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 Year’s Eve ideas
  2. Catch ‘em All in Morrisville?
  3. State auditor’s office at Cary’s town hall
  4. Did you guess the coffee shop?

–Sarah Day

7 New Year’s Eve Celebrations in Cary and Apex

Less than two weeks remain in 2025, and there are plenty of ways to celebrate in Cary and Apex, from family-friendly New Year’s Eve activities to big bashes. 

🎈Noon Year’s Eve at Notasium: The music-themed Cary indoor play space will throw a ticketed party for kids and families starting at 10 a.m., with a countdown to the noon balloon drop. 

🍻 Two countdowns at Fortnight Brewing: The Cary brewery will host a free, family-friendly party starting at 5 p.m. counting down to London’s New Year’s Eve at 7 p.m. After 7:30 p.m., it’s an adults-only event counting down to midnight local time. 

🥂 Naos New Year’s Eve: The Hellenic cuisine restaurant will host a Gods and Goddesses-themed party with live music, dancing, and of course, food. Dinner begins at 5 p.m. with the party starting at 9 p.m. Reserve to attend. 

🥂 Sips, Shimmies, and “Shenanigans” New Year’s Eve Party at RBF: The Downtown Cary champagne bar will host a party for people who want to celebrate and get home by 10 p.m. Described as a “jazzy speakeasy meets underground burlesque show” with the bubbles flowing, it’s an all-inclusive ticket (discounted for mocktails, pricier for VIP) with a 6 p.m. start. 

🎉 NYE Live! at Sports & Social and PBR Cary: For revelers seeking a big bash, this party on two floors at Fenton might be for you. The ticketed event includes live entertainment, two levels of buffets, a champagne toast at midnight with the Times Square ball drop on a 42-inch screen. Yes, football fans, the Cotton Bowl will be on. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the event starts at 8. 

🥂 Hearsay New Year’s Eve party: The cocktail bar in a historic house in Downtown Cary will host, with sparklers and a complimentary midnight champagne toast provided. No ticket required. 

🥂 Celebrate at Peak of the Vine: The Apex wine shop will offer free appetizers and a complimentary midnight toast. The party starts at 9 p.m. and features DJ Jeffy. RSVP here.

💬 How do you spend your New Year’s Eve in Cary, Apex, Morrisville, or Western Wake County? Reply to this newsletter or email line@theassemblync.com.

In Brief | What I’d Tell You Over a Banana Gingerbread Latte

⚡A Morrisville campus landed the largest manufacturing lease in the U.S. this year, Business North Carolina reports. Spark LS is a mixed-use life science and advanced manufacturing campus with restaurants, retail, and outdoor recreation spaces over 109 acres at McCrimmon Parkway and Airport Boulevard. The Triangle Business Journal, citing “industry sources,” reports that it’s Millennium Print Group, a manufacturer of Pokémon cards. The company is headquartered in Raleigh with some local operations. 

🔎 The state auditor’s office was at Cary Town Hall on Tuesday, Mayor Harold Weinbrecht said in a statement. Town officials were first contacted November 25, shortly after former Town Manager Sean Stegall was placed on paid administrative leave. 

  • “Since that day, we’ve been working with them to provide the information they’ve requested,” the mayor’s statement reads. “We are fully supporting their exploration of these concerns, which mirror our own.” 
  • The town also hired a law firm, Womble Bond Dickinson, to look into Stegall’s spending and other issues.
  • Get the full backstory from Chloe Courtney Bohl.

💎 REEDS Jewelers opened in Fenton last week with an 8,000-square-foot store. They’re calling the significantly larger imprint a Landmark store, and a spokesperson said that REEDS chose the Cary area for its fast-growing market and Fenton in particular for its “high-end, experience-driven atmosphere.” The jeweler was founded in Wilmington nearly 80 years ago. This location will focus on bridal jewelry and luxury watches. 

🛍️ The last few holiday markets are this weekend! There will be shopping Friday at Downtown Cary Park, Saturday morning at the Cary Farmers Market, Saturday in Fenton, Saturday and Sunday in Holly Springs, and Sunday afternoon at The Mayton. Details here.

Did You Guess the Coffee Shop?

Lots of you guessed this one–it’s Foxtail Coffee in Apex! 

First correct guesser Nancy C. recently found it thanks to a friend and said she likes the atmosphere for her usual vanilla latte with almond milk. 

Foxtail regular Lisa G. usually orders a chai latte and blueberry muffin for her toddler. “It’s my go-to “want to meet for coffee?” spot with the outdoor and comfy seating,” she wrote. 

I ordered an iced banana gingerbread latte with banana cold foam, one of their seasonal specials that I haven’t seen elsewhere.

More about Foxtail Coffee Co.: Besides the usual lineup of espresso bar options, drip coffee, and tea, Foxtail has a menu of Affogatos, scooped from their case of gelato. 

You can usually get gelato by the scoop, flight, or pint, but it wasn’t available on my Monday visit due to an issue with the case, the barista told me. 

Another reason to visit is their wide array of seating, both inside and outside. Indoors, a long rail that traces the perimeter is ideal for solo workers, while tables, high tops and some cushioned chairs. 

The patio is nearly as large as the indoor area, shaded with tables, chairs, and outdoor vignettes that would be just as comfy at someone’s house. 

The mural in last week’s newsletter is by Rachel Castaneda. 

It’s the first North Carolina location for the Orlando-based coffee roaster founded in 2016 in Winter Park (go Wildcats, if there are other WPHS grads reading this). 

Find it: Across from Apex Town Hall at 76 Hunter Street, Suite 112. Operating hours at 6:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily. 

The Line will be back in your inbox Tuesday!