Childrens parents fined for $500 for lemonade stand

Nysm

Member
A more wholesome American scene could hardly be imagined: a bunch of kids selling lemonade on a summer's day.
But local authorities in Montgomery County, Md., saw things differently. They shut down the kids' venture and ended up fining their parents $500.
The Marriott and Augustine kids had set up their stand Thursday right next to the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, where the U.S. Open golf tournament has been taking place--bringing thousands of thirsty fans to the neighborhood. The kids planned to send 50 percent their profits to a charity that fights pediatric cancer.
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Now, seriously.
Just listening to the video makes me hate america for some reason.

Update on news
Montgomery county officials have allowed the children to reopen their lemonade stand, by relocating it about 100-feet away from the intersection where it was set up Thursday.
The county permits director Jennifer Harris says the neighborhood children, who are raising money to fight pediatric cancer, needed to move their stand from the "main strip," to a more private, safer area. The $500 fine was also waived.
The children include members of 2 Washington power families, the Marriotts (hotels) and the Augustines (Lockheed-Martin).
"This is not big bad bureaucracy coming down on little kids," Hughes explained. She said the inspector was enforcing regulations designed to address concerns about traffic, safety and other non permitted vendors flooding into the area.
Hughes noted the kid's lemonade operation was serving bottled drinks out of 4 large coolers under a 10X10 tent. "This is not what you would see when you picture a typical lemonade stand." she said.
Parent's disagreed. "This feels like a whole lot of government to me," said mom Rene Augustine. However, the parents and kids say that as far as they are concerned the situation is resolved.
 
For someone who used to live in Montgomery County, MD, I wouldn't have doubted that for a NY minute.
It has nothing to do with America but everything to do with the Washington DC Capital Beltway mentality.
Just another reason I'm glad I moved from there.

Marriott have their corporate offices in Montgomery County.
I didn't know Lockheed-Martin was a family owned business. :)
 
The main point to consider here would be that they were not the traditional lemonade setup where a few kids are pouring their home made lemonade into the disposable glasses.

From what I can read, some individuals were selling bottled drinks and promised to donate 50% of the profit to a charity. Why should they be allowed to bypass the rules?
  • Individual = PepsiCo (bad)
  • Individual = children (how cute)
Would the same compassion be bestowed upon if the individuals selling the drinks were a big cola firm?

Might have made sense if at least 90% the profit was going to be donated to the charity.
 
The main point to consider here would be that they were not the traditional lemonade setup where a few kids are pouring their home made lemonade into the disposable glasses.
It's all about marketing. Big golf tournament, big tent.

Perhaps instead of a fine they could have suggested moving the stand in the first place.
My guess is Westin Hotel & Resorts complained. :)
Looks like they are a major sponsor.
 
Hughes noted the kid's lemonade operation was serving bottled drinks out of 4 large coolers under a 10X10 tent. "This is not what you would see when you picture a typical lemonade stand." she said.

More than justified imo, even the fine.
 
Rules apply to everyone the same, just because they are kids doesn't mean they don't have to follow them. Appeals to emotion like "omg, they are just kids!" is a logical fallacy. ;)
 
For someone who used to live in Montgomery County, MD, I wouldn't have doubted that for a NY minute.
It has nothing to do with America but everything to do with the Washington DC Capital Beltway mentality.
Just another reason I'm glad I moved from there.

Marriott have their corporate offices in Montgomery County.
I didn't know Lockheed-Martin was a family owned business. :)
aw come on...it's not that bad here...er...wait. :cautious:
 
12 years living along the Capital Beltway. I'm never coming back.
Like I tell people, if I wasn't a victim of road rage, I was causing it. :)
I was on my way to work on Friday and as I looked over at the airport access lanes along Dulles Toll Road, I saw a lot of commotion and a car completely upside down. This area certainly does not have the best drivers. This is the third time I've seen something like that since I moved here back in '07. I've never seen anything like it before. That same morning, there was an accident that had all of I-395 shut down. Also, that same morning, one of the ramps on the Capital Beltway was completely shutdown due to a really bad accident.
 
Well lemonade stand just refers to kids selling drinks off their front yard... I did it as a kid and so did a lot of kids. In fact there is two stands leaving my neighborhood as of an hour or so ago. Honestly it really shouldn't matter.

In my opinion the only reason the inspector would come and give that fine would be the cause of some other people who at a once in a blue moon type event, pay a fee to the city to charge people to park on their lawn and some who were charging less or couldn't get as much money out of their space may have been mad and took it out on the lemonade stand. Either way I see the point of the mother there...I have NEVER in my life heard of anyone EVER needing a permit to "operate a lemonade stand"...and a tent is logical if you are standing outside in the sun all day I wouldn't see how that makes a difference.

I can drive up the street right now and take pictures of a front yard with fresh picked apples and all sorts of fruit and produce on the front lawn. A lemonade stand is really part of the culture here...like it really is.

A golf tourney comes and a common practice is now subject to the specifications that the subsidized parking must follow. Yeah someone had sour grapes and was taking it out on the easiest person to hit with a stick and for the city to not get caught up in losing money from the "parkers" they had to hand off the short end of the stick.

Mind you that the people who pay 300 to the city to park cars on their lawn are making HUNDREDS of thousands of dollars (putting kids through college money).

I personally find this saddening.

Shame on grown folks there.
 
Before anyone comes to any conclusions about what awful people those officials were who put an end to the "kids' lemonade" stand, let's take a look at facts:

This was no little lemonade stand to donate money for a boy with cancer. If you looked at any picture it was clear that it was a full concession stand that was created by adults who put their kids behind the booth to make money. They sold several different types of commercial soft drinks, not just that home made lemonade (if they sold it at all.) Perhaps everyone should bring their kids to work on weekends too so they can pocket extra sympathy cash.

Concessions pay big money and take time to get permits. It's understandable that they would want to be able to get the benefit of doing what they must. As someone else pointed out above, does having kids behind the effort make it any different if you're losing money to someone else who isn't playing by the same set of rules?

This reminds me of when I went to a baseball game and there were some adults who were jostling with some kids to get autographs, etc. One kid next to me changed my mind about today's experience. He was yelling out constantly to get some player's attention. It was so bad that finally his adult guardian there quieted him down. I heard that his reason for being such an annoyance was because he wanted to get some signed memorabilia so he could sell it on ebay - completely mercenary.

I'm all for doing the right thing, helping kids make some money who don't have the same advantages as adults, making the world a better place, etc. I'm also for responsible journalism instead of misleading, sensationalist articles that hope to grab headlines and don't tell a fair story.
 
LOL

I heard about this story the other day and didn't click on it or care. I was just like a lot of you thinking this is "big government gone crazy".

Now that I've read the story and seen the report I'm laughing because that's an area I'm intimately familiar with. In fact, I have a history with the parties involved.

Here's the thing, that area is one lane each way in quiet residential area. When Congressional has a tournament the traffic is out of control. It isn't designed for anything like this. The clip showed people parking across the street. Well, that's a private school and there is room on the fields, etc... These other people let people park on their lawns. They are about 2 - 4 acre estates right there. So just from the traffic / safety perspective this "lemonade stand" is a fail.

Then consider CCC is banking on selling all kinds of drinks on the property. They don't want people (kids or adults) setting up show just outside. Hell, if these kids are making money I guarantee there will be 10 other stands there in a new york minute and the parents will help them. The parents will help, support, hire consultants, a pr firm if they have to....... But let's just say for a second the county didn't do their job and turned a blind eye. What do you think would happen in MoCo, the litigious capitol of the world, if someone got sick off of their "lemonade"? Everyone and there brother would be sued. If someone stubbed their toe on the signage they would be sued.... and they just don't sue the logical people involved, they'll sue the county for allowing it, the owner of the lawn where they pitched this stand, the bystander who allowed it to happen, and so on.

I'm all for the Marriot's teaching their children to work hard, give back via charity (They're Mormon so I'm sure that's already been instilled), and the value of a dollar........But, do it on a nice typical weekend on a side street or don't blame MoCo for doing their job. Both families mentioned are great people. This has been blown out of proportion.

I really can't believe I'm writing this. I really thought this was just some kid selling lemonade in their neighborhood. Trust me this is not the case here.
 
Lemonade stands are for your own kids on your own front lawn ... trying to coax neighbours out of pocket change. I remember running back inside in a panic because either we drank it all or ran out unexpectedly. ..... " MOM !!!!!! ..."

A successful lemonade stand is one in which the sellers drink more than they sell.
 
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