From The Editors

With just nine days left after this issue hits stands to vote on what you think is the Best Of Erie in nearly two-hundred categories, the race is officially on. As we've watched the more than 150,000 votes come in to date, we've seen the top vote-getters swap leads more times than we can count.

In past From The Editors, we've explained how the nomination process worked, detailed how you can cast your votes once the ballots opened, and encouraged you to keep two specific dates in mind: Wednesday, Oct. 15 and Thursday, Oct. 16.

In case you need a refresher on how the voting works (read: The polls close at 11:59 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, so you have until then to cast as many or as few votes as you'd like), you can check out our previous From The Editors at ErieReader.com.

As for that Oct. 15 date, that's when we'll publish our first-ever Best Of Erie issue, which will feature the top-three vote-getters for each category. To keep you guessing as to who won, we'll publish them alphabetically.

Now to that second date: Thursday, Oct. 16.

That's the date we're throwing a party -- and you're invited to the first-ever Flavor Of Erie Party, where your tastebuds and eardrums get a full dose of Erie goodness.

In our last issue, we also gave you some details about that party we're throwing at the Pilot House, located at 1 Holland St. on Erie's Bayfront, from 6 to 8 p.m. that evening. There, we'll announce the winners for each category. There will also be food, beer and entertainment to keep you busy as you enjoy Erie's beautiful Bayfront.

For food, you'll be able to sample dishes from The Brewerie at Union Station, Cloud 9 Wine Bar, Jekyll & Hyde's Gastropub, Lavery Brewing Company, and Voodoo Brewery & Brewpub. Lavery, Voodoo, and The Brewerie will be pairing their featured dishes with some of their excellent brews. For entertainment, you'll be able to rock out to DJ Salt, C. Brown, and Falling Hollywood.  

Needless to say, we're excited, and we hope you are, too. Tickets -- which cover your admission to the Best Of Erie Flavor Of Erie Party -- get you access to all the food, all the beer, and all the music, and are still available at ErieReader.com. But they're moving fast, so if you want to ensure you'll be there the moment the winners are announced, you should get your tickets now. They're just $10 in advance, and only $15 at the door -- that is, if they're still available, because once they're gone, they're gone.

In other news, the official offices of the Erie Reader have moved. You can now find us settled in on the ninth floor of the Renaissance Centre at 1001 State St., Suite 901. When the Reader first started, we were just some guys with laptops working out of an apartment. We soon found that after people kept trying to find us at our mailbox at the Pony Express, we needed a brick and mortar location to better serve our city and region as its alt weekly. After spending three years spread out in two different offices in the Masonic Temple, we're sad to leave a place where a lot of our Reader memories have been created. But this move allows us to spread out, increase our space, and keep to the grind of bringing you the issues that matter.

Have a story lead? Want to talk about the stories we print? Want to bring us coffee and doughnuts? You know where to find us, Erie. And come the evening of Thursday, Oct. 16, you'll find us celebrating Erie at the Pilot House -- we hope to see you there.