Welcome to The Line, a newsletter for Cary and Western Wake from The Assembly Network. The Line connects the dots for local life with timely info, relevant news, interesting people and expert guides. 

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🚉 Arriving Now

1. New pop-up Christmas bar
2. Town councils swear in new members
3. Give input on parks and transportation 
4. Did you guess the coffee shop? 

–Sarah Day

Miracle on Chatham Street

North Pole On Chatham is a new seasonal transformation of The Beach House by Tiki Brewing at 232 East Chatham Street. The Cary holiday pop-up bar opened last month. 

Over-the-top decor lines the walls of the bar, including a hallway of the Abominable Snowmonster of the North and a Grinch-themed room. The theme extends outside, with outdoor igloos that are first-come, first served. 

🍸 A themed cocktail menu includes Christmasy takes on a candy cane martini (pictured), eggnog, an espresso martini, and rum-based drinks. 

🎄 What else to know: Food trucks will be on site most days. Families are allowed before 6 p.m., but after that it’s strictly 21+. 

📍When to visit: 4-10 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 4 p.m.-12 a.m. Thursdays, 4 p.m.-1 a.m. Fridays, 12 p.m.-1 a.m. Saturdays and 12-10 p.m. Sundays. 

🎄🎄🎄

4 More Festive Places to Gather

🍸 Tinsel Tavern, another pop-up holiday bar inside Sports & Social in Fenton, is open for reservations. They are also hosting crafty holiday events, like making ornaments on Monday and painting holiday mugs on December 22.  

🎄 Adventures in Bloom in Downtown Apex has seasonal workshops you can attend with friends, and a monthly book club where you might meet new ones. This month’s book club is “The Christmas Countdown” on December 16. Register in advance since attendees are capped.

🥂 RBF Champagne bar hosts ticketed holiday movie nights, where pajamas are encouraged and snacks are provided. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are available for purchase. 

❄️ DiFara Pizza’s heated igloos on their Downtown Cary patio hold up to eight people and are available for reservations. 

💬 What’s your favorite holiday tradition in Western Wake? Reply to this email or send a note to line@theassemblync.com.

In Brief | What I’d Tell You Over a Candy Cane Martini

📻 Did an old Cary radio station building inspire Stranger Things creators the Duffer  brothers? WXII, Axios Raleigh and others on social media think the old WPTF transmitter facility could be the basis for the station in Season 5 of the Netflix hit. Matt and Ross Duffer, who grew up in Durham, have said that the fictional town of Hawkins is based on local places. 

🗓️ New town council members: New Apex Town Council members Sue Mu and Shane Reese, plus re-elected member Ed Gray, were sworn in on Wednesday. In Cary, re-elected council member Carissa Kohn-Johnson and newcomers Bella Huang and Brittany Richards will be sworn in at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Morrisville’s swearing in ceremony is next Tuesday. 

✍️ The Imagine Cary Community Plan guides town decision makers, and you can give input on two areas now through 12 p.m. on January 30, 2026.  View the edits to the plan on parks, transit, transportation, and safety in the supporting documents. 

🍺 Vicious Fishes Brewery closed its Apex location.

🛍️ Cary Underground Market is 12-4 p.m. this Sunday at Bond Brothers brewery in Downtown Cary, with vendors and live music starting at 1:30 p.m. 

Did You Guess the Coffee Shop?

Divya was the first to guess it correctly–it’s Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee & Social in Morrisville! 

Her go-to order is an almond milk latte and ​highly recommends the spinach and cheese croissant.

More about Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee and Social: It’s next to Novel Morrisville, a luxury apartment community. The space is filled with comfy leather booths, chairs, and communal tables. 

Their menu includes creative signature lattes, like a black cardamom latte, plus a variety of tea and matcha. Food, North Carolina craft beer, wine, and cider are also available. 

I ordered off their seasonal lattes menu and got a delicious, not-too-sweet Christmas cookie latte; the iced version includes cinnamon cold foam topping. 

Cool fact: LTH Coffee sources the beans they brew and sell in the cafe directly from Rwandan coffee farmers. They call it a “collaborative trade” model that supports the farm communities. 

Find it: 909 Athletic Lane, Morrisville. The cafe is open 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Fridays, and 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. 

The Line will be back in your inbox Tuesday! 

Sarah Day Owen Wiskirchen is the head of newsletters for The Assembly Network and editor of The Line.