Under the heat of the sun on Saturday, central Kenai Peninsula residents had dozens of choices for a fresh cup of lemonade. Around 40 stands were strewn around Soldotna, Kenai, Nikiski and Sterling for Lemonade Day hosted by the Kenai and Soldotna chambers of commerce.
The annual event, intended to instill entrepreneurialism and business practice in youngsters, has grown to include more lemonade stands each of the last three years.
Outside of TK Real Estate and Century 21 Realty in Soldotna, Brooklyn Coleman helmed “The Squeeze Squad.” She was selling both standard and pink lemonade, with extra strawberries and lemons to add to the mix or other salty, sweet and sour treats to accompany the beverage.
Coleman said she was working with other younger children, helping to teach them how to kindly greet their customers and accurately count and handle money. The warm sun helped to drive demand.
Just up the road, by the Soldotna Public Library, Robby and Isaiah Painter were running “Toad’s Lemonade,” named for the character inspired by a toadstool mushroom from Super Mario. They had a regular, yellow brew and a peach-flavored alternative in homage to Princess Peach.
Running a lemonade stand is a fun job, Robby said, because they get to receive money while giving people tasty treats. They’d learned quickly that counting back change can be challenging — though they said they’d learned some good business practices during a workshop put on by the chambers of commerce earlier in the week.
In Kenai, the trio of Bradley, Jackson and Brayden Gage were running “Lighting Lemon” by Dan’s TV and Appliance. They confirmed to the Clarion that their lemonade was shockingly good.
At Lightning Lemon, the trio sold lemonade in yellow and pink varieties, but also had a large collection of syrups for further customizing their offering. Business had been “awesome,” and they’d committed to donating some of their earnings to the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.
For more information, visit the “Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center” or “Soldotna Chamber of Commerce” on Facebook.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
Brayden, Jackson and Bradley Gage staff the Lighting Lemon lemonade stand in Kenai, Alaska, on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Brayden, Jackson and Bradley Gage staff the Lighting Lemon lemonade stand in Kenai, Alaska, on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
