'Best Of' winners to be revealed at Naswa beach party

LACONIA — Want to party with the best of them? Then you’ll need to get a ticket to the Best of the Lakes Region Beach Party, to be held as the culmination of the first Best of the Lakes Region program.

The Beach Party will start at 5:30 p.m. on June 26, and will be the “reveal event” for the winners of the contest, according to Bill Cummings, founder of Nerus, the third-party vendor hired by the Laconia Daily Sun to administer the Best Of program. At the party, the Gold and Silver winners will be announced for each of the more than 200 categories of businesses and organizations.

The party will also serve as the launch for the Best Of The Lakes Region book, a publication including more than 100 full-glossy pages that will serve as a guide to the region’s best.

Cummings, whose company administers Best Of programs around the country, said the Lakes Region went “above and beyond” his estimates.

“In terms of voters, participation and the excitement we found, it was terrific,” Cummings said. While there is a statewide Best Of contest, he found that the Lakes Region’s members responded enthusiastically to the opportunity to nominate their favorites, and those nominees picked up the challenge to rally their fans to vote online.

In total, more than 115,000 votes were cast for local businesses.

“The reaction from the business community seemed to be appreciative of something that was hyper focused on the Lakes Region,” Cummings said.

Who were those votes cast for? Attend the Beach Party to find out.

Tickets cost $10 in advance, and can be purchased through the Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Chamber’s Talent Pipeline Initiative, which is designed to provide the local business community with well-trained employees.

Cummings encouraged people to buy their ticket ahead of time, as tickets sold at the door will cost $15. Early ticket sales have been “brisk,” he said, especially as businesses have been buying bulk tickets to hand out to their customers.

In addition to finding out who is named Best Of, party attendees will also enjoy music by DJ Terry, trivia, raffles, photo booths, and sample foods created by some of the restaurants voted “Best Of.”

“I think it’s going to be a great party,” Cummings said. “It’s fun and supports a good cause, and it’s also a chance to celebrate a great time to be in business, and being in business in the Lakes Region.”