JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Now considered a Missouri treasure, NBC's "The Voice" runner-up Ruby Leigh was recognized and celebrated Thursday on the floor of the state senate in Jefferson City.
Leigh met fans at Troy Furniture Store at the start of January, just a few weeks after the 16-year-old Foley native came home from getting second place on season 24 of the singing competition.
"The support behind her and to offer the community to come and see Ruby to do a meet and greet is just wonderful," furniture store co-owner Jennifer Ellison said.
Getting Leigh recognized by the Missouri State Senate was spearheaded by her state senator, Travis Fitzwater. It's an accolade given for serving the community and honoring her musical accomplishments.
"I know the governor is proud of her," Fitzwater said. "The governor met her in Jefferson City years ago, and there's pictures of her and the governor. You can go to his page and see they met years ago. So we're, all across the state, politically, all of the folks in politics, they know about her now."
"(I) definitely didn't expect that," said Leigh at the furniture store meet-and-greet event on Jan. 8. "I was like, 'The Senate?' I remember when they called, I was like 'Huh? Do you have the right person?'"
Leigh's talents stretch back before her time on the TV show, back to when she was 9 years old. Almost a decade ago, she was playing in Lincoln County venues and then eventually across the country.
Ruby's parents Terri and Casey Pearson along with her sister Sandra Pearson, nicknamed "Grumpy," have all pretty much made Ruby's success their full-time jobs, whether that's coordinating show bookings, making Ruby Leigh merchandise or helping with social media content from events like the Troy meet-and-greet.
"It's all of us," Grumpy said. "If my dad wasn't helping to book the shows, my mom wasn't driving us and I wasn't doing sound, it's a machine. It's all of us. It's not just one of us."
Yet after all these years and the national recognition, Leigh's family still cries every once and a while when she picks up a guitar and sings. Performing her own rendition of "The Wizard of Oz" classic "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" at the furniture store for a group of children.
After coming back from the Jefferson City recognition, Leigh will be be performing a little closer to home on at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in Highland, Illinois, at the Knights of Columbus Hall. Tickets can also be bought the day of the event.
To watch 5 On Your Side broadcasts or reports 24/7, 5 On Your Side is always streaming on 5+. Download for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV or the Apple TV App Store.