The lizards, chickens and shelter dogs of Lemonade Day Alaska

What did I learn from Lemonade Day Alaska 2014? I should say something smart about economics, philanthropy and civic engagement, but really, my favorite takeaway from Saturday's statewide lemonade-selling extravaganza was the kid-driven creativity and fun. I sampled fresh-squeezed pirate lemonade (for preventing scurvy!), honey lemonade, lavender lemonade, cherry lemonade and lemonade served up with a side of free jokes. The girls of R.A.W.'s (Riley, Analisa and William's) lemonade stand in Jade Park wore handmade yellow tutus and the young vendors outside Skinny Raven's Skinny Mini store, the Lemonade Chickens, sported t-shirts with hand-drawn chicken designs.

"We just like chickens!" they explained when curious customers asked about their name. The girls were working to raise money for a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training.

I also met a young entrepreneur who had named his lemonade stand-Bobby Johnson's Lemonade-after his pet lizard. Undaunted by the rain, he and his mom/assistant were expecting a pack of thirsty bikers to rumble up to their roadside stand any moment. Their patronage would help Gage sock away a little money for a laptop.

All aboard for the lemonade tour

The statewide coordinator for Alaska's fourth Lemonade Day, Natasha Callen of UAA's Center for Economic Development, invited me aboard the lemonade bus for a tour early Saturday afternoon. Mayor Dan Sullivan came by to see us off and read a Lemonade Day proclamation.

"Seeing young people working hard and putting out a product people want is a great thing," he said, going on to commend the volunteers, organizers and community partners working together on Lemonade Day for "...infusing today's youth with the spirit of enterprise."

A representative from Senator Mark Begich's office also joined the tour and brought best wishes from Washington, D.C.

But the real celebrity of the day, if the kids were given the chance to vote, was the lemon head mascot. Her presence on the bus ensured we were greeted with smiles at each stop. She hugged her fans, busted out some dance moves and posed for pictures with babies and puppies, politician style.

Winning at lemonade, showing their community spirit

https://www.flickr.com/photos/103788595@N05/sets/72157645224301715/show

Last year 3,225 kids registered for Lemonade Day across the state, selling 185,000 cups of lemonade and earning $419,000 in revenue. There are outliers, but on average, after paying off their investors and covering raw materials, a lemonade stand clears close to $100. Last year's participants reported $95,000 in donations to charity.

This year's numbers have not yet been tallied, but organizers anticipate more than 3,000 participate. With financial guidance and training from organizers and sponsors like Wells Fargo, kids learn to save some money, spend some money and give some away. Some come back year after year to roll out bigger and better ideas-new recipes, new themes, new charitable giving.

"I had an email from a mom whose kids wanted to dedicate their stand and all of the profits to help their teacher, who was going through chemo, battling cancer," said Callen. "Usually kids will do 20 percent or even 50 percent of their proceeds, but these kids were giving all of their profits to their teacher. It's really cool how kids give all of their hearts for this."

On June 14 kids across the city reveled in the moment, enjoying their chance to call the shots, naming prices and making change.

The yellow tutu girls, Reagan and Analisa, along with their partner William in a dapper yellow raincoat just had to glance behind them for encouragement. Sitting placidly leashed to a post was their personal mascot, a shelter dog with a yellow neckerchief.

"We're raising money for the animal shelter," said Analisa as she handed over a homemade chocolate chip cookie. As the bus pulled away, the girls were standing at the road's edge dancing and encouraging cars to stop by and help them reach their goals.

"What's your goal for today?" I asked the free joke purveyors outside the Dimond Fred Meyer.

"To have fun!" Gabby said with a shy smile, unwittingly speaking for all the rain-braving kids across the city and their compatriots around the state.

To see more great photos of Lemonade Day Alaska 2014, please visit their Facebook page.

Written by Jamie Gonzales, UAA Office of University Advancement