The people of Selma and Dallas County have known for years that Lannie’s Barbecue has some of the top food in the state. Now the secret is out.

Lannie’s was named champion of the legend’s division of the Alabama Barbecue Battle Wednesday with 247,347 votes in only 30 days. The competition was held online and allowed participants to cast a vote for their favorite barbecue restaurant once a day.

The competition showed that people in Dallas County are extremely passionate about barbecue and demonstrated the power of teamwork. It’s amazing how this competition brought so many people together in our community.

Some of the numbers are staggering.

A Facebook group was set up in support of Lannie’s and has almost 21,000 members. In the vote, Lannie’s beat out Big Bob Gibson’s by more than 29,000 votes.

It’s easy to see why.

The people of Selma just refused to let Lannie’s fall behind.

Even with a lead, voting parties were held at The Coffee Shop, Lannie’s and the Larry D. Striplin Performing Arts Center.

It was an incredible display of a community coming together to work for one common goal. It’s going to take that kind of passion to continue to move Selma forward and into the future.