The second annual Lemonade Day took place in Sylvan Lake on June 22.
Starting around noon, 17 different lemonade stands could be seen popping up all over town.
Running those Lemonade Stands were 23 young entrepreneurs between the ages of 8 and 11.
"I had the pleasure of visiting many of the lemonade stands, and I was truly impressed by the creativity of each one. While they were all selling lemonade, every young entrepreneur had their own unique twist that made their stand special. It was also wonderful to see local sweet spot businesses promoting and cheering on the young entrepreneurs to ensure their success. I absolutely loved it," Mayor Megan Hanson said.
The winning Lemonade stand of the day was the Lemon Starz stand.
Runners-up included Mya's Bussin' Lemonade and Cuttie Tutie Fruities.
The winners were chosen based on the scorecards of the volunteer judges who went to each of the stands and gave points based on the various judging categories including business pitch, presentation, value, stand appearance, health and safety, signage, branding, and customer service.
While participants get to keep all the money they earn, many of the children who participated this year also donated a portion of their proceeds to local charities, including Red Deer's Ronald McDonald House, Bethany Seniors Centre, and more.
The event would not be possible without the support of the business community.
"I think this is such a great program for youth to see the ins and outs of business. I hope to be involved with this program in years to come. It was so nice to see all the young hard-working entrepreneurs," owner of Sunsport Recreation Chris Bowers said.
The Town is hoping to see the program continue to grow in the future, youth and services supervisor Krista Carlson and economic development officer Amanda Mercer said.
"We are so proud of our community’s youth who stepped up to participate in Lemonade Day. Many of the stands we visited throughout the day were lined up, it was heartwarming to see all the community support for this initiative,” Carlson said.
“It is such a fun program that encourages entrepreneurship and helps to develop future leaders in our community. Everyone did such a fantastic job. Congratulations to all our youth and thank you to all of our business owners who stepped up to be a sweet spot this year,” Mercer added.
More information on Lemonade Day can be found on the website, lemonadeday.org/sylvan-lake.
