June 17 was Lemonade Day in Castor.
An initiative spurred by Community Futures East Parkland, Lemonade Day was put forward as a way for kids to learn the basics of entrepreneurship by creating their own businesses. In this case, the businesses were lemonade stands.
“The foremost objective of Lemonade Day is to empower youth to take ownership of their lives and become productive members of society – the business leaders, social advocates, volunteers, and forward-thinking citizens of tomorrow,” said Kate Gislason, the Community Futures economic development officer, via email.
Youth interested in participating in Lemonade Day had to sign up through Community Futures and attend “Lemon University” where they learned how to create a budget, how to set profit goals, how to serve customers, repay investors and give back to the community. The youth were also required to get a business licence from the town.
“Along the way, kids acquire skills in goal setting, problem-solving, and gain self-esteem critical for future success,” said Gislason.
Two registered lemonade stands were set up in Castor; Kenzie Davis had Fruity Lemonade set up near Paintearth Lodge and Ella White had Nature Nummy Yummalicious Lemonade set up just outside the Castor Pool.
The day included the booths being judged; Davis won Best Stand and White won Best Tasting Lemonade.
Lemonade Day was first brought into Alberta in 2018 by a different Community Futures office; since that time, the day has grown to include 13 different communities.
The local Community Futures office got involved at the request of the Bashaw Chamber president, Stacey Trombley, to bring the program to that community and subsequently partnered with Castor’s Battle River Innovation Centre to bring the program to Castor.
Castor’s town council recognized Lemonade Day with an official proclamation signed by Mayor Richard Elhard signed April 25.