Since the Best of the Chippewa Valley Reader Poll’s humble beginning back in 2007, we could never (in a million years) imagine a year like this one, plagued with … well, a literal plague and murder hornets and deadly bushfires, and so much more. Despite the rollercoaster of a year, this annual poll reminds us of the semblance of good that came out of the past year – the ways we’ve embraced a terrible moment in history and still found ways to highlight the good in it.

For the past 14 years, we’ve turned to our readers (that’s you!) to chime in with your favorite places to eat, favorite local bands, favorite spots, and favorite dishes in our annual poll, and this year – though it has changed our lives in almost every way imaginable – is no different.

This year’s poll is a snapshot, a time capsule of the Valley’s likes (and some of our dislikes). In a year – or five – we may look back on some of our choices with nostalgia or befuddlement. We may look back at our brand-new section, “Masking & Sanitizing” and remember just how challenging the past year has been. Or, we might remember the way our community came together, pivoted, and encouraged each other to grow. Either way, we hope to the stars above that we never, ever have to create a section like this ever again.

So whether you want to find out who makes the Best Burger, who recorded the Best Local Album, or the proprietor of the Best Local Sneeze Guard (really, that was one of our questions!), you can find the results from more than 300 categories below:

Click Here for Best of the Chippewa Valley 2021 Results!