Country Time Joins the War on Lemonade Stands

My neighborhood friends and I ran lemonade stands during the summer that rang up enough money for us to hightail it down the dirt trail of a nearby backyard to the local drug store to buy bags of candy.

That was a long time ago. Today, kid’s chances of getting busted and shut down by the local cops are a real possibility, turning lemonade back into lemons.

Cops say these young entrepreneurs need temporary permits to run what’s called “mobilized food vendors,” as happened to three young boys in Denver, CO, who were out raised money for a 5-year-old boy in Indonesia through Compassion International. It turns out there were set up on park property, that’s a no-no. A nearby snitch turned the little guys in. The Denver Post, The Miami Herald, The New York Post and The Washington Examiner all picked up the story as did other media outlets.

It’s a problem all across neighborhoods in America and Country Time, synonymous with lemonade, has stepped in to help out. The brand introduced Legal-Ade: a team standing by to straighten out lemonade stand-related permits and fines. The Denver boys would have had to pay $100 for a permit, and who knows how much if cops had decided to slap them with fines, which they didn’t.

Should a kid be fined for running a lemonade stand without a permit his or her parent apply for reimbursement by uploading an image of the permit or fine along with a description of what the lemonade stand meant to the children, in his or her own words. If the submission complies with the terms, the offender will receive the exact amount to cover the permit or fine, up to $300.

Kid’s today more likely than not are raising money for some cause, not just to run off and stuff their faces with candy like we did. Country Time’s campaign is a nice gesture, but how many people will actually likely know about it as the sounds of sirens near lemonade stands. And, how many cops would really be willing to slap the kids with fines. Parents say lemonade stands are a teaching opportunity for them to learn about helping others, managing money and setting goals, all great lessons. But as the world is today the way it is, there lesson plan has been expanded to include understanding local permitting requirements and how to deal with cops when you haven’t done something exactly right.

To get the word out about Legal-Ade, check out the video below posted on Country Time’s YouTube channel and at a dedicated website.