Regarding the Lazy Daze Arts &Crafts Festival ["Lazy Daze Makes a Splash," Aug. 26]:

Not only was the weather horrendous, but the quality of the crafts and vendors this year was vastly lacking from that of previous years. There is a definite lack of variety with endless booths of pottery, jewelry and art prints.

The Triangle area is filled with so many unique and talented artisans with a wide variety of wares, so why all the repetition of the same tired old subjects?

What a bore.

This year's Lazy Daze was a great disappointment and caused me, a lifelong Cary resident, immense embarrassment and shame.

I only saw the worst side of Cary residents come out on that day, being disgruntled by the harsh [rainy] conditions and lack of town officials' judgment to postpone the event. What kind of example does this set for our community? What are we paying you for?

Every event I have ever attended for the city of Raleigh went off without a hitch on a beautiful day. Perhaps you should take a lesson from the city of Raleigh event planners, or at the very least watch a weather report, before deciding to carry on with a festival when a storm is passing through the Triangle.

Going forward, I only hope that you will implore better planning and judgment on behalf of your townspeople.

Garland Martin Cary

Is it the color, or just Ollie's?

I find it surprising you would attribute the growing traffic to Cary's Village Square solely on the new signage ["Signs getting more colorful," Aug. 26].

While writing your story, perhaps you noticed Performance Bicycle's new neighbor: Ollie's Bargain Outlet.

It's located immediately next door to Performance Bicycle, opened April 1 of this year. Ollie's is a destination for many people, traveling miles out of their way to visit.

If you asked these many fans, you would find Ollie's has probably helped increase the traffic to this area like nothing else has done.

Theresa Row Cary

The author is a manager at Ollie's Bargain Outlet

Fire station, tire station

I would like to give a special thank you to the guys at Fire Station No. 3 on Kildare Farm Road.

Recently, I had a flat tire, and pulled into the station to check for damage. After being told it would take about 45 minutes for a service vehicle to arrive, I began to see if I could change the tire.

My 15-year-old daughter was in the back seat. I was approached by one of the firemen, and asked if I needed help. Within minutes, the firemen removed my flat, and installed my spare.

My daughter was escorted into the building, where she could cool off and relax. After my tire was replaced, they even added air to my spare.

Cary is lucky to have firefighters like these. I know their job description does not include changing tires.

Bill Davenport Cary

Putting money in the bank

The Town Council's recent gift of $75,000 of our tax money to Deutsche Bank ["Cary hands out cash for jobs," Aug. 26] proves that only Councilman Don Frantz, the sole objector, thinks and acts responsibly.

The Cary Town Council provided Deutsche Bank with about two minutes worth of additional revenue. That will really help their bottom line. I'd bet they'll use the money to buy Cuban cigars to celebrate; they'll sure have a good laugh over this, at our expense.

There can be no logical reason for Cary to flush our tax money on something like this, especially given the debt we're carrying.

I'd sure hate to have my name associated with such corporate welfare during our current economic meltdown.

Governments should not be in the business of picking winners and losers in business -- that's what free markets do.

If the town is truly interested in promoting job growth, it would tighten its belt, cut out all the fat in our budget and help lower taxes.

Kent Misegades Cary