On any given spring or summer day you may find these geese strolling along the side of Red Hill on West Chatham Street in Apex NC. The geese have become a regular part of the character of that area and they frequent the small pond just up the hill from this scene.
In May and June of each year the hill in the right of the picture comes alive when the Erin's Prairie daylily flowers come into full bloom.
During winter months Red Hill, a name that goes back to the 1940s-60s, was a favorite place for local sledders when winter days were short and snow blanketed the town. The hill was routinely blocked off by local police for a day or two, depending on the severity of the snow, and sledders from all over town would flock to the spot to race down the steep hill. Many a run down the hill would end in the ditch on either side or sometimes lead to crashing into a tree along the way. Rarely did anyone ever get seriously hurt, much to the surprise of the many that raced down the hill.
Even during modern times, the hill continues to be a destination location for sledders on the occasional day when a deep snow falls around the town. This has truly become one of the places where memories are made and remains a site for one of the traditions locals remember long after they have grown up and found other activities to bide their time.
1 comment:
John- I remember sledding on Red Hill! There were lots of good places to sled between our house and Red Hill, so we seldom made it that far, but when we did, we thought we were in a toboggen at the Olympics!
When I was a teenager a snow storm hit one morning. I was driving my dad's old Corvair and drove up Red Hill. It had just started snowing so I made it up the hill, but the blizzard was so strong I couldn't see past the front of the car. Being a teenager, though, I thought I could do it from memory. So I gunned it up the hill and was near the top when it hit me that I was being REALLY stupid. So I stopped the car, got out, and decided to find a place to park until the visibility improved. I walked to the front of the car and discovered that I was about 5-10 feet from hitting another car parked on the side of the road. The car belonged to someone I knew from the church. I realized then how lucky I was. My father would not have been happy had I smashed another car doing something this stupid. -Warren Holleman
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