Port Townsend has been creeping up in rankings while Sequim remained in the lead in USA Today’s online Best Northwestern Small Town contest.
As of Wednesday, Sequim remained in first place while Port Townsend had climbed to fourth place in the regional Readers’ Choice Awards contest that ends at noon EDT — or 9 a.m. PDT — Monday.
Readers can vote for their choices at http://tinyurl.com/northwestern smalltown — but without knowing how their favorite towns rank.
Leaderboard rankings were not available Friday or Saturday. A call and email to the media contact for the USA Today Travel Media Group on Friday asking for an explanation was not returned.
No update on the rankings of towns in the Top 10 of the contest has been available since Wednesday, according to Christina Pivarnik, Port Townsend marketing director, and Barbara Hanna, Sequim’s communication and marketing director.
“I think they are just trying to keep the suspense,” Pivarnik said Friday.
“Maybe they want to keep it a secret,” Hanna said Saturday.
On April 11, Sequim, with a population of more than 6,600, was in first place and Port Townsend — population over 9,100 — in eighth place.
Since then, Port Townsend has climbed in the ranking after the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce, Port Townsend Main Street and others put out the word in newsletters and on Facebook, Pivarnik said.
At the same time, Sequim kept its lead through the efforts of Hanna and others.
“We are really thrilled with the support and enthusiasm the people of Sequim have shown to keep us in first place,” Hanna said. “We want to make sure we end it that way.”
The two North Olympic Peninsula towns are competing against 18 other small towns with populations under 10,000 in the West. The towns were nominated by the 10Best editors and a panel of travel experts in a region of six states: Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
The top 10 towns will be published on the 10Best website sometime after polls close.
Winners get bragging rights.
As of Wednesday, Buffalo, Wyo., was in second place and Florence, Ore., in third place, Pivarnik said.
Others nominated are Sitka, Alaska; Friday Harbor; Wallace, Idaho; Cooke City, Mont.; Talkeetna, Alaska; Whitefish, Mont.; Astoria, Ore.; Cannon Beach, Ore.; Cody, Wyo.; Homer, Alaska; Hood River, Ore.; Jacksonville, Ore.; La Conner; Livingston, Mont.; Seward, Alaska; and Winthrop.
Pivarnik hopes that Port Townsend and Sequim end up in the top two rankings.
“That would be fantastic for the Olympic Peninsula as it builds awareness of all that we have to offer here,” she said.
“Since we don’t have a statewide marketing program, national competitions like this are a powerful marketing tool to get the word out across the country about the Olympic Peninsula — Port Townsend and Sequim in particular.”
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Executive Editor Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3530 or at lleach@peninsuladailynews.com.
