Support your local community while also having fun in the sun with your family this summer! Attending local festivals and events can be a great way to engage with your community while also providing affordable summer fun for you and your family.
Pexels Photo by Leah KelleyWith the Holiday Season of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, I wanted to reflect a moment on the importance of community. People make up community; people with different lives, interests and characteristics. In this area of Blue Ridge, Georgia, Copperhill, Tennessee, Murphy, North Carolina, Franklin, North Carolina, Atlanta, Georgia, Blairsville, Georgia, Tellico Plains, Tennessee, McCaysville, Georgia, Ducktown, Tennessee and Andrews, North Carolina, all of these small towns, thriving cities make up special communities.
What makes them (each of these communities) special are the people we meet, get to know and support along the way. I am not sure it is our heritage, but I know my parents taught me a lot about the value of neighbors and treating others the way you would want to be treated. I enjoy living in an area which support community involvement through different fund raising activities, education, needs of others who need a lending hand during tough times, and charities which support our youth who cannot support themselves.
Reflecting On Community Support
In these communities, you see businesses and their caring employees who make it a point to volunteer time, money, food, gifts and endless hours to provide for the people in our community to make it a special place. When you enjoy Thanksgiving or Christmas with family and friends, the community plays a role in helping others find a little happiness along the way too.
So many times, we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of our jobs, after school sporting events, coordinating schedules, and life in the fast lane that we miss some of the joy and beauty of our local communities and the support they are providing to the less fortunate, people young and old looking for a place to fit in and grow, and overall business health in the area.
As you look around our Tri-State area of Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee, you will find some hard
working communities. I know as I have witnessed for several years now the care and hard work Dickey McCay Insurance staff invests in their local communities in which they live, work and play. Yes, they sell awesome insurance packages at valued/competitive rates, but more than the insurance offers, it begins in the communities in which they serve. They work at supporting community which grows their care and concern for the people. There are other companies and organizations committed to the same passion of community as Dickey McCay Insurance, but I can only share and write about what I have witnessed in my years of experience being around their professional staff. With Dickey McCay, it begins with Community and their love and support for the people in which they serve. Community is their passion as it is the cornerstone of a healthy and growing town.
Happy Holidays
As you spend time shopping for those special Christmas presents, preparing for the upcoming meals, scheduling that family trip, getting that super Christmas tree and decorating it from top to bottom or spending time with loved ones, I want you to take a moment to reflect on the power of community and how each of us can take part in the upcoming year to help our Community support those around us. I want to wish each of you a Happy Holiday Season and a Memorable New Year!
I will leave you with one last thought regarding community and taking a little time out to help others —- if you help enough people get what they want, you will get what you want.
Take care and enjoy the journey,
A Community Santa and Helpers
Whether you are vacationing in the Southeast, are a new resident, or were born & raised in one these charming southern towns, there are places and activities that we regail as the “things to do” in the areas we serve. Dickey McCay Insurance has chosen a few of our clients favorite areas to visit, places to eat, and activities to do during your trip or staycation; take it from the locals, these are the places you do not want to miss & the best time of year to see them!
Andrews & Murphy, North Carolina:
to hang out & where tourists come to see the views of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. With a fire to sit around come autumn, this is the place to finish your day with friends or make a few new ones.
Fire’s Creek is one of the best kept secrets of this area for hiking, horseback riding, swimming & camping. Located in the Nantahala National Forest, you can drive in for some nice creek-side car camping, or enjoy the 23 mile Fires Creek Rim Trail ideal for hiking and horseback riding. This is the perfect place to escape the summer heat with a swim or an easily accessible weekend camping trip. Fire Creek Falls is the waterfall at the end of the dirt road & certainly worth the drive or hike.
North Carolina’s pristine & scenic Nantahala River offers river rafting through family-friendly rapids that are mild but exciting. The Nantahala features eight miles of practice on easy Class II rapids before splashing through the exciting Class III whitewater of Nantahala Falls. You can go with a guide or rent a raft & take your friends & family down yourself! We recommend going with Nantahala Outdoor Center, one of the most experienced river companies in the Southeast. It also boasts a river-side restaurant & bar to watch as paddlers float down the river & play in the wave!Blairsville & Blue Ridge, Georgia:
loop trail in the area on a hot summer day. The Slaughtercreek Trail in the area climbs the less trafficked area of Blood Mountain with the same beautiful foilage. With camping along the way, this 6 mile trail is both difficult and rewarding. 
Blood Mountain Hiking: One of the tallest mountains in Georgia, Blood Mountain is one of the first views along with Appalachian Trail where you can get a 360 degree view & the tallest peak along the AT in Georgia. A short, steep hike, this is one of the most frequented hikes in the area, and on a clear day you can even see the Atlanta skyline. Called Blood Mountain for the fables Cherokee & Creek Native tribe’s battle, this hike holds as much lore as views that you do not want to miss. 
linked to Native American people for generations before European settlement. With family-friendly camping, easy hikes, a lake with a variety of recreation opportunities, & several waterfall views, Vogel is a must stop when passing through Northeast Georgia. 
Tellico Plains, TN & Copperhill, Tennessee:
Rafting the Ocoee River: One of the most rafter rivers in the world, the Ocoee river offers rapids ranked from Class III-IV & was even the host of the 1996 Olympics! There are over 42 rafting companies in the area that takes customers down the Middle or Upper Ocoee. The Upper Ocoee boasts the Olympics Whitewater Park & bigger rapids, while the Middle Ocoee is a more scenic, all-natural flow with continuous, class-III fun rapids!
restaurants, local shops, & new breweries! We suggest taking a stroll around the downtown area & stop in at the three newest breweries: Copperhill Brewery, Buck Bald Brewing, & Copper Ale Station. These hills and their families have been brewing for years & are happy to share their new brews with locals & visitors alike! 
