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7-Year-Old Boy Reopens Lemonade Stand Shuttered By Inspector

Composite photo by Dave Lucas/WAMC

A 7-year-old New York boy is back selling lemonade and raising money for a friend in need after a state health inspector put the squeeze on him last month.

Brendan Mulvaney raised more than $900 on Saturday for the family of a 12-year-old girl who's facing surgery this week to fix a bowleg deformity from a rare bone disease.

An inspector shuttered Brendan's stand in Ballston Spa on July 27 because he didn't have a permit to sell 75-cent lemonade. State officials say vendors from a nearby county fair had complained.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo quickly intervened. The Democrat directed health officials to work with Brendan's family to ensure he could reopen.

The health department apologized. It said permits are required but children usually get a pass.

© 2018 AP

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.