Lemonade Day is a national event started in Houston 12 years ago to teach kids entrepreneurship through running their own lemonade stand. Not too long after, it was started in College Station in 2010 by Lenae Scroggins. Marie-Ann Holland and Amelia McCracken are the co-city directors of this large event this year, with the goal of opening a door for youth in learning about entrepreneurship and allowing the community to get involved by interacting with the young participants.
This year Lemonade Day was originally scheduled for May 2, but has been rescheduled to Oct. 1-4 due to the coronavirus. Hundreds of lemonade stands will be set up all around Bryan College Station by children kindergarten through 12th grade when the event takes place.
“I wish I had something like that as a kid, so I immediately jumped on it and I’ve been volunteering on and off since 2011,” says Holland.
McCracken, who began volunteering in 2019, like most people, thought Lemonade Day was simply a day to go out and enjoy a cup of lemonade. However, “it is more than just a day,” as advertised through the Lemonade Day tagline.
Lemonade Day has taught children there are different avenues than just going to school and being a teacher or an accountant, but they can create something through having a business. This is implemented in the program before the kids start selling their lemonade.
“It’s typically a five-week program, but easily adjusted if [they] wanted to,” says McCracken. “It is about setting a business plan, a goal of how much they want to make, and essentially where they are wanting to set up … just like a real business.”
There are two different versions of the program: a physical workbook people can sign up to receive and an online version called Lemonopolis, an online game allowing children to play out their business plans.
“It gets them involved in learning about what makes them unique,” says Holland. “At the end we teach them, ‘Save a little, spend a little, share a little,’ getting them to think about what to do with their money after the big day.”
For Holland, Lemonade Day looks like carrying around an empty jug to fill up and stopping at as many stands as possible, she says.
“It is really cool to see the wide range of lemonade stands,” says Holland. “Some kids go all out. One guy built a saloon, almost a legit store. So, some go all out, and some are the traditional table.”
There is an opportunity to share this creativity both at the participants’ table and in their lemonade at the table and tasting contests.
“We also have an entrepreneur of the year contest,” says McCracken. “We had a kid last year who won entrepreneur of the year nationally, and we’ve had several others simply go on and start their own businesses.”
This year Lemonade Day will collaborate with Grand Station to make a Lemonade Village — a hot spot where groups of lemonade stands can sell. This is an effort to get more people in the community to join in, says McCracken.
“I encourage parents to drive around with a bunch of change to support as many kids as they can,” says Holland. “If you don’t have any kids, just buy lemonade.”
Lemonade Day is a chance to experience youth creativity, from the originality in their stands to the flavors of their lemonade.
While the event may be postponed, interested community members are encouraged to check back regularly for more information on the rescheduled date. Local businesses will have the chance to host stands at their location by contacting Amelia McCracken at amelia@lemonadeday.org. Participants will be able to include their stand location on a live map, Brand Your Stand, at www.lemonadeday.org.
