Cary’s generally the first and last stop on the way to and from the beach, so I’ll testify that it’s ‘darn near impossible’ to spot a store or restaurant from the road. I once pulled out of the McDonald’s parking lot in fear that I wouldn’t find a station before I ran out of gas, only at the last minute to notice the BP —-right next door.

So a neon sign spelling CARY is definitely a ‘punch line to a joke.’ Unfortunately the joke’s been on private business owners for years now.