Chick-fil-A preps young lemonade makers for big day

By LYNETTE SOWELL 
Cove Leader-Press 

With Lemonade Day about two weeks away, young business owners showed up at Chick-fil-A in Copperas Cove on Saturday morning to learn how to make fresh squeezed lemonade and add their own unique twist to the mix. 
Marketing director Rita Hogan said a total of 40 pounds of lemons were used for both sessions of the Lemon Squeezers Academy on Saturday morning. 
There were two groups of kids, one at 9 a.m. and another at 10 a.m., who had the opportunity to make lemonade with a little help from Chick-fil-A.
They started with six lemons apiece and used a hand squeezer, then spent some time experimenting with the level of sweetness for their lemonades. 
Nadiya Byrd is nine years old and is hosting her own lemonade stand for the first time. 
She said she already participated in the prior week’s build-a-stand workshop at Heights Lumber in Harker Heights, where her family also went home with their own power drill. 
Her eventual goal is to raise enough money to attend Space Camp in the summer of 2024. 
“My lemonade has a Star Wars theme,” said Nadiya. “I’m going to have SkyWater, and Jedi Lemonade, and Lemonheads.” She plans to add other coloring to some of her lemonade, depending on the name. Although the lemonade will have a different color, it will still have the same tart and sweet taste as yellow lemonade. 
Saturday’s Lemon Squeezers’ day was one of a lineup of events held in advance of Lemonade Day. Yet to come before Lemonade Day will be a best tasting lemonade contest, in which Lemonade Day participants make a video pitch about why their lemonade tastes the best. Ten of those participants will then be invited to a lemonade tasting contest. In addition to the best tasting lemonade, another future contest that is part of the Lemonade Day fun is the Best Stand contest. 
Lemonade Day weekend is Saturday, May 6 and Sunday, May 7. 
So far in Copperas Cove, there are 11 registered lemonade stands where children will be selling their own unique products. Often, they will offer snacks and candy and other merchandise. 
An interactive map of the stands and their locations can be found at: https://lemonadeday.org/fort-hood-area/stands-map. This site will be updated as more stands are registered. 
Held since 2010, Lemonade Day is an annual event during which kids can build, brand, and create their own lemonade stand. They learn about budgeting, marketing, and product development, all while making some money. 
The three facets of Lemonade’s Day include earning money to save, money to spend, and money to give. 
A full lineup of Lemonade Stands in the Copperas Cove area will be included in the Friday, May 5, publication of the Copperas Cove Leader-Press.