Lemonade Day Indianapolis is May 16th

Let’s talk lemonade. As in Lemonade Day Indianapolis.

My family is in the rush of the spring soccer season, so we decided not to commit to a stand this year. But the more I search around, the more I’m hearing about Lemonade Day Indianapolis. {Like Lemonpalooza on Monument Circle and last weekend’s Best Stands Contests at White River State Park.} And after meeting Lemonade Day rep Jami last weekend at the March Of Dimes “March For Babies,” I’m bicycle-kicking myself for not putting the pause button on soccer this Saturday, May 16th.

What is Lemonade Day? It’s the vision of “empowering today’s youth to become tomorrow’s entrepreneurs through helping them start, own and operate their very own business…a lemonade stand” according to their website. But it’s not ONLY that. Each Lemonade Day Indianapolis business-owner must complete a 14-step setup process from workshops to raising seed money to using Lemonopolis, their own web portal. Through this, kids learn what it means to start their own business, and plants the well, seed, for the drive needed to succeed.

Needless to say, kids who participate in Lemonade Day Indianapolis aren’t running the ordinary lemonade stand. They’re honest-to-goodness entrepreneurs. And on Saturday, May 16th, these stands will be dotting street corners, storefronts and lobbies across the greater Indianapolis area.

So if you’re like our family and missed the bus on setting up your own stand, here are some quick ways to support mini Lemonade Day business-owners:

1. Sign up your crew for the final Lemonade Stand Recipe Class at the East 38th Street Library: Thursday, 5/14 at 4pm
2. Join in the annual Lemonade Day Canal Coloring with Mayor Greg Ballard by helping turn the Canal a cheery shade of lemonade-yellow: Friday, 5/15 at 10:30am. Free t-shirts available while supplies last!
3. Stop by lemonade stands at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway while you’re at Qualification Day: Saturday, 5/16. 10 lucky stand-owners will be paired with IndyCar drivers.
4. Pull the car over, pause your grocery trip or find a stand near you on this map and get out to support those mini entrepreneurs: Saturday, 5/16.

MORE INFORMATION: Lemonade Day Indianapolis is an annual event occurring on the third Saturday of May. Keep watch at their website indianapolis.lemonadeday.org/ and Facebook page for future announcements and 2016 planning.