The City of Rahway is among 20 nominees for Best Small Town Arts Scene in a readers choice poll by USA Today.

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The USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice 2021 includes dozens of polls across various categories. For the Best Small Town Arts Scene, it nominated towns with populations of less than 30,000 people: “Bigger isn’t always better, especially when it comes to these 20 small towns, each with a population of fewer than 30,000 people (as of the last census). What each lacks in size it makes up for with a big art scene – museums, art galleries, performing arts and busy event calendars.”

Rahway just got under the cutoff, with a 2019 estimate of 29,895 people, according to the U.S. Census, up from 27,346 estimated in the last Census (2010).

Of Rahway, USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice said:

“Rahway, a former industrial town of just under 30,000 residents, has reinvented itself as an artist community with a walkable downtown area. The Rahway Arts District features the Hamilton Stage theater and Union County Performing Arts Center. Each year, the town hosts the Cultural Crawl, bringing together musicians, visual artists, craft artisans and performing artists.”

Polls close on April 26 at noon. Winners will be announced on May 7. You can vote once per day. Vote here.

Rahway is home to the 1,300-seat Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC), which opened in 1928, and the more recent 200-seat Hamilton Stage, built a decade ago. UCPAC recently announced that it will close until Sept. 1 for maintenance and repairs.

Effective immediately, the Union County Performing Arts Center will be closed so that the historic Mainstage can undergo necessary renovations and maintenance.

Please visit our website for a more complete statement and information: https://t.co/Do0MQTUs2Z

— #UCPAC (@UnionCountyPAC) March 31, 2021

Rahway is up against 19 other communities for Best Small Town Arts Scene, including five others in the Northeast:

• Bandon, Ore.
• Berea, Ky.
• Carmel-By-The-Sea, Calif.
• Cody, Wyo.
• Eureka Springs, Ark.
• Gatlinburg, Tenn.
• Hudson, N.Y.
• Lincoln, Mass.
• Lucas, Kan.
• Madrid, N.M.
• Manitou Springs, Colo.
• Marfa, Texas
• Sag Harbor, N.Y.
• Spring Green, Wisc.
• Stockbridge, Mass.
• Taos, N.M.
• Tubac, Ariz.
• West Rutland, Vt.
• Yellow Springs, Ohio

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