It's been a bit of a circus and not always in the good Britney Spears comeback album way. No matter what you do, making it work these days requires being a bit of a ringmaster. The winners of this year's Best of Humboldt have honed their skills wrangling cats, juggling, highwire balancing and jumping through hoops. And now, with the help of our readers, who nominated and voted for their favorites, the Journal gets to shine a spotlight on the winning local people, places, arts and entertainment, products and makers, services and celebrations. And that's the fun part — a little carnival barking for the acts we want to see flourishing into the future. Step right up and see this year's champions!

Jennifer Fumiko Cahill