Today is the day many of you have been patiently waiting for: the announcement of the winners of the 2020 Best of the Pine Belt awards. In case you were not aware, under the umbrella of HubCitySPOKES, the same folks who bring you this newspaper also publish Signature Magazine. And Signature Magazine is so proud that FestivalSouth allows us to partner with them to bring you Best of the Pine Belt.
It’s very different this year. We delayed the announcement for a few months, and there was no black-tie event. But even in the midst of a pandemic quarantine, the Pine Belt voted. And voted. And voted some more. When it was all counted, 12,596 of you voted 370,966 times!
I have the opportunity to see how the voting played out. One thing that became apparent immediately is that, for most of the categories, there were very few votes separating the winners from the runners-up. In several cases, one vote determined the winner. So, congratulations are due to not just the winners but to all the people and businesses who earned a finalist position.
You can learn lot about a community by looking at the results of this admittedly unscientific poll. I learned that we like our beer and our dentists and our florists. All of these got a tremendous number of votes. I’m not sure what it says about us, but the category that earned the most votes was “Best Cheap Date.”
Hmmm...
The second most popular category for voting was “Best Local Business We Wish Were Still Open,” and when you see the winner, you will understand why.
So, how do you find out who won? We’re announcing the winners in all categories tonight at 7 p.m. We will be streaming on Facebook on the magazine’s Facebook page. You’ll also be able to see the entire list of finalists and winners in the September issue of Signature, which hits the streets tomorrow.
You won’t want to miss picking up your copy of this issue. It is our “Recognition” issue, and, along with Best of the Pine Belt, features stories on several local first responders. These stories will warm your heart and remind you yet again why this is an awesome place to live.
There is something very special about coming together to celebrate the people and businesses that make us unique, even if it is a virtual gathering. I dare you to peruse the winners in the Food category without getting hungry. No doubt this Pine Belt area is extraordinary.
We are disappointed that we couldn’t invite you to a party to celebrate Best of the Pine Belt this year.
But we are already planning for next year, so stay safe, mask up, and join us in congratulating the 2020 Best of the Pine Belt winners!
Christina Pierce is publisher of The Pine Belt News and Signature Magazine.
