Excited laughter and expectant grins met the delivery driver of the new concession stand the Jerry Higgins Family recently purchased in his memory for the ball field in Wessington Springs. With the old concession stand in a state of disrepair, the family directed their attention to provide baseball fans and players a brand new, custom-built for-the-site stand, aptly named “Jerry’s Snack Shack.”
On a quest to continue Jerry’s legacy of community building through hard work and generosity, the concession stand donation adds to a quickly growing list of gifts the family has made in remembrance of Jerry since his passing on March 25, 2022.
In addition to a donation to the county for future updates to the ag building and a gift to the city to finalize the newly renovated pool entrance, Jerry’s family strives to keep his memory alive in other ways too. Earlier this summer, the Higgins family invited the community for a free ice cream in remembrance of Jerry’s birthday at area eateries.
Jerry Higgins and his wife Betty ran businesses on Main Street in Wessington Springs for more than half of Main Street’s existence. From grocery to furniture, hardware to variety, the stores that they owned and operated have helped write the history of Main Street and make it what it is today.
In 2016, the couple sold the Main Street building that formerly housed their variety store and is currently home to the Wessington Springs Consignment Store to the Springs Area Community Club (SACC) for $1. The volunteer-run consignment store donates all of its proceeds through grants and scholarships to people and organizations in the area. Since opening in 2004, the store has given over $220,000 to the community. With the donation of the consignment store, the Higgins’ ensured that a piece of their legacy will continue to do good in the community for generations to come.
It’s evident that Jerry’s generosity has been transferred by example to the hearts and minds of his family as they continue to build the community through the legacy he began decades ago.