Cary History: Carpenter Village
Story and pictures by Hal Goodtree
Cary, NC – A hundred years ago, the area we now call Cary was dotted with small villages. One of those was called Carpenter. Read more
History: 10 Years of Koka Booth Ampitheatre
Story by Lindsey Chester. Booth Amphitheatre at night photographed by AbbyLadyBug via a Flickr Creative Commons license.
Cary, NC- I remember walking through the woods with my 4 year old daughter in the summer of 1998 to attend an NC Symphony concert at the Ampitheatre in Regency Park.
The experience was magical and unlike any other concert I’d been to in the New York metro area before moving to Cary. Read more
Pictures: Major League Lacrosse in Cary
Photos by Karl Fisher
Cary, NC – Our intrepid photographer, Karl Fisher, covered all kinds of sports in town last weekend. Here is a slide show of his images from Sunday’s Major League Lacrosse match between the Chicago Machine and the Toronto Nationals at Wake Med Soccer Park. Chicago triumphed 16-9.
Editor's Journal: Reporting the Happy News
Cary, NC – Traditional media has a saying: “If it bleeds, it leads.” Old newspaper hands scoff at the idea that positive news is a viable business model.
Well, I’ve got 100,000 page views that say they’re wrong. Read more
Cary History: Walter Hines Page
Cary, NC – Continuing our series on the history of Cary, we turn to Walter Hines Page, born in 1855, eldest son of town founder Frank Page. After attending Trinity College (now Duke University), Randolph-Macon College and Johns Hopkins University, Walter decided to pursue a career in journalism.
The Publisher and Activist
Page married in 1880. In 1883, he purchased The State Chronicle newspaper, which eventually became the News and Observer. As an activist, he was instrumental in creating what became North Carolina State University. Read more
Go Local: Ashworth Drugs
Ralph Ashworth came to Cary as a young pharmacist in 1957.
Cary, NC – When it comes to small town charm, you can’t beat Ashworth Drugs. With a soda fountain, lunch counter and a traditional standard of personal service, it’s like a step back to a friendlier, bygone era. Read more
Cary History: Frank Page
Illustration by Jerry Miller
Cary, NC – If you’ve ever wondered how the town of Cary came into existence, you’d have to start your search with Allison Francis (Frank) Page. Read more
A History of Spring Daze in Cary
Illustration from a photograph by moonlightbulb on Flickr. Used via Creative Commons license.
Cary, NC – It’s spring in Cary and that means Spring Daze is just around the corner. This Saturday, April 24th, marks the 17th annual Cary Spring Daze. The festival focuses on the arts but it also celebrates Cary’s great outdoor living – taking place on the 40th anniversary of the first Earth Day. Read more
Profile: Cary Town Manager Ben Shivar
Cary, N.C. – We met with Cary Town Manager Ben Shivar on Friday. We sat down in the conference room in the Administration Building on Academy Street.
It was “casual Friday” and staff was scurrying around in jeans. Ben had on a sports jacket and button down. I teased him about it and he chuckled.
Ben is a pleasant, thoughtful man. “Tell me about your background”, I said. “Well, I have 33 years in local government service,” he said. We joked about whether or not that makes him qualified for the job and then we talked for an hour and a half. Read more
Arts: Studio 123
Artists Susan Hecht and Janet Harrell own Studio 123 in downtown Apex.
Apex, NC- One of the things I like best about working for CaryCitizen is that I can tell stories about local people you might not otherwise meet.
One such story is that of my Cary artist-neighbor Susan Hecht and her studio partner Janet Harrell who own Studio 123 on Salem Street in downtown Apex. Janet owned one of the first art galleries on Salem Street when she opened in 2001.
Susan Hecht with one of her beach scene paintings, a favorite subject.Doing What They Love, Loving What They Do
Susan found Janet quite by accident one day. While driving around in downtown Apex she saw an “Artist Space Available” sign in the window of a gallery.
Newly unemployed after catering at the Glass Onion had closed, Susan decided to call Janet on a whim. The two have been great friends ever since.
Their studio was originally a much smaller space with the actual address 123 Salem, but one year ago they outgrew that space and moved down the road to 117 Salem with a larger area for their art classes.
Janet Harrell
Janet, a Wake County art teacher for 30 years, has been teaching art to children all her life.
A native of the area, she attended Meredith College and holds an art degree. She started teaching in the studio a few years back and currently holds 5 afternoon classes a week.
Her medium is acrylics and she primarily paints landscapes. She also is offering a new series featuring vintage photos that she transforms into colorful impressionistic dream-like versions of the past.
Happily, the studio keeps getting stronger and enabled her to retire from public school teaching to create art full time this past December.
Susan Hecht
Susan began her career as a graphic designer, and has always been drawn to creative fields including stints as a caterer. When she took a furniture painting class years ago, she got hooked on painting and hasn’t stopped since.
She continues to take artist workshops and states that she “has gotten to be a better painter by teaching”. Her students are adults whom she primarily teaches during the mornings freeing her up to paint during the afternoons.
Currently she has paintings at several galleries in Charleston, Greensboro, Bald Head Island and Atlantic Beach. From her art, I could see her love of the beach as a subject – making it a natural fit for these galleries.
Visit Studio 123
It’s great fun to stop by the studio and feel the creative vibe. After all, that’s part of the charm of supporting local artists.
Studio 123
117 Salem St.
Apex, NC