The Golden Triangle is once again gearing up for something sweet and citrusy.
Lemonade Day will return on June 8, according to Starkville Ward 3 Councilman Jeffrey Rupp, who also serves as interim director of the Mississippi State University Entrepreneurship and Outreach Center (E-Center).
Rupp encouraged all area residents to get ready to head out to their local lemonade stand.
“The premise is that we’ll all register our booth on the Lemonade Day website, then we’ll all come to the Golden Triangle on June 8th to set up our booth, and the community will come together to support young entrepreneurs,” Rupp says, “and the entrepreneur who sells the most lemonade will win a bicycle.”
Though Lemonade Day is a national organization based in Houston, Texas, the sweet drink-based entrepreneurship event only came to the Golden Triangle in 2018, starting in Starkville for the first year and expanding throughout the region in 2019.
Jeffrey Rapp
Mark Castleberry
When Lemonade Day first came to Starkville, developer Mark Castleberry of Castle Properties helped the city secure the license fee for Lemonade Day from a national organization, Rupp said. When the event expanded throughout the Golden Triangle, Cadence Bank became a co-sponsor and covered the growing license fees, Rupp said.
But Castleberry said he continues to support Lemonade Day each year as a way to help young entrepreneurs learn important business skills, such as understanding the costs of materials, labor, choosing a location and marketing.
“I think the kids are learning a lot,” Castleberry said. “It’s very encouraging to earn money and it’s also encouraging that they earned it themselves. They weren’t given the money.”
Rupp said the education offered to young entrepreneurs for Lemonade Day has expanded this year, with the E-Center producing a new series of six videos on financial literacy, all of which can be found on the Golden Triangle Lemonade Day Facebook page.
Lemonade Day has grown in other ways too.
The first year the event was held in Starkville, 64 stands participated, Rupp said. As of Friday morning, more than 350 attendees had signed up to sell lemonade across the Golden Triangle, but Rupp expects that number to reach 400 by June 8.
With the number of lemonade stands increasing, Rupp said it’s no longer possible to visit all of them before the day is over.
“The first year I felt terrible trying to get lemonade at every stand,” Rupp said, “but I learned to just get some lemonade, take a sip and go to the next stand.”
Rupp said participation has grown over the past few years, thanks in part to the support of the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, the West Point-Clay County Growth Alliance and Main Street Columbus, all of whom have representatives from the three organizations voiced their support for Lemonade Day.
Growth Alliance Director Lisa Kratz said her city sees a “big turnout” every year and it’s one of her favorite days of the year to get out, drink lemonade and make new friends in the community.
“There are so many fun food stalls and I try to go to as many as I can,” Kratz said in a text message. “I love seeing the kids get excited about making and selling lemonade and running a business.”
Lisa Kratz
Barbara Bigelow
Barbara Bigelow, director of Main Street Columbus, said in an email to The Dispatch that she is happy to see the lemonade stand coming to downtown Columbus, but hopes to have more stands registered by June 8.
“Not only do these young entrepreneurs learn business strategies, but they also learn the importance of giving back by donating a portion of their profits to their favorite charities and other organizations,” Bigelow said. “When I visit their booths, I see the excitement in their eyes, and it’s rewarding for me to be able to support them by purchasing lemonade, cookies, and other delicious treats.”
Youth can register their stand for free and add their information to the official Lemonade Day map by visiting lemonadeday.org/golden-triangle any time before the event begins.
For those who don’t sell lemonade, supporting these young entrepreneurs can be as simple as stopping by their stand and buying a glass of lemonade, Rupp said.
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