CityView Magazine

CityViewNC.com | 39 Lanning Kistler, left, and his brother, Colton Walters, will open Lanning's Lemonade & Colton's Cookies again this summer. because, "I always put a lot of love into the cookies and lemonade when we make it. at's my favorite part." "We don't use the M&Ms with peanuts in case someone is allergic to them," Jennifer adds. Lanning makes his lemonade with lemonade powder, gallons of water, real lemons, and ice. You can buy it by the cup or by the gallon. e boys hold their annual fundraiser in late summer, aer the family vacation. ey scheduled this year's sale on Aug. 20 at the entrance to Vanstory Hills. ey haven't decided on the time yet. e recipient this year again will be the Child Advocacy Center. "e Child Advocacy Center did a great job promoting and supporting us last year," Jennifer says. She adds that public response was overwhelming, noting that even City Council members came by. Someone even donated animal balloons. "Every year, we want it to be bigger and better. We started out in the front yard on a rickety card table," John says. Since then, he has built a more substantial lemonade stand. Currently, it's lying disassembled in his garage, waiting to be put to use later this summer. e family fundraiser is a way to get the boys involved in their community, John says. "It lets them be involved locally at least through high school." Jennifer says the project "brought us together as a blended family." With the brothers working together and Jennifer's mom making signs and providing fresh flowers for the stand have made it a total family venture. e boys take an active role in all aspects of operating the lemonade and cookie stand. ey help Jennifer get the lemonade made and cookies ready for the oven the night before the sale. "ey help me prep Friday night, and we're usually up until midnight," Jennifer says. But taking cookies out of the hot oven is mom's job. "It's a hands-on project. ey're able to see the results of everything they do," John says. How long will they go on? "Until I'm 20," Lanning says without hesitation. When Lanning's Lemonade & Colton's Cookies resumed sales in 2021, the boys wanted to keep the giving centered on something that benefits children, their father says. The new organization that received $2,575 was the Child Advocacy Center on Rowan Street. CONTRIBUTED

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