The 2022 Maggy Awards — chock-full of new winners, multi-category winners and perennial winners — was a raging success!
The Maggy Awards have been showcasing the very best of Western Wake since 2006, and the buzz surrounding the Maggy Awards gets louder every year. More than 7,700 Cary Magazine readers cast their votes in all four categories — restaurants, lifestyle, services and shopping — for a fantastic reveal that deserves to be celebrated!
Flip the page and meet the winners as Cary Magazine presents … the 2022 Maggy Awards!
Meet the Artist Behind the Maggys: Peak City Chalk
If you’ve got questions about the chalk-star behind the 2022 Maggy Awards, then we’ve got answers. Johna Ritchie, creator of Peak City Chalk, has garnered over 1,000 followers on Instagram thanks to her eye-catching chalk designs that she’s left all over town! In appreciation of her Maggy-inspired art, which can be seen on both the cover and throughout this month’s issue, we caught up with Ritchie to learn more about how Peak City Chalk got its start.
The Artist: I’m Johna Ritchie, a stay-at-home mom who moonlights as a chalk artist (as time allows)! I started doing calligraphy about four years ago as a side hobby for an artistic release when my kids were very little. When COVID hit, I decided to combine being outside with my kids (who were always home) with continuing my lettering. It opened up a totally new world of chalk art! I did murals for friends’ kids and murals on my street for my neighborhood to enjoy on their walks, and voila — Peak City Chalk was born. I’m still enjoying the journey!
Inspiration: I started with lettering about four years ago. It’s been a combo of self teaching and a few online courses. Spreading positive messages and energy is what it is about! I am inspired by so many things. I love studying all the different fonts and styles out there — it’s truly endless.
Favorite Design: My favorite design might be the “grateful” script lettering I did at the end of my road last fall. The setting and the space looked beautiful, and I really do feel grateful for Peak City Chalk and the new path it’s created for me!
Follow on Instagram @peakcitychalk
- 2022 Maggy Awards: Shopping
- 2022 Maggy Awards: Services
- 2022 Maggy Awards: Lifestyle
- 2022 Maggy Awards: Restaurants
- Presenting the 2022 Maggy Awards: Best of Cary Magazine
- Local Soil Mates
- Things to Do: April 2022
- Restaurant Profile: Big Mike’s BBQ
- Worth the Drive: Zeera Indian Restaurant
- Houseplants: Your New Best Fronds
- Small Business Spotlight: The Wine Merchant
- Nonprofit Spotlight: Friends of Hemlock Bluffs
- Liquid Assets: Why is Sally So Dangerous?
- Liquid Assets: Cary Gold from Bond Brothers Beer Company
- On Trend: Copperline Plant Co.
- Garden Adventurer: The Little Tomatoes