Community Corner
Sofia Baron Owes Dad Today for (Lemon) Aid With Car-Show Stand
Village event, in 20th year, brings classic car lovers together—along with families of 3-year-old entrepreneurs.
Most fathers do a lot for their children, including one La Mesa dad who helped jumpstart his daughter’s lemonade stand on La Mesa Boulevard.
Possibly the littlest and most adorable entrepreneur in La Mesa made her debut at the weekly classic car show Thursday in The Village.
Selling drinks, cupcakes and brownies from her brand new lemonade stand—an early birthday gift from Grandma—3-year-old Sofia Baron was hard to turn down with chocolate frosting dotting her face.
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“She’s already gone through a lot,” her mother, Christina Baron, said only 45 minutes into the car show. Later her mom added, “She thought making lemonade meant putting lemons in water.”
Little Sofia worked hard selling her sweet treats outside her father’s restaurant, The Regal Bar. Baron’s parents said half of her profits would go to Sofia and half would go back to the car show.
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The car show was originally meant as a way to boost business for local shops and restaurants along the boulevard after Grossmont Center was built. Now it’s one of the longest running car shows in the area. In its 20th year, it’s one of La Mesa’s most popular events, said Deena While, teasurer of the sponsoring La Mesa Village Merchants Association .
Attendees can’t miss the huge yellow truck where two DJs play classic ’50s tunes that play all along La Mesa Boulevard—a new addition this year.
On display are of course the many classic cars and motorcycles that span about three blocks of the boulevard and chat with the car owners that drive to La Mesa from all around San Diego and sometimes even out of state.
Lemon Grove resident Ruben Sopelo was particularly proud of his bright red and glaringly shiny 1956 Ford F-150.
He longed to own one for most of his life and now that he has it, he only drives it to the car show. He’s taken part for the past two years.
“It took me 60 years to find it,” Sopelo said.
The 2011 car show series started two weeks ago and runs 5 to 8 p.m. every Thursday through Aug. 25.
Sarah Kovash, a recent graduate of San Diego State University, is a Patch intern this summer.
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