Earlier this year, Matt Alexander and Nickolas Reckinger opened their second Georgia Boys BBQ location, the Smokehouse, as part of the revitalization of downtown Frederick. Once they settled into the new space, it didn’t take long for the pair to plan their next step: a patio, which they hope to turn into a gathering place for the local community.

“There’s a playground about 50 feet from where our patio will be and there’s a music stage in the park as well,” Alexander says. “We want people to be able to eat dinner or have beers while they listen to music or watch their kids play.”

Now, the barbecuing duo is looking to the community to help fund the project. They launched a fundraising campaign through Community Funded, a crowdsourcing website based out of Fort Collins, with a goal of raising $25,000. This amount would cover the costs of installing glass garage doors, pouring concrete, and furnishing the patio.

Contributors to the campaign receive rewards that range from a pint of beer to a privately catered barbecue event for higher-level donations. Employees at the restaurant are also getting behind the movement by charging for home-cooked meals and offering services such as tutoring or babysitting. “They’re auctioning themselves off,” Alexander says.

While the goal is to raise $25,000, Alexander and Reckinger plan to go through with the project regardless of what is raised. “This is just whatever we can do to get it going,” Alexander says. “No matter what, we are going to start with the garage doors around the beginning of August. We’ll be making moves to get that done.”

The Georgia Boys BBQ crowd-funded campaign ends on July 25. You can read more about the project at their Community Funded page.

—Photo courtesy of Colorado Property Group