Taking a Lemonade Day stand

More than 200 young people operated their own lemonade stands Saturday, declared Lemonade Day in McMinnville in what the chamber of commerce hopes will become an annual tradition.

Chamber CEO Nathan Knottingham said students and their parents have been asked to turn in financial reports at a wrap party scheduled for 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Grain Station, 755 N.E. Alpine St. in the Granary District.

Until the reports are submitted and tabulated, Knottigham won’t know how much the lemonade stands netted. However, he said money is not the most important element anyway.

“I think the day was extremely successful, no matter the outcome of money made or donations given, he said. “While it’s too early to know final income numbers, some of the stories I’ve heard so far from the young entrepreneurs and mentors have been very touching.”

In fact, Knottingham said, there was no such thing as failure.

He said one mother called to say her son had given up on the idea because it was proving “too much work.” That’s alright, he told her. It was still a learning experience for him.

“I assured her that the particular experience she and her son had should be considered a success, because that is exactly how some businesses begin,” Knottingham said. “We plan and prepare and then realize it’s not worth it. For her son to experience that lesson so early is a great achievement.”

Despite the work involved, hundreds of young people pressed on nonetheless. Many stands were devoted entirely to charity and all of them included a charitable component.

Knottingham said that mirrors the way adult businesses operate, especially in towns like McMinnville.

“This really struck home with me,” he said. “We have a very generous community. It’s part of our culture in McMinnville.”

The entire Lemonade Day experience has been inspiring, he said.

“The McMinnville chamber is proud to bring this program to our community through the support and sponsorship of so many great businesses who made it possible,” he said.

“The new businesses operating Saturday were amazing. We can’t wait to see what next year will bring. We see this as being an annual event that gets better every year and impacts the lives of young entrepreneurs to dream big and achieve their goals.”