Good morning Cary! Thanks so much for the feedback last week, early morning was by far the most popular vote so these emails will continue to send out with your first cup of coffee.

Today, I’d love to know if you have any interest in an online spot where you could chat about the newsletter, current events, or any Cary happenings.

Anyway, here’s what you can expect in Today’s issue:

— Mason from Cary Digest

If you've been following the ongoing story from this summer's state audit, there is a new way to keep track. A recently launched public dashboard for the city is tracking all 39 changes the State Auditor recommended after finding what the report called an "extravagant spending culture" under the former town manager.

As of Thursday evening (Sept. 10th), 2 of the 39 are done. The two so far intend to add oversight to how the budget gets amended, requiring written notice to the council before certain changes happen. The other 37 are in a research phase or have not yet begun.

The other 37 range from small fixes to big ones. All can be tracked via their ID numbers, some of the upcoming items include:

Want to keep track yourself? The dashboard is public below, just give it a moment to load and best view it on desktop if you can.

The festival has begun!

BEYOND: The Cary Film Festival started last night and runs through Sunday at The Cary Theater. If you haven’t made it out yet, here are some updates:

There are industry talks running through the event, tickets are available all weekend, and there are some really great pieces that I am looking forward to myself. I discovered one recently that takes place at a theater I grew up near and I know for a fact there is some great local talent on display as well.

Stop by, grab a bite, stay for trivia on Saturday night, and enjoy the weekend!

P.S. Want to advertise in Cary Digest this month? Reply to this email or reach out at [email protected]!

If you're doing the film festival this weekend, you're going to end up at BREW one way or another given the location. Why? Because BREW is the coffee bar built right into The Cary Theater!

Back in 2016, the town approached the owners about recreating their Raleigh coffeehouse location inside the theater's space. Because of the unique location, you end up with a spot that serves coffee and popcorn in the same room (at least when the theater has an event).

Owner Mike Sholar has also been an advocate for years that downtown spaces like this work on relationships, not competition. Something we believe as well. A WRAL story cites reports him being close to the team over at Bond Brothers and Pharmacy before the venture ever even began. Good business downtown helps everyone in the area.

Hours run 7 to 5 weekdays and 8 to 5 on weekends, but times may vary if the theater has an event. This week, I imagine they will be open a lot.

A quarter century of buses in Cary, and the whole system is still fare free. If you haven't ridden in a while, the GoCary app shows buses in real time and lets you map your route around town.

If you aren’t staying at the film festival all weekend, here are a few other great things to check out around town:

Friday, September 11th: BEYOND: The Cary Film Festival, Day 2 - Workshops during the day with evening screenings · The Cary Theater hosts the film festival downtown. Every block ends with a filmmaker Q&A, so stick around to learn more.

Saturday, September 12th: Cary Farmers Market - 8AM to 12PM · East Park Street near Downtown Cary Park Back to normal this week, no road closures this week.

Saturday, September 12th: Carolina Circus Festival - 3PM to 10PM · Downtown Cary Park Great Lawn Free circus event on the Great Lawn with aerialists, workshops you can try, food trucks, and fire performances after dark. Run by a nonprofit raising mental health awareness in the performance community.

Saturday, September 12th: Whiskey, Wine & Fire Festival - 5PM · Koka Booth Amphitheatre is home to a ticketed tasting festival with open fire grills, commemorative glassware, open fire cooking, and live bluegrass/americana music.

Saturday, September 12th: College Football at Sports & Social - All day · Fenton, reserve a table Every game on a 42-foot screen, with Saturday specials running all day, including drink deals for your table on pitchers, buckets, and towers.

Sunday, September 13th: Fenton Art Festival - 11AM to 5PM · Fenton Square has more than 50 fine artists selling original work in oils, watercolor, sculpture, and more, plus hands-on stuff all day. Free to wander and a great excuse to get out on Sunday.

Sunday, September 13th: Jazz'd Up Sundays: The Way You Make Me Feel - 5:30PM to 7PM · Downtown Cary Park Great Lawn Michael Jackson and Jackson 5 songs reimagined through jazz, soul, and R&B. Join vocalist Niki Haris, who sang for two decades behind Madonna. This event is a free but bring your own chairs or blankets.

Thursday, September 17th: Cary Dinner Club - 6:30PM - Grab a seat at a Cary Digest event with a table of neighbors you haven't met yet. No pressure because everyone showed up for the same reason as you did. A few seats still left at each table as we start to match folks. If you've been on the fence, signups close soon.

Heading into Raleigh instead? Check out our sister newsletter at The Raleighwood Inbox for a full list of things to do over there as well.

Thanks for reading Cary Digest! If you enjoyed the newsletter, please share it with a friend! If you’ve read a few issues, and want to support local, please considering buying a paid subscription to help us keep sending these out every week.