Cary, NC – On Saturday, May 12th, one lucky family-of-4 will be able to win a trip anywhere Amtrak travels on the East Coast. It’s all part of Downtown Cary’s first ever National Train Day celebration.

National Train Day in Cary

The Heart of Cary Association in partnership with Amtrak and the Town of Cary will host National Train Day at the Downtown Cary Railroad Station. This is the first time the event has ever been held in Cary, and Downtown advocates as well as Town of Cary officials are hoping it’s the start of something big.

Festivities begin a little before 10AM with the Cary Town Band playing selections from their Planes, Trains & Automobiles repertoire as the Amtrak Carolinian train #80 arrives just after 10.02 AM, bringing guests and visitors to Downtown. Then, following a brief ‘welcome’ by Council members and other dignitaries, the Amtrak station will come alive with displays, videos, food vendors and giveaways throughout the four hour event.

Train Whistles & Conductor Hats

The North Carolina Railroad Company is bringing Train Whistles for the first 200-children who attend, while Amtrak will be handing out Conductor Hats to everyone.

History & Popcorn

Nearby at the Page-Walker Arts & History Center, free tours will be offered of the 1868 building, a former railroad hotel. Learn all about Cary’s railroad history from a guide dressed in 19th century period costumes.

Ashworth’s Drug Store will be giving away free popcorn. Food vendors including Chick-fil-A, Boogie Bean Coffee, Toreros Mexican and Dorry’s Downtown Deli will be available offering a selection of lunchtime fare. The ‘Chick-fil-A cow’ and Cary Invasion’s mascot ‘Cosmo’ will also be there to delight children and other guests.

Stuff for Kids

There will be a children’s Face Painting Princess and ‘Balloon Pirate’, along with CaryCitizen photographer Brooke Meyer to take children’s and family photos for Moms and Dads. Amtrak will also have railroad coloring books and crayons for visitors as well as videos of their history, rolling stock and other day trip destinations up-and-down the line.

The Carolina Piedmont Division of the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) will set-up a display inside the station and will be available to answer questions about railroading, while WildatArtKids will provide a ‘hands-on’ train play table. Children can also make their own train-related items courtesy of Cary Creative Center.

Family Train Getaway

And finally, Amtrak is sponsoring a drawing for a free family-of-four train getaway to anywhere on the East Coast Amtrak travels. A trip to Maine, perhaps? Or maybe a vacation in Florida. One lucky family will win this fabulous prize. Check out Amtrak’s Interactive Route Atlas.

The Golden Spike

National Train Day is a holiday started by Amtrak in 2008 as a method to spread information to the general public about the advantages of rail travel and the history of trains in the United States. It is held each year on the Saturday closest to May 10th, the anniversary of the pounding of the Golden Spike in Promontory Summit, Utah (1869) which marked the completion of the first transcontinental railroad.

Events are held at Amtrak stations as well as railroad museums across the country and often have passenger cars and model railroad layouts on display. The largest events usually take place in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, PA, Chicago, IL, and Los Angeles, CA.

Event Details

National Train Day
Saturday, May 12, 2012
10 AM – 2 PM (rain or shine)

Cary Amtrak Station
211 North Academy Street
Cary, NC 27513

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Downtown Community coverage on CaryCitizen is sponsored in part by Studio 180 Salon in Chocolate Smiles Village on W. Chatham Street.

Story and photo by Barbara Shepherd of The Sister Cities Association

Cary, NC – Where do culinary students from Le Touquet, France come to work and study their craft?  If you answered “Cary and the Triangle,” you would be right.  Yes, culinary students from France, right here in Cary! You can sample their work on April 26 at Page-Walker in Cary.

The Exchange Program

Ten students from the Lycée d’État Hôtelier du Touquet in Cary’s sister city of Le Touquet, France, are spending the month of April sharpening their culinary skills at leading restaurants such as Herons in The Umstead.  The visit is part of a long-standing Cary Sister Cities exchange program between Wake Tech Culinary Arts’ program and the Le Touquet culinary school.  Every year, students from the Wake Tech program travel to France in March while a group of French students come to the Cary area in April.

Jeff Hadley, department head for the Wake Tech Culinary Arts department has led the trips to France for a number of years.

“The French exchange program has so many benefits for our students from a professional and cultural perspective. Even though a different language is spoken there, the students learn our industry has a universal language all its own.”

Students from both countries also gain a greater awareness of how our two cultures view food and dining.

Public Sampling

This year, for the first time, the public will have a chance to meet these budding culinary stars at a Culinary Exchange Networking Reception on April 26 from 5:30 – 7:30 at the Page Walker Art and History Center, sponsored by Sister Cities Association of Cary, the Cary Chamber of Commerce and the Heart of Cary.

Guests can sample a variety of French wines from TotalWine and hors d’ouevres provided by local Cary restaurants including The Matthews House, Klaras and Unwine’d Wine Bar.  The event is free for Sister Cities and Cary Chamber members and $5.00 for everyone else.

Event Details

• April 26, 2012   5:30 – 7:30
• Page Walker Arts and History Center, 199 Ambassador Loop, Downtown Cary
• Space is limited, and tickets are required.
• Cost: Free for Chamber members and Sister Cities members. General Public: $5.00
• Get Tickets.

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Community coverage on CaryCitizen is sponsored in part by Studio 180 Salon in Downtown Cary.

Story and photos by Lindsey Chester.

Cary, NC – Who knew that Cary hosts one of the largest poetry festivals in the US? Last weekend, the American Turkish Association of North Carolina (ATA-NC) held their fourth annual Nazim Hikmet Poetry Festival in Downtown Cary’s Page-Walker Arts and History Center. It was sublime.

Poets from Around the World

I can’t claim to be a poetry critic, but I can say that listening to poets recite their works on a Sunday afternoon was a perfect ending to a hectic week.

Over 700 poems were submitted to this free event. Free to attend , but also free for the writers to participate. Entries came from around the globe and 10 winners presented their work either in person or via video.

The morning included workshops for adults as well as children led by Alice Osborn of Raleigh and Michael Beadle of Canton, NC. The day honored Pablo Neruda, a Chilean poet who wrote during the Spanish Civil War. His work has parallels to that of Nazim Hikmet, for whom the festival is named.

A Poet from Seattle

During the afternoon, each of the award-winning poets presented several of their poems. The work ranged from the political landscape to word paintings of rural North Carolina.

I asked Jeff Kahrs, one of the festival winners, how he came to learn about this contest event in Cary as he lives in Seattle, WA.

During his poetry reading, he had mentioned that after gaining his masters degree in 1992, he went on to teach English in Istanbul, Turkey where he met and married his wife.

In his wife’s home, the family owned a large set of poetry volumes by Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet. At the time, it was illegal to own this work, and the poetry had been smuggled from Bulgaria.

A Place Called Cary

While living as an ex-pat in Turkey, Kahrs got together with other writers living abroad. Kahrs said that, a few years ago, they heard about this festival in “a place called Cary”.

Since the poet Nazim Hikmet and Turkish culture in general resonated with him, Kahrs applied. He was rejected on his first try, but a good friend of his was accepted.

Eventually, Kahrs moved back to the states.

Came Up in an Email

This year, as he was reviewing his recent work, the contest came up in an email. It is one of the only festivals without an application fee. Generous sponsorship by the Turkish Cultural Foundation and support from the Town of Cary make the festival possible.

There is no fee for the judges to review a manuscript. The organizers receive lots of work. None of it has been previously published.

Kahrs submitted some work and was accepted.

Cary: Where the Poets Hang Out

Nine other poets were selected and won cash prizes. The winners ranged from an Egyptian poet with Lebanese background to a native of the rural Piedmont.

Two poets had even once shared an office 25 years ago as students at the University of Iowa, and only met again last weekend.

Networking with other poets was a large draw for attendees.

And that’s how Jeff Kahrs of Seattle, WA found himself at the Nazim Hikmet Poetry Festival at the Page-Walker Center in Cary. Via Istanbul.

This year’s Winners

Hala Alyan- a Palestinian American, her work was presented via video, with forthcoming collection titled Atrium

Peter Blair of Charlotte, NC, with recent book Farang, previous books include The Divine Salt and Last Heat.

Kevin Boyle, with prize winning book, A Home For Wayward Girls. Originally from Philadelphia he now teaches at Elon University.

Amy Leigh Brown, grew up in the Piedmont, and this is her first publication. Her background is actually in chemistry and molecular medicine.

Hedy Habra, born in Egypt and currently teaches at the University of Michigan, presented her works via video. She writes in Spanish, French and English and has a collection of short stories titled Flying Carpets.

Jeff Kahrs, born in Hague Netherlands, raised in California, lives in Seattle, currently writing a history of Deep Sea Fisherman’s Union of the Pacific.

Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore- has led a long and varied career starting in the 1960′s on San Francisco with Dawn Visions. He resides in Philadelphia and the Ecstatic Exchange Series is bringing out the continuing body of his work, having published 32 titles as of march 2012.

Anna Lena Philipps from South Carolina lives in the Piedmont of NC and serves as poetry editor of Fringe magazine. She is a recent recipient of the Dorothy Sargent Rosenburg Prize and an emerging artist grant recipient of the Durham Arts Council.

Iris Tillman lives in Chapel Hill and helped start the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke. She co-edits Documentary Arts and Culture. Poems have appeared in Tar River Poetry and others.

Tim VanDyke grew up in Columba South America, but he lives here in the states. His first book is Topographies Drawn with a Divine Chain of Birds.

The Sacrificial Poets

A special presentation was made by the CJ Suitt of the Sacrificial Poets. His spoken word poetry opened the reading session with a bang. The work this group does involves kids who compete across the country – usually as the only group representing North Carolina. He performed works telling of the black male experience in America.

Kahrs said he was” really impressed” and “that the festival was really well organized.”  The American Turkish Association of North Carolina, he continued,, while “not poets themselves, are successful professionals who do this to honor someone from their country here in the States”.

The Feast

The afternoon concluded with some closing remarks from Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht. But best of all, the group fed everyone a wonderful Turkish buffet feast!

Next year, I am bringing the kids.

Story and photo of Cary Amtrak depot by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC – On Monday, April 16, Wake Up Wake and the Capital Area Friends of Transit (CAFT) will host a panel discussion in Cary about Wake County’s new transit proposal.

Cary Transit Forum

Wake Up Wake and CAFT are sponsoring panel discussions in towns across the county to dig into the details of the transit plan and gauge local sentiment.

What can we expect in Cary? What will it cost? What will it achieve? These and other questions will be answered at the Cary Transit Forum.

A Panel of Experts. And Me.

Each town has its own panel for the discussions.

In Cary, the panel of experts include Karen Rindge (WakeUP), Greg Sandreuter (developer) and Jennifer Robinson (Cary Town Council, District A).

I will also be on the panel along with a representative from Triangle Transit.

Event Details

Wake Count Transit Plan – Panel Discussion
Monday, April 16, 2012
7:00 – 8:30 PM

Page Walker Center
119 Ambassador Loop
Cary, NC
Cost: Free

Cary, NC- If you are a gardening enthusiast, or if you just like to smell the flowers, Herbfest’s third year has a little something for everyone, including a brush with fame.

With spring nearly in full swing and summer just around the corner, Triangle gardeners are venturing out to begin planning and planting their warm-weather gardens.  The Friends of the Page-Walker Hotel have spiced up their third year of Herbfest to be held May 4-5.

Herbal Remedies from The People’s Pharmacy

Herbfest kicks off  by welcoming Joe and Terry Graedon of The People’s Pharmacy on Friday, May 4 at 7:00pm at the Page-Walker Arts & History Center.

The Graedons will discuss herbal remedies and be available to answer questions from the audience in an informal setting.

A wine and hors d’oeuvres reception and book signing will follow the program.

Herfest Activities – May 5

Herbfest returns to the lovely grounds of the Page-Walker Hotel on Saturday May 5 from 9am-3pm.

The Charles Pettee Duo will perform a folk concert that starts at 2:00 PM.  Pettee delights audiences with a tasty blend of original and traditional American folk, bluegrass, and Celtic music seasoned at more than 3,500 performances throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe.  Wielding mandolin, guitar, mandola, or harmonica, he brings virtuosity and good humor to any venue presenting family concerts.

Visitors also won’t want to miss the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences’ “Meet the Animals” program – with a focus on backyard/garden animals – from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM or a chance to win a beautiful garden-themed painting.  Raffle tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5 and will benefit the Friends’ garden projects.

“We’re pleased that Herbfest has become another great reason for so many folks to visit historic downtown Cary,” said Friends’ President, Ed Yerha. “This year we are especially honored to have the world-renowned Graedons join us on Friday evening.  It will be an event you won’t want to miss.”

Festival-goers will have many opportunities to find out all they need to know about starting an herb garden by touring the Page Educational Garden, including a close-up look at the historic 1850’s Page smokehouse.

Watch herb cooking demonstrations, stroll through booths selling herbs, crafts and garden products.  Vendors include The Little Herb House, Garden Supply Company, Whole Foods Market of Cary, and many more.  Each vendor will be offering items related to gardening, herbs, native plants, perennials, nature and cooking.  Lunch will be available for purchase.

Ticket Info: The People’s Pharmacy at Herbfest

Herbfest on Saturday May 5,2012 is free and open to all.

Tickets to The People’s Pharmacy event on Friday May 4  are $35.00 each. A limited number of tickets are available and a sellout is anticipated.

Purchase tickets to the People’s Pharmacy event:

• Online at http://www.eTix.com
• By phone at 1-800-514-3849
• Cary Arts Center box office

Editor’s Note: If like knowing about the history of Cary, you’ll enjoy this free program on Tuesday, January 24, from The Friends of Page-Walker:

Where will you find a mural depicting the Town of Cary and its citizens both past and present? Join the Friends of the Page-Walker in welcoming local artist, Val Fox, who will solve this mystery and share her story of creating the “Cary Then and Now” mural.

Val will take us on a journey of the local places and people depicted in the famous mural and share the role each has played in our Town’s history.

This free program is offered as part of the Friends of the Page-Walker’s Historic Preservation Series.

• Preservation Speaker Series: “Who Is That Guy? The Story Behind the Cary Mural”
• Page-Walker Arts & History Center, Main Gallery
• Date: Tuesday, 24 Jan 2012 7:30 PM

More information and online registration: Preservation Speaker Series: “Who Is That Guy? The Story Behind the Cary Mural”

story and photos by Brooke Meyer.

Cary, NC - The intimate setting of the Winter Concert Series at Page Walker Hotel provides a real treat for audiences. Last Sunday’s sold out performance by Brazilian Soul was another example. 

The performance had the ease, energy and richness of three versatile pro’s fusing Rock, Reggae, Folk, Salsa, Samba and Jazz.  Percussionist Beverly Botsford provided the foundation while David Maxwell alternated on Sax, Clarinet and Flute and leader Paolo Lopes sang vocals and played guitar.  ( Beverly will be back in Cary soon with Nnenna Freelon at the Cary Arts Center on January 28th. )

About Brazilian Soul

Upcoming Concerts

Story by Lindsey Chester. Illustration by Jerry Miller.

Cary,NC – Are you a long time Cary resident? By that I mean, have you lived here longer than 30 years? If so you may have some documents that could be of interest to the Town of Cary and the Friends of Page-Walker.

The Friends of Page-Walker Preservation Committee, in partnership with the Town of Cary, is hunting for plans and architectural drawings of subdivisions and homes from the 1950′s and 1960′s. That’s a time when Cary counted our residents at less than 10,000!

In particular they seek plans drawn by the hand of long time resident Jerry Miller (story). Miller is known to have designed homes in the Greenwood, Pine Valley and Meadowmont subdivisions, among others.

Town Funded Project

These plans and drawings will become part of the inventory collected for the Town of Cary-funded Historic Resources Survey and Inventory Update project. Thirty thousand dollars has been allocated to complete this project.

The project goals are to 1) update information about Cary properties listed in the existing Wake County Architectural and Historic Inventory, and 2) add additional Cary properties to the Inventory by surveying and identifying important properties throughout the town that are over 50 years old and have never been documented.

Basically, the Preservation Committee is looking to identify properties that may be of historical or architectural importance. These will be added to the Town’s Historic Preservation Master Plan which provides a road map for preservation policies and activities over the next 10 years through a series of goals, objectives and recommended actions.

The project began in August 2011 and will be completed in late spring of 2012. The Town has retained Circa, Inc., a Raleigh cultural resources consulting firm, to perform the survey and inventory update.

Who to Contact

Citizens who have or know about the requested plans and drawings can contact:

Ellen Turco at Circa, Inc. at
(919) 219-1489
eturco@circa-inc.com.

Now, go search through your attics and closets to see if you possess any of these antique treasures!

The CaryCitizen Calendar of Events is edited by Lindsey Chester. Photo by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC – The holiday spirit is in full swing this weekend in Cary with a stocking stuffed full of events on the CaryCitizen Calendar.

Thursday December 15

Business of Women Luncheon – Presented by the Cary Chamber of Commerce at Prestonwood Country Club, 12-1:30 pm. Members $15, non-members $20. More info.

Champagne & Cavier – Umstead Hotel 6-8 PM. $65 pp. Call (919) 447-4200.

African American Book Club – Barnes & Noble on Maynard, 7-8 pm. Free.

Friday December 16

International Ballet Academy Holiday Suite – Featuring excerpts from the Nutcracker and Raymonda. Cary Academy, Friday & Saturday. $12 adults, $10 kids. Call (919) 303-7200.

Cary Ballet Company Very Cary Christmas – Cary Arts Center, Friday & Saturday. Tickets: $15 Adults, $12 Children. For more, (919) 481-6509 or www. caryballetconservatory.com. 

Saturday December 17

Auditions for Briar Patch Youth Improv – F.A.T.E. Free Association Theatre is looking for three new members of their youth troupe. Ages 10 and up. Auditions are from 1-4 pm and by registration only. To register, please email FATEinfo@gmail.com.

IBA Holiday Suite – see above. Two shows on Saturday.

CBC Very Cary Christmas – see above. Two shows on Saturday.

Sunday December 18

Kings Tavern Madrigal at Page Walker – It’s a Renaissance holiday with music, wit, costumes and fun. 4-6 pm. Presented by The Friends of Page Walker. Tickets $15. Purchase tickets online at eTix.com, by phone at 1-800-514.3849 or at the Cary Arts Center box office.

Lochmere Christmas Flotilla – It’s a parade of boats, decorated for Christmas, circling the lake and singing Christmas carols. Spectators can watch from Lake Lochmere dam. 6-8 pm. Free.

More Weekend Fun in Cary

Visit the CaryCitizen Calendar of Events.

Story by Lindsey Chester. Photo by Brooke Meyer

Page Walker Arts & History Center hosts an annual Winter Concert Series. Sunday last was the season’s first,  “Classical Interlude“.  

The evening featured Erik Dyke, double bassist for the North Carolina Symphony who performed three dances:  Bottesini Tarantella, Brahms Hungarian Dance #6 and Montagues and Capulets from Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev.  (This was Erik’s second appearance at the Winter Concert Series.)

Other performances included Anne Dyke, a flute soloist, Andrew McAfee on horn (formerly Principal Horn of the North Carolina Symphony), Nancy Whelan, piano soloist.

A late program addition was a young violinist, Ms. Christin Danchi.  A UNC Junior, she is also Co-Concert Master of the UNC Symphony.  Listening to her play, I felt lucky to be there.  The standing ovation she received was well deserved.