Murfreesboro Chamber banquet

Had a good time. Rep. Randy Stewart and I rode down together after the voting calendar, and I filled in for Dustin. Murfreesboro is in a unique position for tourism because of their location between Lake Greeson and, of course, the diamond mine. The town has been in the national news recently for two events: they were the site of a recent ABC Extreme Home Makeover, and their hospital has remained open thanks to the help of an 81-year old local physician (Dr. Hiram Ward -- I own his former place on the lake).

I had a good visit with many after the banquet about local issues. Our topic for the evening was economic development, and the area has long range plans for helping direct future development north towards Mt. Moriah and the lake, where projects are in the works for city water. The lake itself (six miles north of town) has experienced some Lake Hamilton-type property value inflation (as shown by the sale of Governor Huckabee's place -- and that's not the only one). Lake Greeson is attractive to many because its lack of development. The town does have some manufacturing jobs, including Diamond City Trailer, Inc., which manufacters boat trailers (including mine). Other large employers consist of the hatchery, the hospital, the school system, the diamond mine, and the Corps of Engineers. I'm partial to the area because of my family roots there (on both sides).