BETHESDA, Maryland - June 17, 2011 - You can make a fortune selling parking spots outside the U.S. Open, but don't even dream of setting up a lemonade stand.
A county inspector ordered the Marriott and Augustine children to shut down the stand they set up on Persimmon Tree Road; and after they allegedly ignored a couple of warnings, the inspector fined their parents $500.
"This gentleman from the county is now telling us because we don't have a vendor’s license, the (children) won't be allowed to sell their lemonade," Carrie Marriott told us, her voice trembling.
The children can't seem to understand it. "I don't agree, I think the county is wrong. We're sending the money to charity."
Jennifer Hughes, the director of permitting for the county, says it's technically illegal to run even the smallest lemonade stand in the county, but inspectors usually don't go looking for them. She said this one was unusually large. Hughes also says they've warned all kinds of other vendors they couldn't operate near the U.S. Open because of concerns about traffic and safety.
But that did little to console Carrie Marriott. "Does every (child) who sells lemonade now have to register with the county?" she asked the inspector.
"Cute little (children) making five or ten dollars (are) a little bit different than making hundreds. You've got coolers here," the inspector responded.
"To raise money for pediatric cancer," Marriott replied.
What's funny is that the county has given scores of other neighbors permits to let golf fans park on their front lawns. The permits cost almost $300, but prices per car run as much as $60 a day. Some neighbors are reportedly raking in tens of thousands of dollars.
"I'm a little upset with the rip-off that's (happening here)," said Ron Simpson, who was getting ready to pay $50. One cop says a neighbor told him he'd made enough charging for parking at big golf events that it had paid for one of his children's college tuition.
Carrie Marriott is having a hard time reconciling the two different perspectives on entrepreneurship at the U.S. Open. "The message to (children) is there's no American dream."
