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Welcome to this week's Reno News & Review.

You know what tomorrow is? Tomorrow, Friday, July 19, at 3 p.m., is the explosive moment when we start counting the responses to our popularity poll, the Biggest Little Best of Northern Nevada.

Even though we made some technical changes this year, things appear to be climaxing relatively smoothly. My fingers are crossed. I did hear a few comments about competitors buying votes with promises of prizes or such, but as I've said more times than I can count, all's fair except using technology to game our system. This is a popularity contest. It's not a scientific poll. Its overall accuracy (or not) comes from the fact that thousands of people join in.

Still, there are always some weird results, but we let the coins fall heads or tails, and we don't second-guess how our readers voted. If Keystone Cue & Cushion wins Best Billiards Parlor, well, we'll make them a plaque. If Tad Dunbar wins Best News Hair, I'll be glad to shake his hand and buy him a Bloody Mary.

I'm excited this year. I mean it's always exciting to see who wins, and I love seeing what our artists do every year to try to top the previous year, but this year feels special. Maybe it's this whole innovation section. Maybe it's because we're trying an innovation of our own that'll drop your jaw. If it works.

There's the excitement. What if it doesn't? I've seen great ideas monumentally fail before. Shoot, I've found myself standing with my pants around my ankles more times than I can count. Not that you should let that scare you.

Another great part of this is always the Biggest Little Best of Northern Nevada winners ball. We hold these gigantic, invitation-only parties that are invariably recognized as the best party of the year. They're so good, we should probably hold them more than once a year. They're even better when everyone gets to come.

And that brings it all back to you.