The results of the annual Sonoma Valley Sun “Best Of” poll grace our pages this week with a cadre of predictable regulars triumphing yet again but also some unexpected surprises as well. In all seriousness, the poll is anything but. It is quite simply folly – something fun for us to do and hopefully you, our readers as well. A lighthearted way to celebrate all the great things that our town has to offer.
Speaking of offering, in other areas of the paper this week, the news is of successful giving that will significantly boost one non-profit’s coffers come May. One lucky organization will be awarded an astonishing $100,000 grant from Impact100 Sonoma, an amount of money almost impossible to comprehend in these lean times. Hopefully this doesn’t mean that people have scaled back and are giving less to other organizations or in other areas. Our wish would be for everyone to survive and thrive as we come together to support each other and our town during the current recession.
And while one organization shares news of money to give, another local business is dealing with things taken away. The terrible web of credit card fraud has ricocheted through our Valley in recent weeks, wreaking havoc on not just one but several Sonoma businesses. News reports implicated just one local restaurant but police evidence points to a few others where the fraud could have occurred. Hard to point a finger at just one with such conflicting evidence. Luckily, for the business named, sales shot up showing that again, support is what we all need in tough times.
Sticking together is what we can do to show we care for those around us. So patronize your favorite places around the Valley and then, let our poll be your guide to perhaps, try something new, spreading that support a little bit further.
Editor’s picks: The inside scoop
The Sonoma Valley Sun would like to thank everyone who voted in our poll this year. The results to the official poll appear on pages 20 and 21. We’ve taken the liberty of our conducting on our in-house poll with new, funny and downright strange categories. Here then are our picks:
– Our favorite mobile food: A Taste of a Gyro
– Our favorite place to steal pens: Girl & the Fig
– Favorite outdoor fire pit: Roche Winery tasting room
– Best non-food drive-thru: Sonoma Valley Bank – lollis for the kids, snacks for the dogs
– Favorite unknown person who’s actually well-known: Jean at the Swiss Hotel
– Favorite unconventional athlete: The Dancing Jogging Lady
– Best employee-owned newspaper in town: The Sonoma Valley Sun
