The Slice: Time to lift the shackles off lemonade stands

They say it’s vital to know your market.

So what do Inland Northwest kids considering operating lemonade stands need to keep in mind?

Well, for one thing, they might want to face the fact that lemonade doesn’t have universal appeal.

So here’s my suggestion. Area children need to make the case for state ballot initiatives that would grant them the right to sell beer – from discount swill to stout microbrews.

And if securing corporate backing requires promising kickbacks, so be it.

Remember kids, just do what the grown-ups do – keep using the word “freedom.”

You have one week to decide how to note Canada Day on July 1: The Slice recommends having some poutine for lunch or cross-checking a scam artist who is slow to get off your porch.

Today’s Slice question: Where are you going this summer?

Please send me a postcard when you get there, or even before you reach your destination.

I know. It seems like I ask for postcards every year but rarely print photos of them. It’s a space thing.

I have enjoyed using them to decorate my work area, but that’s not the same as sharing. So this year I have a new and improved plan.

If you mail me a postcard, I will post it on The Slice Blog. There are no space limits there.

Perhaps I’ll even include a snippet of your note, whether you take up the subject of sweet corn in Indiana, humidity in Georgia or the quality of the daily newspaper in Kansas City.

And, at long last, this will provide a ready answer to the ever-present paraphrasing of “War” singer Edwin Starr’s 1970 musical question, “The Slice Blog, huh, yeah, what is it good for?”

To publish pictures of readers’ postcards, of course. (Or “absolutely nothing,” if you haven’t gotten enough fiber or have something against time-wasting.)

So let me hear from you after your family takes to the road. I’ll look forward to seeing your “Wish you were here.”

Be sure to sign your card and include a phone number where you can be reached. I might want to call and confirm that your name really is Meriwether Lewis or Monti Rock III.