Hickory Stick Bar-B-Q recently celebrated 50 years in Everman, Texas. Everman is a small town, and the turnout was something to see. The line stretched out the door, and people were waiting around an hour and a half to get in for most of the day. Yet nobody seemed particularly frustrated. People visited, laughed, caught up with old friends, and waited together to celebrate a place that has been part of their community since 1976.

When you walk inside, the walls tell the story. They are covered with newspaper clippings, photographs, football jerseys, cheerleading memories, Little League and T-ball teams, Scout recognitions, and decades of school and community activities. These are not simply decorations. They are a history of Everman told through the eyes of a local business that has spent 50 years supporting the people who live there.

If you have never lived in a small town, it can be difficult to understand the role a local business plays in the community. It is about far more than selling a product or providing a service. A business can become a gathering place, a keeper of memories, and a source of stability. It sponsors the team, supports the school, celebrates the kids, and provides a place where generations of families continue to come together.

Here is what struck me most about that day: the crowd included people from different ethnic backgrounds, religious traditions, political viewpoints, and economic circumstances. Nobody was asking how anyone voted, where they went to church, or which side of an issue they were on. They were simply neighbors sharing a common experience and celebrating something that belonged to all of them.

We spend a great deal of time talking about how divided our country has become. Those divisions are real, but so are the things that still connect us. In Everman, one of those connections happens to be a barbecue joint that has been showing up for its community for half a century.

That kind of community is not created through a program, a slogan, or a social media campaign. It is built slowly over time through relationships, shared experiences, and people who remain committed to a place. Local businesses play an important role in creating those connections because their contribution is not limited to economic activity. At their best, they help build the trust and sense of belonging that allow a community to work.

If we want to move beyond the political conflict and division that dominate so much of life today, perhaps we need to pay closer attention to what still works in our small towns. People do not have to agree on everything to care about the same place, support the same children, celebrate the same traditions, or stand together in the same long line for barbecue.

For 50 years, Hickory Stick Bar-B-Q has done more than serve food. It has provided a place where the people of Everman can see their history on the walls and recognize themselves as part of the same community. That is the small-town spirit we need more of—and it may be one of our best paths forward.

To learn more about Hickory Stick Bar-B-Q: https://www.star-telegram.com/entertainment/restaurants/eats-beat/article316819021.html

About Ron on the Road

Ron Holifield speaks to over 2,000 local government officials annually and has coffee with more than 250 local government officials each year as part of his travels. If you have a cool place you think he should visit, email Ron@CivicMarketplace.com. You can also learn more about efforts to help local government become architects of their own destiny at www.CivicMarketplace.com.

NOTE: This column was written with the assistance of Melissa Valentine, senior director of operations and support at Civic Marketplace. 

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