Cooler than a mushroom house?

If Kennett Square conjures up images of shiitakes, portobellos, and creminis, you may not be hip to its newest accolades.

While the quaint borough earned international notice years ago as the world's mushroom capital, fungi aren't its only coveted commodity of late.

In December, US Airways magazine listed Talula's Table - which boasts a yearlong wait for a reservation - as one of 16 optimal dining experiences in the country. In February, the Kennett Area YMCA snagged honors as the best Y in the nation.

But for borough boosters, the pièce de résistance may be Kennett Square's selection by the Budget Travel magazine Web site in late January as one of America's 21 "Coolest Small Towns."

Since then, Mayor Matt Fetick has been drumming up votes to put the borough in the top 10 and earn it a spot in the magazine's October issue. The contest will end May 9, and a link for casting ballots appears on the borough Web site, www.kennett-square.pa.us/

Fetick, who took office in January, said he was not surprised by the acclaim. He only wished he could take credit for it.

"I got to walk into all the glory," he said, adding that many others crafted Kennett's renaissance. "I couldn't be prouder, though."

Fetick, who works in real estate, moved to the borough about four years ago, attracted by the distinctive architecture, dynamic stores, cultural vibrance, and community spirit.

"It was abundantly clear to me that this was a town on the upswing," he said.

Even if Kennett does not achieve the next level of prominence, Fetick believes, it remains a winner.

"It's pretty amazing that we keep getting these honors," he said. "We're 5,500 people in a one-square-mile town."

Here's how Budget Travel defines the contest: "A Coolest Small Town is a town of under 10,000 residents that's beginning to draw attention - and new residents - because of the quality of life, arts, and restaurant scene, or proximity to nature. We want towns with an edge, so think avant-garde galleries, not country stores."

The field was winnowed from 147 nominations, the magazine site said. Other contenders include Stowe, Vt.; Red Lodge, Mont.; Cooperstown, N.Y.; and Barnegat Light, N.J., which is touted as a "serene Jersey Shore town" known for seabirds, sustainable fisheries, and its namesake, the Old Barney lighthouse.

Describing Kennett, the Web site references the annual Mushroom Festival, a popular, offbeat event with a parade and a mushroom-soup cook-off. It also cites the proximity to the 1,050-acre Longwood Gardens.

The authors fail to mention that during the festival, La Michoacana Ice Cream store, known for such unusual flavors as corn and avocado, adds mushroom ice cream to its homemade offerings. How's that for avant-garde?

Like many Kennett venues, the ice cream shop has already attained fame: It made a 2008 top-five list of regional ice cream shops.

Chester County Deputy District Attorney Stephen J. Kelly, a former Kennett Square Borough Council member, acknowledged some bias, but he said ample evidence supported Kennett's prominence in myriad categories.

"We must have the greatest number of volunteers per capita than any other community. . . . We have great diversity, tolerance, the greatest fire company, our own symphony, the Underground Railroad history," he said. "I could go on. It's just an amazing place."