Wedding venue in Blue Ridge, GA for couples in Apex, NC

Independence Day is almost here, and that means many across the nation are taking off work, having barbecues and popping fireworks (keep ‘em legal).

Most towns in the Triangle are joining the fun by holding their own celebrations starting this weekend (the official holiday is Tuesday, July 4).

We’ve compiled a guide to safe and professional fireworks shows and celebrations across the Triangle, listed chronologically.

The town of Selma is kicking off Independence Day weekend will an All-American Festival. There will be live entertainment, food trucks, and the national anthem will be sung by Chad Thompson

The town of Clayton will be hosting a Friends and Family Independence Day celebration on July 1 with food trucks, games and free watermelon.

The town of Fuquay-Varina will be hosting an Independence Day Celebration at South Park with food and drink vendors.

The town of Wendell will be having a fireworks show with Americana music and food trucks.

The town of Apex will be putting on 4th of July events throughout the weekend starting with a Firework Frenzy on July 3.

The town of Garner will be hosting an Independence Day Celebration with kids games, live music and fireworks on July 3.

The town of Morrisville is putting together a “Family Fun Festival” with live music, entertainment and giveaways on July 3.

The town of Wake Forest put together a “Fireworks Spectacular” on July 3 and a parade on July 4.

The town of Cary will be putting on its Independence Celebration on July 4 at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre.

The town of Durham and Durham Parks & Recreation have created a 4th of July Celebration on July 4.

The town will celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks.

The town of Knightdale will put on its annual “Fourth On First Ave” on July 4.

The free July 4th Celebration at Dix Park is one of the Triangle’s biggest fireworks shows with food trucks, family activities and a foam party pit.

The town of Rolesville’s 4th of July Celebration will have live music, food trucks and activities for kids and adults.

The Town of Holly Springs believes Independence Day celebrations don’t need to end on July Fourth. The town hosts fireworks on Wednesday, July 5, as well as food trucks, games and live music.

This story was originally published June 28, 2023, 2:16 PM.

Spend some time soaking up small-town Christmas at its best!

A historic downtown, vintage train station, and lots and lots of Christmas lights—what else could you need for a magical holiday escape? When it comes to small-town Christmas charm, Apex, North Carolina, has all its bases covered. Founded in the 1860s, Apex is considered one of the most intact turn-of-the-century railroad towns in the area. Located just 20 minutes west of Raleigh, the town of just over 60,000 people is filled to the brim with Yuletide spirit. From a legendary single-family-home light display to a town-wide Christmas parade, tree lighting ceremony, and plenty of seasonal shopping, here’s why you should visit Apex this holiday season.

Explore A Darling Downtown

We’ll set the scene for you. You’re strolling down a twinkle-lit street with a warm cup of hot cocoa in hand as a light dusting of snow begins to fall. Every store window you pass is lined in garland, each more beautifully decorated in bright red and green than the last. The old-school awnings overhead advertise everything from antiques and local food to art and apparel. That’s all just part of the magic in the downtown Apex historic district. Be sure to stop in for a bite to eat at Anna’s Pizzeria and cup of joe at Common Grounds Coffee House. Spend hours perusing the aisles of décor and antiques at The Rusty Bucket, then stick around for a show at Halle Cultural Arts Center. Seasonal shows this year include “The Gift of the Magi,” a play about a couple seeking to find each other the perfect Christmas gift and “Candles! The Musical!" Don’t leave downtown without visiting The Apex Union Depot, the town’s historic railroad station that now houses the town’s chamber of commerce and is open to the public for tours.

Attend Festive Events

Apex is certainly no stranger to a good party. And during the holiday season, the regular schedule of live music performances and pop-up festivals goes into overdrive with special events and gatherings taking place nearly nightly.

Celebrate the season on Salem Street, downtown’s main street, with a number of holiday sales, open houses, pop-up markets, live music performances, and kid’s activities happening throughout the season. Check out the incredible entries for the annual Sparkle on Salem window decorating competition, and don’t miss the chance to see Santa, who tends to make his visits on select Saturdays in December.

Other special events include a wreath auction, tree ceremony lighting at the Apex Union Depot, and an annual Christmas parade complete with food, performances, vendors, and kids’ activities. Apex also hosts an annual Chanukah Festival where festivities include a kosher food truck, fire show, kids’ crafts, and a grand Menorah lighting.

See An Out-of-This-World Light Display

Folks travel to Apex from all over to see the over-the-top Christmas lights on Holt Road. Dubbed MG’s Vision & Light, local Apex couple MG and Dawnna have been putting up the next-level display for more than 10 years, adding new lights and features to the set up each year. On the long, light-lined driveway to their home, you’ll pass nearly every Christmas creature known to man, from reindeer and snowmen to nutcrackers and elves. Once you get to the house itself, complete with a small pond and gazebo out front, prepare to stand in awe at the thousands upon thousands of lights lining every window, pitch of the roof, and bush. The best part of the display? It’s completely free to visit. The homeowners don’t accept donations or tips, but they are leading an effort to help bring Ukrainian families to safety in the U.S., so if you have any frequent flyer miles to donate to the effort, you can do so via their Facebook page.

In Apex, the holiday season is truly something special. Don't believe us? Pack up the car and see it for yourself.

Sorry, Punxsutawney Phil, but this Triangle town is turning to another beloved animal that presumably has psychic weather powers.

Sylvia, the hairy armadillo, emerged from her burrow Friday to greet eager students and faculty at Olive Chapel Elementary School in Apex.

She was selected four years ago to be the town’s prognosticator simply because they do things differently in the town known as “The Peak,” said Mayor Jacques Gilbert.

“It’s Armadillo Day in Apex,” Gilbert told the excited students. “In the Peak, do we want to trust a groundhog? We chose our own animal.”

Gilbert held Sylvia up to the sky while the introduction of the song “The Circle of Life” played in the background to find her shadow.

Much to the dismay of the children who wished for a snow day, the armadillo’s shadow was hidden, which was a sign “that spring is soon around,” Gilbert yelled.

Students cheered.

Some Apex residents would counter that question with, “why trust a groundhog?”

Four years ago, the armadillo was chosen from Animal Edventures Sanctuary in Coats, after groundhogs were no longer available for ceremonies.

North Carolina’s number of Groundhog Day prognosticators have shrunk in recent years.

Now, only Sylvia the Armadillo and Snerd the Groundhog in Garner remain as the weather gurus.

Like Sylvia and Phil, Snerd predicted an early spring at a ceremony at White Deer Park on Friday afternoon. He has been the town’s prognosticator since 2015.

Gilbert selects different schools to host Armadillo Day in Apex. Principal Erin May and Vice Principal Jared Boyce were “over the moon” when Olive Chapel Elementary was selected as the school this year.

“Our teachers were excited. We have a teacher assistant who loves armadillos,” said May.

Deb Sox was selected as the school’s Instructional Assistant Teacher of the year. She joined Gilbert and Sylvia sporting an armadillo t-shirt and cowboy hat.

“Our whole community loves Apex, so having the Mayor here was very special,” May said. “(Gilbert) is a complete partner in our community, and I’ve never really seen a mayor like that.”

Like some of her students, May predicted an early spring.

Boyce did, too, but added, “all these kids want show.”

For now though, Sylvia the armadillo heads back to her burrow to snack on bugs and await her appearance next February.

This story was originally published February 2, 2024, 12:09 PM.

APEX, N.C. (WTVD) -- A large willow oak tree stands in front of Nancy Gutske's house with a Christmas bow wrapped around it for the holidays.

"That tree has been there for a long time," Gutske said.

The 100-year-old tree is in the spotlight as officials assess potential areas for a sidewalk, including Hunter Street where the icon stands.

Although no final decision has been made regarding this piece of sidewalk, the Town of Apex said construction of new sidewalks ranks consistently high among Apex residents' priorities for transportation funding.

There's just not a need for a sidewalk here- Mike Newell, Apex resident

As part of an infrastructure improvement project BL-0047, Hunter Street is just one of several areas being evaluated for safer routes to schools.

"There's just not a need for a sidewalk here," said Mike Newell, another resident.

Though the issue has not yet come before the Town Council, nor is it clear whether that sidewalk will be part of the decision-making process, residents such as Newell and Gutske oppose the idea of the Hunter Street icon being chopped down.

"I had a certified arborist come out here," Newell said. "He's declared that tree to be healthy. No need to cut it down of any disease concern. It has normal wear and tear, so to speak, for its age. It is a safe tree. It poses no danger."

Newell plans to bring this up in the Town Council meeting on Jan. 9 and noted that Mayor Jacques Gilbert was in favor of keeping the tree as is.

ALSO SEE: Apex building 100% affordable housing apartment complex; First in 25 years

Gilbert said historic preservation is a priority for him, and he anticipates and welcomes additional discussion with the community.

"We're always looking for an opportunity for more walkability," Gilbert said. "In this instance, I'm happy to see the engagement of the community."

While the 100-200 block of Hunter Street was included in the initial project (BL-0047) design, the placement of sidewalks in this block is still being evaluated, according to the town.

Boomtowns: Apex expects 'phenomenal' growth by end of decade

Today, Apex is known as the 'peak' of good living – but many people have no idea the historic downtown is built overtop a lost pond that holds secrets to the town's little-known origins.

Each time you sit down to eat in the alleyway between the Apex Fire Department and The Peak on Salem, you're sitting right on top of one of the most important sites in the town's history: The Log Pond.

Very little remains of that pond today; however, without that pond, Apex may not have ever existed at all.

"If you look at maps of Wake County prior to the Civil War, you will see places like Holly Springs and a number of communities all around modern day Apex, but you don't see Apex on the map at all," said Toby Holleman, a historian who specializes in the town's history.

That's because 'Apex' didn't exist. The little community had a different name: Log Pond.

Why was 'Log Pond' changed to 'Apex?'

It may seem hard to believe a little pond could have such an impact on a town's growth, but the small body of water served as a refueling station for the steam engines that came through on the Chatham Railroad. Without that pond, the railroad may never have come through the tiny community – and that railroad was a primary reason Apex exists today.

"The railroad was completed 1869," said Holleman. "Until then, there was no Apex."

Prior to 1869, Holleman says travelers who stopped to water their horses may have seen a little lumber business or a mill, as well as a country store and maybe a farm house or two.

"Very little there, not even enough to call a community," he said.

The 'log pond' was maybe 100 feet long or so, and was so named because railroad workers would toss the wooden railroad ties into the pond, giving it the appearance of being filled with logs.

Steam engine trains needed plenty of water, so the pond served as a replenishing reservoir. As the community became a prominent stop for trains, railroad workers began referring to Log Pond as the 'Apex of the Grade.'

The name 'Apex of the Grade' was critically important to railroad workers because it let everyone on the tracks know that this stop was the highest point, the apex or the peak, of the Chatham County Railroad.

"Trains would come up the hill from Haywood. That climb is 15 miles, and for a little steam engine pulling a long train of cars, it needed water by the time it reached the top of the hill. That's where the log pond was," he said. "It would refill at the 'apex' of the grade then proceed on to Cary, and downhill to Raleigh."

Holleman says it was common for communities at the 'peak' of a railroad line to be named in recognition of that:

Engineers named the community Apex, and within a year the first post office was established.

"The United States Postal Service called it the Apex post office," he said.

What happened to the critically important log pond?

Train tracks still carry trains right past the historic Depot in downtown Apex.

But no one knows exactly what happened to the original log pond, according to Holleman.

" We surmise that it vanished as the town began to grow," he said. "Probably by 1900 it could no longer be seen."

Main Street and Old US-1 Hwy ran through right where the pond sat, so a flooding pond could have created a mess. The town inserted culverts to drain it – possibly represented today in the name Culvert Street just behind the train depot.

"Those drains still work today. I can remember as a kid seeing the drain on the east side. So much water tends to accumulate in that spot. It’s a tiny little valley on the ridge, and you can see how the water could come down and settle in that little spot where the Log Pond was," he said.

A map of Log Pond drawn by Staley Smith shows the outline of the pond's old site, as well as the flow of the culvert and direction the water drained. From the drawing, you can see the pond sat directly next to the train tracks along Seaboard St., just a stone's throw away from the historic depot building still sitting by the tracks today.

Smith created that map in 2009.

Precious few photos actually show the Log Pond – and there may only be one in existence.

Holleman's brother Warren, also an Apex historian, shared one of these photos in the book Pluck, Perseverance, and Paint: Apex, North Carolina: Beginnings to 1941. Below is a close-up of that image, restored by Marty Allen and provided by the Apex Volunteer Fire Department collection.

Today, visitors can sit on top of the former site of the log pond and eat lunch – in a little alleyway running alongside the fire station.

Where is the 'apex' of Apex?

Atop a slight hill, just behind the old railroad tracks, sits a historic home known as the Tunstall house – right on the peak of the very highest point in Apex, according to Kerrin Cox, communications coordinator for the Town of Apex.

The historic home sits on the Apex Town Campus, which also includes the town hall, senior center and community center.

As the town prepares to celebrate 150 years of history at their Party in the Peak event on Sept. 23, they're highlighting some of these incredible lost stories as part of an exhibit right there on the town campus – allowing visitors to learn about the town's hidden history while walking around on the very peak of Apex itself.

On September 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the campus will become an interactive museum showcasing Apex’s past, present, and future.

“We have interviewed nearly 100 community members so far, and their stories will be part of the celebration in our Present exhibit,” said Cox. “We’ve covered topics like Black history, women’s history, indigenous history, and more - all of which have been curated by community champions.”

The event has more than just history. There will be 10 food trucks with special Apex 150th menu items. They're also hosting live music, Apex youth performances, kids activities, and storytellers on stage sharing tales from Apex's past.

For those who love Apex history, many historic photos and stories are collected in the Holleman brothers' history book, which is available at ELK Local Foods and Sixpence Accents in downtown. Toby Holleman is also providing a virtual tour of Apex history on October 15 at Eva Perry Library.

For those who love exploring hidden history themselves, the town has worked with historians from several Apex communities – Green Level, Friendship, New Hill, Olive Chapel and more – to create interactive maps to 'lost places' that once played a critical role in making the town what it is today.

Podcast: Explore hidden history from towns all across the Triangle

Hidden History reporter Heather Leah is a seventh-generation North Carolinian who loves sharing all the history hiding just beneath your feet. Scroll to listen to her podcast series about everything from enchanted castles to secret underwater ghost towns to abandoned tunnels leading to forgotten history.