Cary Real Estate Blog

Are you going to Lazy Daze in Cary, NC this year?  That’s the question alot of my friends were asking over the weekend.  One of the reasons I work at LG Real Estate is to be able to shop. 

 Right now, the high for Saturday is only supposed to be 86 degrees – that would be amazing.  Remember to go early – most of the vendors are ready to sell by 8:30am and you can actually see their items before all the crowds arrive. 

Of the 3 streets that are included in the festival, my favorite one is between the center of the Town of Cary and the old elementary school.  This is the street that I go to 1st.  Bring a small purse and remember that most of the vendors are happy to store your things for you at the booth until you are ready to go home.  And, if you want a bit of adult refreshment for a shopping break, you can drop in on the beer garden.  Check out the vendor CD this year to get a preview of the Lazy Daze wares.  See you there!

Cary listed in the Top 25 Best places to Live

 The town of Cary has done it again.  For the fourth time in the last 8 years, Cary has landed in Money Magazine’s top places to live list.  Cary is ranked #23 out of 100 and is the only North Carolina community to make the top 25 list.

Noteworthy Cary Stats

Money magazine notes Cary’s very low crime rate, AAA bond rating from Moody’s, and an unemployment rate well below the National average. Other factors affecting the ranking include medium income, math and reading test score results, job growth, housing prices, and seasonal temperatures…. view full article.

For more information on Cary and homes in the area, please visit our website at CaryHomesNC.com.

Featuring the Cary Town Band, North Carolina Symphony and Fantastic Fireworks Display

 The 4^th of July is a very special day at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary NC.  Bring your picnic baskets, blankets, and lawn chairs and enjoy a good old fashion Independence Day celebration.  The doors open at 3:00 PM and all lawn seating and parking is free.

Free Kids Zone

 An added bonus for families is the Free Kids Zone.  The Kids Zone features slides, water tag, and a Lumpy’s Ice Cream eating contest.   The fun zone is open from 3:00 PM -6:00 PM on the grounds of the Booth Amphitheatre.

Booth Amphitheatre

 The Booth Amphitheatre is located in Cary among 14 acres of hardwoods and pines situated next to Symphony Lake.  The highlight of the 4^th of July celebration is the beautiful firework display over the lake accompanied by the North Carolina Symphony. 

LG Real Estate

Several member of our LG Real Estate team have attended this event in past years and enjoyed it immensely. Jen Grinter and family were there last year and in Jen’s words, “We had a Blast”.

 It all Started with a Fruit Dryer

If I had only known 15 years ago when our youngest son Matt requested a fruit dryer for his 14^th birthday how that would change his life.  We had recently moved to the Cary area from CA.  Matt, the youngest of our four sons was the only one to make the move to the foreign country of NC. He came kicking and screaming which is very typical of any rising 8^th grader. 

The Food Channel, Cary High, and UCLA

While getting acclimated to his new life without a plethora of friends on his doorstep, Matt gained a real fondness for the TV Food Channel.  After learning to make beef jerky from his new contraption he started playing with recipes.  We never gave it a lot of thought until we heard about a Thanksgiving meal he fixed for his college roommates at UCLA.  By this time Matt had graduated from Cary High School in 1999 and went on to become an English major and Spanish minor at UCLA.  He was fortunate enough to spend a year at the University of Barcelona and during the summer he went to a culinary school in Spain. 

Eat This Not That!

Moving the clock forward several years Matt is now the co author of the “Eat This Not That” book series.  His real pride and joy is the latest book of the series “Cook This Not That”.  On Sunday April 18th,  Matt will be at the Cary location of Barnes and Noble to discuss his books.  The book signing and discussion will begin at 4pm.  On Wednesday, April 14th at 3am (the only weird time in the country) Matt will be on the Bonnie Hunt show along with David Zinczenko demonstrating several of the recipes. 

James Beard Food Writing Award

A few weeks ago Matt was nominated for the James Beard Food Writing Award.   This is a great honor and is considered the Oscar of food writing.  The nomination was for an article he did for Men’s Health Magazine called “Beauty and the Beast”.  He just arrived back to NYC from a trip to CA to work with Carl’s Jr/Hardees to help them devise a healthier menu.  There is an article about Matt in the April18th edition of the Cary News.

Proud Mom

As his Mom of course I beam with pride but taking that aside he is a wealth of information and if you meet him on Sunday you will be glad you did.

A great place in Cary to celebrate spring

Come celebrate spring at the Western Wake Farmers’ Market (WWFM) opening day, April 3, 8 am-12 pm, at 1226 Morrisville Carpenter Rd. in Cary.  Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht will celebrate the market’s second season with remarks at 10 am. Chef Ricky Moore of Giorgio restaurant will share samples of his signature dish, Goat Cheese-Lavender Fritter with local honey at the Education Tent.  Shop for spring flowers and seasonal, local foods for your Easter celebration on opening day, and return each weekend for the food and in support of community. The market’s web site, www.WesternWakeFarmersMarket.org, features all the farmers and vendors, plus much more.

The WWFM will be open 34 Saturdays, through November 20, rain or shine, to provide area residents with access to locally grown and crafted foods. Market offerings include seasonal produce, grass-fed meats, North Carolina seafood, eggs, artisan breads and desserts, coffee, flowers, vegetable plants, wine, natural cleaning products, jewelry and more. Gardeners will be able to purchase seedlings, including heirloom varieties, for their gardens at home.

 A growers only/producer’s only market

The Western Wake Farmers’ Market is a grower’s only/producer’s only market, which means all the vendors either grew or hand-crafted their products and have not purchased these goods elsewhere to re-sell them. All vendors are located within 125 miles of the marketplace to ensure access to local, fresh foods.

Seasonal produce available at market is picked at the peak of ripeness for the greatest taste and nutritional benefit, and it has been grown with little to no pesticides. Eggs and meats from grass-fed animals offer much greater nutritional value and significantly less saturated fat than these products sold at grocery stores. Supporting local family farmers also nurtures community and a local economy, while helping the environment. For instance, produce sold at many area grocers has traveled an average of 1,500 miles (and sometimes even across continents), compared to less than 125 miles.

 Featuring a guest educator each week

The market features a guest educator each week and live, family-friendly music. You may sign up for a free e-newsletter, which details what is fresh at market each week, special events and more, through the web site’s Newsletter tab.

We at LG Real Estate highly endorse the Western Wake Farmers’ Market (WWFM).  Lee Ann Crowder from our staff remarks that the variety of food including cheeses, fish, and vegetables is excellent and she enjoys meeting Cary neighbors at the market.

The Town of Cary remains the safest place in the state of North Carolina to live, work, and raise a family, according to a study by CQ Press, publisher of the annual “City Crime Rankings 2009-2010“.  

For 11 years in a row, The Town of Cary has achieved this ranking and is among the safest cities in the nation to live. For more information and to review the full article, please visit The Town of Cary Website.

Last weekend our son Ryan and daughter- in- law Dani took their baby Sadie for a trail walk to see a Lake in Cary.  I was curious about the path and Lake since they live in a North Cary neighborhood called Weston Manor.  Well upon further investigation, I found the Black Creek Greenway near their home and starting in North Cary Park. 

Black Creek Greenway is one of 27 different greenway trails in the town of Cary.  It is 1.8 miles long and meanders from the park down along Black Creek to Crabtree Lake. 

 The Town of Cary describes a greenway on it’s website as a “Corridor of protected open space managed for conservation, recreation and non-motorized transportation”.  Black Creek Greenway links several Cary neighborhoods to Crabtree Lake and North Cary Park. 

 Greenways are linear parks that from a real estate standpoint enhance the beauty and value of the Cary neighborhoods they connect.  Here are some of the advantages of greenways the town of Cary lists:

•  Providing a recreational amenity for walking, jogging, and bicycling in a natural setting remote from traffic;
• Preserving pristine open space to enhance Cary’s quality of life;
• Linking our neighborhoods with parks, schools, community centers, and other neighborhoods;
• Helping control storm water runoff, curb erosion, and minimize flooding which can damage our property;
• Improving Cary’s water quality by buffering streams, filtering pollutants, and recharging our groundwater;
• Adding value to our property by merit of proximity.

A convenient map of the town of Cary’s greenway and trail system is illustrated on the town’s website.  The greenway trails in Cary total 34 miles in length and are open from sunrise to sunset.

I invite you to plan a Cary greenway or trail outing – pack a picnic, grab your bikes or hiking shoes, and enjoy the simplicity and beauty of this wonderful system.