What’s Up, Wake covers the people, places, restaurants, and events of Wake County, North Carolina. Through conversations with local personalities from business owners to town staff and influencers to volunteers, we’ll take a closer look at what makes Wake County an outstanding place to live. Presented by Cherokee Media Group, the publishers of local lifestyle magazines Cary Magazine, Wake Living, and Main & Broad, What’s Up, Wake covers news and happenings in Raleigh, Cary, Morrisville, Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, and Wake Forest.
Publisher
The Publishers of Cary Magazine, Wake Living, and Main & Broad
Ghosts of the Triangle: Local Legends & Spooky Stories with Liz Pardue
Our host, Melissa, welcomes storyteller Liz Pardue for a Halloween-week conversation about spooky local history and legends. Liz shares how she started storytelling and highlights tales from her book Fuquay-Varina Ghost Legends and Lore, including the assassination of Fuquay mayor and doctor Wiley Cozart in 1952 and reports of his wife Pauline’s perfumed presence at their home. She discusses a recent-looking “ghost gal” near Duncan Junction, the haunted Heck-Andrews House, the Devil’s Tramping Ground in Chatham County, and a Fuquay home rumored to have a portal. Liz also mentions avoiding one murder-related house, choosing Dorothea Dix for a potential investigation, naming André Leon Talley as someone she’d want to meet, and promoting her Keep NC Weird tour and online channels.
00:00 Local Sponsor Spots
01:17 Show Intro Halloween Theme
02:53 Liz Storytelling Origins
04:01 Fuquay Ghost Pauline
07:27 Modern Spirits Folklore
09:00 Heck Andrews Haunting
11:16 Devils Tramping Ground
16:49 Fuquay Portal House
18:52 Places To Avoid Alone
21:39 Dorothea Dix Investigation
25:09 Summon Andre Leon Talley
26:37 Keep NC Weird Tour
28:37 Spaghetti The Mummy
30:50 Follow Liz Book Links
32:15 Closing Credits
22 Oct 2026
The Greatest of All Time: Meet Wake County’s Goats with Smith Farm Goat Sanctuary and Goats on the Go
What’s Up Wake Episode 81 gets a little wild as Melissa talks all things goats with Stephen Paul, director of Goats on the Go. Stephen shares how he went from corporate IT in London and Australia to using goats for regenerative land management and brush clearing.
With around 150 goats working across the Triangle, Stephen explains how the goats are divided into different herds and sent to properties to clear unwanted vegetation without gas-powered equipment. The conversation covers some of their most unusual projects, including work at Dix Park and a surprising partnership with a tiger rescue, where the goats helped provide enrichment for the tigers while also managing vegetation.
Melissa and Stephen also talk about what goats will and will not eat, the importance of checking properties for plants like azaleas, rhododendrons, and laurels, and how goat owners keep track of their herds with GPS trackers. Stephen even shares the story of one particularly determined goat who escaped in North Hills and was eventually caught by an animal control officer who happened to be someone he had previously gone on a date with.
From regenerative farming to goat escapes, hidden hazards, and the realities of bringing goats to public events, this episode proves there is a lot more to goats than meets the eye.
Next, Jesi Wilde (founder) and Lauren Cantwell (operations manager) discuss Smith Farm Goat Sanctuary in Fuquay-Varina, its growth to 59 goats, daily care needs, common surrender reasons (including HOA changes and lone goats), goat personalities, major expenses like perimeter fencing, and ways to support the nonprofit via smithfarmgoatsanctuary.org, sponsorships, volunteering, events, and social media.
00:00 Smart Blinds Intro
00:39 Local Sponsor Spots
01:55 Goat Episode Setup
02:19 Meet Goats on the Go
02:55 Steven’s Origin Story
06:01 Herd Life and Home Base
08:23 Projects and Logistics
09:16 Dix Park and Tiger Rescue
12:24 Why Goats Beat Mowers
13:45 Weird Requests and Goat Diapers
15:54 Escape Goat Storytime
18:57 What Goats Won’t Eat
23:56 Sanctuary Segment Intro
24:47 Meet Smith Farm Team
25:28 Lauren’s Volunteer Path
27:05 Jesi’s Founding Story
29:31 Rusty Farm Beginnings
29:49 TikTok Goat Goes Viral
30:24 Goat Fest Momentum
30:39 Launching the Nonprofit
31:42 Goat Care Reality Check
33:26 Rescue Intakes and HOAs
34:07 Why Goats Need Friends
35:33 From Diapers to Pasture
36:46 Meet the Herd Leaders
38:35 Kevin the Protector
40:39 Daily Farm Operations
42:48 Fence Repairs and Priorities
44:43 How to Support the Sanctuary
45:15 Sponsorships and Memberships
48:26 Thanks and Wrap Up
15 Oct 2026
The Other Side of Raleigh: Tyree Dudley Shares the Stories of Raleigh’s Unhoused Community
What’s Up Wake features Tyree Dudley, founder of The Other Side of Raleigh, an organization working to connect with Raleigh’s unhoused community and bring attention to stories that often go unnoticed.
Tyree shares how he moved from New Jersey to Raleigh to expand his marketing and branding business, only to discover a much bigger purpose while working downtown near Moore Square. After building relationships with people experiencing homelessness, he began sharing their stories on social media. One of his first videos reached 130,000 views and led to community members immediately stepping up to meet the needs being shared.
The conversation explores the misconceptions surrounding homelessness and why understanding someone’s story matters. Tyree explains how The Other Side of Raleigh works to bridge the gap between people who want to help and people who need help, while also connecting the community with organizations such as Oak City Cares, the Carter Clinic, and Healing Transitions.
Tyree also talks about the Community Makeover, an event that gave 10 community members a day focused on feeling seen and valued. From haircuts and new clothes to shopping, dining, and spending time together, the experience created new friendships and gave participants a chance to feel like part of the community.
The episode also looks at Raleigh’s rapid growth, rising housing costs, the role of government, and Tyree’s hope to eventually expand The Other Side of Raleigh beyond Raleigh to other communities. He shares how the organization has grown far beyond what he originally expected and why he believes the best approach is to take things day by day.
Tyree explains how people can get involved through donations and volunteering at theothersideofraleigh.org, and shares plans for an upcoming car giveaway.
00:00 Presented By
00:10 Bloomin' Blinds Raleigh
00:39 Local Sponsor Spots
01:53 Homelessness Spotlight Setup
02:35 Meet Tyree Dudley
03:23 From Marketing To Mission
05:00 First Story Goes Viral
06:38 Why Other Side Raleigh
08:53 Misconceptions About Homelessness
12:01 Community Steps Up
13:01 Amanda Lamb Joins In
13:56 Making People Feel Seen
18:17 Partnering With Local Nonprofits
19:09 Community Makeover Event
20:13 Giving Back on Birthday
21:01 Makeover Day Emotions
22:36 Next Event Upgrades
23:14 Community Do Gooders
23:53 What Government Can Do
25:57 Raleigh Growth and Displacement
28:12 Bigger Than Raleigh Vision
29:08 How You Can Help
29:38 Five-Year Goals
31:05 Donations, Volunteers, and Car Giveaway
31:59 Where to Follow and Wrap Up
Who has been a guest on What’s Up, Wake
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Jamie Gallagher
Adrien King
Meagan H Jacobs
Dr Jonathan Leake
David Bohm
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.4 / 5
7 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 55 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
99
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
31
Contact What’s Up, Wake
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about What’s Up, Wake
Who hosts What’s Up, Wake?
Melissa host the show. Published by The Publishers of Cary Magazine, Wake Living, and Main & Broad.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does What’s Up, Wake take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
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