Watching her four young children perk up at “every little quarter” they earned selling lemonade, Greenfield resident Miyah Odle saw herself in their eyes.
“When I was a child, I had so much fun doing lemonade stands and it taught me so much,” she wrote in a Facebook post encouraging locals to stop by.
Odle’s kids are among countless others all over the country who carry on the age-old tradition of selling lemonade to parched passersby. These humble drink booths seem to defy the fast-paced modernization of the culture in which we live, forgoing an increasingly-digital market for a more social, localized approach to making money. It’s also often children’s first lesson in doing so, parents noted.
“Honestly, everyone loves lemonade, and it’s something kids can do where money can be made,” said Greenfield resident Cassie McCarthy, whose 11-year-old son, Joseph McCarthy, has been selling lemonade on Conway Street.
According to George Mason University’s “Children and Youth in History” online resource, there are records of children selling lemonade on the streets tracing back more than 130 years when “a New York youngster sold it to thirsty street car riders.”
“Its connection to youthful entrepreneurship has endured,” Robert Sexty wrote in an annotation to a Life Magazine article from May 1947 that was referenced in the Children and Youth in History resource. “Today, it is often the first entrepreneurial venture of young people and is frequently mentioned as a summertime activity.”
“My grandfather built me this little stand, we made signs, and I think we were out there every day,” said Odle, who operated a lemonade stand for “years” growing up in South Deerfield. “Being out there and earning my own money and realizing I could do something to get something for myself.”
Lauren Barton, head chef at Wendell’s Diemand Farm, said the area and its people are conducive to the ongoing success of lemonade stands. Her six-year-old daughter, Cora Barton, made about $60 in her first two days running a lemonade stand at the farm last week alongside her nine-year-old sister Skyler, the mother said.
“Our customers, a lot of them are regulars,” Barton said, adding that her daughter’s stand has been far more successful than the one she operated while growing up in Orange. “I just think we have a really good, united community around here.”
Carrie Mimitz, whose 10-year-old son, Milo Mimitz, operated the Conway Street stand alongside Joseph McCarthy, said part of the appeal of a lemonade stand is that it’s “something more than just being on a video game.” Odle added that the custom is something not frequently seen on social media where children often gain inspiration.
“When they hear about something different, it sparks a light bulb in their head, and when they actually learn what it is, they’re excited about it,” she said.
Cora said she has liked running her lemonade stand “a lot.” In addition to pouring and selling the lemonade, she helped make it herself with fruit from the Diemand Farm store.
“She loves it,” her mother affirmed. “I don’t even know she’s here half the time.”
While Cora said she was unsure as to how she would spend the money she earns, some children expressed great excitement about what they might be able to buy. Milo said he looks forward to buying toys and Pokémon trading cards, while Odle’s 11-year-old daughter, Ayva Yukl, exclaimed “Disneyworld!” when asked how she hopes to spend her earnings.
“When you buy something with your own money, it feels more rewarding than when you have to ask for it,” Odle said.
Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.