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🧭 Here’s what’s in today’s issue:
• 🧠 Trivia Challenge: Spotlight Hook
• 📰 News: Wake County Plans New Mountain Bike Trails
• 📰 News: Pollen Season Arrives Late in the Triangle as Warm Weather Returns
• 📰 News: Popular Cary Lantern Festival Secures Future
• 😄 Meme of the Day – Just for Laughs
• 🎁 Support the businesses that support Cary: Make your gift
• 📅 Events: Upcoming Events (Top Picks)
👉 Browse the highlights. Click your favorites.
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Question: In which sci-fi movie does an alien race live on Earth in slum-like conditions in South Africa?
(Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.)
If you have questions email: [email protected]
Come in a plain white shirt… and leave with a colorful tie-dye masterpiece! Experience the magic of Holi—the world's most vibrant festival—right here in Apex, NC. Expect an unforgettable day of music, dancing, mouth-watering food, and epic color throws!
Saturday, 14 March 2026 (11am-3pm) at Salem Middle School in Apex, NC.
🎨 Free Holi Colors & Endless Colorful Powder Play
🎵 Popular Music DJ & Energetic Dancing
🍛 An Array of Local Food Vendors
🎟️ 100% FREE Admission & Free Parking!
Space is open to the public, but you won't want to miss the opening celebrations. Tap 'Get Event Info' button to grab the exact location and event times so you don't miss a beat!
👇 Tap below for event details!
Wake County Plans New Mountain Bike Trails
Wake County is advancing plans for a major mountain bike trail expansion near Umstead State Park after the closure of the longtime Lake Crabtree trails. The county has secured a lease on 252 acres from the state park and intends to connect that land with the nearby 286 Property.
The combined site will become the Hayleys Branch Trails, a roughly 400-acre network that county officials say could match or exceed the scale of what riders lost at Crabtree. The project is aimed at restoring opportunities for local mountain bikers, including beginners who had relied on Crabtree’s more accessible trails.
County leaders presented the project at a public meeting this week and are continuing to collect feedback from residents and trail users. The expansion has been welcomed by members of the local biking community, who have been looking for a replacement since Crabtree closed.
Another public update is expected within six to eight weeks, and Wake County hopes to secure a construction bid later this year. If the project moves forward on schedule, it could become one of the area’s most significant new trail developments.
Just curious…
What do you think about the new Hayleys Branch trail plans?
Pollen Season Arrives Late in the Triangle as Warm Weather Returns
Pollen season has begun in the Triangle after a slower start caused by colder weather earlier this year. Allergy specialists say warming temperatures are now allowing pollen levels to rise quickly across the Raleigh Durham region.
North Carolina regularly ranks among the states with the highest pollen counts, and the Triangle experiences similar conditions because pollen travels easily through the air from trees across the state.
Experts expect heavier pollen levels this weekend, with peak tree pollen likely arriving later in March and continuing through April if warm weather persists.
Conditions usually begin to improve around May as tree pollen fades, although grass pollen often follows and can continue causing allergy symptoms into the spring.
Pollen season is starting to ramp up across the Triangle.
How are your allergies so far this year?
Popular Cary Lantern Festival Secures Future
The Town of Cary has announced that the North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival will continue at Koka Booth Amphitheatre through the 2033 to 2034 season. The extension comes after the festival’s 10th anniversary year, which brought record attendance and strong economic impact to the region.
More than 249,000 people attended the festival this past season, generating about $11.6 million in direct economic activity and more than $528,000 in local tax revenue. Visitors traveled from all 50 states and eight countries, with the majority coming from outside Wake County.
Since launching in 2015, the festival has become one of North Carolina’s most popular winter attractions. The event features large scale handcrafted lantern displays, cultural performances, and illuminated installations throughout the amphitheatre grounds and over Symphony Lake.
Cary officials say extending the partnership with Tianyu Arts and Culture will allow the festival to continue growing while preserving a tradition that draws visitors from across the region each holiday season.
The North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival at Booth Amphitheatre has been extended through the 2033–2034 season.
Have you been to the lantern festival?
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Meme of the Day.
Brought to you by Cary's Daily Newsletter.
What’s faster than word of mouth? Cary Spotlight! Keeps you updated on what is going on locally and connects businesses to our vibrant community.
If you had to eliminate ONE snack from this list forever… which one goes?
🎁 Support the businesses that support Cary.
Buy Cary Spotlight coffee. Every contribution helps us highlight more local restaurants, small businesses, and nonprofits making a difference. Help us keep this resource free.
🎟️ Upcoming Events (Top Picks)
Outdoor events may be changed due to weather, so click the links to see latest event information. Here are a few ideas for the week, so plan ahead:
• Thursday: Town Council Regular Meeting 6:30PM-8:30PM
• Thursday: Thursday Night Music Club 7:30PM-9:45PM
• Friday: Movie Night: The Dark Knight 6PM-10PM
• Friday: Meet the Artist: Emily Wang 6PM-8PM
• Saturday: Cary Farmers Market 9AM-12PM
• Saturday: Circle and Square 10AM-12PM
• Saturday: Apex Holi 2026 11AM-3PM
• Saturday: Spring Litter Sweep: Hemlock Bluffs 10AM-12PM
• Sunday: Hurdles & Hounds: Dog Agility 2PM-3PM
But wait! There’s more. To save space in your inbox, we’ve moved the full list of events online — now you can plan ahead: See Full 2-Week Calendar
The Answer to the Cary Spotlight Hook Trivia Question 👇👇👇
A: District 9
The 2009 sci-fi film is District 9, directed by Neill Blomkamp. It depicts a race of malnourished alien refugees, derogatorily nicknamed "prawns," who are forced to live in slum-like conditions in a fenced-off, segregated camp in Johannesburg, South Africa, serving as an allegory for apartheid.
The movie explores themes of xenophobia, segregation, and the treatment of refugees.
For more information, District 9 - the movie