published: Friday, December 07, 2012

Lake Placid named America's Most Interesting Town by 'Reader's Digest'

By SAMANTHA GHOLAR

sgholar@newssun.com

LAKE PLACID - Eileen May got quite a shock when she opened the most recent issue of "Reader's Digest."

"I didn't know until I opened up the magazine and saw it yesterday afternoon," May, the Chamber of Commerce President/CEW said Thursday.

"I opened it and looked, and I said to Mary Tanner 'We won.'"

The win May was referring to was Lake Placid being named "America's Most Interesting Town" by the magazine.

The long-running, two-century-old publication chose Lake Placid as the winner in its annual contest and has placed the charming little Florida town in the national spotlight. Lake Placid residents, businesses and dignitaries couldn't be more thrilled about its newest title and achievement.

The Lake Placid Chamber of Commerce has been in a buzz since the news went official Wednesday afternoon. May had pre-ordered 500 copies of the January 2013 issue of Reader's Digest in hopes of seeing the town on the pages, but the win came as a complete shock to her.

"It really didn't sink in until later when I went back and looked at the magazine," May said.

Harriet Porter, co-founder and president of the Lake Placid Mural Society and president of Tour Lake Placid, was over the moon Thursday morning when she picked up her copy of Reader's Digest from the chamber.

"I'm absolutely ecstatic," Porter said. "By 10 o'clock this morning the town was in such a buzz."

Porter and her husband Bob founded the Mural Society many years ago and continue to work hard to bring tourism into the community as well as preserve the unique aspects of their beloved town.

"As soon as I saw the contest on the Internet I wrote to them (Reader's Digest). I wrote all about our murals, the caladiums; I wrote about all the wonderful things that Lake Placid has to offer. There were many other people around town who did the same thing," Porter said.

The magazine spent a day visiting some of Lake Placid's most famous and intriguing spots, including the many murals around town and the caladium fields.

"They (Reader's Digest) came down here and I guess they liked what they saw," May said. "In the article they gave just enough, just a little snippet of what it's like here ... If I saw that and I lived in Orlando or someplace, I'd think, well let's drive down there and see what it is all about."

The contest began just over a month ago and the town of Lake Placid waited patiently for the results for the past four or five weeks. Lake Placid went up against 10 other towns, none of which were revealed to May during the contest period.

"I don't know any of the other towns that were involved; it's really none of my business. I'm just happy that we won ... To me, the recognition is worth a fortune. You can't put a price on that; we couldn't buy two pages in the Reader's Digest, so it's really cool," May said.

Lake Placid is known for its many murals, caladiums and clowns, as well as the many art aspects that can be found around the town.

The 27 lakes in the area are surrounded by green hills and fields, a fact that Reader's Digest found noteworthy.

"Obviously they liked the clowns, they loved the fields and they loved the murals. They just thought it was a charming little town," May said.

The January 2013 issue of Reader's Digest is expected to be on the stands before the holiday.

"It's going to do a lot of good; I really think it is. Anyone who picks up that book can see this town and say 'Let's just take a drive there and see what all the fuss is about'," May said. "Now we have to top this and do something else."

Porter agreed that the recognition would bring a great deal of tourism to the town and showcase its uniqueness on a bigger platform.

"We are all so much appreciative of this honor. It is truly unbelievable," Porter said.