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There was no souring of enthusiasm for Lemonade Day as the annual event returned to raise the most amount of money so far in Manchester.

Across the 28 lemonade stands that were in operation on May 15, a staggering $30,783.50 was raised as part of the event.

Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Katy Riddle said via email that she had an emotional reaction upon seeing how much was brought in.

“True story, I actually had tears in my eyes when I saw the number,” she recalled. “This all started with a big idea. People not only encouraged me, but showed support in ways I didn’t think was possible. It’s another reminder of how thankful I am to live in this amazing community.”

Fourth grade students from the eight elementary schools of both Coffee County and Manchester City planned and implemented their own stands both at the schools and at various businesses around Manchester as part of the youth entrepreneurship program.

Each school’s students get to decide how they use the money they raised in three categories: they pick a nonprofit to give to, they come up with a way to reward themselves for their hard work and then they put some of the money back into their school in whatever way they choose.

All of the lemonade stands had their own themes with some offering variations on lemonade to match such as East Coffee’s Shrek themed “Swamp Water” that they sold at the Manchester Arts Center.

Other stands sold add-ons to customers such as plants from the greenhouse at Hickerson Elementary or baked goods at North Coffee and other locations.

North Coffee Special Education Assistant Amanda Fletcher said all of the effort of putting the stands together is worth it.

“It’s a lot of work but it’s a lot of fun,” she said. “The kids have a lot of fun and like it. They have a whole math lesson about the charities that they donate to and where the money goes.”

Fletcher explained that they built their stand out of an old kitchen table and then had someone add extra decorative details on the side to “make it fancy.”

Many local businesses hosted stands such as Common John Brewing Co., Peoples Bank and Trust and Coffee County Bank.

Joining the festivities for the first time was Citizens Tri County Bank, who hosted a stand for College Street Elementary. Citizens Office Manager Katie Quackenbush says the bank decided to participate as part of an effort to be involved in the community.

“We like to support the community, and we believe that the community really starts with our kids,” she explained. “Our future is standing right there in front of us.”

Quackenbush says that she also enjoyed watching the kids working at their stand.

“It is great sitting here and just watching the kids interact with each other and when people walk up watching them sell and watching them upsell. It’s great,” she said.

As a manager at the bank, Quackenbush explained that it was good to be able get a glimpse into the future workforce of Manchester and see kids taking an interest in entrepreneurship and learning valuable skills.

“Before you know it, these kids will be out of school and looking for a job,” she said. “They’re learning money handling skills and all that right here. Being in banking, it starts right here, so starting them young, it really warms my heart for sure.”