Bragging Rights and Acclaimed Reputations At Stake
Rick Langenberg
While Santa is racing around the world this week in delivering presents during this most important post-pandemic Christmas, another traditional celebration has hit the Teller High Country.
It’s that time of year for business and individual trash talk, bragging rights and the quest for TMJ Accolades, designations that can resurrect, preserve and destroy reputations.
We have launched our annual Best of 2023 contest for Cripple Creek and the entire Teller County/Ute Pass region. Hold onto your seats and make sure you vote.
This is a contest, started in the early 1990s shortly after the introduction of limited stakes gaming, as gambling establishments and operators often had to place in the top running if they wanted to stand out. It also gave us a chance to promote the many unknown secrets, heroes and villains of our great and unique area.
Our Best Of contest almost emerged into local version of the Academy Awards competition. The competition was quite tense, but friendly, a style that still prevails today for TMJ’s Best Of Cripple Creek and Best of the High Country.
In the last few years, we have greatly expanded our competition to showcase more area-wide competitions.
Now, we feature close to 100 categories to choose from, encompassing a slew of casino, business, special service/niche and individual competitions. Participants in TMJ’s Best Of 2023 will proclaim their favorite places to gamble, play slots and enjoy table games, dine, hang out, buy gifts, seek entertainment, hang-out, gossip and grumble at politicians, along with the finest spots for getting their hair done, having their dog groomed or treated, obtaining legal advice and fixing cars, you name it. And then, there is the showdown for top community leaders and personalities, bartenders and various managers.
Please, no boxing punches here.
The contest this year will feature two rounds of voting, with the preliminary stage now occurring.
In late January and early February, we move into the more final bout of voting, and may give a few hints regarding the early-round leaders. And based on the preliminary response, we may have a more condensed ballot for some of the more heated races.
The final winners will be announced in mid-March for the issues of March 14 and March 21. This is the tentative schedule, and could change based on voter participation.
Voting will occur at www.mountainjackpot.com.
In upcoming issues and online and on our Facebook page, we will unveil more details.
Vote, vote and then vote again. Your favorite businesses, places and personalities rely on your support.
