There’s an old saying that goes, “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” While that may be good advice for adults, for children it translates into “If life gives you lemons, have a lemonade stand.”
Who as a child didn’t have a lemonade stand? We were going to make our fortune, although it probably cost our parents more to make the cooling drink than what we made. Our intent was to make money to spend, not to save for something sensible, like a college fund. However, there were times that children gave money to a charity.
I seem to remember my lemonade stand consisting of a folding table with a tablecloth over it and a handmade sign. The cash box was a cigar box. Simple and functional.
But then sometime in the 1970s, the epitome of lemonade stands appeared on the corner of Selborne and Longcommon. It was the craftsmanship of Steve Wolgemuth, who lived in the ‘”farm” house on that corner; he made the lemonade stand for his children.
It was made of wood and painted yellow, and it somewhat resembled Lucy’s therapist stand from the “Peanuts” cartoon. Wolgemuth’s children seemed rather successful with their little business, bolstered by an impressive stand.
When the Wolgemuth children took on other interests, the stand went across the street to the Heine girls, who took their turn at entrepreneurship until they grew out of the lemonade stand stage.
The stand moved a few houses down to the Duve children, who ran the stand until they grew up and got interested in other things. The stand was then retired to the Duve garage — until now. The stand has found its way across the street back to the “farm” house and a new family with young children, who hopefully will continue the Selborne Road lemonade stand. Watch for it.
Now I don’t know the going price for a lemonade stand drink, but Husband Joe came home with a glass from a little girl in Brookfield and said he paid $1. Of course, it did include a plastic Cubs cup — what a deal.
Oh, the little girl just happened to be our granddaughter, McKenna, so I still don’t know the going rate, because I think Poppy was generous.
