In 2021, the Town of Cary celebrated its 150^th Anniversary of being incorporated as a Town. As many of our planned events were impacted by the pandemic, we were still able to plan a year to remember with focus on learning about our past, celebrating our present, and getting excited about our future. A few of the elements of the year are included below to enjoy!

Virtual Birthday Celebration Intro: https://youtu.be/GtzzMnV-OQg

Virtual Birthday Celebration: https://youtu.be/LIhkUuZozpY

Documentary by Hal Goodtree (https://youtu.be/FTzBS-0R7ZA)

Celebrate Cary Event Recap (https://youtu.be/YkzIVwFT0LM)

Celebrate Cary Urban Mapping Show (https://youtu.be/eyz4FpSL4Ao)

Collection of History Moments from Councilmember Ed Yerha

January - How Cary Became A Town
February - African American History
March - Mayors
April - Historic Landmarks
May - Cary Parks and their Namesakes
June - Civil War in Cary
July - Cary Celebrations
August - Education
September - Cary Means Business
October - Cary Landmark Cemeteries
November - Cary150 Poem

Congratulations to This Year's Contest Winners!

American Turkish Association Art Contest

Middle School

First Place: Asher Thigpen, Chaotic Cary Cardinal, Grade 6
Second Place: Ada Mittendorf, Fall in love with Cary, Grade 7
Third Place: Diya Mishra, Carry on Cary, Grade 6
Honorable Mention: Leyla Bozkurt, Evolution of Cary Downtown, Grade 6

High School

First Place: Katie Shen, Untitled, Grade 10
Second Place: Damla Ayrilmaz, Concord, Grade 9
Third Place: Julia Lee, Cary's Diversity, Grade 10
Honorable Mention: Sophia Lee, Cary, Grade 9

See their artwork here.

Special Thanks

Citizen Task Force Members

Sarah Martin, chair
Brent Miller
Don Hamilton
Carissa Kohn-Johnson, vice-chair
Charlotte Shoneman
Travis Wright Colopy
Shuchi Gupta
Raphael Lee
Shreya Kota

Town Leadership, Sean Stegall, and Department Directors

Cary Staff

Core Staff Planning Team

Virginia Johnson
Sarah Schubert
Joy Ennis
Kris Carmichael
Stephanie Cessna
Adam Bell
Marie Cefalo
Srijana Guilford
Deanna Hawkes
Sarah Preston
Matthew Champagne
Ryan O’Quinn
Stacey Teachery
Julie Clifton

Community Partners

Various non-profit partners
Friends of Page-Walker
Authors of Girl Scout Downtown Walking Tour
Tour Sites and related owners
Documentary Participants
Share Your Story Participants
Volunteers at Celebrate Cary Events
Bakery Bingo Vendors and Winners
Hometown Heroes Partnership – Cary Magazine
Media Sponsor – ABC11