UPDATE, July 20, 2011: Kid-run lemonade stands OK with city of Appleton
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Kids' lemonade stands have been taking a hit lately.
In Midway, Georgia, police recently shut down an operation.
Midway police have shut down a lemonade stand run by three girls, saying the stand lacked a business license and required permits.
The girls had been operating for one day when Midway's police chief and another officer cruised by. They had been trying to earn enough money to go to a water park.
The girls needed a business license, peddler's permit and food permit to operate, even on residential property. The permits cost $50 a day or $180 per year.
Midway Police Chief Kelly Morningstar says police didn't know how the lemonade was made, who made it or what was in it.
Closer to home, Appleton police shut down stands.
From WLUK:
It's a summer tradition, especially for two Appleton neighbors.
“The kids have been setting it up for six or seven years now,” said Margi Mann.
Two young girls sell lemonade and cookies every year near their house during Appleton's Old Car Show. But this year that changed.
“We had a knock on the door from our local police officer who had to deliver us the news,” said Mann.
Because of a new city ordinance, Margi Mann's daughter Lydia could no longer sell her lemonade. And their neighbor couldn't sell her cookies.
...On June 1, the Appleton city council passed an ordinance preventing vendors from selling products within a two-block radius of local events. That includes Lydia's lemonade stand. She lives just one block from the car show, held at Pierce Park every July. Mann says the officer tried to see if the department could make an exception, but was told they had to follow the ordinance.
“Since I had 20-some-odd jars of lemonade in my refrigerator, we made the decision along with our neighbors whose daughter is selling the cookies, that we would just give them away free today,” said Mann.
“My son went over there and saw what happened. He came over and chewed me out for 10 minutes because this is happening,” said Appleton Ald. Peter Stueck.
Stueck says he had no idea the ordinance would affect people like Lydia.
“It's certainly not that Appleton is against little girls setting up their cookie and lemonade stands. But the overall intent of the ordinance was to protect the vendors at these events,” said Stueck. “To get a little bit of security to the vendors who were at the events.”
Stueck says this repercussion was an oversight, and it needs to be changed.
“Hopefully we will be able to get this straightened out,” said Stueck.
Video.
Appleton police shut down lemonade stand: fox11online.com
Good news for young entrepreneurs in Appleton!
It turns out that Appleton is a lemonade stand-friendly city.
From WBAY:
It's perfect weather for young entrepreneurs to set up their summer lemonade stands, but as Action 2 News first reported Monday, a lemonade stand run by two Appleton sisters was all but shut down because of a city ordinance prohibiting anyone from selling anything within two blocks of an event.
Monday, city officials and police told Action 2 News they will revisit that rule and the way they enforce it.
Sometimes lemonade mixed with the sweetest ingredients can still leave a bitter taste, and that's what alderman Curt Konetzke says happened Sunday when police showed up at the lemonade stand outside their home -- one block too close to a car show.
"I think this is an unintended result of that ordinance, I guess you can't cover every situation that might arise," Konetzke said.
The ordinance was intended to stop vendors from setting up near special events where other vendors pay to be.
City council members will now consider changing it.
"It's something that I think that we'll end up taking a looking at to see if there's a different way to do it," Konetzke said.
Police say they also plan on making some changes in the way they enforce the ordinance so that this is the last lemonade stand, they have to put the squeeze on.
"We're going to be following up and doing some training for the officers and letting them know just what that ordinance specifically covers and doesn't cover," Sergeant Pat DeWall, Appleton Police Department, said. "And also, if we haven't already, I believe that today sometime we're going to be in contact with the family just to talk to them about what happened and why."
Video.
Wisconsin really is open for business.
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