Anyone from Clarksdale knows this is the best small town in the good ole U.S. of A.
And now the rest of the county gets to vote for us as a nominee for the Best Historic Small Town in the USA Today Readers’ Choice contest currently underway.
For the third consecutive year, Clarksdale is a nominee with 20 small towns and the communities that receive the most votes will earn a spot in the top 10. Clarksdale placed fourth in 2019, seventh in 2020 and this could be our year.
Voting for the 2021 contest goes through Oct. 25. Individuals may cast their votes by going to a website listed at the end of this story. Voter can vote on each device once a day.
“It’s been exciting because somebody asked me one time what made Clarksdale a historic small town over another town,” said Visit Clarksdale executive director Bubba O’Keefe. “The way I said it was, ‘We’re not. History is important, period. History is just important.’”
But Clarksdale is still unique.
“What makes this different is the Reader’s Choice is voted on after they’re nominated,” O’Keefe said. “It’s voted on by people all over the United States, not the world, only in the United States. That tells us how much people love and appreciate Clarksdale.
“For us to just be in the top 20 list is something to be quite proud of, but to be in the top 10, that’s extraordinary,” O’Keefe added. “And then to make the placement that we’ve made over the years, No. 4 and No. 7, is extraordinary.”
And history is only part of the reason people pick Clarksdale.
“They come for the music, but they say they come back for the people,” O’Keefe said. “We have very interesting people here. It’s a matter of talking to people. It’s not just going to the Delta Blues Museum or Ground Zero or to Red’s and just listening to the music. Yes, they come here for that experience, but it goes beyond just listening to music. People in Clarksdale let you into their world.”
O’Keefe said as tourists make those connections, a personal relationship develops. And Clarksdale’s tourist commission tried to keep those connections during COVID.
The pandemic prevented people from traveling but virtual music was played online from Clarksdale every night.
O’Keefe said that kept tourists in contact with Clarksdale and people who did not know Clarksdale were able to hear live blues music.
“You couldn’t come to Clarksdale so we wanted to bring a bit of Clarksdale to you,” O’Keefe said.
O’Keefe said Clarksdale being in the top 10 historic small towns keeps the community out there. He added tourists have mentioned Clarksdale being in the top 10 historic small towns to him.
“How many small towns in the United States would love to be on a list like that?” O’Keefe said. “There’s only two in Mississippi.”
Natchez is the other nominee in Mississippi.
“I’m just so thankful for the people that vote for us, the people that nominated us and I’m proud of Clarksdale, no matter how it ranks and look forward to seeing the results,” O’Keefe said.
Those interested in voting for the best historic small town may go to the link https://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-historic-small-town/. The website www.visitclarksdale.com will also direct individuals to the voting link.
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