There s no lake in Woodlake anymore. The pair of golf courses that drew residents and visitors alike to this gated Moore County community are overgrown with tumbles of long, brown grass, the holes marked by metal signs that serve as a relic of what nature and neglectful owners took away.
Woodlake has seen better days, but there s hope for the future. That hope started around two years ago when a group of residents, frustrated over the prior property owners lack of attention and investment, saw the need for a place for the community to gather and knew if they wanted to see it happen, they d have to take it into their own hands.
Jamaican Vibez, which opened in Fayetteville in 2013, is moving to a new, more prominent location in the city and is planning on opening a second location late this summer.
The restaurant is moving from its current spot at 195 Starpoint Drive in Westover to 306 N. McPherson Church Road in the site formerly occupied by Roly Poly Sandwiches, which closed in September.
Vibez co-owner Katan Chapatwala said the new location will be open by the beginning of May. Chapatwala expects the current location to remain operating until the new spot opens.
The stewed oxtails, jerk chicken, curried goat and other Jamaican fare aren t going anywhere. Chapatwala said the new restaurant will have a larger kitchen and buffet area that ll mean more options available on a daily basis. The North McPherson Church Road location will also have a drive-thru window.
March 17, 2020, will be a day restaurant owners in North Carolina won t soon forget.
That was the day Gov. Roy Cooper announced that as of 5 p.m. that day, restaurants and bars across the state must close their doors to dine-in customers and switch exclusively to takeout and delivery due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Some restaurants around Fayetteville, already built to accommodate these unprecedented changes, saw sales increase. But for many, it was like their business fell off a cliff.
Restaurants had to totally change their business models, pivoting to offering groceries, online cooking classes and other ways to serve their customers while struggling to stay afloat. Many restaurants closed some permanently.
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Here s a look at what downtown Fayetteville has planned:
Hoppin Around
A virtual Easter egg hunt! More than 30 participating businesses will have large blue and white eggs on display in their front windows. Take a picture with each egg and send it to submissions@CoolSpringFay.org to be entered into a drawing for a $50 downtown Fayetteville gift card, a pair of tickets to Oedipus Rex at the Gilbert Theater and other prizes. Hoppers have until 5 p.m. Monday to enter.
Meet Honey, the Bunny
Get a photo with the Easter bunny! Honey will be downtown Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m.