The number five is powerful: We have five fingers on each hand, and five senses — that we know of. The ancients represented the world with the number five, for the four elements of earth, water, fire and air plus the ether, or spirit. Many five-sided shapes appear in nature. And then there’s that really big, uh, pentagon in Washington, D.C.

It’s not as mystical as all that, but for five years, Seven Days readers have been picking the “Daysies.” That’s our term for the “best” restaurants, artists, stores, festivals, journalists, politicians and in the area where Seven Days is delivered.

You — the electorate — turn out to be a fiercely loyal bunch. Many of the businesses and individuals you’ll see here — 32, to be exact — have won in their category five years in a row. Such consistency deserves an even higher honor: recognition of “perennial” excellence.

That said, it’s always exciting to see some upsets and upstarts, and this year’s survey has its share. Your challenge is to spot them on these pages. One will be easy: the Best Seven Days Reader! For the first time ever, we offered voters the opportunity to explain why they are fans of Seven Days. No offense to our other 77,000-some readers, but Kimberly Thoren’s answer made us feel especially warm and fuzzy. You’ll find Kimberly’s response and some of our other favorites in this section.

Thanks, as always, to the community of advertisers and readers who help make Vermont the “best” in so many ways, and that keep this locally owned, alternative newsweekly thriving — in print and online. Without you we’d be pushing up You-Know-What.