Summer tradition gives kids
chance to run ‘big business’
By clare MARie celano
Staff Writer
CLARE MARIE CELANO Freehold Borough officers Chris Otlowski (l) and Kevin Werner stop and take a cool break with some lemonade offered by area children on Park Avenue. Making the sale (l-r) are Melissa Palmer, 8, Tyler Gunderman, 5, and Danielle Corrado, 9.
FREEHOLD — Area children will be trading in their swimsuits and ice cream for backpacks and homework pretty soon.
On a recent afternoon, three ambitious children with entrepreneurial designs found a way to hold on to summer just a little bit longer.
The children set up a lemonade stand on Park Avenue in the Foodtown shopping center on Aug. 18 and raked in enough bucks to give the ice cream truck a run for its money before it retires in the fall.
At the time a News Transcript reporter visited the lemonade stand, the three would-be business owners had taken in $12 or $13 (they weren’t quite sure). They had already spent a good portion of the profits standing in front of the ice cream truck and were hoping to take home a little more cash for another hit of the icy cold stuff later on.
"Business is good," said Melissa Palmer, 8, of Freehold. "It was a little better when we were set up at the apartments (Monmouth Village), but it’s OK here, too."
The sunny, less humid weather lent itself to the event, creating the perfect setting for the time-honored tradition of selling lemonade from a "roadside" stand.
Danielle Corrado, 9, of Marlboro, and Tyler Gunderman, 5, of Freehold, were partners in the business venture. The money, split three ways, was enough to provide a feeling of accomplishment for the youngsters and provide some money for some sweet treats to boot.
Most adults can likely remember a time when they either sold the tangy, refreshing yellow liquid or bought it in a paper cup for a quarter, a dime or a nickel on a hot, sunny day.
The prices may have increased (the children were selling theirs for 50 cents for a full 12-ounce cup; not bad in today’s market) and the lemonade may not be fresh squeezed as it once was, but it provided cool refreshment to those passing by on a warm day.
Freehold Borough police officers Chris Otlowski and Kevin Werner were two of the patrons at the lemonade sand. The officers took a break for a few minutes, introduced themselves to the children and enjoyed a glass of cold lemonade.
The idea for the lemonade stand came from Melissa. Her dad, Jimmy, had taken the three children to a toy store to buy them one toy each. They decided to pool their money and buy one big toy that would give them a return on their investment (actually, Palmer’s investment).
Of course, as all parents know, the lemonade stand, the lemonade, the paper cups and all the rest cost far more than the profits yielded by the sale of the drinks.
Palmer, who supervised the "work" day which lasted a few hours, and Tyler’s mom, Lisa, both had a good time watching the children make their first attempt at achieving the American Dream.