Lemon Aid

Written by Gary Hyndman

Alley Dickerson already knows you make lemonade out of lemons.  Now she appreciates it figurativelu, too.

The precocious seven-year-old, a Duncan Chapel Elementary second grader, has been given a chalet by the St. Francis Foundation to use for her lemonade stand on the Swamp Rabbit Trail near Furman.  It replaced a wooden stand called Alley Kat's Waterin' Hole that was repeatedly vandalized.

She opened her small business last July on Dicerson's family property that brackets the popular public trail.  "We are always out on the trail," Alley explains.  "We see people who are really thirsty.  So we have to do it."

From the beginning, it was a family project.  While Alley and her mother Vo conceived the idea and gathered supplies, father Jami built the original stand.  Grandparents Jimmy and Kathi helped staff the booth.   Everyone, including little brother Hunter, joined in paining it blue.

From the beginning, they made their lemonade the old fashioned  way - squeezing real lemons and mixing in pure cane sugar.  They also serve sports drinks and bottled water to thirsty people traveling along the trail. 

Also from the beginning, Alley Kat has had charitable intentions.  The family donated a portion of its proceeds to the Shriner's Hospital, where Alley is a patient and Jimmy Dickerson works.

They had planned to reopen this spring, but vandals - motivated by non-charitable intentions - struck, ripping off the front of the booth and doing other damage.

 After learning of the incident through local media, the company that built one of the chalets for St. Francis Foundation suggested the organization donate it to Alley Kat's.  The chalets were used for the Festival of Trees fundraiser which was discontinued in 2009.  Since then the chalets have been in storage.

The idea immediately resonated with Karri Westmoreland, the foundation's directore of development, whose sister had been a Shriner's patient.  "For me," she say, "it was kind of a heart thing."

The chalet was delivered in time for Alley's planned spring opening and is a significant upgrade in terms of design and construciton.  It is enclosed, durable, is equipped with a counter top and is wired for lights.

In response to the upgrade Alley succinctly exclaims, "Pretty Awesome!"

Ty Houck, who manages the Swamp Rabbit Trail for Greenville County, says the public amenity was always designed for such uses.  "We're the managers of the trail, but the trail belongs to the people."

Studies show that in addition to encouraging people to exercise, urban trails also attract small businesses.  While Alley Kat's is located on private property, Houck says anyone with an idea for the trail's public right-of-way should first contact his office.

Meanwhile, Alley, who aspires to one day be a musician, artist, or scientist, has big plans for her business.  This year Alley Kat's will expand its menu to include chocolate bars and ice cream.  And little brother Hunter says he wants to sell trail mix.

Once again, the family will donate a portion of its profits to the Shriners to assist with making artificial limbs and braces for its patients.