Anticipation. Carly Simon wrote and sang about it. A food company sold ketchup to it. Some people enjoy its spirit of expectation. Others are too impatient to embrace it. Anticipation arrives through many avenues—including during January’s monthlong voting process for our annual Best of Lake Minnetonka readers’ poll.
The anticipation bug and a dose of curiosity hit me hard over the voting month. How many votes are in? Which categories are getting the most votes? How are the new categories fairing this round? Once the month ends and voting closes, it’s difficult for me to wait for the results, and I ping our digital editor with even more questions until all the votes are tabulated.
Patience can be its own reward, and finalists were posted online in March, so we all had a look-see into the top three or four vote-getters in each category. Now, we are happy to present the final list winners and runners up. We’re especially pleased to include new additions to our regular categories, more local leisure activities and the introduction of the Best of the West Metro and Discover Minnesota segments.
In that same article, you’ll notice that I share my byline with our readers and voters, who, with such enthusiasm and pride, supported our local and area businesses and services by casting their votes in the thousands for their top choices. It was their voices and choices that “wrote” the article.
While giving a nod to some of the area favorites is certainly an important element to the annual contest, the results often serve as a guide for residents and visitors, who are interested in learning about popular dining venues, retail spots, respected service providers and more around the lake and broader areas. Count me among those who refer back to the results when looking for new businesses or service providers.
Let’s not wait a moment longer—we are proud to bring you the Best of Lake Minnetonka 2023.
Until next month,
-Renée Stewart-Hester
