Local Winners and Bragging Rights to Be Declared This Spring
Rick Langenberg
Shoot off the fireworks, as it’s the annual time for deciding the Best Bragging Rights on The Mountain, or in the Teller County/Ute Pass and Pikes Peak Universe.
Or most specifically, let the competition and lively show begin for the best casino, loosest slots, friendliest place in town, best manager, best burger and steak on the planet, best hangout, best eatery, craziest personality, best area entertainment, best public servant, best animal doc, and much more, including best rumor monger. There are plenty of winners and finalists, and no real losers.
Altogether, close to 100 categories are at stake in a showdown that locals, visitors, area gamblers and recreation-goers, and even politicians, appear to relish with thousands of tallies cast each year, not to mention an unprecedented display of enthusiasm. Virtually every participant will find a contest in which they have strong opinions about.
TMJ News has kicked off its annual Best Of showdown, a competition that actually began close to 35 years ago, when slots first started ringing down Bennett Avenue; and the region became infatuated with a new industry. Initially, our Best Of competition mostly focused on southern Teller, as residents and local business operators engaged in a heated but friendly competition. And it definitely became heated at times, forcing us to suspend the contest for one year during a rather tumultuous period in local politics. (That’s fodder for another story.)
Then, about 10 or so years ago, our little mountain village definitely expanded in a major way. And so, we increased the competitions due to popular demand to encompass more than just the Cripple Creek/Victor and southern Teller district. Contrary to the views of some hardcore, original Best Of voters, there is a world outside southern Teller. However, we must give the southern Teller locals credit, as they displayed a special passion about this Best Of contest that really made it such an overwhelming success.
Contrary to other Best Of contests that have evolved, we try to keep the TMJ Best Of showdown fun, but definitely competitive. We encourage plenty of voting, but no ugly sportsmanship. We are not Washington D.C here, and don’t want to send any whining voters over to Greenland for punishment; or the worse fate of all, a forced attendance at a U.S. Senate hearing on Capitol Hill or a state forum in Denver. This isn’t the vehicle for bashing people’s views on national and state politics.
Actually, we hope our competition will give locals and visitors a chance to escape somewhat, and take refuge from our national political soap opera and embrace the many positive attributes of life in Teller County and the Pikes Peak region.
With the craze over smart phones and handy online devices, we are making this year’s contest very easy to participate in. Merely visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/
Or click here to vote!
If you have special opinions and comments, you can email us to at editor@mountainjackpot.com and we may try to include those in our final Best Of 2026 compilation issues.
Ballots will be accepted through the middle of March, and the grand results will be declared on our special Best Of 2026 Winner and Finalist Issue on April 7, with a subsequent Best Of issue set for April 14.
In the meantime, Vote, Vote and Vote, and lobby for your special Best Of favorites. More importantly, Enjoy the Best Of 2026.
