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You Can Thank Ricky!
Written By: Jenny King | Issue: 2017/01 - Winter | Photograph By: Marjorie Christiansen Photography
Ricky Siegel and his wife Helene own and operate 4 1/2 Street Inn in downtown Highlands. You might think such an undertaking would leave time for little else.
You don’t know Ricky.
“I’m slowing down now,” Siegel says. “I volunteer on the Tourism Development Committee, the Highlands Cashiers Players Board of Directors, and the Highlands Greenway Board.”
When asked where he has lent his time in the past, Siegel can hardly remember all his roles.
He does recall it all started when he became a member of the second Leadership Highlands class. It was there he realized the need for Big Brothers Big Sisters, which he was instrumental in bringing to Highlands in 2002. Around the same time, he and several others were responsible for creating Highlands Area Non-Profit Donation Sharing (HANDS), which organizes the Annual Christmas Day Dinner and distributes the proceeds to local non-profits.
He has been active in the Rotary Club of Highlands, Meals on Wheels, the Literacy Council of Highlands, the Highlands Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Highlands Appearance Board, and the Alumnae Board of Leadership Highlands.
Are you familiar with the Highlands Dog Park? Yep, you can thank Ricky for that one, too.
The Tourism Development Committee is responsible for overseeing expenditures made by the Highlands Chamber of Commerce. As he explains it, the occupancy tax that is gathered in Highlands is sent to Macon County, which in turn sends a percentage back to fund the Chamber of Commerce and the Visitor Center. These funds are used for programs such as the recent Highlands Food and Wine Festival and it’s the committee’s responsibility to see that the monies are used for tourism development.
The Highlands Greenway board is responsible for developing and maintaining the many trails that comprise the Highlands Greenway; and Ricky is not one to shy away from getting his hands dirty. On any given workday, you’ll find him with a shovel in hand doing what needs to be done.
“Doing what needs to be done.” That just about sums up Ricky Siegel’s role in the community. Let’s all tell him thanks the next time we see him.
If he stops long enough.
