2009 Toast of Music City Winner

There is something about a poll that really presses people’s buttons.

Readers voted 215,000 times in the 2nd Annual Toast of Music City contest at www.toastofmusiccity.com. This year, we encouraged online voters to add comments when they cast their ballots, and they had more than 10,800 bits of praise to share.

“Look, did your school host a presidential debate? I didn’t think so,” posted someone who thought Belmont should win Best College or University. Readers could vote in up to 109 categories. “Food and Drink” was the most popular, followed by “People and Places.”

“Superlatives” was a new category this year, added at the last minute when several of us who were not nominated for . . . anything, really . . . in high school decided it would be a good idea to do this sort of thing in the adult world. We were shocked (shocked!) when Alan Jackson won for Most Successful and Best Dressed AND took third in Most Attractive.

But you didn’t have to be famous to take home a plaque. The majority of winners are hometown businesses and people.