The young entrepreneurial season - better known as summer - is here, and we're surrounded by the likes of lemonade stands in swarms as thick as mosquitoes.
Children young and old are taking advantage of the good weather by selling their goods on street corners all over Utah Valley.Although the days of 5-cent lemonade stands are long gone, 25 cents still seems like a pretty good deal when it's 90 degrees outside.
Many of these young business tycoons have learned the art of wheeling and dealing acting just like they were at an Orange County Swapmeet or on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Young folks aren't the only ones catching on to the roadside sales pitch. Provo's street friend Oregon Willie has returned from his winter in St. George, and he's hawking cassette tapes of his latest recordings. You can usually find Willie on one of the corners at the intersection of University Avenue and Center Street.
He's the gentleman that, before you do a quick doubletake, you mistake for Willie Nelson wandering downtown Provo.
It takes a lot of fortitude to sit out in the sun and sell your goods. But one gentleman, not from Happy Valley, has capitalized on a roadside food establishment you won't believe.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Tom and Frances Squier of Aberdeen, N.C. have developed a lucrative "beast-ro" of sorts by offering such palatable delights as road kills. No kidding, we're talking gray squirrels, raccoons and other forest creatures.
Such a restaurant gives new meaning to the phrases "carry-out" and "one for the road."
The Journal quotes Tom Squier as saying, "Whether you get it with a gun or a Goodyear, it's still the same meat." He also indicates that it's better to leave the fur on while refrigerated. "They don't get freezer burn if you leave the fur on."
It's doubtful that one of these establishments will ever pop up in Utah County, but there are some other ideas that could catch on.
For instance, the infamous BYU drink "Y Sparkle" could - if marketed nationwide - bring in money for the school coffers. Lime Jell-O and tuna casserole stands could be the fashionable places to be on Monday nights. And to rival the drive-through coffee stands popping up all over the country, Utah County could sponsor drive-up hot chocolate stands to help subsidize the new convention center or jail.
There are a multitude of ideas that any enterprising individual could come up with and actually sell - remember the pet-rock craze? But it's probably safe to say that for most of us we'll just keep purchasing that 25-cent lemonade.