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Middleburg’s Community Newspaper Volume 12 Issue 11
B E L O CA L BUY LOCAL
Civility
Page 44
Y OP LOCALL ITY AND SH R COMMUN OU T OR PP SU
www.mbecc.com
2016 Middleburg Community Center’s Board Appreciation Dinner
March 24, 2016 ~ April 28, 2016
Page 28
Southern Living’s Best Small Towns: Middleburg
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Lauren R. Giannini
Continued page 12
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Great Meadow International: On Track to FEI Nation’s Cup
esidents, neighboring communities and tourists know what’s special about this town whose popularity as a destination continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Southern Living chose it for their special online feature about the South’s Best Small Towns, part of the year-long celebration of their 50th anniversary. Here’s what Southern Living said about the Best Small Towns: “These Main Street towns evoke the best of what we are as a culture. They’re places with a beating heart, where tradition is the lifeblood, and neighbors gather on front porches for a glass of sweet tea. Here are our 20 favorite small spots.” Alphabetically, Middleburg ran next to last, but to be one of the 20 small towns chosen from the many hundreds of small towns found throughout the South is, well, quite amazing. One person who isn’t that surprised by the accolade was born, raised and lived here her entire life: Mayor Betsy Davis. “I have always known how very special our town is,” said Mayor Davis. “The beauty of our tree-lined streets and the gorgeous scenery that surrounds us is second to none. The history that our town holds is intriguing. People appreciate that we are “the real thing” — that we haven’t tried to mold ourselves after anywhere else. We have evolved and grown stronger through the years just by loving what we have and working hard to preserve it.” Acknowledging that some people have expressed concern about Middleburg’s growing popularity, she added, “That’s what keeps us strong. We must share what we have while not changing who we are.” Her words are typical of the graciousness of southern hospitality. However, many factors contributed to Middleburg being selected as a Best Small Town. “We start with our readers and pay close attention to how they respond to stories and destinations,” said Valerie Luesse, Senior Travel Editor at Southern Living. “We reach out to our network of editors and freelancers. We go for a good geographic spread. We love visually beautiful settings, landscape, architecture, and towns that are into historic preservation and adopt causes, especially downtown. We love when a local group is excited about their town. “We look for towns that are pedestrian friendly — good places to stroll and relax, where you can park the car and explore the shops, restaurants, galleries, culture, arts, the outdoors,” Luesse continued. “Then we deliberate, think about it, consider all the factors. It’s not a flash decision. There’s a great deal of merit and honor to be chosen one of the best.” In the 50 years since its inception and first issue, published in February 1966, Southern Living has succeeded in its quest