A two person travel team visited Murray Monday as part of the Rand McNally USA Today Best of the Road competition. Murray is nominated for the Friendliest town in the Best Small Town in America contest.
Jennifer Jordon and Robert Schatz are the Rogue Riders, a team picked by Rand McNally to judge which of the national nominees is Friendliest. The couple arrived in Murray Saturday night, and they’ve been on a whirlwind tour for the past 48 hours, visiting Murray and the surrounding community via boat, airplane, trolley and bicycle. Jordon said the most surprising part of the visit has been the town’s vibrancy.
“I guess it would be the amount of things going on. It’s just, you wouldn’t think it’s a small town if you made a list of all the events and activities going on on a given day," she said.
Tourism officials also took the team to local hang outs, restaurants, and businesses. The city is up against five other small towns for the Friendliest title. The winner will be announced in July and will be featured on Rand McNally maps and on a television special.
