Cary, NC – Lots happening this weekend in Cary with multiple art openings and receptions on Friday, July 30, 2010.

Professional Art Quilters Alliance

Page Walker Art & History Center
6-8 pm

The Professional Art Quilters Alliance/South (PAQA) will debut a show entitled “No Fear” at the Page Walker Arts and Culture Center on Friday, 7/30/2010 from 6-8 pm.

PAQA is a group of professional artists from across the southeastern United States who come together to promote innovative art quilts, art cloth, and art garments.

Jordan Hall Arts Center, 908 N Harrison St

Scott Mais
Medium: Photography
Reception: 6-8 p.m.

Cary Senior Center

Student, Teacher & Staff Show
Medium: Mixed
3-6 p.m.

All participants in this exhibition are students, teachers or staff from the Cary Senior Center.

Herbert Young Community Center

Jennifer Weinberg: In My Backyard: NC Landscapes
Medium: Photography
Artist reception 6-8 p.m.

Jennifer Weinberg Graver has been studying North Carolina landscapes since 2005.

Town Hall Main Gallery

David Kevin Bass: Color Fusion
Medium: Acrylic Painting
Reception: 6-8 p.m.

This body of work is described as bold, filled with brilliant color and comprised of abstract organic shapes.

——————————————————————-

Top Left: “Purple Passion” by Rosile Baker. Top right: “A La Orange” by Beth Gilbert.

News on CaryCitizen is sponsored by Cary Courtyard by Marriott and Cary Residence Inn by Marriott.

Booth Amphitheatre and the Town of Cary announce Shakespeare plays for August 26-28

Cary, NC- That’s right! We will have our own experience of “Shakespeare in the Park” right here at Koka Booth Amphitheatre this summer running the same weekend as Lazy Daze (Aug 26-28). Local actors and technical staff have already been chosen for Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” and “What You Will”.

“It was always a part of the amphitheatre’s original design to host other types of performing events,” says Lyman Collins, Town of Cary Cultural Arts Manager. “The decision to present Shakespeare actually fulfills one of the venue’s original goals which was to include theatrical elements as well as concerts and festivals.”

The Amphitheatre got its start as the summer home of the NC Symphony and each year its offerings have expanded. The Triangle area has come to expect great nationally recognized musical acts, but also wonderful cultural festivals like Diwali. The Shakespeare plays will hopefully be the first of many theater performances to grace its stage.

The date for this event was carefully chosen to complement Cary’s biggest annual event: Lazy Daze. The Town will be offering packages with hotel stays and tickets so that people from out of town can take advantage of both events that weekend.

For complete event information go to www.boothamphitheatre.com or call (919) 462-2025.

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Cary, NC – Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina is warning consumers about the latest ‘phishing’ scams that are making the rounds on Facebook.

“Phishing scams are designed to lure personal and financial information from unsuspecting victims, and can lead to identity theft,” said Beverly Baskin, President and CEO of BBB serving Eastern North Carolina.  “By targeting Facebook users with phishing attempts, scammers can reach a large group with the potential to steal information from more than 500 million users on one site.”

BBB is warning about two types of scams that have emerged on Facebook, which use familiar brand names to steal your personal information.

Free Gift Card!!

One message appearing on Facebook claims that users can receive a free gift card for clicking on a special link. Consumers are instructed to click on the button labeled “LIKE” to get the free gift card from Subway.  BBB has verified with Subway that this is a scam and it is not affiliated with any Subway promotion.

More recently, consumers have found this same site to offer a free Starbucks gift card to anyone who follows the same steps.

Once a user clicks on the special link included in the fake offer, they are taken to a site that asks for personal information including credit card numbers and other information that should not be provided to an unknown source.

OMG!! Did you hear …?

Some Facebook messages are using the name of familiar companies including Coca Cola and McDonald’s along with enticing headlines including:

• ‘I am part of the 98.0% of people that are NEVER gonna drink Coca Cola again after this HORRIFIC video’
• ‘OMG!! McDonald’s might soon shut down because of this! Warning: Your jaw will drop to the floor!’

Seen these? The often appear on a friend’s status update. It means your friend has been hacked.

Both of these headlines include links that take the user away from Facebook to another site. If you click on the links, you are told to take a survey that asks you for personal information.

Don’t be fooled.

Advise on Staying Safe Online

 Be especially wary of requests for your:

• Social Security number
• Bank Account info
• Credit Card numbers

My Rich Aunt

Most of this is common sense.

For example, a company in Russia continues to advise me that they have $324,518,671 left to me by a wealthy aunt and that they will eagerly deposit it in my account if I just give them my bank ID.

I have no rich aunts in Russia.

In Summary

In the case of the scams identified above, the BBB warns:

1. Sensational – Do not click on suspicious links online disguised as sensational information, even if the link comes from one of your Facebook friends.
2. Who’s Asking? – Do not give out personal information online unless you know with 100 percent certainty that the recipient is a secure, encrypted site and you know for what purpose the information will be used.

Fight Back

The digital revolution can empower communities, individuals and the economy in 21st century America. But we have to protect our assets.

If you think a link is phishy, tell your friends. You can also click on the ‘Report’ button or ‘Flag’ – both of which alert Facebook to suspected activity.

Fight back against cyber-criminals, be safe and continue to help build our online community in Cary.

News on CaryCitizen is sponsored by Ashworth Drugs.

Brittany Beaulac, Promotions Manager for Triangle Mommies, with her three sons.

Story by Lindsey Chester.

Cary, NC- If you ever felt overwhelmed as a Mom, there’s a local online network to help. The Triangle Mommies site got its start in 2005 when Marissa Ackermen moved from Charlotte to Durham, bringing the Charlotte Mommies concept to this area. As they celebrated their 5th anniversary this year, they count 113 Mommies groups nationwide.

What’s it All About?

Mom’s helping moms. The site contains many online forums where dialog can exist to help with common parenting questions. Folks who have “been there” can help with answers. It’s free to sign up and folks are encouraged to stick to “the rules” of respectful posting, to keep the tone helpful. Play groups are a natural spin-off where Moms can meet in person, to make friends for their kids, but most importantly for each other. Being a stay-at-home mother can be isolating, especially if you are new to the area.

I met Brittany Beaulac, who was appointed Promotions Manager in February. She moved to Cary not knowing anyone and the Triangle Mommies group was a huge help to make the transition. Brittany regularly posts to her blog about her exploits with her 3 sons. She informed me that the site is completely run by volunteers and is partnered with Carolina Parent Magazine. They raise funds when they need to pay for events, but the staff are unpaid.

What do Members Have to Say?

“Bringing a large, diverse group of moms together is amazing. There’s always someone who has been there, feels the same, lives in the area and can relate”

“We moved here from half way across the country and knew no one. ..Who would have encouraged me to change pediatricians when I wasn’t happy…Who would have introduced me to our favorite parks? Who makes me laugh when my kids are making me crazy?”

Helping The Community

In addition to helping each other, Triangle Mommies tries to sponsor charitable events every month that help the greater community.

• August:  Helping Hands- collecting school supplies during the month of August. This event is for members only.
• September: Read Seed- the group will help this organization collect gently used books in September to get books into the hands of children that need them.
• October: Food Drive which they call “Trunk of Treat”
• November: Modern Baby Expo- at the NC Fairgrounds

Recently the group got together to help with the Oil Spill cleanup in the Gulf. They volunteered their time for Project 8 and managed to collect/ make 450 wash cloths and 2-1/2 gallons of dawn dish detergent. These ultimately were instead donated to the Triangle Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic, as the gulf had all the needed supplies.

How to Contact?

Go to the Triangle Mommies website. In the upper right corner is a user registration/ log-in area. Create your user ID and you’re ready to start posting. Because the Triangle is a big area (Wake County alone is 854 sq miles),  the site has developed sub groups based on geographic location- Cary falls in the Western Wake area, which also includes Apex and Morrisville.

News on CaryCitizen is sponsored by Chick-fil-A Waverly Place.

Hemlock Bluffs

Cary, NC – The Woolly Adelgidis an aggressive hemlock destroyer. They have been discovered at Cary’s Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve, the Town of Cary has reported to the CaryCitizen. The Town is working with local, state, national experts to finalize and implement treatment plan.

From the TOC Alert:

The bug has the potential to decimate Hemlock tree populations when left untreated.  Initial research revealed the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, an invasive, non-native aphid-like insect, has impacted about 11 of the Preserve’s 235 Eastern Hemlock trees to date.  The Adelgid, when left unchecked, kills Hemlocks by feeding at the base of their needles, preventing nutrients from flowing to the needles; the needles drop, and the tree dies.  It can take just a few years for Woolly Adelgids to kill even large Hemlocks.  The Woolly Adelgids were found during a routine tree mapping project that was being conducted as Town staff worked proactively to update a proposed Hemlock Woolly Adelgid management plan originally created in 2005 and last updated in 2008.

“The Town of Cary is bringing the necessary resources and best minds to bear on the Woolly Adelgid presence here,” said Doug McRainey, Parks Planning Manager. “We are committed to developing and implementing a treatment protocol and long-term management plan that effectively preserves our Hemlocks while minimizing impacts to other natural inhabitants.”

Hemlock Bluffs

Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve is a unique 158-acre site in southern Cary where Eastern Hemlocks grow along north-facing bluffs, far from their normal range in the foothills and mountains of North Carolina.

The Preserve is a partnership between the Town of Cary— which maintains the Preserve, operates the educational programs and owns onsite structures—and the State of North Carolina, which owns most of the land and helps guide its stewardship.

Approximately 100,000 visitors come each year to enjoy Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve and the Stevens Nature Center.

Fighting the Bug

The Town of Cary is collaborating with divisions of the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the United States Forest Services, North Carolina State University, Bartlett Tree Experts, and others to finalize a multi-phased approach to eliminate existing Adelgids and manage recurrences.

Officials are planning to begin killing the Adelgids during the next few months.  Common methods for controlling the Woolly Adelgid population include injecting treatments into the soil surrounding the tree or into the tree itself and/or spraying trees with special soaps or horticultural oils; there is even research being done on introducing predatory insects to attack the Adelgids, but this treatment has not yet been proven as an effective alternative.

“Despite a handful of anticipated future schedule modifications when we are actively treating the Hemlocks, the Preserve is open and we encourage everyone to come out and enjoy themselves,” McRainey said, adding that the Woolly Adelgid poses no health threat to people, pets or other plants.

Interested parties may subscribe to a list of closures during treatments by clicking the green envelope found at www.townofcary.org.

To reduce the likelihood of recurrences, this September the Town will launch a Hemlock Health Inventory, which will be designed to map all of the Hemlocks in and around Cary and provide property owners and landscape professionals with resources to identify trees impacted by the Woolly Adelgid and encourage appropriate treatment protocols for private property owners.

Citizens wishing to share ideas, questions, comments or concerns about the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve may email hemlocks@townofcary.orgor call (919) 387-5980.  For regular updates and project information, visit Woolly Adelgid at www.townofcary.org or follow the Town on Twitter.

News on CaryCitizen is sponsored by Crossroads Ford.

Story & photos by Hal Goodtree.

Apex, NC – Wedged in behind the confluence of Davis Drive and Salem Church Road is a small farm known as DJ’s Berry Patch. Recently, they decided to sell fresh produce to the public seven days a week.

Cary’s Everyday Farm Stand

The address is Apex, but it’s on this side of 64 and a must-visit for people who love fresh food in Western Cary.

Summer fruits and vegetables were in abundance when I visited. Displays overflowed with nature’s bounty.

There were watermelons and cantaloupes, summer squash and okra. Baskets of peaches, nectarines and plums.

Eight Kinds of Tomatoes

But what really caught my eye were the tomatoes. Tables groaned beneath the mounds of fresh produce.

I counted eight varieties of fresh, local, field-grown tomatoes on my visit:

• Roma
• Carolina Gold
• Heirloom
• Mortgage Lifter
• Mountain Spring
• German Johnson
• Grape Tomatoes
• Green Tomatoes

Eat Healthy, Eat Local

DJ’s is now open 7 days a week. They’re right off Old Apex Road and just around the corner from Davis Drive on Salem Church Road.

Make it a point to stop by, support the town’s precious farm economy and get yourself something good to eat.

DJ’s Berry Patch
1223 Salem Church Road
Apex, NC 27523

(919) 600-4020
info@DJsBerryPatch.com

Summer Hours

Monday – Saturday
9:00 am – 6:30 pm

Sunday
12:00 pm – 6:30 pm

News on CaryCitizen is sponsored by The Umstead Hotel and Spa.

US Embassy in Iraq

Cary, NC- For the second year, Iraqi teens were sponsored by the American Embassy to visit the U.S.A. On July 6th, seven of the teens met up with four Cary Teen Council members and Director Cindi King.

This group of mostly juniors and seniors in high school visited Washington DC, then spent a week in North Carolina staying with host families. They went on trips to Wrightsville Beach, Kids Voting in Durham, The Boys and Girls Club in Wake Forest, and Stop Hunger Now where they packed food for some hands-on charity in action.

Next, they headed to a camp in Virginia and finished up with a trip to New York City.

How Was This Trip Arranged?

Leila Bekri, Program Director of the  International Affairs Council, located in Raleigh, coordinated this trip months in advance with the Embassy. Host families were screened and secured. Students had to have a mastery of English, in addition to displaying solid academics and leadership skills.

What Is The Goal Of The Exchange Program?

Ms. Bekri said their mission “is to promote civic education and leadership skills and to teach the importance of volunteerism and it’s impact” on society.  Peace building through understanding each others’ culture is also a goal.

The Extra Benefit

Leila went on to mention that a result of this exchange is to “break the stereotypes on both sides. In their short lives, these kids have seen a lot and it takes a lot of courage and confidence” to be able to come to the States for this program.

Getting Together With The Teen Council

Cindi King led them on a tour of our Town Hall and they loved the gardens at Page-Walker.  They also visited the Page-Walker Cultural Arts and History Center as well as the traffic control center in the Police Building on Town Hall Campus.

Cindi King said:

“The funny thing the coordinator and I laughed at was how they just meshed.  They talked and laughed as we walked around like they had known each other for a long time.  It was great!”

In fact at the end of the visit, the students were all exchanging their names so that they could “friend” each other on Facebook.

The program has proven to be very popular with Iraqi students and is planned again for next year.

Cary, NC – Bob Evans is hosting a Community Fun Night supporting Zach’s Toy Chest.

Zach’s Toy Chest is a local non-profit benefiting children undergoing cancer treatments at local North Carolina hospitals.  They provide toys and other essential items children need to pass time during the long hours of treatments, such as chemotherapy.  Zach’s Toy Chest will earn 15% of sales when customers check out with a flyer.

Head on over to Bob Evans, located at 2001 Walnut Street, Cary on Thursday, July 29^th from 6:00 AM – 9:00 PM and help.

You can email zachstoychest@gmail.com for a flyer if you do not have one - good for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Cary, NC – Break out the champagne: Cary has once again made it into Money Magazine’s Top 25 Places to Live.

How They Did It

Money Mag crunched data on 746 small cities across the U.S. with populations between 50,000 and 300,000.

They screened out retirement communities, towns with significant job loss, and those with poor education and crime scores. Money ranked remaining places based on housing affordability, school quality, arts and leisure, safety, health care, diversity, and several ease-of-living criteria.

That cut the list by more than half. Then they factored in additional data on the economy (including fiscal strength of the government), jobs, housing, and schools. Economic factors were weighted most heavily.

Finally, Money visited 30 towns and interviewed residents, assessing traffic, parks, and gathering places and considering intangibles like community spirit.

A Bit of Analysis

Cary weighed in at #23. Eden Prairie, MN topped the list. No other North Carolina cities made the Top 25 (Chapel Hill came next at #40).

Minnesota had the most cities on the list with 5. Texas had 4 cities on the list and Colorado 3. In case anyone was asking, New Jersey had no cities in the Top 25.  Franklin, NJ weighed in at 34, followed by Piscataway (57)  and Wayne (73).

While lots of data fueled the study, it’s not exactly science. Nonetheless, it’s nice to hear that others think we have a solid community.

“Recognition is due to our residents, our Town staff and our partners–the Cary Chamber and our neighboring municipalities–who all work together to make great things happen in our area,” said Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht. “Moving forward, we want to make sure we continue to do those things necessary to make us worthy of this sort of recognition, and above all, keep Cary the kind of place our citizens want it to be.”

Congratulations to the Town staff and administration, all our local businesses, volunteers and participants in the life of our vibrant town.

Maybe next year, we’ll give Eden Prairie a run for their money.

News on CaryCitizen is sponsored by Great Harvest Bread Company

Cary, NC – Driving around town, it’s easy to see what’s going on in our gardens this month: baking heat.

But several types of low-moisture plants love the hot, dry weather and make a nice addition to the summer garden.

Sedum, the King of Succulents

Sedum comes in many sizes and likes it hot and dry.

Succulents are plants that store moisture in the leaves. For Cary gardens, nothing beats Sedum for thriving in a hot, dry spell. Also called Stonecrop, I must have six or seven varieties around the yard.

There are tall, leggy varieties that make a good show of odd and interesting flowers. And there are small varieties that never seem to flower at all.

All of them love the dry heat of midsummer.

Sedum propagates easily. Just break off a leaf or a stem, let it dry overnight and stick the calloused end in the dirt.

Hens & Chicks

Hens & chicks in a 6" pot

Sempervivum to garden enthusiasts, or “Hens and Chicks” makes a nice ground cover or potted plant.

It comes in a variety of colors and rosette shapes. According to Wikipedia, Hens and Chicks “grow close to the ground with leaves formed around each other in a rosette, and propagating by offsets. The ‘hen’ is the main plant, and the ‘chicks’ are the offspring, which start as tiny buds on the main plant and soon sprout their own roots, taking up residence close to the mother plant.”

Grasses

While my lawn is half-dead, many varieties of taller grasses do well in the heat and need little care.

From Black Mondo Grass (just 6″ tall) to giant Pampas Grass (over 9′ tall), I seldom (if ever) drag the hose over to give them a drink. Many taller varieties like Zebra Grass add an exotic twist to Cary gardens.

Zebra Grass grows about 5' tall by 3' wide

Also worth mentioning, Liriope is a hardy, happy grass-like plant of medium height. It’s great for edging. Sedge also works well, but can be invasive and, to my eye, is not as pretty.

Other Dry Season Stalwarts

Prickly Pear is another heat-lover, a large cactus growing to shrub-like proportions with interesting flowers and fruit.

Ivy comes in many varieties – small leaf and large leaf, dark green, bright green and almost white – and it will grow in sun or shade, wet or dry. It makes a great ground cover or pot plant, but it has to be clipped back every year to keep it from over-running the neighborhood.

Nandina is a small-leafed shrub. It comes in several varieties and sizes, all with interesting seasonal colors and brightly colored berries. It’s another plant that’s hard to kill and is making a nice show in gardens across Cary during this hot July weather.

Flowering Plants for Heat

French marigolds flower until frost.

A lot of plants just “go to sleep” during the hot weather, but a few flowering plants actually look their best at this time of year.

Geraniums like it really hot and don’t need a lot of water. Ditto Begonias. Marigolds are happy in the heat and have modest water needs. Coneflower gets a little stressed in the summer, but continues to produce flowers through July and August while providing food for the birds.

Plants in Pots

Another way to beat the heat in the garden is to locate a collection of potted plants near a hose. We have a little container garden outside our kitchen window on the back deck.

Cheery Tomatoes in a 3 gallon pot

Small-fruited cherry and grape tomatoes do well in a pot. Fig trees can be kept to a manageable size and produce tasty fruits during the height of summer in Cary.

Pansies like it hot (as long as their feet stay wet) and come in a rainbow of flower colors. Zinnias are happy and prolific in a pot. Sunflowers come in some smaller varieties and look good in mid-summer.

Impatiens add a tropical flair to your container garden but need moist soil.

Almost all the flowering plants benefit from a little liquid fertilizer on a regular basis. I use the dry-crystals in a big bucket (or wheel barrow) full of water and immerse the plants completely.

This article provided courtesy of Whole Foods Market of Cary, Sponsor of the CaryCitizen Scavenger Hunt on Saturday July 24!