This Festival Week, Let’s Celebrate the People Behind the Smoke
Barbecue Festiva in Lexington
The Lexington Barbecue Festival honors craftsmanship, community, and local pride. But behind every plate of chopped pork is a parent, a caregiver, or a working neighbor who keeps this city running.
As we gather on October 25, let’s also remember: keeping Lexington’s pits smoking takes more than wood and sauce—it takes people.
And those people depend on childcare they can trust.
If we want our barbecue legacy to last, we must invest not only in our restaurants but in the childcare centers that make the workforce possible.
Because when childcare thrives, Lexington’s smoke keeps rising.
Afterschool program outdoor play
How Lexington Can Keep the Smoke Rising
To protect the small businesses that define our community, we can:
Create employer–childcare partnerships: Local restaurants can co-sponsor childcare slots for their employees at nearby centers.
Fund flexible hours: City and Chamber grants can help childcare providers extend hours into evenings and weekends.
Offer childcare stipends: Even $200 a month can reduce absenteeism and turnover more effectively than an equivalent raise.
Build a shared back-up-care pool: Businesses contribute to an emergency fund for parents who face unexpected gaps.
Advocate through the Chamber: Include childcare access in Lexington’s economic-development agenda alongside tourism and small-business growth.
The Hidden Link Between Childcare & Business Survival
North Carolina’s 2025 Child Care and Early Education Task Force found that childcare shortages now cost the state $5.6 billion annually in lost economic output. That figure isn’t abstract—it shows up right here in Davidson County when restaurants can’t stay fully staffed.
If childcare centers can’t hire teachers, they close classrooms. Parents lose options. Workers lose shifts. And restaurants lose people.
That’s why childcare is not just a family issue—it’s business infrastructure.
A Call to the Festival: Let’s Give Back Where It Matters Most
As the Lexington Barbecue Festival draws tens of thousands of visitors and millions in regional revenue, it already plays a central role in our community’s identity and economy.
This year, let’s challenge ourselves — and the Festival’s sponsors, vendors, and civic partners — to make an investment that lasts far beyond the weekend.
Imagine if part of the festival’s proceeds or sponsorship fund supported local early childhood education and childcare programs.
That could mean:
Scholarships for working parents in the restaurant and hospitality industry.
Grants to expand hours for childcare centers serving shift workers.
Funding for workforce training for early educators, ensuring those centers stay open and staffed.
By linking the Festival’s success to the stability of local families, we’d strengthen the very workforce that makes Lexington barbecue possible.
Because when we invest in our youngest learners and working parents, we invest in the smoke, the sauce, and the soul of Lexington itself.