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For the fourth year in a row, we asked readers of SWoCo to pick The Best of Southwest Roanoke County. The votes poured in; nearly 50 percent more than last year and nearly nine times the number our first year. So there’s a lot more competition.In some cases, we had new winners; in other we had repeat winners. Those who have won two years in a row are noted with a double asterisk (**), those who have won three years in a row get three, and those who have won all four years are identifed with four asterisks.
So without further ado, here’s who you picked as this year’s Best Of . . .

Best place to go trick-or-treating
1. The Gardens and Groves***
2. Tanglewood Mall
3. Penn Forest

Best place to take relatives from out of town
1. Mill Mountain Star****
2. Downtown Roanoke
3. Froth

Best place to meet new people
1. Church****
2. Downtown Roanoke
3. Froth

Best park
1. Penn Forest Elementary School Park
2. Garst Mill Park
2. Elmwood Park

Best reason for living in Southwest Roanoke County
1. Schools
2. The people
3. Community spirit

Best place to take the kids for the day
1. Mill Mountain Zoo***
2. Jump!
3. Green Ridge Recreation Center

Best church outreach program
1. Church of the Holy Spirit
2. Cave Spring Baptist Church
3. Rescue Mission

Best community event
1. Cave Spring High School Jazz Cafe
2. Festival in the Park
3. Project Faith – Faith Christian School

Best local politician
1. Greg Habeeb, state legislator
2. Bob Goodlatte, congressman
3. David Bowers, Roanoke mayor

Best parks and rec. activity
1. All recreation sports
2. Green Ridge Recreation Center
3. Summer Camps and Greenways (tie)

Best new thing in Swoco in the past year
1. South Roanoke County Library
2. Froth coffee shop
3. Greener Pastures Curb Side Pick-Up for Recycle Materials

Best teacher
1. Danielle Johnson – North Cross
2. Tiffany Sakaguchi – Cave Spring Middle School
3. Heather Slaughter – North Cross School

Best school staff member
1. Anne Currin – Cave Spring Elementary Administrative Assistant
2. Dr. Linda Wright – Penn Forest Elementary
3. Mary Beth Gregg – Cave Spring Elementary Mr. Boyer – Cave Spring Middle

Best bus driver
1. Grover Plunkett
2. Ruby Craft – CSHS, CSMS, and Penn Forest
3. Penny Robertson – Oak Grove

Best coach (school sports)
1. Cory Carroll – Hidden Valley High School girls soccer in 2011
2. James Brown – North Cross School
3. Tim Fulton- Cave Spring High School

Best coach (non-school sports)
1. Cory Carroll – Roanoke Star Soccer**
2. Mark Meyer – Roanoke Star
3. Ricky Gregg – baseball

Best school event – high school
1. Football
2. Project Faith – Faith Christian School
3. Cave Spring High School Prom

Best school event – elementary and middle school
1. Pumpkins on the Playground at Penn Forest
2. Project Faith – Faith Christian School
3. Cave Spring Elementary Carnival

Best place for a family hike
1. Mill Mountain Star Trail**
2. Peaks of Otter
3. McAfee Knob

Best place to go for a bike ride
1. The greenways**
2. Blue Ridge Parkway
3. Carvin’s Cove

Best spot for a picnic
1. Blue Ridge Parkway
2. Mill Mountain
3. Garst Mill Park

Best sporting moment of the past year
1. CSHS winning volleyball state championship
2. North Cross School winning football state championship
3. Cave Spring Football and Hidden Valley Football (tie)

Best place for breakfast:
1. Famous Anthony’s****
2. The Roanoker
3. IHOP

Best coffee:
1. Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea****
2. Starbucks
3. Dunkin’ Donuts

Best place to access wi-fi:
1. Panera Bread****
2. Barnes & Noble
3. Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea

Best pizza:
1. Grace’s Place Pizzeria
2. Frank’s Pizza
3. New York Pizza

Best place for lunch:
1. Burger in the Square
2. Wildflour
3. Brambleton Deli

Best place for a fancy meal:
1. Carlos****
2. Frankie Rowland’s
3. 419 West

Best place to hear local music:
1. Blue 5**
2. Brambleton Deli
3. Kirk Ave. Music Hall

Best restaurant to take the kids:
1. Chuck E. Cheese’s**
2. Macado’s
3. El Rodeo

Best happy hour:
1. 419 West
2. Macado’s
3. Annie Moore’s

Best Place to Buy Wine:
1. Kroger**
2. The Wine Gourmet
3. Mr. Bill’s Wine Cellar

Best place to go after a game:
1. Buffalo Wild Wings***
2. Brambleton Deli
3. Mac & Bob’s

Best place for a first date:
1. Montano’s***
2. Carlos
3. 419 West

Best place to buy fresh food:
1. Fresh Market****
2. Downtown Farmer’s Market
3. Kroger

Best pharmacy:
1. CVS**
2. Kroger
3. Walgreens

Best convenience store:
1. Country Store on Starkey****
2. Sheetz
3. 7-Eleven

Best hair salon:
1. Country Hair Saloon
2. Onyx
3. Glo Salon

Best nail salon:
1. Perfect Nails***
2. Beauty Bar
3. Polished by Claire V.

Best place to get pampered:
1. Azario Salon
2. Pure Spa
3. Salon Del Sol

Best place to keep fit:
1. The Roanoke Athletic Club****
2. Gold’s Gym
3. YMCA

Best place to shop for antiques:
1. Black Dog Salvage**
2. Roanoke Antiques Mall
3. Buy The Season

Best place to buy unique gifts:
1. Chocolatepaper****
2. Two and A Half Sisters
3. Steger Creek

Best place to buy women’s fashions:
1. TJMaxx
2. Stein Mart
3. Belk

Best jeweler:
1. Fink’s****
2. Jewells Fine Jewelry
3. Two and A Half Sisters

Best florist:
1. George’s Flowers***
2. Stritesky’s
3. Petal Pushers

Best frame shop:
1. A.C. Moore
2. Brambleton Frame Shop
3. Frame N Things

Best bargains:
1. TJ Maxx****
2. Goodwill
3. Two and A Half Sisters

Best dentist:
1. Dr. Gary Roach
2. Hunting Hills Dentistry
3. Dr. Scott Ward

Best family physician:
1. Dr. Donald Smith of Brambleton Family Medicine***
2. Dr. Nina Sweeney of Roanoke Partners in Health
3. Dr. Ella Youngblood

Best lawyer:
1. John Lichtenstein**
2. Doug Wilson
3. Mark Skolrood

Best place to go for financial advice:
1. BB&T***
2. SunTrust
3. Jason Bialek of Atlantic Mortgage

Best insurance agent:
1. Steve Nash of Allstate**
2. Mark Meyer of Allstate
3. Brian Evans of State Farm

Best builder: *New Category
1. Simpson
2. Al Cooper
3. David James Homes

Best plumber/electrician/home repair service:
1. Richardson Plumbing and Heating***
2. Nelson Repair and Maintenance
3. Wisler Plumbing

Best lawn or landscaping service:
1. Varsity Landscaping & Grounds****
2. Langford’s Lawns & Such
3. TJS Enterprises

Best dry cleaner:
1. Cave Spring Cleaners
2. Wheeler’s Fast Service Laundry and Cleaning
3. Air-Lee Cleaners

Best car wash:
1. Tanglewood Auto Wash***
2. Brambleton Car Wash
3. Southern Classic Car Wash

Best place to buy a car:
1. Brambleton Imports**
2. Berglund Automotive
3. First Team Auto Mall

Best place to get your car fixed:
1. Cave Spring Auto Body****
2. Crescent Heights
3. Brambleton Auto

Best place for music lessons:
1. Kelley’s Music****
2. The Bandroom
3. Martin Music Services

Best preschool or day care:
1. Cave Spring Baptist***
2. HoneyTree
3. Country Bear Day School

Best apartment community:
1. Sunscape Apartments***
2. The Pines Apartments
3. Pebble Creek Apartments

Best real estate firm/brokerage:
1. Lichtenstein Rowan Realtors
2. Long & Foster Realtors
3. MKB Realtors

Best real estate agent:
1. Callie Dalton of Long & Foster
2. Glenna Bannister of Long & Foster
3. Vickie Clarke of Long & Foster

Best veterinarian:
1. Big Lick Veterinary Services
2. Cave Spring Veterinary Clinic
3. Roanoke Animal Hospital

Best pet grooming/pet sitting/pet boarding service:
1. Hair of the Dog with Lorie Bowling
2. Clip & Dip
3. Yuppie Puppie

Best tattoo studio:
1. Star City Tattoos****
2. Asylum Tattoos
3. Danny’s Ancient Art

Best thing not on this list:
1. Easy Green Curbside Recycling
2. Greener Pastures Curbside Recycling
3. Cabinetry with TLC

Here’s who won in 2011 and 2010 and 2009.

This is the final weekend to vote in the 4th annual Best of Southwest Roanoke County reader awards.The voting closes at midnight on Sunday.

You can find the voting form right here (or over in the right-hand rail.)

We’ll publish the results in our April 20 print edition.

A few new wrinkles: To make it easier to vote, we’ve gone ahead and listed the top six finishers last year in the business categories — although, as always, you can cast a write-in vote if your favorite isn’t already listed.

If you’ve got someone or some thing you think should be recognized, feel free to start a campaign to drum up votes.

Is there someone or something who should be recognized who doesn’t fit into a category? We always have our “best thing not on this list.”

Happy voting!

Here’s who won in 2011 and 2010 and 2009.

Got friends in other places? We also have Best Of contests underway in Salem, Botetourt County, and the New River Valley.

Fewer than five days are left to vote in the 4th annual Best of Southwest Roanoke County reader awards.

The voting closes at midnight on Sunday.

You can find the voting form right here (or over in the right-hand rail.)

We’ll publish the results in our April 20 print edition.

A few new wrinkles: To make it easier to vote, we’ve gone ahead and listed the top six finishers last year in the business categories — although, as always, you can cast a write-in vote if your favorite isn’t already listed.

If you’ve got someone or some thing you think should be recognized, feel free to start a campaign to drum up votes.

Is there someone or something who should be recognized who doesn’t fit into a category? We always have our “best thing not on this list.”

Happy voting!

Here’s who won in 2011 and 2010 and 2009.

Got friends in other places? We also have Best Of contests underway in Salem, Botetourt County, and the New River Valley.

What’s the best place in Southwest Roanoke County to take relatives from out of town?

You tell us!

In years past, voters have interpreted that broadly — and picked places that, um, aren’t in Southwest Roanoke County.

Last year, voters picked Mill Mountain, the Roanoke Farmer’s Market and The Homeplace restaurant.

In 2010, voters chose the Mill Mountain Star, downtown Roanoke, and the Homeplace.

In 2009, the top three were actually a top four. Mill Mountain took first; there was a tie for second between Smith Mountain Lake and the Blue Ridge Parkway, with third place going to the Taubman Museum of Art.

What should be recognized this year?

Voting is now open in our fourth annual Best of Southwest Roanoke County reader survey.

You can find the voting form right here (or over in the right-hand rail.)

The voting is open through midnight on Sunday, March 11; we’ll publish the results in our April 20 print edition.

A few new wrinkles: To make it easier to vote, we’ve gone ahead and listed the top six finishers last year in the business categories — although, as always, you can cast a write-in vote if your favorite isn’t already listed.

If you’ve got someone or some thing you think should be recognized, feel free to start a campaign to drum up votes.

Is there someone or something who should be recognized who doesn’t fit into a category? We always have our “best thing not on this list.”

Happy voting!

Here’s who won in 2011 and 2010 and 2009.

Got friends in other places? We also have Best Of contests underway in Salem, Botetourt County, and the New River Valley.

What’s the best community event in Southwest Roanoke County?

You tell us!

Last year, voters bestowed that honor Project Faith at Faith Christian Church, followed by the annual free show of Broadway showtunes by the Kevin Jones Performing Arts Studio at the Jefferson Center and Festival in the Park in third place. (Technically, that’s not in Southwest Roanoke County, but that’s what the voters said and, after all, a lot of the events that people in SWoCo go to aren’t in the neighborhood anyway.)

In 2010, the voters gave first place to the Kevin Jones Performing Arts Studio show, followed by Festival in the Park and Local Colors.

In 2009, the winner was the Kevin Jones Performing Arts Studio show, with Festival in the Park second and a tie for third between Dickens of a Christmas, the Drumstick Dash and the Strawberry Festival put on by Community School.

What should be recognized this year?

Voting is now open in our fourth annual Best of Southwest Roanoke County reader survey.

You can find the voting form right here (or over in the right-hand rail.)

The voting is open through midnight on Sunday, March 11; we’ll publish the results in our April 20 print edition.

A few new wrinkles: To make it easier to vote, we’ve gone ahead and listed the top six finishers last year in the business categories — although, as always, you can cast a write-in vote if your favorite isn’t already listed.

If you’ve got someone or some thing you think should be recognized, feel free to start a campaign to drum up votes.

Is there someone or something who should be recognized who doesn’t fit into a category? We always have our “best thing not on this list.”

Happy voting!

Here’s who won in 2011 and 2010 and 2009.

Got friends in other places? We also have Best Of contests underway in Salem, Botetourt County, and the New River Valley.

Who’s the best rec league coach in Southwest Roanoke County?

You tell us!

Last year, voters bestowed that honor on Cory Carroll (Roanoke Star soccer), followed by a tie for second place between Mark Meyer and Butch Carleno and a tie for third between Bobby Jones, Dean Colozzo and Ricky Gregg.

In 2010, the voters recognized Mark Meyer, Ricky Gregg and Ron Lax.

In 2009, the winners were Gary Johnson, Matt Neale and Ron Clary.

Who should be recognized this year?

Voting is now open in our fourth annual Best of Southwest Roanoke County reader survey.

You can find the voting form right here (or over in the right-hand rail.)

One advisory: It would be helpful if you could tell us which teams or sports the rec league coaches are involved in; makes it easier for us to find them later to give them their awards!

The voting is open through midnight on Sunday, March 11; we’ll publish the results in our April 20 print edition.

A few new wrinkles: To make it easier to vote, we’ve gone ahead and listed the top six finishers last year in the business categories — although, as always, you can cast a write-in vote if your favorite isn’t already listed.

If you’ve got someone or some thing you think should be recognized, feel free to start a campaign to drum up votes.

Is there someone or something who should be recognized who doesn’t fit into a category? We always have our “best thing not on this list.”

Happy voting!

Here’s who won in 2011 and 2010 and 2009.

Got friends in other places? We also have Best Of contests underway in Salem, Botetourt County, and the New River Valley.

We have lots of categories in our 4th annual Best of Southwest Roanoke County reader poll. But we’ll admit, we don’t have everything.

To make up for that, we have the category called “best thing not on this list.”

Last year, the top three things in that category Greener Pastures Curbside Recycling, followed by Paw Paw’s Dog Biscuits with a tie for third between Steve Nuckols (pharmacist, Medicap), The Shoppes at West Village Center and the wait staff at Frank’s Pizza on Brambleton Avenue.

In 2010, the top three were Kira*Kira, Henri Kessler and The Yard Baseball and Softball Training Facility.

In 2009? We didn’t have the category then.

So how about this year? What are the best things in Southwest Roanoke County that don’t appear to be reflected in any of our existing categories?

Consider this the ultimate write-in category!

You can find the voting form right here (or over in the right-hand rail.)

The voting is open through midnight on Sunday, March 11; we’ll publish the results in our April 20 print edition.

A few new wrinkles: To make it easier to vote, we’ve gone ahead and listed the top six finishers last year in the business categories — although, as always, you can cast a write-in vote if your favorite isn’t already listed.

If you’ve got someone or some thing you think should be recognized, feel free to start a campaign to drum up votes.

Is there someone or something who should be recognized who doesn’t fit into a category? We always have our “best thing not on this list.”

Happy voting!

Here’s who won in 2011 and 2010 and 2009.

Got friends in other places? We also have Best Of contests underway in Salem, Botetourt County, and the New River Valley.

What’s the best sports moment of the past year in Southwest Roanoke County?

That’s one of the new categories we’re introducing in our 4th annual Best of SWoCo reader poll.

How you define it is up to you. For some, maybe it’s specific team’s season. Or perhaps even a specific game, or play. It can be at any level, as long as it involves teams or players from Southwest Roanoke County.

So you tell us!

Feel free to offer your suggestions here in the comment field, if you want to try to drum up support for one thing or another. Just be sure to go to the actual voting form and cast your ballot!

You can find the voting form right here (or over in the right-hand rail.)

The voting is open through midnight on Sunday, March 11; we’ll publish the results in our April 20 print edition.

A few new wrinkles: To make it easier to vote, we’ve gone ahead and listed the top six finishers last year in the business categories — although, as always, you can cast a write-in vote if your favorite isn’t already listed.

If you’ve got someone or some thing you think should be recognized, feel free to start a campaign to drum up votes.

Is there someone or something who should be recognized who doesn’t fit into a category? We always have our “best thing not on this list.”

Happy voting!

Here’s who won in 2011 and 2010 and 2009.

Got friends in other places? We also have Best Of contests underway in Salem, Botetourt County, and the New River Valley.

Who’s the best teacher in Southwest Roanoke County?

Last year, readers voted that honor to Amanda Amos (North Cross School), followed by Dustin McCollum (Hidden Valley High School) and Heather Lawrence (North Cross School).

In 2010, the top three vote-getters were Dustin McCollum (Hidden Valley High School), Debbie Hill (Roanoke Valley Christian Schools) and Heather Lawrence (North Cross School.)

In 2009, the top three were Pete Lustig (Cave Spring High School),
Maggie Long (Hidden Valley High School) and Pat Carr (Cave Spring High School.)

So what will it be this year, in this and many other categories?

You tell us!

Here’s your chance to honor your favorite teacher, your favorite bus driver, your favorite school staff member — your favorite in lots of commercial and non-commercial categories.

Voting is now open in our fourth annual Best of Southwest Roanoke County reader survey.

You can find the voting form right here (or over in the right-hand rail.)

The voting is open through midnight on Sunday, March 11; we’ll publish the results in our April 20 print edition.

A few new wrinkles: To make it easier to vote, we’ve gone ahead and listed the top six finishers last year in the business categories — although, as always, you can cast a write-in vote if your favorite isn’t already listed.

If you’ve got someone or some thing you think should be recognized, feel free to start a campaign to drum up votes.

Is there someone or something who should be recognized who doesn’t fit into a category? We always have our “best thing not on this list.”

Happy voting!

Here’s who won in 2011 and 2010 and 2009.

Got friends in other places? We also have Best Of contests underway in Salem, Botetourt County, and the New River Valley.

What’s the best new thing in Southwest Roanoke County in the past year?

The best place for breakfast?

The best rec league coach?

The best school event?

The best in lots of other categories.

You tell us!

Voting is now open in our fourth annual Best of Southwest Roanoke County reader survey.

You can find the voting form right here (or over in the right-hand rail.)

The voting is open through midnight on Sunday, March 11; we’ll publish the results in our April 20 print edition.

A few new wrinkles: To make it easier to vote, we’ve gone ahead and listed the top six finishers last year in the business categories — although, as always, you can cast a write-in vote if your favorite isn’t already listed.

If you’ve got someone or some thing you think should be recognized, feel free to start a campaign to drum up votes.

Is there someone or something who should be recognized who doesn’t fit into a category? We always have our “best thing not on this list.”

Happy voting!

Here’s who won in 2011 and 2010 and 2009.

Got friends in other places? We also have Best Of contests underway in Salem,  Botetourt County, and the New River Valley.