Fresh Squeezed 5K Kicks Off Kootenai County Youth Entrepreneurship Event April 18

Jaxon Lupton was 6 years old when he raised more than $4,200 at a Coeur d'Alene lemonade stand last summer, including a $2,200 match from a local CEO who served as his investor. That is the kind of outcome Bretta Provost is trying to replicate across Kootenai County when the Fresh Squeezed 5K and Kickoff opens the program's third season at Riverstone Park on April 18.

The timed 5K walk/run begins at 9 a.m. at 1805 Tilford Lane, and every finisher receives a limited-edition completion coin. Registration is $25 for ages 5 and older or $100 for a group of up to six people, making it practical as a family morning before the summer business curriculum begins.

Lemonade Day, the national nonprofit Provost brought to Kootenai County in 2024, is structured more like a startup accelerator than a bake sale. Youth in kindergarten through eighth grade write a business plan, set a budget, pitch adult investors for startup capital, price their product, run marketing and then operate their stand on a single community event day. After that day, kids pay their investors back before keeping or donating whatever remains. The program started in Houston in 2007 with 2,700 participants and now reaches more than 1 million children in 80-plus licensed markets.

In the 2025 Kootenai County season, McKenzie McMurray raised $1,238 at her stand and donated the full amount to the Red and Blue Foundation, which supports families of first responders killed or injured in the line of duty. Jaxon's investor, CEO Erik Rock, matched his earnings and then helped the 6-year-old set up a website to continue fundraising for Make-A-Wish Idaho in memory of his late sister, Jaicey.

The local program's goal for 2026 is to register 100 youth who will each launch a stand on Lemonade Day. Kids in kindergarten through eighth grade can enroll for free through the Lemonade Day website's Kootenai County page. Stands are mapped publicly on event day, with Coeur d'Alene locations historically concentrated along the Government Way corridor. Businesses or individuals interested in becoming an investor or event sponsor can also connect through that page.

"I love Kootenai County and Coeur d'Alene," Provost said last year. "The sense of connection and community is incredible; I am just very excited to help uplift and encourage the next generations of entrepreneurs through Lemonade Day."

The April 18 run at Riverstone is the first public event of that season.