Willie Ray's Q Shack featured during Will Smith's Snapchat holiday special
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A popular Cedar Rapids BBQ restaurant, with an owner who stepped up to help the community with free meals in the days following a devastating derecho in August, is getting some superstar recognition from actor Will Smith.
Willie Ray Fairley opened Willie Ray's Q Shack about a year before the derecho swept across eastern Iowa.
During an interview with Iowa's News Now Anchor Karen Fuller in October, Fairley explained he knew he could help and decided to rise to the challenge.
On Wednesday, December 16, Fairley and his BBQ restaurant were featured in Will Smith's Snapchat series called "Will From Home" Holiday Special.
During an interview with Smith, Fairley talked about how he faced some challenges in 2008, when flood waters caused massive destruction in Cedar Rapids.
"I said to myself then, if I was ever in position, I'll be the first one to do something on the right level far as helping people," Fairley said to Smith.
