When life gives you lemons, apply zest.

Dartmouth kids took part in the Lemonade Day event this weekend to learn about entrepreneurship even amidst a pandemic.

The annual nationwide event — which aims to teach children how to manage a business — was postponed twice this year due to coronavirus. 

Lemonade Day Southcoast city director and Dartmouth resident Kristen Pacheco said that normally the event is held in May, but when it was postponed, people assumed it was cancelled.

This led to only around 20 lemonade stands being set up throughout the South Coast, when a typical year would see closer to 200.

“We normally hand out workbooks and backpacks” for the event, she noted. “We were literally divvying them up and getting them ready to hand out all over the South Coast when the pandemic hit. So all of those backpacks are still just sitting in my office.”

Instead of using the workbooks this year — the sixth for Lemonade Day’s South Coast branch — kids learned basic business lessons online.

And while under normal circumstances kids can make over $700 on their stands, Pacheco said, this year even brick and mortar businesses are struggling to get customers in the door.

“Marketing efforts will really make or break you this year,” she noted.

Some did manage to squeeze success out of the situation, however. 

Two best friends, nine-year-olds Ava Pacheco and Avery Cohen, set up their A+A Lemonade Cafe outside Fire District 1 on Bridge Street in Padanaram — and according to mom Abbey Pacheco, made enough in profits to donate $100 each to the local humane society and breast cancer research.

The pair stocked up on masks and sanitizer and offered drive-thru pickup for all customers to ensure safety as well, Abbey added.

“It’s hard because the rules were different, the time of year was different, the method of learning was different,” said Kristen of this year’s challenges. “So we’re happy to see some of the kids go out and do it anyway!”

“To still have 20 stands despite the pandemic is really impressive,” she added.