Help Saugatuck become America’s coolest small town

Posted by Bill on Wednesday, March 31, 2010   |   4 Comments

I’m walking a fine line here. When I heard about this contest to name America’s coolest small town, I immediately thought about the Midwest. But then I learned that one of Michigan’s own, Saugatuck, is in the running.

I know we have readers all across the Midwest, so I hope you’ll understand that I’ve decided in this case to put Michigan ahead of our region. What comes next is a shameless pitch in favor of a cool little town only about an hour down the road from me.

It’s a little like rooting for the Big Ten Conference in the NCAA basketball tourney. I always pull for the Big Ten teams. Unless, of course, Michigan State is still in the running. Then, my allegiance shifts closer to home. The same is true here.

Here’s the skinny

Since 2007 Budget Travel Magazine has sponsored a contest to spotlight America’s coolest small towns. In their words: “Every now and then, you stumble upon a town that’s gotten everything right—great coffee, food with character, shop owners with purpose.”

Sounds good to me, and I’ll bet to you, too. And I’d be delighted to find some of those just-right storybook towns to weave into an extended trip. Or even to make the single focal point of a long weekend. That, of course, is just what the editors of Budget Travel have in mind.

Readers nominate small towns. Then the editors pare the list down to a manageable size and ask readers to vote online. The town with most votes at the end of the contest is declared the “Coolest Small Town in America” for the year.

This year readers nominated nearly 150 small towns across the land. Editors cut it town to 21, and Saugatuck was one of them. It is the first time this lake shore magnet has been nominated. In fact, it’s the first time any Michigan small town has made the cut.

A word from Saugatuck

According to Felicia Fairchild, Executive Director of the Saugatuck-Douglas Convention and Visitors Bureau, Saugatuck is among the top ten finalists in the national vote-off to determine this year’s Coolest Small Town in America.

Other Midwest towns in the running are Ely, MN, and Egg Harbor, WI. In fact, Ely is in first place. A North Carolina representative, Brevard, has a firm grip on second place. Saugatuck is currently running in third, and Egg Harbor is sixth in the voting.

“We were ecstatic when Budget Travel told us that we made the top 21 finalists,” said Fairchild. “We started out strong in seventh place, then moved into fifth place and only recently captured third place after bombarding area businesses, organizations and social media with messages to vote.”

About the middle of March Ely, MN and Brevard, NC spurted ahead, apparently by setting up a system of repeated block voting. I have been watching these numbers on Budget Travel’s site, and the totals for these two towns increase by hundreds, sometimes thousands, per day.

“This race has become so fierce that it is no longer just about Saugatuck,” said Fairchild. “It’s now about Michigan! Saugatuck is just too small to do this alone. We need the voting support of everyone in Michigan to help drive this little Michigan town into first place!”

Michigan, let’s get behind one of our own

This link will connect you with the voting map on Budget Travel’s site. When you get there, just follow these simple steps:

1. Click on the star indicating Saugatuck’s location on the map.
2. Click on the ADD TO BALLOT button on the left.
3. Click on the CAST YOUR BALLOT button.

According to the folks at Budget Travel, you can vote every five hours if you wish. Let’s help Saugatuck win! Voting ends on May 9, 2010. To learn more, contact the Saugatuck-Douglas Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Photo by flickr.com user ClatieK.

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