Lemonade Day set for this weekend

By BRITTANY FHOLER 

Cove Leader-Press 

Lemonade Day weekend will look a bit different this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic but the Greater Fort Hood Area Lemonade Day is not letting that stop the kids in Copperas Cove, Killeen, Harker Heights and Fort Hood from practicing their entrepreneurship skills. 

Lemonade Day is typically held the first weekend of May in the Fort Hood-Killeen area, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, had to be postponed. Many of the in-perason events normally held leading up to the Lemonade Day weekend were cancelled, but the Greater Fort Hood Area Lemonade Day provided online resources for the kids who are participating this year. 

This year, Lemonade Day My Way will take place Saturday and Sunday, July 25 and 26. 

The mini-entrepreneurs will have several options available for how they can sell their lemonade, whether that is virtually through a website or Facebook,  or in front of their home/on private property. 

Entrepreneurs selling lemonade from their own stands are required to implement safety precautions including masks and gloves, hand sanitizer, cleaning products and contactless delivery via tray, lids for cups and wrapped straws.

“Introducing the Lemonade Day My Way promotion enables Lemonade Day supporters to offer kids creative, fun and safe ways to host a physical lemonade stand or a virtual one to earn their own money,” said Steven Gordon, Lemonade Day national president. “Our Lemonade Day national team in Houston has developed the Lemonade Day My Way promotion to demonstrate that challenges can produce opportunities for innovation, change and growth.”

Five Hills Ambassador Kaydence Roberts will set up her red, dog-themed stand in front of the Copperas Cove Leader-Press office at 2210 E. Business  190 on Saturday, July 25, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., selling “Puppylicious” Lemonade, regular lemonade and iced tea, as well as hats and shirts. 

She will also be selling raffle tickets for a chance to win a lemonade pitcher shaped Scentsy warmer. 

“It’s definitely different, but it’s fun to see how everything works out even though we have all this stuff going on,” Roberts said about preparing for Lemonade Day during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

She added that she is a bit nervous but is confident with her choice of location in front of the Leader-Press office. 

“It’s awesome because it’s right in the center of town, and everybody can see when they’re driving and hopefully, they stop by,” Roberts said. 

Her signature drink this year will be the purple “Puppylicious” Lemonade, which features a secret ingredient that changes the color.  Roberts said she and her grandmother, Senior Miss Five Hills Dawn Hale, came across the ingredient on Amazon and thought it would be something neat to make her lemonade stand out. 

This is Roberts’ fourth year participating in Lemonade Day, and she plans to continue her mission of raising funds to help out animals in need. 

She plans to also use some of her money raised to help bring a dog park to the city of Copperas Cove. 

“I have learned what not to do and how to get better at managing things and how to keep it all organized,” Roberts said. 

Roberts enjoys helping animals so much, she made it her platform of service again as she serves as the Five Hills Ambassador. Roberts has also served as the Pre-Teen Miss Five Hills, Five Hills Junior Ambassador and Junior Miss Rabbit Fest in previous years. 

“I always donate to the animal shelter because I want them to feel love and cared even though they might not have a home,” Roberts said. “So, I want them to have everything that they need so I donate my time and other things there so hopefully they’ll find their forever home.”

The hats will be $10, and the shirts will be $15. Cups of lemonade will range from $1 to $3 depending on the size. 

If a customer purchases a shirt and wears it to Roberts’ lemonade stand in future years, they will get a free lemonade. 

Lemonade Day was founded in 2007 and has expanded to more than 84 communities in the U.S., Canada, Bermuda and South Africa. The program teaches entrepreneurship to kids in pre-school through middle school, and focuses on goal setting, business planning, risk assessment, product development, marketing, customer service, financial management and charitable giving. 

“I think it’s really cool because not everybody gets to do stuff like this, so when they tell us that we’re able to do this it allows kids and myself to learn how to be an entrepreneur and how to run a business,” Roberts said about participating in Lemonade Day. 

In addition to Puppylicious Lemonade, other stands in Copperas Cove that are listed on the Lemonade Day map include Catch the Rainbow Lemonade Stand. 1437 Lubbock Dr., which opens Saturday at 10 a.m. and offers strawberry lemonade and puzzle sugar cookies. 

A Little Sunshine In Your Cup, located at 112 U.S.. 190, opens Saturday at 11 a.m., offering lemonade, strawberry lemonade, Half & Half Lemonade Tea, baked goods, and more.

For more information on Lemonade Day stands in the Copperas Cove area, readers can visit https://lemonadeday.org/fort-hood-area.