For the third year in a row, we asked readers of So Salem to pick The Best of Salem. The votes poured in; nearly double the number in 2010 and more than five times the number of votes we got our first year. So there’s a lot more competition. In some cases, we had repeat winners, we’ve noted those with an asterisk (*) who won last year, as well. Those with a double asterisk (**) have won all three years. But we also had some new winners — and some new categories, too.
So without further ado, here’s who you picked as this year’s Best Of . . .

Best place for breakfast
1. Famous Anthony’s**
2. Pancake House
3. Denny’s

Best coffee
1. Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea**
2. Starbucks
3. McDonald’s

* Best iced tea
1. McDonald’s**
2. Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea
3. Hardee’s

Best pizza
1. Frank’s**
2. Pizza Hut
3. Pizza Pasta Pit

Best place for lunch
1. Mac and Bob’s**
2. Macado’s
3. Famous Anthony’s

Best place for a fancy meal
1. Mama Maria’s**
2. Mac and Bob’s
3. The Blue Apron

Best restaurant to take the kids
1. Famous Anthony’s*
2. McDonald’s
3. Mac and Bob’s

Best happy hour
1. Macado’s**
2. Awful Arthur’s
3. Mac and Bob’s

Best place to buy wine – New category
1. Kroger
2. Countryside Classics
3. Amhrein’s Wine Cellars

Best place to go after a game
1. Mac and Bob’s**
2. Allsports Cafe
3. Macado’s

Best place for a first date
1. Mama Maria’s
2. Mac and Bob’s
3. Applebee’s

Best park
1. Green Hill Park
2. Longwood Park
3. The duck pond

Best place for a family hike
1. Green Hill Park**
2. McAfee’s Knob
3. Dragon’s Tooth

Best place to go for a bike ride
1. Green Hill Park**
2. Roanoke River Greenway
3. Carvins Cove

Best spot for a picnic
1. Green Hill Park*
2. Longwood Park
3. The duck pond

Best fishing spot
1. Roanoke River*
2. Green Hill Park
3. The duck pond

Best coach (school sports)
1. Randall Sell, Salem wrestling*
2. Hank Luton, Salem boys basketball
3. Brian Crockett, Glenvar

Best coach (non-school sports)
1. Paul Bowles, basketball and softball
2. Sherry Stinson, girls lacrosse
3. Larry Thomas, football

Best place to keep fit
1. YMCA**
2. Salem Fitness and Wellness
3. Curves

Best sports event
1. Salem High School football
2. Salem Red Sox
3. Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl

Best teacher
1. Christine Robertson, West Salem Elementary kindergarten
2. Brian Crockett, Glenvar Middle School life science
3. Amy Carpenter, G.W. Carver Elementary first grade

Best school staff member
1. Dr. Julie Myers, Glenvar Middle School principal
2. Lynn White, G.W. Carver Elementary front office staff
3. Lynne Shiveley, G.W. Carver Elementary front office staff

Best bus driver
1. Donna Stover, South Salem Elementary – Bowman, Mulberry, and Front Streets; Salem High – West Club, Diamond Road, Glen Eagle, Homestead.*
2. Cheryl Sweeney, West Salem Elementary from Thompson Memorial to High Street, Cherrywood, Red Lane, Broad Market to the hill to Pendleton to part of Valley Dale. Andrew Lewis – West Salem area
3. (tie) Patsy Obenchain: Glenvar High and Elementary School – crazy backroads all over the Glenvar area with her aide, Pam Woolwine.
”Miss Vickie” at West Salem Elementary – Vickie Waldron – ALMS and West Salem Elementary- Butt Hollow Road down to Main Street, Beverly Heights. Salem High – Karen Hills, Jones Circle, Rebecca and Constitution Streets.

Best school event – high school
1. Groovy Teens, Glenvar High School
2. Salem High School football
3. Prom

Best school event – elementary and middle school
1. Field day
2. Fort Lewis Carnival
3. Football

Best place for music lessons
1. Ridenhour
2. The Piano School
3. Christian Life International

Best place to go trick-or-treating
1. Woodbridge
2. Broad Street
3. Karen Hills and Langhorne Place (tie)

Best place to access wi-fi
1. Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea**
2. Starbucks
3. McDonald’s

Best reason for living in Salem
1. The people**
2. Schools
3. Community

Best place to take the kids for the day
1. Longwood Park**
2. Green Hill Park
3. Thunder Valley

Best church outreach program
1. Fellowship Community Church**
2. Community Christmas Store
3. Christian Life International

Best community event
1. Olde Salem Days**
2. Salem After Five
3. Salem Christmas parade

Best place to hear local music
1. Salem After Five
2. Awful Arthur’s
3. Fellowship Community Church

Best local politician
1. Lee Eubanks, business owner
2. Morgan Griffith, congressman
3. Greg Habeeb, state delegate

Best parks and rec activity
1. Salem After Five**
2. Rec sports
3. Movies at Longwood Park

Best event at Salem Civic Center
1. Salem Fair*
2. Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl
3. Concerts

Best apartment community
1. Stonegate Manor
2. Salem Wood Apartments
3. Riverwalk

Best customer service
1. Hair Designs Unlimited*
2. Speedee Oil Change
3. Jobe’s Florist

Best hair salon
1.Hair Designs Unlimited**
2. Pampered and Polished
3. Hollywood Hair & Nails

Best nail salon
1. Natural Nails*
2. Hollywood Hair & Nails
3. Tony’s Nails

Best place to get pampered
1. Hair Designs Unlimited*
2. Hollywood Hair & Nails
3. Pampered & Polished Salon and Day Spa

Best place to get a tattoo — new category
1. Asylum
2. Blue Lotus
3. Recon

Best car wash
1. $3 Car Wash**
2. Sheetz
3. Swif-T Quik Mart

Best place to get your car fixed
1. Pillis Brothers**
2. Speedee
3. General Imports of Salem

Best preschool or day care
1.Fellowship Community Church*
2. St. Anne’s Pre-school
3. Mini-World

Best dentist
1. Dr. G. Sprinkle, III
2. Dr. Nate Stephens
3. Dr. Caroline Wallace

Best family physician
1. Dr. Mark Taylor
2. Dr. John Priddy — West Salem Family Practice
3. Dr. Victor Bell

Best pharmacy
1. Brooks-Byrd
2. Walgreens
3. CVS

Best lawyer
1. Charlie Phillips
2. Skip Lautenschlager
3. Ray Byrd

Best plumber/electrician/home repair service
1.Cline Electrical
2. Don Driver
3. Mike Farmer

Best place to go for financial advice
1. Paul Curran (Edward Jones)
2. Larry Campbell (Fellowship Community Church)
3. Hyer Financial

Best lawn service or landscaping service
1. Tru Green
2. Lee Foley
3. GreenUP

Best place to shop for antiques
1. Charlotte’s Web**
2. Main Street Primitives
3. Buy the Season

Best bargains
1. Big Lots
2. Wal-Mart
3. KidStuff

Best place to buy unique gifts
1. Countryside Classics*
2. Buy the Season
3. Cornerstone Collectibles

Best place to buy fresh food
1. Salem Farmer’s Market**
2. Capt’n Paul’s Seafood
3. Kroger

Best frame shop
1. The Frame Connection
2. Graphics Etc
3. Picture Frame Outlet

Best place to buy tailgating supplies
1. Wal-Mart*
2. Gobbler Gear
3. Kroger

Best place to buy Salem gear
1. Spartan Silk Screen*
2. Walgreens
3. Wal-Mart

Best place to buy women’s fashions
1. Cato*
2. Millie’s
3. Because Girls Will Be Girls

Best dry cleaner
1. Skyline Cleaners**
2. Peacock Salem
3. VA Cleaners

Best jeweler
1. RM Johnson & Sons**
2. Amrhein’s — Main Street
3. Grandma’s Attic

Best florist
1. Jobe’s Florist**
2. King’s Florist
3. Marizel’s

Best veterinarian
1. DeRolf Animal Hospital**
2. Animal Care of Salem
3. Hanging Rock Animal Hospital

Best convenience store
1. Sheetz*
2. Apple Market
3. Quickway

Best insurance agent
1. Don Bishop**
2. Roger Rakes
3. Larry Willis

Best real estate agent
1. Egon Hofmann of Barker Realty
2. Doris Smith
3. Scooter Darnall of RE/MAX

Best real estate firm
1. Barker Realty
2. Young Realty
3. The Real Estate Group

Best pet grooming / pet sitting / pet boarding
1.Classy Pets
2. Carvins Cove Bed and Biscuit
3. About Pets Center

Best value for the money
1. KidStuff
2. Hair Designs Unlimited
3. The Ole Mule Hot Dog Company

Best place to buy a car
1. Hart Motors
2. Berglund Motors
3. General Imports of Salem

Best place to work — New category
1. Mini-World Child Care
2. Millie’s
3. Salon VeLuxe

Best new thing in Salem in the past year
Emeritus: The Ole Mule Hot Dog Company
1. The Blue Apron Restaurant and Red Rooster Bar
2. Lowe’s
3. Salem House Restaurant and Valley Sports Marketing (tie)

Best place to take relatives from out of town
1. The Ol’ Mule Hot Dog Company
2. The Homeplace
3. Mac and Bob’s

Best place to meet new people
1. The Ol’ Mule Hot Dog Company
2. Fellowship Community Church
3. Church

Best thing not on this list
1. The Ol’ Mule Hot Dog Company*
2. Home inspection companyHome Inspection Company / Person : Realty Inspection Group – Jason Rider
3.Greener Pastures Curbside Recycling

Here’s who won in 2010 and 2009.

Got an idea for a category we should add in 2012? Let us know!