We asked you for the best NKY has to offer and the nominations poured in for spa treatments, pet care, dry cleaners, bookstore, farmers market, fitness trail, car wash. Well, you get the picture.

Then we invited the readers to party with the finalists at Receptions and cast their votes. More than 700 people came for an evening of great food, super music and displays. T.W. Landscape and Design built a garden wall inside the ballroom, Donna Salyers and her crew set up a faux fur fashion showroom, and Florence Antique Mall brought a myriad of treasures to explore.

We’ve tallied the results and it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the inaugural Best of NKY issue.

Second, I wanted to personally thank our readers, the very welcoming NKY community and our NKY magazine staff for honors we received from the Society of Professional Journalists. In our first year of publication, we won First Place for a story on St. Henry’s Crusading Spirit (NKY, Spring 2011) written by Managing Editor Tim Curtis. A story on the wonderful names of communities in the commonwealth “Turn Left at Rabbit Hash?” (NKY, November 2011) by Tanya Bricking Leach was also honored.

The party continues!