And the winners are...

The votes have been tallied and the readers have spoken in About magazine’s first Readers’ Choice awards.

We asked you to tell us about all the best Stark County has to offer.

Some of your choices are surprising, but most have a solid foundation in Stark County culture.

Like the famous Bittner at Taggarts Ice Cream parlor, which has been around for about 80 years, or the rectangle-shape pizza at the Pizza Oven, where it’s not uncommon for former Cantonians to order their pizza on their way up Interstate 77 when returning to visit the city.

But have you ever heard of The Hitmen? How about the Sandpit Lounge?

Surely you’ve been in downtown Canton on the first Friday of the month and seen jugglers and musicians on the street or heard someone spontaneously burst into song.

Come on, Stark Countians, when was the last time you visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame? What’s the old saying? If you haven’t been there lately, you haven’t been there.

The following pages announce all of the winners of the first About magazine Readers’ Choice awards.

Best place to buy a birthday cake:

Fishers Foods

Several locations in Stark County

Doug Sampson, the bakery supervisor for all Fishers Foods bakeries, said, “It’s very, very nice that our customers appreciate what we do,” when he was told his bakeries were chosen as the “Best place to buy a birthday cake” by About readers.

While happy about the news, he didn’t seem all that surprised.

“We are a scratch bakery,” he explained.

“We make our cakes from scratch, our icing is from scratch, and we have the best cake decorators around, definitely in northeastern Ohio.”

The Fishers bakeries, while known for their birthday cakes, are very busy these days making wedding cakes, as well.

“We pride ourselves on the work we do,” Sampson said.

Best waitress:

Katie Paul

Papa Gyro’s

4760 Everhard Rd. NW, Canton

You may have missed your chance to get served by Stark County’s “Best waitress.”

After seven years of waitressing, 23-year-old Katie Paul is headed to George Washington University this fall to obtain a master’s degree in ancient Greek and anthropology.

The Plain Township resident has waitressed at Papa Gyro’s on Everhard Road in Jackson Township since last summer. Before that she was a server at Milk & Honey in Canton.

“This is probably going to be my last time waitressing,” Paul said. “I definitely want to do something in my field. My dad always tells me, ‘Do something that makes you happy.’ ”

She beams as she talks about the research she plans to pursue.

As far as waitressing, that seems to come naturally to her now. She shrugs off accolades for her good service.

“It’s not hard work anymore,” Paul said. “After seven years, you kind of get used to it. You just want to make everyone happy.”

Best slice of pizza:

Pizza Oven

Several locations in Stark County

Elaine Maley has worked at the Pizza Oven’s original location at 3153 Tuscarawas St. W in Canton for 31 years. Being voted Stark County’s “Best slice of pizza” comes as no surprise to her.

“Whenever (former Cantonians) come in from out of town, they make this their first stop,” she said. “Then they head over to Heggy’s. We’re a hot spot, especially during Hall of Fame Week.”

Why is Pizza Oven special?

“We don’t cut corners,” Maley said, speaking both literally and figuratively about the rectangle-shaped pizza.

“We have fresh dough. I have a great crew that comes in at 8 a.m. to make the dough.”

Customer service, she says, is another priority.

People often remember going in to the shop as a kid and getting a free pretzel stick.

“We still do that,” she said. “We have a lot of dedicated customers, and it’s generational.”

Best golf hole

Quarry GOLF CLUB, No. 15 and No. 16

5650 Quarry Lake Dr., Canton

Scenic and challenging, and possibly a bit intimidating, Holes No. 15 and No. 16 at the Quarry Golf Club tied for Stark County’s best.

General Manager Gary Miller describes No. 15 as a “risk-reward” hole. He says golfers can drive the ball over the trees to the fairway, then use a short iron to finish off the par 5, 524-yard hole.

“The one thing that makes it the No. 1 hole in Stark County is the elevation drop,” he said. “It has a drop of 400 feet.”

Hole No. 16, which is 478 yards from the back tees, is ranked the course’s sixth most difficult. Miller said it requires accuracy off the tee because of a bunker in the middle of the fairway.

The Quarry was built in a unique setting of an old quarry with steep cliffs, streams and lakes. It was named one of the top-50 best new courses in the country by Golf magazine last year.

As for this local honor, Miller said, “Naturally, we’re ecstatic. We’re becoming a lot more known to local golfers. We’re a resort-style golf club right in Canton’s backyard, and we’re happy to be here.”

Benders

137 Court Ave. SW, Canton

Located in the heart of downtown Canton since 1902, Benders Tavern is the choice for “Best place for a power lunch.”

“We’re happy we got it,” said owner Jerry Jacob. “My son and I were talking about it, and not to sound arrogant, but who else?”

He said two factors play into their success.

“No. 1, it’s what we do. And No. 2, where we are,” Jacob said of the longtime restaurant located at 137 Court Ave. SW. “We have politicians and bankers, insurance people, attorneys and the court nearby.”

Jacobs said his restaurant is known for being very fast at lunchtime, a must for busy business people and those on break from court.

The interior of the old building features tiger oak paneling, marble and tin ceilings that survived a 1988 fire.

The Benders menu is famous for its fresh seafood as well as an extensive wine list.

Best ice cream:

Taggart’s Bittner

1401 Fulton Rd. NW, Canton

Ah, the Bittner Special. It’s three-fourths of a pound of Taggart’s homemade vanilla ice cream blended with Taggarts’ original-recipe chocolate syrup, topped with a generous serving of double-buttered, double-salted pecans, and finished off with whipped cream.

Owners Patti and Ernie Schott said their famous delicacy dates to the 1930s.

“Ernie and I are both thrilled and excited that the Bittner Special was selected as Stark’s ‘Best ice cream,’ ” said Patti. “I believe that it was voted ‘Best ice cream’ because it is a dessert unique to Taggart’s. It is our most popular ice cream novelty.”

When former Stark Countians return home for a visit, Taggart’s often is a “must-do” on the list, and out-of-town visitors seek it out daily.

“Its reputation precedes it,” she said. “All you need to do is try one, and you’ll know why it won this award.”

It’s worth noting that several other Taggart’s treats made the top 10 list in this category, including their butter pecan ice cream and Turtle Sundae.

Best place to take the kids on a rainy day:

Wm. McKinley PresidentialLibrary & Museum

800 McKinley Monument Dr. NW, Canton

Whether it’s raining or not, the Wm. McKinley Presidential Library & Museum is a great place to take the kids.

Just ask Joyce Yut, director of the museum.

“I’m grateful that people recognize that,” Yut said. “That’s wonderful.”

Credit Discover World for that. Here, kids can experience fun with physics, electricity, astronomy, paleontology, meteorology and ecology.

A gift shop with toys for all ages is steps away, and the Hoover-Price Planetarium is just upstairs.

Yut said the word is spreading about the McKinley museum’s new science exhibits.

“We have a walk-in tornado, a shadow catcher and a new weather station,” she said, adding that a new history exhibit called “The Stark County Story” will open upstairs Sept. 26.

And if it’s not raining, be sure to send the kids outside to climb the monument stairs.

Best place to work:

Aultman Hospital

2600 Sixth St. SW, Canton

Stark County’s largest employer is the Readers’ Choice for “Best place to work.” And with more than 5,000 employees, it’s important to keep them happy.

“We understand that satisfied employees are critical to our success,” said Edward J. Roth III, president and CEO of Aultman Health Foundation. “At Aultman, we recognize that our employees are our greatest asset.”

But how do you get satisfied employees?

According to Sue Olivera, vice president of human resources for Aultman Health Foundation, they have to know they are important to their employers.

“Communication is very important to us,” she explained. “We strongly believe everyone’s opinion matters, and we encourage them to share it.”

Aultman’s statistics show that 1,115 employees have 20 years or more of service and the hospital’s turnover rate is significantly lower than the health care industry standard. Olivera said that annually, employees are asked for feedback on their jobs and departments. This feedback is used by each department to improve employee relations.

“We have seen our engagement scores go up during the past four years,” she said.

Best place to get a workout:

Fitness Rx, Bootcamp

1961 E. Maple St., North Canton

Jeff Jones and his wife, Tanya, appear to be achieving their fitness goal — maintaining a small, intimate workout atmosphere at their gym while continuing to grow in size.

“We’re very excited,” Jeff said of being voted “Best place to get a workout.”

The North Canton facility, in the Washington Square Plaza, recently grew from 3,000 to 6,000 square feet.

Jones said Fitness Rx holds boot camps and other fitness classes for small groups, rather than for 30 or 40 people like other places.

“We know everyone by their first name,” he said. “We make sure we know our people. It’s a neat atmosphere.”

Along with personal training, the facility has all the same equipment that the bigger gyms have. Members can work out on their own or with a trainer, with a group or by themselves.

Jones said Fitness Rx is different from other gyms because they don’t use gimmicks or promise quick fixes. The goal of the gym is to improve the overall quality of life of its clients, he said.

Two other locations are now open — in Jackson Township (Nobles Pond) and in Strongsville.

Best place to take out-of-towners:

Pro Football Hall of Fame

2121 George Halas Dr. NW, Canton

When friends and family members visit us from out of town, we like to take them somewhere with tourist appeal — someplace only available here in Stark County.

Which makes the Pro Football Hall of Fame an easy choice for the “Best place to take out-of-town guests.”

HOF Vice President Joe Horrigan said the Hall understands the phenomenon that it takes having visitors from out of town to get the locals into the Hall of Fame. “Visitors from out of town bring the locals here,” he said.

In August, the Hall unveiled the new Lamar Hunt Super Bowl Gallery, featuring interactive video kiosks highlighting every Super Bowl, and the state-of-the-art Super Bowl Theater. This $2.4 million renovation and modernization project, along with those in 2008 and 2003, provides a dramatic new look to the museum.

“More than 75 percent of our building has been renovated,” said Horrigan. “So it’s a good reason for our local visitors to come back.”

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed on Christmas) and until 8 p.m. through Labor Day. Admission is $18 for adults; discounts are available for children and seniors. A “Good Neighbor” discount is available for local residents.

Best place to see and be seen and best place to take a first date:

First Friday

Downtown Canton

About readers chose the monthly First Friday in the downtown Canton Arts District as the “Best place to see and be seen.” First Friday also won for “Best place to take a first date.”

As the name suggests, every first Friday of the month, Arts in Stark and the Downtown Canton Special Improvement District throw a big party on Court Avenue NW that branches out to local businesses throughout walking distance of that area.

Galleries, studios, stores, restaurants, performers, artists and theaters participate to bring people of all walks of life to downtown Canton to socialize, enjoy art and be seen.

“We’re delighted that after only two years of doing this, every month — rain or shine — 1,000-plus people show up, sometimes three to five thousand,” said Robb Hankins, chief executive officer of Arts in Stark.

Each month is different, with upcoming themes of Oktoberfest, Harvest Moon, and Snow Much to Do Downtown.

Hankins said First Friday is “the place that everything is over-the-top, bizarre, and super, super creative.”

“We want to keep changing and growing,” he said. “We’re out to surprise you.”

Best local band:

The Hitmen

It started when Greentown Elementary School needed a band to play at a fundraiser several years ago.

And so “The Hitmen” were created. And now, a handful of years later, the group has been voted “Best local band” by About readers.

Each of the five band members — Todd Johnson, Kent Ramsey, John Arnold, Skip Scherer and Jerry Patton — has a professional day job.

“It’s a blast,” said drummer Todd Johnson, a cardiologist by day. “We like to kid around and we’ve got a good following.”

The men all lived in the same North Canton development and started getting together to play in Ramsey’s basement. Now they play gigs throughout the area, from fundraisers to wedding receptions.

“We’ve been polishing our act,” Johnson said. “We’re starting to branch out a little bit to play some other venues.”

The Hitmen specialize in classic rock, but play a variety of different music, Johnson said.

Best kept secret in Stark County:

The Sandpit Cafe and Lounge

28 Penn Ave. SE, Massillon

The former Massillon Elks Lodge on Penn Avenue SE (off Erie Avenue) is now the Sandpit Cafe and Lounge, a jazz supper club with live contemporary jazz and a dance floor.

Heard of it? It’s the Readers’ Choice winner for “Best-kept Secret in Stark County.”

“We’re very excited (about the win),” said owner Starlett Isles. “I think it’s a privilege to be chosen.”

So what’s the secret?

Isles said the interior of the building has been completely renovated “with a modern flair.”

The Sandpit opened in February 2009 and quickly has become a hot spot for locals.

“I hear all the time, ‘This is the best-looking place in Stark County,’ ” she said.

The club specializes in martinis, and the menu offers steak, pork chop and chicken dinners as well as burgers and wings.

Local and regional bands often are featured, sometimes on the outdoor patio if weather permits. An outdoor sand volleyball court is also available.

...AND A close second...

Canton Classic Car Museum

123 Sixth St. SW in Canton

First Friday

Downtown Canton

About readers chose the monthly First Friday in the downtown Canton Arts District as the “Best place to see and be seen.” First Friday also won for “Best place to take a first date.”

As the name suggests, every first Friday of the month, Arts in Stark and the Downtown Canton Special Improvement District throw a big party on Court Avenue NW that branches out to local businesses throughout walking distance of that area.

Galleries, studios, stores, restaurants, performers, artists and theaters participate to bring people of all walks of life to downtown Canton to socialize, enjoy art and be seen.

“We’re delighted that after only two years of doing this, every month — rain or shine — 1,000-plus people show up, sometimes three to five thousand,” said Robb Hankins, chief executive officer of Arts in Stark.

Each month is different, with upcoming themes of Oktoberfest, Harvest Moon, and Snow Much to Do Downtown.

Hankins said First Friday is “the place that everything is over-the-top, bizarre, and super, super creative.”

“We want to keep changing and growing,” he said. “We’re out to surprise you.”