Enid may not be a big city, like Tulsa or OKC, but you wouldn’t have known it at this year’s annual Best of Enid Event. Held at Stride Bank Center on Thursday, June 6, it was a terrific night of fun, fellowship, and food. And on behalf of everyone at Enid Monthly, we would like to thank everyone who made the evening possible. Without the support of Table Sponsors, door prize donations, and, of course, Gold and Silver Sponsors, the night wouldn’t have been possible. In addition, the staff at the Stride Bank Center deserve the highest praise. They provided the catering and staffed the event, truly going above and beyond to ensure that everyone had a terrific and memorable evening.

Now in its third year, the Best of Enid awards show brought together a wide cross section of the community. When the doors opened at 6:00, it seemed as if every sector in town was represented. From non-profit organizations to roofing companies to beauty salons—and that’s to say nothing of the many local restaurants that were represented—Enid’s best and brightest came out to celebrate our community. Business was what brought everyone together, but it was truly an evening of friendship, connections, and camaraderie.

With over 200 guests in attendance, the atmosphere was festive. The bar was open, and guests mingled freely. Photographer Kaci Carpenter captured the fun, and she also took official photos of each winner. Dinner was a clear winner, with guests enjoying a menu that featured a garden salad, chicken Cordon Bleu, steamed broccoli, garlic mashed potatoes, and delectable slices of cheesecake.

Once the ceremony began, emcee Frank Baker kept the show moving. With 50 categories, there was a lot of applause throughout the evening. DJ Justin Blasier did a terrific job ensuring that each winner took the stage to an appropriately themed song, such as “YMCA” when the Denny Price Family YMCA won Best Childcare Provider and The Judds classic “Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Old Days’)” when Greenbrier Village won Best Senior Living.

Determining the Best of Enid was something that the community took seriously. Over 25,000 votes were cast, which took an average of 21 nominees per category down to just three. The top 3 finalists were formally invited to the event, and although not everyone was able to attend, the room was full, and a remarkable sense of companionship flowed throughout the evening. Guests were genuinely honored and appreciative of their nominations. Trista from Silver Sponsor American Cannabis Company said, “It makes you feel seen, and it makes you feel heard, like you’re not getting overlooked. It’s just great overall to be included.”

The fact that Enid’s businesses were competing with each other was belied by the genuine support and appreciation for each other that rang throughout the night. Curtis Ediger, with Gold Sponsor Ediger’s Diamonds, had nothing but good things to say about the other three jewelry stores in town. He said, “We’ve been in business for 42 years…All the jewelry stores in town are quality jewelry stores, and so to be nominated is something special.”

First time nominee Christina with Wolf Collective Photography had nothing but praise for her competition, saying that “I feel really fortunate. We have an amazing community of photographers, so it’s a huge honor just to be nominated. We’re very humbled to be here tonight.” Later in the evening, when Wolf Collective won for Best Photographer, Christina gave a shout-out to the other photographers, saying “I am SO fortunate to belong to a community that has so many talented photographers. I am honored to be here and humbled!”

There were several unexpected moments that brought down the house. When Greenbrier Village won, a small team took to the stage to accept the award. At least some of them were residents, and one delightful Greenbrier woman could not contain her joy, shouting, “I’m so glad we won! We deserve it! It’s a wonderful place, and we have things to do all the time!” to uproarious laughter from the crowd.

There was also Extreme Remodeling’s Matthew Compton, who left the room in stitches. His company won in the Best Home Maintenance & Remodeling category, but they could have won for comedy. Compton accepted the award with all due appreciation, but before he left the stage, he good-naturedly shouted, “If your man’s not doing it, call me!” The crowd roared.

Throughout the night, there was a lot of genuine appreciation expressed for the public at large. Misty, the assistant administrator at Gold Sponsor The Commons, spoke warmly about the Enid community, saying that “We have a great community base throughout Enid. I want to say that a lot of the residents that live in our facility, their families work in the community, and when they come to live in The Commons… they become our family as well.”

When Stela Jantzen, Executive Director at Park Avenue Thrift, accepted the award for Best Thrift Store, she made it a point to express their appreciation to the wider community, saying “Whenever you shop and donate at Park Avenue, you’re helping so many nonprofits who are working to make Enid an amazing place to be. So, on behalf of our employees, our board members, and our community partners, thank you so much.”

One of the night’s big winners was Enchanted Beauty Wellness Spa, which won each of the four categories for which it was nominated: Best Massage Therapy/Therapist, Best Medical Spa/Skin Care, Best Hair Salon, and Best Nail Technician/Salon. The folks at Enchanted were clearly humbled and surprised at this sweep, stating “I think we were all in shock last night as they kept calling our name. I personally could not find the words to express how deeply I appreciate all our clients voting for us.”

In addition to the awards, the evening also featured a fantastic slate of door prizes. And they were not just run-of-the-mill raffle prizes; they were a showcase of the incredible generosity of our sponsors. The prizes included a gift basket from Creative Comfort, a 3-piece 14K gold pearl set courtesy of Ediger’s Diamonds, a 58-inch 4K UHD Hisense television courtesy of Enid Monthly, a Traeger Pro 575 WiFi Pellet Grill courtesy of Ace Hardware, and two tickets to Jeff Dunham’s “Still Not Canceled” August 16 show courtesy of Stride Bank Center.

If there were an overarching theme for the Best of Enid, it would have to be community appreciation. Businesses expressed their gratitude toward the Enid community not just for their votes but for their everyday support. The nominees expressed encouragement and kudos for each other, creating a community of support right there at Stride Bank Center. As Samantha Feeney of Gold Sponsor Unleashed Pet Grooming said, “Enid is just small business based, and there are a lot of long-lasting groom shops here in town. We’re really excited – it’s been fun. And we love the event! It’s a really fun event…we just have a really good relationship with a lot of our customers and a lot of them are also small business owners. It’s kind of just a mutual thing—we vote for them, they vote for us. I think it’s just the way Enid is—small town, small businesses support. Our friends and customers are the massage therapists, realtors, financial people, etc. that were there. It was so hard cheering for all of them because we knew people in all categories…Everybody deserves to win!”

Comments on social media show that folks in the Enid community truly appreciate the businesses and organizations highlighted in Best of Enid. Enchanted Beauty Wellness Spa fan Shellie Weber wrote, “Very well deserved! Definitely servant hearts and the BEST!” while Park Avenue customer Tara Hutson chimed in with, “Congratulations! Well deserved! Thank you for all you do to help our community.” And scrolling through the comments for the pages of Leonardo’s Children’s Museum or Da Vinci’s Coffeehouse—who won Best Children’s Party Spot and Best Coffee Shop, respectively—it was nothing but kudos, congratulations, and well wishes from the public at large.

When speaking with Christina from Wolf Collective Photography, she said that “Photography is another medium to tell stories.” In its own way, the Best of Enid is a kind of living anthology of stories, which on the face of it can seem very different from one another. For example, at first glance, it may seem that there are exactly zero similarities between Best Restaurant winner Sandy’s Tacos and Dudes Men’s Store, which won Best Boutique. But scratch the surface and you find that they do have things in common. Both the taco joint and boutique must provide a good product or neither would last long enough to survive the first round of voting, let alone years in Enid. Not only must they provide products that Enid folks want, but they also have to do it well. Great customer service is a key ingredient to success, and in fact, one that was highlighted by many of the award winners, most of whom went out of their way to thank their team.

The third annual Best of Enid event was a night to remember. And as we look forward to next year, we’re excited at the evening’s success and grateful to all of the behind-the-scenes hard work that made it happen. The night would have been impossible without the incredible community here. It was the people and organizations of Enid who made the event such a success, with special thanks to the event’s sponsors! The Best of Enid 2024 Gold Sponsors included Natural Remedies MMJ, Ediger’s Diamonds, Unleashed Pet Grooming, Park Avenue Thrift, and The Commons, and this year’s Silver Sponsors included Ladusau-Evans Funeral Home and Crematory, Healthy Smiles, Schoonover Agency Tax Preparation, American Cannabis Company, and Sandy’s Tacos.

In the end, though, a Gold or Silver Sponsorship wasn’t required, nor was a Table Sponsorship. What was mandatory and what made the entire spirited competition possible was Enid’s general public and the many organizations who so proudly serve this community. As Enid Monthly publisher Rober Faulk said, “This is the 3rd year of the Best of Enid Awards Show, and it could not have gone better. We are just happy to highlight great local businesses and give them an opportunity to come and have a good time with their staff and other businesses around town. We had more votes than ever before and are so excited we get to do this for the community!” We’d like to give a special thanks to every individual and business that helped make the night possible, whether you nominated someone, voted, run a business in town, or came out to celebrate everyone’s success, you made the night possible. Here’s to next year!