's Pizzeria, Impact Award; Preston Dental Loft, Community Service Award; KinderVillage Music Studio, Work Environment Award; The Center For Volunteer Caregiving, Small Charitable Partners Award; Note In The Pocket, Large Charitable Partners Award; and Emerge Pediatric Therapy, Small Business of The Year Award. carychamber.com

AQUINAS LEADERSHIP

GROUP, which provides custom training solutions to the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries, opened a full-service production studio in June at its Cary office. The studio provides customers with a full suite of production abilities including video recordings, podcasts, recorded presentations, voiceover recordings, and more. aquinaslg.com

S&A Communications,

based in Cary, was recently recognized by Forbes Magazine in its inaugural ranking of the 200 best public relations agencies in the U.S. Forbes identified the best PR

firms in America using a survey of more than 12,700 experts and 20,500 customers who nominated more than 5,000 firms. The Cary firm was one of two Triangle companies on the list; Holly Springsbased 919 Marketing was also recognized. sacommunications.com