A Month of Celebration!

Hello, Knightdale! June is going to be such an amazing month for our town, and I'm excited that it's following a month full of wonderful events and happenings. I'm so excited about the many positive things going on around town. I wanted to share just a few things going on with our citizens and community.

Harper Park Inclusive Playground

Has Its Grand Opening!

Knightdale has a new park amenity, the Harper Park Inclusive Playground, and I recently celebrated its grand opening and ribbon cutting with the town council and members of the Knightdale Community.

The playground was specifically designed to provide children of all abilities with a safe and fun place to play. It features a variety of inclusive equipment and amenities, including zero entry merry-go-round, inclusive swings, sensory play equipment, and so much more. 

The Harper Park Inclusive playground was made possible by generous donations from Wake Stone Corporation in memory of its founder, John Bratton, Jr. A commemorative stone was placed in the park in his honor. It's such a fitting dedication, and we in Knightdale are grateful to have Wake Stone as a corporate partner.

Thank you to everyone who came out to the grand opening, including Sam Bratton, President and CEO of Wake Stone Corporation; Representative James Roberson; Wake County Commissioner Chair Shinica Thomas; Wake County Commissioner Don Mial; Knightdale Councilors Mark Swan, Steve Evans and Latatious Morris; members of the Bratton family and all of the excited Knightdale kids and family. This is a great community resource that I know will be utilized every day! 

Knightdale Celebrates Its

Latin American Community

Knightdale enjoyed celebrating the best of Latin culture at our Latin American festival held in Knightdale Station Park!

The Town partnered with La Grande NC Radio for the event, and our collaboration created a very special event for the community.

So...how many people attended the event, you ask? An estimated 6,000 people attended the event throughout the day! Musical guests included Grupo Mojado, Kadencia, Los Rumberos, Ricardo Diques, and so many more. Festival attendees were treated to local Latin vendors, food trucks, and activities for kids. The weather was great, and everyone seemed to have a really good time.

The event was created as a part of Knightdale’s Strategic Plan to offer diverse quality community events in the town. This objective is a direct reflection of the “Connected & Inclusive” focus area of the Plan and directly reflects the Town’s commitment to providing inclusive programming and community events for its residents. We definitely look forward to having this event again next year!

Wake County Mayors Association

Visits Knightdale

Each month the Wake County Mayors Association meets in a city or town in the county to visit and see the local amenities. This past month the organization met in Knightdale, and we were so excited to show them all that Harper Park has to offer!

County Mayors were introduced to the various amenities at the park, including the pickleball courts as well as the new inclusive playground! Local kids from the community made sure we got a "real" experience with the equipment.

We then convened at First & Main for a meal and our monthly meeting. Town Manager Bill Summers spoke to the group about key highlights about Knightdale, and his discussion presented some keen insights into what makes our town in eastern Wake County shine.

As the president of the Wake County Mayors Association, I'm proud of all that Knightdale has to offer, and I was extremely elated to show much of it to the Mayors from around the county. Thanks to Phillip Bunton, Bill Summers and everyone who helped make this meeting a success!

Mayor Day Speaks At Community

Rainbow Tea

I was recently invited to be the guest speaker at the Deaconess Rainbow Tea at Malaby's Crossroads Missionary Baptist Church. It was a beautiful time with some great women from the community.

If you're not familiar, a rainbow tea is a gathering of women, typically in a church setting, who have the event as a fundraiser, charity event or women's ministry function. The colors worn usually represent one of the promises of God. I had a great time talking to the women and enjoying community. Special thanks go out to Kay Russell for the invitation to this event!

Knightdale Honors Its Military Heroes

May is Military Appreciation Month, and we in Knightdale were proud to honor the fallen military members in our community this year at our Memorial Day Ceremony in Knightdale Station Park.

This year our guest speaker was Lieutenant General John N.T. "Jack" Shanahan of the United States Air Force (Retired). Our pledge was led by Officer Dashun Moore of the Knightdale Police Department, and we were also joined by Reverend Dr. James Utley of Malaby's Crossroads Missionary Baptist Church.

I'm grateful to everyone who helped make this event a success, including Heather Smith, Knightdale Parks and Recreation, Two Green Thumbs Garden Club, and everyone who came out to honor our local military heroes.

Upcoming Events

I hope you can join me at the following Town events!

Knightdale's First Annual

African American Festival

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about anything going on in our amazing town of Knightdale!

Mayor Jessica Day