Lemonade Laws

Published August 11, 2011

August 20, 2011, has been declared Lemonade Freedom Day by Robert Fernandes, a father outraged by city officials closing and/or suing children who run lemonade stands across the country.

According to Dave Roland of the Freedom Center of Missouri, municipalities in California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin have shut down refreshment stands run by children selling lemonade, Girl Scout cookies, and other items. The Freedom Center has sued the city of Hazelwood, Missouri, saying local laws barring two Girl Scouts from selling Girl Scout cookies from their driveway are unconstitutional.

As cases began accumulating, Fernandes had enough: “Selling lemonade is a great learning experience for kids. … They are learning about money and running a small business. They are learning about supply and demand. … Do we want to send the children a message that they cannot be productive members of society? … That they should just shut down their dreams and their ambitions and instead they should just go in the house and play video games? Is this the message we want to send to them? This is why we have to stand up for them now. … Selling lemonade is not a crime.”

Sources: Dave Roland, “The Government War On Kid-Run Concession Stands,” Freedom Center of Missouri, July 28, 2011 (listing lemonade stand shutdowns); Dave Roland, “Two Girl Scouts Fighting To Keep Constitutional Cookie From Crumbling,” Yes, But, However, August 3, 2011; Robert Fernandes, “Selling Lemonade Is Not a Crime,” http://www.lemonadefreedom.com/