Closer to home, the drought that plagues the state is having a catastrophic effect on Cary’s water supply, Jordan Lake.

Each day, tens of millions of gallons from the lake evaporate. Lake levels continue to drop dangerously close to the top of the structure from which water is drawn for pumping to the treatment plant.

Unless we get a significant amount of rainfall and everyone adheres strictly to water conservation, Cary and neighboring communities may have no choice but to severely curtail—possibly even eliminate—outdoor automatic watering. This could happen in late August or early September and could last indefinitely.

Please do your part to meet the governor’s request .

Water no more than 8 minutes per zone per watering day. Remember, 1 inch of water per week, including rainfall, is sufficient. Monitor your irrigation system closely to make sure it performs efficiently. Repair leaks promptly.

We’ve got lots of tips for saving water. Call (919) 469-4090 or check Water Conservation under Current Projects at townofcary.org.

cable contest

The Town is doing this in an effort to retain its ability to intervene on customers’ behalf. The goal is to keep basic cable fees low.

The cable company has told the Federal Communications Commission that it should be free of such regulation because satellite dishes provide "effective competition."

Town Public Information Officer Susan Moran said cable and satellite service are not comparable.

Until another cable company offers true competition, she said, Town officials are obligated to do what they can to keep basic rates low.

A consultant will represent Cary citizens as necessary before the FCC.

exhibition season

Start saying goodbye to summer with the annual Lazy Daze Arts and Crafts Festival Saturday, Aug. 24 in downtown Cary.

The festival features hundreds of arts and crafts exhibitors, plus live music, a "Kid’s World" and tons of great food.

For a quarter century, people have filled streets of downtown for the event, one of the South’s premiere festivals. Lazy Daze runs from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Admission is free.

The best way there is to take one of the free shuttle buses running every 15 minutes from Cary Towne Center mall to Cary Elementary School. Look for shuttle bus parking signs. For more details, call (919) 469-4061.

Construction forced us to move the utility payment drop box across our parking lot. We show you where to show us the money with an online map at Services/Utility Bills/Utility Bill Payment Options.

an ace of a place

Construction is wrapping up on the Cary Tennis Center, a full-service complex next to Green Hope High School.

The $6.9 million tennis center will have locker rooms and showers, meeting rooms, a snack bar and pro shop. The 30 courts include a court for teaching and one with a grand stand.

Managing the center and tennis programs Town-wide will be a subsidiary of newyorktennis.net.

Tournaments and events at the center will be a draw for hotels, restaurants and stores.

See townofcary.org to learn more about the tennis center. It’s your money. We hope you’ll like your new place.

fuel charge

gas pump tips we won’t
give you any static about

Signs warn us to turn off the engine and not to smoke when refueling. But here’s a hazard you may not have heard about.

A recent study by the Petroleum Equipment Institute says gas station fires can also occur if people get into their cars while the nozzle is still in the tank and gas is pumping. When they get back out of their car and touch the nozzle, static electricity can ignite the gasoline vapors.

• Never get back into your vehicle until you have completely finished pumping gas.
• Never use a cell phone when pumping gas.
• If you absolutely must climb into your vehicle while the gas is pumping, make sure that when you get back out, you close the door and TOUCH THE METAL before pulling the nozzle out.
• Never refill a gas can in the bed of your truck or the trunk of your car. Sit the gas can on the ground instead.

Don’t take chances. "Stop static" and make sure you have a ground. Call Cary firefighters at (919) 469-4056 for more tips.

Cary’s government access channel has added satellite programming to supplement its lineup of government meetings and public affairs shows.

Cary TV programming now includes regular feeds from NASA and from Annenberg, a Corporation for Public Broadcasting service.

The focus continues on Town Council meetings and other local government business. We’ve added these programs to help you learn more about our world, even beyond our world. We want your channel to be useful all the time, not just sporadically.

For a monthly schedule and details, check the Cable TV Government Access Schedule in the News section at townofcary.org.

Amphitheatre at
Regency Park

Ticket Information

www.ticketmaster.com

(919) 834-4000

The second annual Circus Day at the Page-Walker will be Sunday, Sept. 8 from 4:30-6 p.m. in the Page-Walker garden on Town Hall campus. Admission is free.

Join two silly clowns, Blossom and Carly Jo, magician and illusionist Michael Creech, and juggler Micah Cover. Call (919) 460-4963 for directions and such.

Football season may be upon us, but they’ll be playing some basketball the weekend of Sept. 7-8 at Cary High School.

The Hot Hoops 3-on-3 street ball tournament is back for its 13th year. Hot Hoops is the oldest and largest continually-running tournament of its kind in the state. It is presented by the News & Observer and hosted by the Town. More than 200 teams competed last year.

Kidz Hoops is instructional play, fun, skills contests and competition for 8-12 year-olds.

Call (919) 469-4061 for more information about the event.