Fruits of Their Own Labor Fest

Barbeque. Bluegrass. Economic freedom. 

Welcome to the Fruits of Their Own Labor Fest. 

Join Pacific Legal Foundation and the John Locke Foundation on Sunday, June 26, 2022, at 1 p.m. for this first-ever celebration of its kind. Since 1868, the North Carolina Constitution has ensured that every North Carolinian has the right to enjoy “the fruits of their own labor,” which provides clear and specific protection for North Carolinians to pursue their own economic empowerment. The Fruits of Their Own Labor clause doesn’t exist in any other state constitution—but for North Carolinians, it offers crucial protection of the right to earn a living.

That’s a tradition worth celebrating. 

At the Fruits of Their Own Labor Fest, we’ll gather for music, beer, food, and stories at Club 519—a popular Greenville bar that exists today only because co-owner Crystal Waldron was able to rely on the Fruits of Their Own Labor Clause in her legal fight to save the business. 

We’ll enjoy eastern style barbeque from pitmaster Mark Shirley, proprietor of the food truck Ole Time Smokehouse. Shirley is arguing in court that an unjust food truck ordinance violates his right to earn a living. 

And we’ll hear about a brand-new lawsuit on behalf of Outer Banks entrepreneur Ami Hill, who is fighting to save her art business.

With live bluegrass and brews (courtesy of Club 519), the Fruits of Their Own Labor Fest is an opportunity to celebrate everything North Carolina does best—while sharing stories of the entrepreneurs and small business owners whose livelihoods are protected by North Carolina’s one-of-a-kind Constitution.