Best of the Valleys 2017

The inaugural Best of the Valleys contest was a huge success, if we do say so ourselves.

This year we had 18 categories selected by the Seeley Swan Pathfinder staff. Hundreds of people voted in the online poll or filled out an accidentally shortened paper version-257 to be exact-nearly a quarter of our readership.

All categories were write-ins. The results are in and the first, second and third place winners were selected based on your votes.

If you're disappointed in the results, missed your chance to vote or are horrendously upset that we missed out on a key category, don't worry. The contest isn't going away and you'll have plenty of time to get ready to vote next summer.

We have already begun thinking about next year's contest. We noticed that the "Health and Fitness" category might be better phrased as "Health and Wellness." Our intention was to include more of the health businesses in the area such as pharmacy, massage therapists and Medical Center.

We plan to add a few new categories and are considering Best Convenience Store, Best Teacher and Best Auto Shop/Mechanic. If you would like to suggest categories for next year please email pathfinder@seeleylake.com with "Best Of" in the subject line.

We would like to note that the views expressed in the results are not those of the Pathfinder staff but reflect the voices of our readers.

Last, but not least, we want to THANK YOU for all the responses and support for our inaugural Best of the Valleys Readers' Choice Awards. The "Best Of" contest could not happen without all the businesses and their supporters. Without voters, this project would not be possible.

We hope you enjoy reading about this year's winners and go visit the Best of the Valleys.

THANK YOU!