The Year in Review (2014)

Thanks again to everyone voting for Akron Empire in Akron Life Magazine's 2014 Best of City poll.

The Year in Review for 2014
by Joanna Wilson

Before moving on with new content, Brit and I are looking back over the previous year.  For the past two years, we created lists of our most popular 2012 posts and most popular 2013 posts.  So I'd like to once again, create a list for my top 5 most popular posts.  Click on the titles for the link to return to each of these posts.  How many of these posts from 2014 do you remember reading?  Next week I'll create a second list, one consisting of the most popular guest blog posts of 2014.  Thanks for joining me on this journey and giving me an excuse to meet some wonderful people throughout The Empire. 

The lines started to form early to speak with Archie the Talking Snowman at Chapel Hill Mall in 2014. Photo courtesy of Tommy Uplinger.

1. Archie the Snowman and Akron's Other Christmas Attractions in 2014
It is no surprise to me that information about our city's Christmas attractions would be the most popular post of the year.  I've spent the past year researching and writing a book about this exact subject and I know how passionate we are about our favorite Akron Christmas traditions. Archie the Snowman's unveiling at Chapel Hill Mall this past November was a spectacular event that was also well attended.  Did you go down to Lock 3 to enjoy the holiday family activities there?

2.  The introduction to the Akron Empire Favorites 2014 poll.
This past summer, we gave our readers one month to voice their opinions in a write-in poll about their favorite places, events, bands, organizations, and more.  Brit and I spent the fall revealing a series of posts with the results.  For the full list of links for the results, click here.

3.  UnWined on Main Street
This January post about one of my favorite restaurants is showing its age.  The restaurant has since closed its doors.  Hopefully the owners will re-open their cupcake business soon.  I guess we'll have to be patient.

The Nightlight at 30 N. High Street in downtown Akron.

4. The Nightlight Theater
One of the most exciting things to happen in Akron in the past few years is the opening of our first independent movie theater downtown, The Nightlight.  But you know all this--right?  I'm really looking forward to seeing the movies they have listed on their upcoming schedule.  Click here for the link to the Nightlight Theater website.

5.  Akron Empire Favorites 2014: Favorite Place to Take a Tour
One of the posts revealing our readers' opinions on their favorite places in the Empire.  I think this particular post benefited from good timing--it was published just at the start of the holidays when people are often looking to entertain family and friends from out of town.  Interestingly, this post ties in number of page views with another--the post from last June in which I introduced my latest book project about Archie the Snowman.  I'm eager to report that the book is due for release in Spring 2015.  I'm pleased and comforted to see that many of Akron Empire's readers are also looking forward to the book's completion.  Thanks everybody!

Next, Brit will reveal her top 5 most popular blog posts from 2014.  Happy New Year!