The Mast-Head: Lemonade Blues

On my way home from the office a couple of weeks ago, I passed an elaborate lemonade stand set up at the Dunemere and Egypt Lane intersection. A classic Volkswagen bus sat on the side of the road with its doors wide open. There was a low table and a tall, impressive, hand-lettered sign. I didn’t stop.

It was probably payback of some karmic sort in the fact that I rolled on east without buying a cup. Last weekend, my middle child, Evvy, and I tried our hand at a lemonade stand in front of the Star office to benefit her favorite charity — the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons.

Though we hand-squeezed the lemons and made a sugar syrup following a recipe from the “Joy of Cooking,” and even had an attention-grabber in Evvy’s 10-week-old puppy, Luna, few people stopped. In truth, on a lovely Sunday afternoon with nothing special going on at the library next door or Guild Hall across the street, there was little foot traffic. But among those who did stroll by, interest in our offering was minimal.

I recall my own childhood, when a lemonade stand in front of The Star brought in what seemed to be untold riches. And in those days, the earnings went right into our comic book or candy fund, not to a good cause.

It could be that Evvy and I were doing it wrong somehow: bad timing, not enough children to make it irresistible. Hard to say. After about an hour and a half, we called it quits, though not before a neighbor from around the way on Buell Lane bought a cupful and a nice couple on their way back to their distantly parked car from the beach each took one with extra ice.

East Hampton being what it is, the person who first bought our lemonade was Jeffery Garten, who handed it to his wife, Ina, of the Barefoot Contessa, for a taste. Ms. Garten could be seen nodding approvingly as they walked on.

And, that Dunemere Lane stand I mentioned? Well, I found out later via social media that it was set up by the comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his wife, Jessica, to raise money for her charity, Baby Buggy.

I had meant to find out how they did, but to be honest, I really do not want to know.

ARF will get the couple of bucks Evvy raised, and one of these days, I’m sure we will try again.