The Rogue Riders will be in College Station June 27 through July 1. This week, College Station will get the chance to prove it is the friendliest town in the nation. College Station is a finalist in the Friendliest Town category in the Rand McNally and USA Today’s Best of the Road competition. The Rogue Riders, a two-person team, will be in College Station Wednesday, June 27, through Sunday morning, July 1. The Rogue Riders will be given tours of College Station, which are open to the public so the town can show first-hand just how friendly the locals are.
The race came to the attention of Mayor Nancy Berry last April when she purchased a Rand McNally atlas, which carried an advertisement about the competition. She sent the information to the City of College Station’s marketing team, and they began spreading the word around town. “It was never just one department working to bring this to everyone’s attention; everyone has been working together to bring this opportunity to their town,” explains Lacey Lively, marketing coordinator of the City of College Station.
Public Communications is working with local businesses; The Convention and Visitors Bureau, B/CS Chamber of Commerce, Texas A&M University, Texas Engineering Extension Service and the George Bush Presidential Library are working together to set up tours for the Rogue Riders. Local businesses are also donating their time and effort for the event. Chef Tai's Mobile Gourmet Food Truck will be at the event at Veterans Park and C.C. Creations is donating t-shirts for the Rogue Riders and for the tour guides. “No money is being spent for the tours or for the Veterans park event this Friday; it is purely based on everyone wanting to show just how friendly College Station is,” say Lively.
The final itinerary will include everything from the George Bush Presidential library to the Northgate nightlife. Locals will be able to follow the events on Facebook, Twitter and Foursqaure. Everyone is encouraged to come out to show their community pride in the town Friday, June 29, at Veterans Park. In addition to food vendors, there will be entertainment and activities.
Winning the race would benefit everyone in College Station – the title alone is something every local business can put by their logo. "Friendliest Town in the Nation” will be a tremendous boost for tourism, as well. As a supporter of the town so nicely commented on the Best of the Road's Competition Blog Spot, “They say Texas is one of the friendliest places to be; wait until you get to College Station! A well kept secret...but not for long!”
You may think you don't have an effect on the outcome of the competition, but you may well be the difference between winning the competition and being in a respectable, though undeserving, second place. Keep the smiles on and keep the "Howdys" coming. If you're driving and you see a blue Honda sporting the "Best of the Road" logo, wave! Keep up with the itinerary of the tours on social media and go to one of the tours to say "Howdy" to the Rogue Riders. Above all, head out to Veterans Park Friday with your family and friends and bask in the friendliness of the local businesses that make up College Station.
For more information on the Rogue Riders, the judges of the Friendliest Town, visit http://blog.bestoftheroad.com/rogue-riders/.
For more information on the competition and the competing cities visit http://blog.bestoftheroad.com/2012-road-rally-finalists/.
