Without an official Lemonade Day, Nome drank juice
As Midnight Sun festivities got underway on Saturday, more than 30 little businesses sprouted throughout Nome to sell beverages, cookies, cupcakes and even fresh eggs and admission into a pop-up petting zoo.
Lemonade Day is a national event that has become a local tradition over the last decade. But this year, after Alaska declined to participate on a statewide level, the event was reborn in Nome as Mizuktata, which means “Let’s drink juice!” in Iñupiaq.
Alice Bioff, who had been involved in organizing Lemonade Day in the past, said it was “an amazing educational opportunity for the youth in the region.”
The nonprofit Lemonade Day National was created in Houston in 2007 to help kids learn about entrepreneurship and running a business. The organization charges licensing fees to use its programming materials. Alaska had been participating in the program since 2011, and Kawerak organized the event regionally.
Bioff had already started preparing for the event this year when she found out the Alaska Small Business Development Center had not purchased the statewide license for Lemonade Day due to costs and capacity issues. But two Nome moms, Krystal Hensley and Renee Joyce, stepped up to organize a new event.
“When I found out the state was no longer going to fund the lemonade program, I was like, oh my gosh, I want to step up and help support it!” said Hensley, who had been participating in the program since 2011 with her daughter, now a teenager. “I didn’t want to see that go away.”
With help from one of Nome Elementary School’s Iñupiaq immersion teachers, Maddy Alvanna-Stimpfle, they came up with the name Mizuktata. Hensley and Joyce organized a financial planning workshop last week that was open to the public. About 10 kids participated, and each received workbooks and money boxes for their lemonade stands.
The organizers did not have a specific sponsor, but community businesses and organizations chipped in to support Mizuktata. Kawerak donated $1,000 towards prizes and food for the party to follow Saturday’s sale, Hanson’s donated a bike and money towards prizes, Bonanza Ex
press donated bikes, Bering Tea and Trihn’s Coffee and Floral donated gift cards.
Some stands were fundraising for specific causes—several girls from the high school sold cupcakes to raise money for the Nanooks volleyball team outside of Bering Tea. Across the street at “Critter’s Pet Store,” Amelia Richards, 12, and her sister Rosalie, 10, were selling cartons of fresh eggs, dog treats and admissions into a pop-up petting zoo with goats and chickens. “Overall, it was super fun,” Rosalie said. “I think people really enjoyed seeing the animals and really liked the blueberry pies and dog treats.” Her sister thought the event was good prep for the future. “You can practice running a business now so you can be successful later,” Amelia said.