It’s not uncommon to see children selling lemonade in the summer, but three young siblings have taken things a step further, and are running a fresh produce stall at 8041 North Bridge Lake Road.
Mackenzie Thibeault, 10, and her brothers Chase (8) and Cody (6), can often be found selling eggs laid by their chickens and vegetables grown by their grandparents. The trio are raising money to help pay for their figure skating exploits next year.
“Keeping the stand stocked has been the greatest challenge, and sharing the delicious vegetables, because I love eating them too,” Mackenzie remarked.
Their mother Crystal said the idea for the booth was loosely inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic. Back in 2020 during the lockdown the Thibeaults, like many, were looking for a project to distract them. They settled on buying an incubator and raising several chickens.
Crystal said her children loved the experience but didn’t have enough room in their backyard to keep all the chickens. Their grandparents, John and Meridee Faessler, offered to take most of them, and the birds have been living on the Faesslers’ ranch ever since.
“Mackenzie, Chase, and Cody spend most of their summer staying with their grandparents on their ranch at Bridge Lake, where the stand is located,” said Crystal. “The kids’ three chickens from home travel with them, and we joke that the chickens are off to their summer vacation home.
“Once all the chickens are together, we end up with an abundance of eggs. That’s when we got the idea to make a farm stand to sell eggs at.”
Crystal added that her children originally wanted to run a lemonade stand this summer, but she was worried they wouldn’t get enough traffic. The trio agreed that a fresh produce stand would be better, and with the help of their dad and grandfather built one.
In addition to the eggs, the stand has garden-fresh produce such as carrots, potatoes, cucumbers and peas. Crystal said it also offers live bait for any fisherpeople passing by. Mackenzie said they’re particularly proud that their chickens lay blue and green eggs, some of which they include in each carton they sell.
Mackenzie, Chase and Cody are all avid members of the 100 Mile Skating Club. When their mom suggested they use the money from the stall for a cause other then buying an X-Box, they all agreed to use it for figure skating-related needs.
“I would like a new pair of skates this year and some travel money for my first competition in October,” Mackenzie said, with her brothers both adding they’d like to come along and watch her.
“I love skating because it’s fun and I like learning new trick,” Mackenzie added. “I love teaching the other kids! I also have a great coach.”
Running the stall this summer has been a bit challenging. Chase remarked that it’s a bit hard to stock it daily, while Cody said they put in a lot of work growing the food and caring for their chickens. All three agreed, however, that they’re having a ton of fun.
“The support has been incredible. They have received notes of encouragement which they really enjoy reading. They also have a customer who pays in American dollars so they can learn about exchange rates,” Crystal said. “With such a great response we are already planning for our stand next season.”
The Thibeaults welcome anyone in the Bridge Lake area to stop by their stand and buy some eggs and veggies. They’ll be running it until the end of August.
patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
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