Lemonade for sale
This Saturday in Nome and the region, lemonade was flowing like lava on the Big Island. Except it was cold instead of hot. And along with the lemonade there were all sorts of tempting culinary treats from bratwurst with kraut to blueberry delight to Eskimo salad with muktuk.
The idea of Lemonade Day is to get kids started running a business. Through the process of planning, marketing, setting up, and actually selling lemonade the young people learn step by step what it takes to be in business. Lemonade Day is a national movement and has its own website promoting the teaching of entrepreneurism for youngsters.
First stop for the Nugget Saturday was at Aurora’s Lemonade Stand. Aurora Walker was lucky because this Nugget reporter was hungry. He not only had two cups of good lemonade but enjoyed some good Filipino food as well. Aurora herself took the money and ran the little pink cash register like a pro. Driving around looking for more lemonade stands to photograph, the Nugget was thinking about heading back to Aurora’s for some more Filipino food.
Next up was the Oo Lah Lah Café, located on the deck at Bering Sea Tea. An appetizing array of treats included Girl Scout cookies, always tempting, and there was chili also. The establishment was in the capable hands of Emily Walluk, Cassidy Martinson, Jenevieve Gomez and Harmony Martinson. Across Bering Street, Son and Young Erickson were set up to get some of the tourists as out-of-towners, mostly birders, came by to photograph the statues and Old St. Joe’s.
A cruise past the Post Office found Blair and Abe Vaden offering seltzer water and free kisses. Not loving kisses but Hershey’s kisses. These guys are photogenic! They’ve got winning smiles.
And so it went throughout the day. The Nugget cruised around town photographing lemonade stands and sampling the treats. At Koonuk and Kevin’s in the far reaches of East Nome there was very good Eskimo salad with muktuk. That was lunch. On to Hannah Hofstetter’s Lemonade for more lemonade and a quick hello to Bobby Evans, the referee who pulled this Nugget reporter out of the snow after a basketball game. At Vam’s Lemonade Chloe Okleasik and Vamura Olanna got to meet Mr. Lemonhead. The guy with the head like a lemon declined to say who was inside. Still, he was a positive and uplifting spirit on a day that was already positive and uplifting.
Squeezers Frozen Lemonade on Seppala opposite Bonanza Fuel offered a tantalizing, slushy cup while Wyatt Jones channeled the spirit of Elvis, or maybe Ted Nugent, while wearing a giant hot dog. Aiden Jones and Elisabeth Botamanenko were doing a brisk business. Their location was a good one with plenty of foot traffic. As they say in the world of big business, “Location, location, location!”
Landon and Lacey’s Igloo on E 5th Street was doing well with lemonade and their fragrant chicken was making the Nugget hungry. The nicely organized stand showed the pair already had experience in operating a lemonade business. At Skylar, Riley, and KK’s Lemonade Stand Skylar attracted customers passing by with a sign to bring them in.
After two days of intense sunshine it looked like Lemonade Day would be sunny and warm. But the fog rolled in late Friday night and didn’t burn off until late Saturday. Still, it was pleasant and the Nomeites seemed to be up for lemonade.
According to a map distributed, there were 43 lemonade stands registered in Nome. Regionwide, kids delighted their communities with lemonade and delicacies for sale.