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Cover illustration by Jeff Drew
FOOD
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DRINK
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ARTS+ ENTERTAINMENT
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SHOPPING
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SERVICES
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Outdoor+ RECREATION
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MEDIA
The Seven Daysies Awards are produced by:
PO Box, 1164, Burlington, VT 05401 • 802-864-5684 © 2014 Da Capo Publishing, Inc.
LOCALS PICK THE BEST OF VERMONT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/DAYSIES
hoa, Vermont — way to pick your favorite spots to eat, shop and recreate! More than 10,000 voters weighed in on the state’s 2014 “best-of” awards, with a whopping 650,000-plus individual votes in 177 categories. That’s a lot of love, all brought to you by Seven Days, the state’s alternative newsweekly. In this, our 12th year of hosting what we call “the Daysies,” we doubled the pleasure: In the first round, Vermonters nominated their favorites in categories from Thai food to tattoo artist, creemee to car dealer. Second, we tallied up the votes, selected up to five finalists in each category and offered those up for voting again. Turns out, we all like multiple choice. Not only that, but finalists like campaigning! Most of them got into the spirit, encouraging their fans to vote with signs in their store windows, posts on Facebook and (often hilarious) tweets. A note about the “Outside Chittenden County” section. In Vermont, the largest population is inside Chittenden County, so it’s tough for anyone outside to top the Burlington area (unless the category involves mountains). But in some instances — say, shoe store or pizza — the passionate swell of votes from outside Chittenden County justified separating the category. So that’s what that means. One more thing: Our “bonus” category this year contained 16 questions. We’ve sprinkled eight of the winners throughout this magazine. What’s the best place in Vermont to get naked? Look for it, people. Congrats to all the Daysies winners, perennials and newbies, and thanks to Seven Days readers — you’re the best. SEVEN DAYS STAFF
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