… Make lemonade.
Country Time lemonade has decided to use the yearly stories of kids getting busted for participating in a defining piece of Americana to their advantage, and to do a few good deeds along the way. They’ve set a Twitter campaign going to get some cheap advertising. Even knowing that it’s a marketing ploy, it’s almost impossible not to participate.
Kids across the country are getting busted for operating lemonade stands without a permit. We're taking the lead to #SaveLemonadeStands by paying for kids' fines + permits this year. For every RT this gets we’ll donate $1 (up to $500,000) to help kids next year + beyond.
— CountryTime (@CountryTime) June 7, 2018
I admit it. I retweeted.
This is the sort of thing that’s easy to imagine only happens in one area of the country, but it doesn’t. It happens from California (Fox)
Good grief! A 5-year-old girl in Porterville, Calif., received a citation in late October for operating a lemonade stand without a license.
In June, Autumn Thomasson decided to operate the stand to raise money to pay for a new bike.
…to Texas, where an incident in 2015 convinced cities throughout the state to revoke permit requirements for lemonade stands. (CNN)
Texas sisters Andria, 8, and Zoey Green, 7, wanted to raise about $100 to take their dad to Splash Kingdom as a Father’s Day present, so they set up a traditional neighborhood lemonade stand.
According to ABC affiliate KLTV, about an hour later and after a $25 profit, Overton police showed up and shut the lemonade stand down because the Green sisters did not have a “Peddler’s Permit,” which comes with a $150 fee.
BETHESDA, Md. (AP) It was a case of bureaucracy run amok, at least from the perspective of the children operating a lemonade stand for charity near the U.S. Open.
Kids from two families put up the stand on private property – a neighbor’s yard that just happens to be on a corner across from a spectator entrance to Congressional. During Thursday’s first round, they received three visits from county officials, twice with a warning. The third time, a citation was issued for operating the stand without a permit. It carried a fine of up to $500 and required a court appearance.
Let’s be honest with ourselves, here. Country Time isn’t remotely as good as fresh lemonade, properly made, and this is a blatant publicity gimmick. In a time, though, when so many claim every action taken is “for the children”, it’s wonderful to see a company step up and encourage kids to learn the basics of a business and do something wholesome without being stepped on by governments eager for cash. No, it’s not really “wonderful”. That’s the wrong word.
It’s refreshing.
Question of the night: What’s something fun you did as a child?
