The Diamond Valley business district will be lined with young entrepreneurs offering the public a sweet deal this weekend.
More than 40 youths will set up lemonade stands in front of Main Street businesses in Black Diamond and Turner Valley selling lemonade, treats and wares during the inaugural Diamond Valley Lemonade Day June 11 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“If they just follow the Cowboy Trail they will hit every posted lemonade stand,” said event organizer Barry Crane. “If they go off the beaten path they will find some entrepreneurial kids who will have their own.
“I would really like to see kids throw lemonade stands on their lawns on their own because the advertising is done for them so why not join the party?”
The North American-wide Lemonade Day teaches young entrepreneurs how to run their own business by setting up lemonade stands throughout their community.
The idea originated in Houston, Texas in 2007.
Participants obtain a business licence, receive educational materials and are required to find a local merchant to sponsor them in their endeavours.
Crane, a father and Turner Valley town counsellor, spearheaded Diamond Valley Lemonade Day this spring, piggybacking on Okotoks’ event which got off the ground last year.
He introduced the initiative Turner Valley School students earlier this spring, but said he didn’t have time to go to C. Ian McLaren School in Black Diamond due to his busy schedule.
Next year he plans to have the help of parents and merchants to help him organize the event.
“It will be good to go from a one-man show to a committee,” he said.
Word about Lemonade Day got out to businesses through the Diamond Valley Chamber of Commerce, which has sponsored the event, and Crane said it wasn’t long before he was fielding calls from interested business owners.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to find lemonade stands for all of them.
“Some companies have said, ‘No kids approached us yet and we want a lemonade stand,’” he said. “All the kids that are registered have found their locations. Next year it’s going to be about getting more exposure to the kids and more involvement from the schools.”
Crane encouraged the participants to select a charity to donate a portion of their proceeds to, and said many have chosen Fort McMurray, which suffered expensive damage during last month’s wildfires.
He said the Diamond Valley Lemonade Day committee will pool the proceeds towards that specific cause and challenge local businesses to match it.
Crane said he plans to get in touch with a school or organization geared towards children to donate the funds to.
Maps showing the locations of the lemonade stands in Black Diamond and Turner Valley are available at turnervalley.ca and town.blackdiamond.ab.ca.
