After more than 20 years of inspired dreaming and planning, Downtown Cary Park opened to the public on Nov. 17. For the first time, visitors were invited inside to explore all that the Park has to offer, from the Nest play area to The Bark Bar to the Skywalk. Staff planned and executed many incredible events during the first few weeks of operations, most notably the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, when Council officially opened the Park. It is estimated more than 20,000 people attended the Nov. 19 ribbon cutting, during which visitors enjoyed live music, roaming performers, celebrity meet-and-greets, and more. 

After opening weekend, visitation did not slow down. Word spread quickly about the Park’s innovative design, beautiful landscaping, and unique placemaking. All the Park’s free, ticketed programming in December, including the Yuletide Yoga Series, WONDERland Workshop series, and Toddler Tuesdays programs (in partnership with the Cary Regional Library), sold out within minutes. Beyond programming, downtown Cary’s expanded holiday light and decoration displays within the Park ushered countless visitors to the heart of Cary in December.

 

On Dec. 1, Cary Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources launched a new registration system for programs and classes: RecTrac. This easy-to-use system allows citizens and visitors to sign up for classes and other programming. Registrations are set to begin mid-January for February programming.

Cary’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generated $31.6 million in economic impact in 2022, according to a study by Americans for the Arts. This includes $10.6 million in spending by arts and culture organizations and $21 million in event-related expenditures by audiences. That economic activity supported 588 jobs, provided $25.5 million in personal income to residents, and generated $6.9 million in tax revenue for local, state, and federal governments. More information about the study can be found at AEP6.AmericansForTheArts.org.

This quarter, Cary celebrated the holiday season with many annual events, bringing the community together for fun and festivities.

Hanukkah: For the seventh night of Hanukkah, Councilmember Lori Bush lit the shamash candle for the menorah at the old library site. Mayor Harold Weinbrecht and Councilmembers Carissa Kohn-Johnson, Sarika Bansal, and Michelle Craig also attended, along with North Carolina Rep. Maria Cervania and 150 members of the community. The annual event is a partnership among Cary, the Jewish Federation of Greater Raleigh, Beth Shalom, and Chabad of Cary.

Kwanzaa: Cary’s annual Kwanzaa celebration returned to the Cary Arts Center on Dec. 29 with the theme of “Drummers and Storytellers as Our Great Griots.” Councilmember Carissa Kohn-Johnson provided welcoming remarks prior to the stage presentation. Cary Kwanzaa is a communal cultural celebration that honors African-American people and their heritage. The program featured some of the most celebrated performers in the Triangle representing traditional African culture through dance, drumming, storytelling, and the visual arts. 

Holiday Films: The Cary Theater welcomed nearly 2,000 patrons over the course of eight days to enjoy its 2023 holiday film program, including “A Christmas Story,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Elf,” and “Home Alone.” Visitors joined in on the fun during four sold-out shows of The Cary’s sing-along holiday tradition, “White Christmas.” Cary is proud to donate 10% of holiday ticket sales to Dorcas Ministries.

 

Despite several hours of rainy weather, nearly 10,000 people came out for Hum Sub Diwali on Oct. 14. To kick off the event, Mayor Harold Weinbrecht, along with other area leaders, lit the ceremonial lamp. The day included music, dance, displays of weddings around India, delicious Indian foods, and a handicraft bazaar. The night was capped off by a fireworks display over Symphony Lake. A highlight of the day was the “Celebrity Dance” that featured Weinbrecht; Councilmembers Ryan Eades, Carissa Kohn-Johnson, and Lori Bush; and Cary staff Shivani Tripathi, Matt Pentz, Luana Deans, Sarah Braman, Cassie Schumacher-Georgopoulos, and Chelsea Stern.

On Nov. 3, Cary honored the brave men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces at its Annual Veterans Luncheon. More than 300 veterans and their families were welcomed to the beautiful Prestonwood Country Club and treated to a patriotic program and lunch. Councilmember Jack Smith served as the master of ceremonies, and keynote speaker George Wade Carmichael Jr. shared a personal and emotional speech about his service. Then on Nov. 11, citizens gathered at Veterans Freedom Park to observe Veterans Day. Councilmember Carissa Kohn-Johnson read the proclamation, and U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross and Smith spoke at the event before State Commander for North Carolina Veterans of Foreign Wars Helen Nelson gave the primary address. 

In 2023, Cary Teen Council demonstrated an exceptional commitment to community service, completing an impressive 17,596 volunteer service hours through active participation in multiple engagement opportunities, including distributing candy at the Cary Jaycees Christmas Parade, packaging meals at local food banks, participating in Adopt-a-Highway and Cary Litter Sweep programs, and joining in Downtown Cary Park’s ribbon cutting. The teens also organized and executed Haunted Walks in Bond Park, generating $2,500 in donations and providing an interactive platform for engaging with the community. These initiatives not only underscore the engagement of Cary Teen Council but also highlight their pivotal role in enriching the lives of citizens by contributing to the development of a stronger, connected Cary.

WakeMed Soccer Park hosted six soccer matches as part of the ACC Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championships and the NCAA Women’s College Cup. In November, the ACC Championships brought more than 5,000 spectators from all over the East Coast to experience Cary and one of the nation’s top soccer venues. Florida State University won the women’s title, and Clemson University won the men’s title.

In partnership with the University of North Carolina, the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance, and NCFC Youth, Cary hosted the 2023 NCAA Women’s College Cup the first weekend of December. Staff across the organization worked together for many months to prepare for this championship, the pinnacle of collegiate soccer in the United States. Nearly 15,000 fans from all over the country traveled to Cary to watch the Florida State Seminoles complete an undefeated season and claim their fourth national championship.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, staff transformed Town Hall campus for the 2023 Downtown Urban Open, or DUO. The disc golf tournament, hosted in partnership with the Capital Area Disc League, had great weather and was well attended by spectators and players, both local and from around the state. The DUO is a charity tournament that has raised over $33,000 for the Cary’s Play it Forward Scholarship Fund, which provides program opportunities for underserved populations.

The 2023 North Carolina Senior Games Pickleball Tournament held at Cary Tennis Park from Oct. 13 to Oct. 15 saw an impressive turnout of 776 senior athletes from across North Carolina, spanning ages 50 to 89. The event showcased the spirited competitiveness of these seniors, emphasizing that age is no barrier in pickleball. The Cary Tennis Park served as an ideal venue, offering well-maintained indoor and outdoor courts. 

One of Cary’s greatest resources is its actively engaged citizenry, who contribute their time and talents to help build a thriving and resilient community. This is evidenced by the 154 environmental service-learning projects that took place in 2023, for which 1,673 volunteers worked a collective 3,748 hours to support Cary’s goals for water quality, food security, ecosystem restoration, and waste diversion. Program highlights include native wildlife habitat installations, newly built gardens, and the removal of more than 12,385 pounds of litter from parks, streets, and trails. Community collaborations continued in 2023 at Good Hope Farm with 35,009 pounds of harvested produce that generated $97,588 in revenue for the Farmer Training Program. Seventeen farmers cultivated six acres of historic farmland thanks to regenerative agricultural practices supported in part by Cary’s food waste recycling program. Cary’s residential food waste contributes to soil health at the farm through a Garden Partner Program that provides a portion of the finished compost back to the western Cary community teaching farm each year.

Cary reached a milestone in energy efficiency this quarter with the completion of its Solar Feasibility Study. The study identified 71 Cary facilities for energy efficiency upgrades and rooftop solar strategies, including considerations for solar design, roof structural requirements, and solar capacity and shade that are economically sound. The installation of solar is a key strategy in Cary’s sustainability and climate action work to mitigate the effects of rising energy costs and environmental impacts.

This quarter, Cary’s participation in the regional Solarize the Triangle campaign wrapped up for the year, resulting in 90.8 kilowatts of contracted solar production and 27 kilowatts of battery storage. These Cary systems contribute to the Triangle area totals, which now boast more than 2.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide avoided annually. For those seeking to learn more about renewable energy options, Cary hosted free public information sessions with industry experts and maintained an ongoing social media campaign with carbon emission reduction tips and facts for homeowners. The 2023 engagement efforts are underscored by the 339 solar installation permit applications in Cary, which is 13% more than 2022.

Cary’s focus on enhancing its urban forest was highlighted this quarter through the achievement of major milestones in the creation of an Urban Forest Master Plan. With more than 80% of Cary’s tree canopy existing on privately owned land, a key element of the plan’s success includes a dynamic citizen engagement campaign. To achieve this goal, Cary hosted a month-long public comment period for the draft plan in collaboration with tree-care workshops, tree-planting volunteer projects, and an urban forest-focused social media campaign that resulted in more than 9,000 citizens visiting the draft plan for review. Refinement of the master plan will continue next quarter as staff work to analyze the public feedback in order to finalize Cary’s Urban Forest Master Plan in early 2024.

In addition, Cary’s tree canopy growth continued this quarter thanks to 1,000 new native trees distributed through the My Tree, Our Tree program. This successful community forestry effort is poised for expansion through a $1 million grant from the U.S. Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry program. Grant funds will support the development of the My Tree, Our Tree Branching Out project in 2024 with the goal of establishing a community-oriented reforestation program. 

USTA N.C. Award

Cary Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources was selected as the winner of the United States Tennis Association North Carolina 2023 Outstanding Parks and Recreation Department, and the Western Wake Tennis Association was chosen as the winner of the USTA North Carolina 2023 Adaptive Tennis Award.