This Saturday, lemonade stands will once again be put up across Dickinson to teach youth entrepreneurial skills.
During the most recent Dickinson City Commission meeting, Mayor Scott Decker and his fellow commissioners proclaimed August 1 Lemonade Day.
"It really shows kids how to market themselves, build a stand," said Austin Boepple, events and member relations manager for the Dickinson Area Chamber of Commerce. "It gives them great entrepreneurial experience; it gets kids involved through contests that we host - the best stand design contest, tasting contest. It's a really good program."
He said the event has a lot of kids who participated last year returning this year.
"We're excited to see all of the different ideas and how they've learned from last year, different tips and tricks that they've learned, new lemonade ideas," Boepple said.
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Over 30 kids are expected to participate in this year's Lemonade Day, the second to be held in Dickinson.
The free, community-wide program teaches kids how to start and operate their own lemonade stand.
According to the event's website, "Each child that registers receives a backpack with an Entrepreneur Workbook that teaches them the lessons of Lemonade Day like creating budgets, setting profit-making goals, serving customers, repaying investors, and giving back to the community. Along the way, they acquire skills in goal-setting, problem solving, and gain self-esteem critical for future success. They keep all the money they make and are encouraged to spend some, save some and share some."
Last year was Dickinson's first year participating in the event. Due to COVID-19, this year will be a little different.
"We're encouraging social distancing," Boepple said. "Notice will be sent out to all of the participants encouraging them to try to follow some rules, but at this point, it is to the discretion of parents and mentors of the lemonade stands of the kiddos."
All of their packets and materials were provided online rather than in person this year.
"Certain aspects of Lemonade Day were cancelled that would have been held normally during the quarantine shutdown time in North Dakota," Boepple said.
This includes the kickoff party.
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"There was a kickoff party where the young entrepreneurs attend an evening event where they receive some information, with their parents and mentors ... on how to build a stand, how to be an entrepreneur, how to budget ... plus some swag bags from our members that we give away to all of the kids," he said.
Registration is open until Wednesday, July 29. Parents can register their kids online at lemonadeday.org/dickinson for free.
The chamber will put out a public notice of the location of all of the stands the following day.
Lemonade Day began in Houston, Texas, in 2007 and has since expanded to 82 locations in 3 countries.
