Kids Lemonade Stand Fined, Shut Down Near US Open
By: Becky Bracken
Published: June 17, 2011

A lemonade stand run by neighborhood kids who live around the U.S. Open golf course, Congressional in Maryland, was shut down by authorities and the parents were fined $500 because the kids didn't get a permit. A permit to sell lemonade? The proceeds from the lemonade stand were going to be donated to a pediatric cancer charity. 
What's particularly galling is that while county officials were dropping the hammer on the lemonade stand, other neighbors are making thousands of dollars selling parking for $50-$60 per day. One neighbor said he's made enough selling parking spaces for golf events to pay college tuition for one of his kids. 
What do you think? Should the kids have been shut down or should the be allowed to sell lemonade anywhere they want?

Comments:
Kelly Smith
June 17, 2011

If they checked the residents selling parking the same way they checked the lemonade stand, then... no problem. All is fair.
There is an issue with selling "food" that needs to be addressed. I'm not sure what kind of bacterial problems could occur with lemonade,... but let's just pretend there is a health threat from selling too-warm lemonade... yeah... okay... never mind.
Just very unnecessary.
Janet Vandenabeele

First off, I know that neighborhood. It's near a country club and therefore quite posh, so don't go feeling bad for the parents having to cough up that fine. Traffic in the area during the event is a nightmare, even for DC suburbs. While it's nice the kids wanted to donate to charity, their parents were warned repeatedly and refused to shut down, so they got the citation, according to DC area media reports. Plus, if the event let the kids run that stand, they were afraid they'd have to cave to others who weren't little kids working for a charity. Sell at some other time, in your church parking lot, at a yard sale, fine. But I hate to say, The Man made the right call this time.