Capitalism at work: lemonade, Danish for sale

CORNWALL — If you were driving north on Route 7, just past the Kent border, on the afternoon of Saturday, April 3, you might have seen a couple of young entrepreneurs with a sign that read, “Lemonaid and Danish.�

Every summer, Brittany Pinette,12, and Kailyn Reilly, 11, set up a table outside their homes to raise money for something they want. This year they were selling a glass of cold lemonade and a sun-warmed piece of Danish pastry for $1 — for both — to raise funds to buy a dwarf apple tree, which they say will cost about $27.  

They understand that nothing in life is free and are working to earn what they really want. The two tycoons are learning how to make the money work for them: They chose to invest in something that will have a return.

“By growing our own apples for free we will be able to save the money we would otherwise be spending on apples at the store,� said Brittany, who wants to be an artist or soccer player.

Accompanying the two by the roadside was an adult friend, Robin Forbes, who said that this was a great experience for the kids because they are learning what it takes to get what they want, and in the end they’ll have a better understanding of where food comes from.

“It’s been fun,� Forbes said. “We get a variety of people stopping and chitchatting and everybody has been nice.�

Each year the cause is different depending what the two are in the mood for, Forbes said.

Other items the two novice capitalists hope to raise money for are a new basketball hoop and a new swingset. Their current swingset has only one swing and there is a bee’s nest in the slide.

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