Kool-Aid 3¢ (Buy 2, Get One)

There was a Missourian story about Samantha and William Gardner in the Sept. 5, 2010, paper. The youngsters sold vegetables they grew in a garden and proceeds from a lemonade stand to donate $113.07 to FISH, a Cape Girardeau food pantry.

Kool-Aid stands a Cape tradition

Samantha and William were carrying on the old Cape tradition of setting up a card table in front of your house where you would sell lemonade, Kool-Aid or home-grown produce.

That’s my old 1959 Buick LaSabre station wagon up there. Looks like I must have cruised by the kids, figured that I’d better grab a piece of wild art while I could, and put the land yacht in whoa-back.

Ways for kids to make money

These kids showed a real knack for business. Their sign, with a smiling Kool-Aid pitcher, touted Ice Cold Kool-Aid (they even got the trademark spelled right, with a hyphen) for 3 cents. “If you buy two, you get one free.”

Another sure-fire way to make money in those days was to scrounge the side of the road for soda bottles at two cents apiece. I’d have a lot fewer flats if they’re bring back bottle deposits (especially on beer bottles).

The house in the background looks familiar, but I can’t place what street it’s on, nor can I identify the entrepreneurs.

15 Replies to “Kool-Aid 3¢ (Buy 2, Get One)”

  1. I think it is on North Street near the corner of Sprigg. Lamkins lived there at one time and they had like 5 or 6 kids so that is probably who the kids are…or not, because I might be wrong about the whole thing!!

  2. The house address is 702 North Street. The kids are Richard “Dick” Lamkin, Kathrine “Kathy Lamkin, and Melissa Lamkin. I have a copy of the first picture from the paper, but I have never seen the second. I would love a copy of it.

  3. Janet Robert is correct indeed. The miscreants are three of my younger siblings, Dick, Kathy and Melissa in front of our home at the corner of North and Sprigg. My mom was so proud of the bedraggled look of the three, especially in light of the fact that the family was in the clothing business–note my brother Dick with socks, but no shoes. Moreover, it was quite a nice touch that they took a sterling silver water pitcher outside to use for the toxic mixture they served. With eight people in the house, I can attest that it was a daily adventure.

  4. Don’t know about the Kool-Aid, but I and many others imbibed a great deal of other liquid at numerous shindigs in the Lamkin house.

    One Christmas vacation Mike Seabaugh brought Linda Bloodworth to a “Find of the Holidays” party, no doubt the only event when she and Rusty were ever in the same room having a great time.

    1. Y’all constantly amaze me. Just about the time I start to dismiss some film as something I figure nobody will be interested in it, all these great comments come up.

      Thanks for sharing.

  5. Ken, this house looks similar to the house I am trying to find on Themis Street … the Southern columned one where I sold the Girl Scout cookies and the lady took me through the home into the back yard for cookies and 7-Up. We have E-mailed about this before. I don’t think it was too far from the newspaper building.

    Maybe this info will jog someone’s memory regarding the one I am looking for.

    Also, does anyone have a picture of Libby Oliver? She was an influence in my life and I would delight in having a picture of her. Thanks.

  6. Loved the picture, but what impressed me was how smart your parents were in getting you a “tank” to learn to drive in. Did the same for my son and he was ridiculed for years – He’s had the same thought for his son, but took pity and relented with a “cool” car.

    1. I inherited the family car. That old 59 Buick was a beast. Dad installed seat belts in it when I learned to drive.

      My first driving lesson was one that Ernie Chiles and I would like to forget.

      I scored 100% on my written driver’s test, but I clipped a cone when I tried parallel parking, something that was usually an automatic fail.

      The instructor, noting the size of the car, the lack of power steering, power brakes and air conditioning on that very hot day said, “Kid, in this car, that’s close enough.”

  7. I too drove a great big ole Buick that didn’t have power anything and got a 100 on the written part but could not park that thing. I drove on a learners permit from February to November. Funny, none of those driving testers took pity on me! I even wore a short skirt one time!! Finally past it in a sleet storm….go figure.

  8. HMMM-maybe there was a god guy/bad buy driving tester. When my 16th birthday came, I HAD to take my test ASAP. When the big day arrived and the ’61 Corvair I’d practised parking was out of commission, I drove my Dad’s HUGE Pontiac Bonneville. I murdered every cone in sight and promptly broke into tears. Guess What? I PASSED!

  9. I am laughing as the kids grabbed the aluminum pitcher AND the sterling silver one too! That was no doubt one of their parent’s wedding gifts.

  10. I had all the testers. None of them would pass me. And Ken I will concede you have the better looking legs. Hate my legs. They are too short and I have no ankles. I have kankles!!

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