Lemonade Day

What is sweet, sometimes sour and open for business?

On May 5, Lemonade Day Austin will feature thousands of young entrepreneurs ages 5–17 operating their own lemonade stands. Lemonade Day Austin, which is sponsored by the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Central Texas, gives kids a chance to operate their own business while learning about saving, investing money and giving back to the community, according to the foundation.

"Lemonade Day helps kids begin to think like entrepreneurs," said Eugene Sepulveda, president of the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Central Texas, in a statement. "All successful business persons started out with a small business: mowing lawns, delivering newspapers or running a lemonade stand. By setting up and operating their own business, kids get to experience success and learn valuable lessons about how businesses operate. They'll also learn about the value of saving and investing money, and giving back to the community."

Lemonade Day Austin began in 2009, and more than 20,000 kids participated last year.

Notable Central Austin lemonade stands open on May 5 are:

  • Happy Hearts Lemonade, which is run by 6-year-olds Ava Branigan and Miranda DiGiovanni, is at Mueller Farmer's Market, 4550 Mueller Blvd., from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Half of the proceeds will go to the Ronald McDonald House at Mueller.
  • Jacob's Jedi Juice, which is run by 5-year-old Jacob Riemer, will be at Ramsey Park, 4301 Rosedale Ave., from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Riemer will be serving two recipes, a light skywalker and dark vaderade, and plans to have a charity bucket out to benefit Candlelight Ranch.
  • The Girl's School of Austin will be at the 7-Eleven location at 2420 Lake Austin Blvd., from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. The school will be raising money for the GSA's Capital Campaign.
  • Peep-Squeaks Lemonade, which is run by 7-year-old Ellie Slate, will be at Mueller Farmer's Market, 4550 Mueller Blvd., from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. The lemonade comes with an optional marshmallow peep garnish on top of the cup, and Slate is donating proceeds to Dell Children's Medical Center and her school, Ridgetop Elementary.
  • Mint Berry Lemonade, which is run by 7-year-old Ariel Abascal, will be at 1716 Anderson Lane from noon–3:30 p.m. Mint Berry Lemonade won runner-up at this year's best tasting lemonade contest.

For more information and to see the location of some of the lemonade stands, visit www.austin.lemonadeday.org.