From The Editors PEOPLE FIRST

Welcome to the first of our two 2023 Besties issues, in which we recognize the winners of a months-long, region-wide survey. This edition is dedicated to the local people and places that our most dedicated readers deemed the best of the best, whereas our summer issue will focus on the bars and restaurants Capital Regionites can’t stop talking about.

While we’ve been publishing the Besties for more than a decade, making them one of the longest-running regional awards, we thought this year was high time to give our people and places categories a facelift to better recognize the individuals that make this area such a wonderful place to live. Turn to page 22 to read about all the new categories we added this year and the winners of said categories.

Some other standout winners of the 2023 awards: photographer Morgan Campbell (page 16), Wintertime Wonderland (page 26), Choices Hair Studio and hairdresser Leeanne Shade (page 30), talk radio station WAMC (page 32), Cross Eyed Owl gift shop (page 34), Good Karma Studio (page 40) and Glampful, the area’s newest glamping destination (page 42). Congratulations to all of this year’s Bestie winners, and thank you to those who chose to support the Besties and CRL with the purchase of an ad in this issue. With your help, we can continue our mission to highlight the best of the best in the Capital Region for many years to come.

—The Editors