On the corner of Main Street and East Constitution, catty-cornered to Deleon Plaza, a classic old school summer tradition set up outside Peaches and Tortilla Mercantile store: A lemonade stand, offering some salvation from the overbearing heat and humidity of South Texas. 

Owner of the trendy shop, Lascena Simmons, helped her daughter Emmy prepare for setting up shop to sell cups of lemonade as well as bubble wands by donation, asking customers to donate the amount they wished.. 

This is the second time Emmy Simmons, 6, manned a lemonade stand. 

“We did it last year for her birthday,” Lascena said. “She really enjoyed it. She was looking forward to today so much. She wanted to use the actual register in the store.” 

Emmy set up several cups with lemonade and purple paper stars adorned with butterflies. 

Last year, Emmy’s Lemonade Stand earned about $200. 

However, this year they had a bigger goal and purpose for their business venture—benevolence. 

Earlier this month, destructive and deadly flooding took place in Central Texas in the Hill Country. Among the victims were young girls attending Camp Mystic. Camp Mystic is an all-girls summer camp with an eight-week program where girls between 8 and 17 spend time outdoors and learn practical life skills in a wholesome Christian atmosphere. 

Only one week into their session, tragedy struck on July 4. Camp Mystic’s location on the junction of the South Fork Guadalupe River and Cypress Creek happened to be the area where floods are particularly devastating due to its two different water fronts. The Bubble Inn, cabin of the youngest campers, became swept away in the raging waters. A total of 27 girls and one camp counselor lost their lives. 

Simmons saw this tragedy and felt moved to help those mourning families. 

Various individuals across Texas also help lemonade stands with the same purpose. Emmy’s Lemonade and Bubble Stand joined the cause to raise money for Camp Mystic and the families of the victims in their darkest hour.  

The lemonade stand was decorated in bright and shiny green, the official color of Camp Mystic. Simmons even had green glitter to share as a bubble machine whirred, sending hundreds of small bubbles floating around the lemonade stand. 

 “As a mother,” Simmons said, “I know I can’t even imagine the amount of pain those mothers and families are going through.”

Lemonade stands are often ways for children to have their own business and have become an iconic concept that go hand-in-hand with the idea of summer. This July, however, they have also become a symbol of community, of people coming together for a bigger cause—one small cup of refreshing lemonade at a time.

Ashley Rambo is a freelance writer for the Victoria Advocate.