CASPER, Wyo. — Many young entrepreneurs opened for business Saturday outside of Sutherlands, competing for the best lemonade stand. Airean — whose all-American lemonade stand will donate some of its proceeds to veterans — won first place, securing an 8-inch smart tablet.
The Best Stand Contest began at 10 a.m. outside of Sutherlands Lumber and Home Improvement. Kids were not allowed to sell their products, only to display their stands for judgment. Stands will open completely on June 25, when the participants can sell their lemonade all over town.
This is Casper’s eighth Lemonade Day, with more than 5,000 kids having registered over the years. The free community event, sponsored by Hilltop Bank, aims to teach kids how to start and run their own businesses.
Participants will keep 100% of the money they earn. They can average $100 in profit for the day, with more than $40,000 spent at the event by Casper citizens.
Lemonade Day kicked off May 4 of this year at Hilltop Bank, allowing kids to register for the event. They were given backpacks full of information that helps guide them through the process of opening and running their own businesses.
According to the event’s Facebook page, the kids followed a 14-step process to get their stands up and running. The process included “budgeting, marketing, construction, research, developing a recipe, and tabulating business results.”
Sutherlands offered support for the event, giving a 10% discount to those purchasing lemonade stand materials as well as offering free pallets.
While the judges were deliberating, Belle, Moana, Batman and Wonder Woman engaged the kids. Belle and Moana both sang their signature songs, and Batman and Wonder Woman conducted some superhero training.
