• 🧠 Trivia Challenge: Spotlight Hook
• 🧭Discover: Lawrence Barbecue
• 📰 News: Cary Breast Cancer Survivor Writes Guide to Help Young Patients
• 📰 News: Historic Launch Sends NC State Graduate Around the Moon
• 😄 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.

Did someone forward you our Cary newsletter? Then subscribe her

Question: How many pyramids are in Giza?

(Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.)

Parents across the Triangle often wonder how their teens can build meaningful leadership experience that truly stands out when applying to college.

An upcoming Hum Sub Youth Leadership Summit in Cary is designed to help students begin exploring those opportunities. The event invites students in Grades 8–11 from across the Triangle to learn about leadership, entrepreneurship, and ways young people can start building experiences that colleges value.

If you have questions about advertising, email: [email protected]

Lawrence Barbecue is one of the local food places nominated by Cary Spotlight's readers for our Discover Cary project. If you've had a chance to sample their food, feel free to share your opinion below.

Lawrence Barbecue in downtown Cary, NC is a smoke-and-fire-driven restaurant that brings together slow-smoked meats, fresh raw oysters, and bold flavors from across the South and beyond—all under one roof with a laid-back, beachy spirit that makes every visit feel like a good day.

Check out their menu on their website: Lawrence Barbecue

Address: 150 E. Cedar St., Cary, NC 27511 | Get Directions

Do you have a favorite place to eat in Cary, NC? Click to share your pick.

Erin Perkins, a Cary resident, was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer at age 34 after discovering a lump while nursing her son during the pandemic. Initially believing she was too young for cancer, she eventually sought care at UNC Health’s cancer center in Raleigh, where she began treatment amid uncertainty and isolation.

During months of appointments and medical decisions, Perkins struggled to understand the complex language of cancer care and often attended visits alone due to pandemic restrictions. She formed close bonds with other patients, some of whom later died, experiences that deepened the emotional impact of her diagnosis.

Uncertain about her own future, Perkins began writing down what she was learning and feeling. The project eventually became a small guidebook titled Young Breast Cancer Your Story and Mine: A Compact Guide, designed to help younger patients navigate both the practical and emotional realities of treatment.

Now five years removed from her diagnosis, Perkins continues to share her story. Copies of her book are available at her oncologist’s office, offering newly diagnosed patients the kind of guidance and reassurance she once searched for herself.

Click here to learn more about the book or to purchase a copy to donate to a cancer resource center.

Read Full Report

Just curious…

An alumna of North Carolina State University is now on her way around the moon after a historic launch that returned humans to deep space for the first time in more than half a century.

Christina Koch, an electrical engineer who graduated from NC State in 2001, lifted off Wednesday evening aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The flight marks the first crewed mission to travel around the moon since the Apollo era.

Koch is part of a four-person crew that includes three Americans and one Canadian astronaut. The mission is expected to last about 10 days, sending the spacecraft around the moon before returning to Earth. The crew will not land on the lunar surface, but the spacecraft will travel thousands of miles beyond the moon, offering views of its far side and testing systems for future lunar missions.

Originally from Onslow County, Koch earned degrees in electrical engineering and physics from NC State before being selected as a NASA astronaut in 2013. She previously set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, spending 328 days aboard the International Space Station. In 2019, she also participated in the first all-female spacewalk.

Now serving as a mission specialist on Artemis II, Koch also makes history as the first woman to travel around the moon. She has often said the mission represents broader progress in space exploration and the growing opportunities for women in the field.

Before joining NASA, Koch worked in extreme environments including a research station in Antarctica, experiences that helped prepare her for long-duration missions in space.

The Artemis II mission is a key step in NASA’s plan to return astronauts to the moon and eventually establish a sustained human presence there. A future Artemis mission, currently targeted for 2028, is expected to land astronauts on the lunar surface for the first time since the 1970s.

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.

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: Spring BreakOUT! 10AM-4PM
• Thursday: Trivia Night 6:30PM-8:30PM
• Friday: Bands, Bites, and Boats 5PM-7PM
• Saturday: Cary Farmers Market 8AM-12PM
• Saturday: Yoga 9AM-10AM
• Saturday: William Peace vs Mary Baldwin University 1PM-7PM
• Sunday: Compost Bin & Rain Barrel Sale (Online Sale)
• Monday: Stretch and Refresh 10AM-11AM

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