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Illegal U.S. Open Lemonade Stand Gets Squeezed

By Stephanie Rabiner, Esq. on June 17, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

A group of kids in Montgomery County, Maryland had wonderful intentions when they opened their U.S. Open lemonade stand this week outside the country club where the major golf tournament is taking place.

They were going to sell lemonade and donate half the proceeds to charity.

Too bad Montgomery County authorities shut them down.

The U.S. Open draws thousands of spectators to Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, which in turn causes hundreds of vendors to try and capitalize on the event.

Instead of profiting, the Marriott and Augustine kids had decided to sell lemonade in hopes of sending money to a charity focused on fighting pediatric cancer, reports Yahoo! New.

When a local inspector came by, he warned them that their US Open lemonade stand was illegal, as they did not have a vendors' license.

They didn't move, so he then fined the families $500.

While it's easy to call the inspector a curmudgeon, remember that cities require vendors' licenses of persons selling food so that they can ensure that proper procedures are being taken to ensure customer safety.

They're also required so that cities can monitor the location of vendors so that they do not interrupt the flow of vehicle and foot traffic.

Before you dismiss these reasons, keep in mind that, according to Yahoo! News, the children's U.S. Open Lemonade stand was a large operation, raking in a hefty chunk of change and stocked up with enough juice to quench the thirst of hundreds.

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