Winners were chosen in categories such as Friendliest Police Officer, Best Teacher and Best Antique Store.
HOLYOKE — Winners of the Reader Raves Awards were given the red carpet treatment and feted at a dinner at the Log Cabin on Wednesday night.
In the Reader Raves contest, voters raved about their favorites by casting votes in 100 categories that reflect five content areas from The Republican and MassLive.com, including News, Business, Entertainment, Pioneer Valley Life and Sports.
Charles “Chip” Kielbasa, a 21-year veteran patrolman with the Westfield Police Department, said it came as a complete surprise to him when he was selected as the friendliest police officer.
“I deal with the public, good and bad,” he said.
He said that since he has been transferred off the overnight to the day shift, he deals with a lot more good. He said he works in the business area in the northwest section of the city and sees a lot of good.
“I have a very friendly way,” he said. His wife, Melissa, said she is very proud of him.
Stacy Augusto, a third grade teacher at Quarry Hill Community School in Monson, said she was “shocked” when she was chosen to receive the best teacher Reader Raves award. Augusto said she was very pleased to receive the award.
In the best antique shop category, the Palmer Co-op Center on South Main Street was chosen. Jane Vautour said she and her husband, Paul, have run the antique store for five years. Vautour said she decided to take her three-member staff to the dinner because her success is a result of their efforts.
“Our customers are ages 10 to 93,” she said. “We are a comfortable store, with an excellent staff and free coffee,” she said.
Readers Raves is a twice yearly promotion built around seasonality with categories that are popular for the upcoming season. In this edition, winter and spring were the focus, so the voting categories included Favorite Skating Rink, Sledding Spot, Charity Event, Arcade, Dance Studio and 95 more.
Mark A. French, advertising director for The Republican, MassLive.com and El Pueblo Latino, said there was a huge increase in voting participation this round with participation jumping nearly 400 percent.
There were 100 categories in the latest promotion in categories tied to winter and spring months. The contest launched on Oct. 28, and the total number of votes cast was 11,550 by the deadline of Dec. 2. The summer-fall promotion drew nearly 3,000 votes.
“Reader Raves has given us a great opportunity to tap into the perspectives of a broad cross-section of our online readers to learn about some of the best things happening in our region,” said Wayne E. Phaneuf, executive editor of The Republican. “Whether it’s shopping for new tires, savoring the upcoming maple sugaring season or finding the best way to entertain your family on a winter’s afternoon, there’s something for everyone in this latest edition of Reader Raves. We hope everyone enjoys these choices.”
Reader Raves was created to encourage greater interaction with The Republican’s print readers and its online audience at MassLive.com while stimulating community interest in a fun, engaging manner.
“The number of votes are a critical indicator of our success in meeting our goals, so I am thrilled that participation has shown such a dramatic increase,” French said.
Complete list of winners for Reader Raves Winter-Spring 2013.