Within today’s edition of the LaGrange Daily News is our annual Best of the Best special section, which highlights the best food, drinks, restaurants, businesses, people, retail locations and much more in our community, as voted on by the people of the community.

This remains one of the most well-received sections we produce each year, and is eagerly anticipated by business owners and interested community members alike. The premise of the section is elegant in its simplicity; for two consecutive weeks each year, we run a daily, full-page ballot in the newspaper, listing out a wide array of categories, and allow the community to vote for their favorite establishments/people.

And the community responded. We received more nominations this year than we have in any year in recent memory, and with more than 150 categories represented, this provides an excellent cross-section of some of the businesses and people that make LaGrange and Troup County so special. While there are a massive amount of businesses doing great work that are not represented here, this provides a great overview.

With sections such as this one, we enjoy the chance to reflect the opinions of the community at large, offering a snapshot into the economic outlook of LaGrange and Troup County at this moment. There is value to be found in such an overview, and we’re happy to provide it.

To those businesses and individuals who find their names located within the pages of the section, we pass along our congratulations.

To those who are not on the list, we know that good work is still being done by you and within your walls, and we are proud to work alongside you as well. We wish you luck in the future.

For this year, however, the people have spoken. We encourage you to take a look.