Thanks to all of you who have spread the word about Grinnell’s inclusion as a finalist for the Budget Travel.com ‘Coolest Small Towns in America’ designation. And, thanks also if you cast your vote at:

http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-srv/coolestsmalltowns/?wpisrc=newsletter

If you have visited the site in the last few days, you noticed that it was down.  I had been checking regularly but had not seen it come back up.

I was alerted late yesterday that the site was back up and that Grinnell had only 1 vote.  We had hundreds at the end of the day Monday.  So, the crash wiped out all of those votes.

They have also limited hours during which you can vote.  The website says you can vote between 9am and 7pm CST (though I tried last night about 6pm and could not get on).

Be persistent! And don’t be afraid to leave some comments.  Here’s an example from someone who voted and weighed in verbally:

“Grinnell, Iowa is truly the best of the best in when it comes to the coolest small town. Having been born here and then moving away as a child, I returned 6 years ago to find that this was the place to live and visit.”

Again- share this info far and wide.  The voting is by region, so we want to make sure we’re the top vote recipient in the Midwest.

Budget Travel.com has been taking nominations for the ‘coolest small towns in America’ — and they’ve winnowed the field to 22 finalists.

Grinnell is among them! In fact, it’s the only nominee from Iowa and one of five or six in the Midwest.

Now, the site is asking people to vote for the coolest small towns in America.  You can join in the fun and add to the Grinnell vote today.

Visit http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-srv/coolestsmalltowns/

They’re picking the coolest towns by region, and the first-day vote totals featured many votes for a number of the East Coast nominees.  Grinnell

was doing well after Day One, leading the Midwestern pack.

Go to Budget Travel.com and cast your vote today!