It was an ordinary day. An extraordinary day for the town of Lititz, PA, because they were just voted as "America's Coolest Small Town" for the year 2013. For the past seven years, Budget Travel Magazine has conducted a contest to pick the coolest small town in the USA. Makes for a neat contest and helps the magazine gain readers and people checking out their website. The contest started in the fall of 2012 when the magazine asked for people to nominate their town by writing a small story about why their town should win the honor of coolest small town. Towns had to have a population of 10,000 or less and should have a certain quality that sets it apart from the rest, whether it's known for the arts, home to plenty of quirky shops, or just has a special energy about the place. Nominations could be made up until October 15th and once a town was nominated, people could start voting for it. There were 15 nominations that you could vote for this year and the magazine allowed you to vote one time daily for your favorite town. The following is the list of towns that were nominated in the contest: Bay St. Louis, MS; Camden, ME; Elkhart Lake, WI; Flagler Beach, FL; Glenwood Springs, CO; Greenville, KY; Gulf Shores, AL; Le Claire, IA; Lititz, PA; Mount Carroll, IL; Put-in-Bay, OH; Quincy, CA; Shepherdstown, WV; Travelers Rest, SC; Watkins Glen, NY. Last year the magazine had 368 thousand votes which crashed their site for a short time. Early voting this year saw Bay St. Louis in the lead with Watkins Glen in second. Votes came from across the nation and even from troops in Afghanistan. In the end, Lititz came out the winner and laid claim to being the coolest small town in America. The town has always had a measure of coolness about it; chocolate, pretzels, a Moravian heritage., great parades and rock concerts, home to the world renowned sound company Clair Brothers and the concert set production firm Tait Towers. The following is the short story from Budget Travel Magazine that accompanied the photo of Lititz Spring park during the 4th of July celebration:
Lititz, PA
(Population: 9,369)
Founded in 1756 as a Moravian community, Lititz takes its 250-year history seriously even as it embraces its vibrant present. This Lancaster County town's Lititz Springs Park has been a center of town life since the 18th century, when it was the site of public concerts, and houses a welcome center in a replica of a 19th-century Reading & Columbia Railroad depot. The Lititz Historical Foundation offers costumed guided tours and a museum that includes Native American artifacts, a replica of a Moravian home, and a heritage garden. But, of course, the past is only the beginning in Lititz, where visitors can quaff handcrafted ales at the Appalachian Brewing Company of Lititz, savor homemade ice cream at Greco's, or shop for furniture made by noted Lancaster County craftsmen.
I am not a stranger to Lititz. I love to visit when ever I get a chance. On Monday, October 1, 2012 and Tuesday, October 2, 2012 I wrote a two part story about the small town where my mom was a resident. Click on the "History" link at the top of my stories and scroll down to see my photos and information I wrote about the town. In my mind Lititz, PA is without a doubt the coolest and has been for years. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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