Just like if you removed the livestock shows, demolition derbies and elephant ears, the Johnson County fair wouldn’t be the same without lemon shake-ups.
The sugary-sour treat is the perfect refreshment on those hot July afternoons at the fairgrounds.
And for the past half-century, Gateway Services has been mixing it up for a good cause.
“We want to be unique. There are a lot of vendors out there doing lemon shake-ups, but I have to tell you, ours are the best,” said Becky Allen, director of transportation for Johnson County director of transportation for Access Johnson County, a subsidiary of Gateway Services.
The organization’s lemon shake-up stand is back again in 2023 — the 50th inception of the stand — and organizers have a few surprises in store for the celebratory year. In addition to the classic lemonade flavor, and the recently added strawberry, Gateway Services staff are introducing what they’re calling their new “Surprize Flavor.”
But in order to make the whole endeavor work, organizers need the help of volunteers, and donors, to ensure this sweet treat doesn’t go sour.
“It’s not about the money, it’s about the feel-good community. People like tradition,” “And it’s fun. You kind of dread the heat, but once you get going, you’re having fun with the people you work with, you have fun yelling to the people walking by.”
Gateway Services served its first lemon shake-up at the fair in 1972. The organization serves people with mental or physical disabilities, offering employment programs, respite services and community outings, among other activities. They also run Access Johnson County, the public transit service.
The shake-up stand was envisioned as a way to promote and spotlight people with disabilities in the public eye, Allen said.
“These folks were not allowed in public systems, in public schools, in the 1960s. Gateway got started when a group of moms whose kids had disabilities got together to support them,” she said. “In 1972, they realized they needed more funding, and they came up with the idea for the lemon shake-ups.”
They’ve sold the treats almost every year since, with the exception of two years during the COVID pandemic, Allen said.
“Since we took those two years off, we’re counting this as our 50th year,” she said.
Last year, the stand brought in about $15,000 after expenses. Organizers hope to juice sales a bit with some twists.
New this year is the shake-up stands new surprise flavor. The last time Gateway Services introduced a new version of the shake-up was in 2014, when they were part of the inaugural Dancing with the Johnson County Stars competition. Sales of the new flavor were allowed to be one of their main fundraisers in advance of the competition, Allen said.
They unveiled the strawberry flavor that year.
“They said we couldn’t use any old fundraisers to raise money for that event. Everyone every year always asked if we could do flavoring, so we came up with the idea to do a new flavor, and use that money for Dancing with the Stars,” Allen said. “Here we are in 2023 and doing it again.”
This time around, they’re again taking part in Dancing with the Johnson County stars, and have a surprise for the public to support their cause, Allen said.
The shake-up stand is a well-oiled machine at this point, with all of the processes set in stone. But none of the planning means anything without the community’s help making it happen, Allen said.
Organizers have put together three distinct ways people can support the stand this year.
Monetary donations are always appreciated, to help Gateway Services purchase the sugar, lemons and ice needed to make the shake-ups. Six levels of donors have been set aside, from the Lemon Louie Lover Level — those who donate $1,598 — to the Lemon Louie Supply Club Level, or those who give $41.
People can also donate whatever amount they’d like. All donors become part of the Lemon Louie Fan Club.
People can also help out by donate 10 to 25 pounds of sugar to support the cause.
“We haven’t had to buy sugar in a long time, because people will come out and donate that to us,” Allen said. “That saves us a lot of money.”
Then, on July 13, just days before the fair starts, the public is invited to the Big Squeeze. People are needed to work four different shifts from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at First Christian Church in Bargersville.
Volunteers get together to squeeze all of the lemons needed to make the shake-ups, hygenically funneling the citric pulp into brand new jugs. The sticky situation results in all of the ready-made ingredients needed for fair week, Allen said.
“At the beginning of each day, someone goes in and opens the stand, taking enough lemons and sugar to make the shake-ups,” she said.
Finally, volunteers are needed to man the stand and shake things up during fair week. Currently, Allen needs people to work the 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. shifts on July 18 and 20, the 3 to 7 p.m. shift on July 17 and all of the shifts on July 21.
If Gateway Services can’t line up people for every shift, they have to close the stand, which means they’re not making any money during that time, Allen said.
Allen acknowledges the fundraiser is hard work; everyone who helps is usually exhausted by the end of fair week.
But she also knows how much the shake-ups mean to fairgoers who specifically search their stand out.
“The community would be sad to see it go away, and I think eventually we would miss it too,” she said. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s a tradition.”
AT A GLANCE
Gateway Services Lemon Shake-ups
What: An annual fundraiser for Gateway Services selling lemon shake-ups at the Johnson County fair each year.
When: July 16-22
How to help
Donate: Monetary donations are being accepted to support the lemon shake-up stand, to help pay for ingredients, ice and other aspects of the stand. People can also donate sugar to Gateway Services by July 5.
The Big Squeeze: People are needed on July 13 to help squeeze the lemons used in the shake-up stand. Volunteers can choose to work from 7:30-9 a.m., 9-11 a.m., 11 a.m.-1 p.m. or 1-3 p.m. at First Christian Church, 101 East St., Bargersville. Call 317-738-5500 to sign up.
Work the fair: Volunteers are also needed to work the shake-up stand throughout the fair. People can also help setting up and tearing down the stand on July 15 and 24, respectively. Call 317-738-5500 to sign up.
