Acton Children’s Business Fair Sioux Falls 2026: Giving Young Entrepreneurs the Stage

What happens when children are trusted to take ownership and empowered to lead?

At Acton Academy Sioux Falls, trust and learner ownership have always been anchors. We believe children are capable of far more than most people imagine, and we believe more children deserve opportunities to prove it.

That is why we continue hosting the Acton Children’s Business Fair Sioux Falls.

On Thursday, June 25, 2026, young entrepreneurs from across Sioux Falls will gather at Lake Lorraine for the Acton Children’s Business Fair.

From 4:00–6:30 PM, children ages 6–17 will step into the role of business owners. They will set up their booths, welcome customers, explain their products, collect payments, solve problems, and experience what it feels like to build something of their own.

There will be baked goods, drinks, games, crafts, services, and products that began as simple ideas in the minds of young people. Every booth carries a story; behind each one is a young entrepreneur who had to make difficult decisions about product, pricing and marketing, and find the courage to share it with the public.

That is what makes the Acton Children’s Business Fair more than a regular marketplace. This fair is the stage for young people to showcase their creativity and hard work. At Acton, we believe children are capable of far more than we often realize, and the Children's Business Fair allows young people to prove just that to the world.

What actually happens at the fair?

The following stories come from young entrepreneurs who participated in previous Acton Children’s Business Fairs. Their businesses give a glimpse of what happens when children are trusted to create, prepare, sell, and lead in front of their community.

Briella Bakes: Cookies, Cute Boxes, and Real Business Thinking

Briella was 9 years old when she brought Briella Bakes to the Acton Children’s Business Fair.

She sold gourmet jumbo cookies for $4 each, packaged in cute boxes that cost 30 cents apiece. She also worked out that each cookie cost about 80 cents to $1.20 to make.

That may sound like a simple cookie booth, but Briella was already thinking about pricing, presentation, cost, and customer experience.

To cover her start-up costs, she saved her allowance. For marketing, her family helped share her business online, and she planned to post a flyer in her mom’s store.

When asked how she would know if her business had been a success, Briella answered:

“If I have had lots of fun!”

A cookie booth became a lesson in courage, planning, ownership, and joy.

Theisen Cold Brew Coffee and Lemonade Stand: A Smart Business Pivot

Brandon, Madison, and Jackson started with a classic idea: a lemonade stand.

Then they noticed something important.

Several other booths were selling lemonade too.

Instead of getting discouraged or trying to compete with the same product, Brandon and his siblings adjusted their plan. They leaned into something different: cold brew coffee and refreshing iced drinks for parents who needed a cool pick-me-up on a hot summer day.

That quick shift showed real entrepreneurial thinking.

Their booth, Theisen Cold Brew Coffee and Lemonade Stand, offered cold brew coffee for $3, lemonade for $1, and raspberry passion tea lemonade for $1. With a cost of about 50 cents per cup, they had to think about pricing, profit, and what customers actually wanted.

They also planned to invest their own money, pay themselves back after the fair, and promote their booth through Facebook, reels, and flyers.

Their goal was clear: have fun, meet new people, and make at least $30 profit.

That is the kind of moment the fair was built for.

A simple lemonade stand became a lesson in adaptation, strategy, customer awareness, and courage.

Aden’s Plinko Game: Turning Play Into Business

Aden brought fun to the fair with a Plinko carnival game.

Customers paid $3 per play for the chance to win a prize. Behind the excitement, Aden had to think like a business owner. Each prize cost between 75 cents and $1.50, so he had to consider how much each play cost, how much he could earn, and how to keep the game worth playing.

He used prizes left over from the previous year and added his own money for anything new.

His success measures were simple and smart: how much money he made and how many people wanted to play.

That is real-time customer feedback, wrapped in a game.

Winnie’s Mini School Supply Sets: Most Original Business Idea 2025

Winnie received the Most Original Business Idea Award in 2025 for her mini school supply sets.

Each set sold for $5 and cost about $2 to make. Her idea was practical, easy to understand, and useful for other children.

To get started, Winnie planned to borrow from her parents and use the fair as a chance to turn that support into something productive. Her marketing plan was simple too: word of mouth to friends and family.

Winnie saw a need, created a product, priced it, and brought it to customers.

Owen’s Fire Starters: Highest Business Potential 2025

Owen received the Highest Business Potential Award in 2025 for a product with real-life usefulness: fire starters made from sawdust and wax.

His prices ranged from $2 to $5, and many of his materials had been donated. Even so, Owen planned to pay his parents back with money earned from the fair.

That detail says a lot.

He was thinking about product value, responsibility, and what it takes to turn available materials into something people could actually use.

Owen was also already considering other items made from sawdust, which showed the kind of creative thinking that can grow beyond one booth.

When asked how he would measure success, his answer was simple:

“If I had fun!”

The judges saw the potential. Owen saw the possibility.

What Children Learn When Adults Step Back

The businesses at this fair belong to the children. Parents support the process, but the young entrepreneurs are responsible for the experience. They set up, talk with customers, handle sales, and learn from the results.

Our children need chances to feel nervous and keep going anyway. They need moments where their choices actually matter. At the fair, that looks like choosing a price, starting a first conversation with a stranger, adjusting when a booth gets busy, and counting their own money at the end of the day.

That kind of confidence is built through experience.

The Why

Entrepreneurship is about far more than starting a business. When kids create something and bring it into the real world, they practice skills that will serve them no matter what path they choose. Problem-solving. Communication. Money management. Resilience. Creative thinking. Taking responsibility.

Whether a child dreams of becoming an entrepreneur, an engineer, an artist, or a teacher, the experience of creating, serving others, and learning through action builds independence and confidence that lasts.

This fair is also a community story. It brings together families, local businesses, young entrepreneurs, volunteers, and supporters who believe kids deserve real opportunities to lead.

A Community Invitation for Sponsors and Supporters

The Acton Children’s Business Fair is possible because of community support.

Sponsors, donors, volunteers, local businesses, and families help create the environment where young people can take a brave idea and bring it to life.

Support helps provide the pieces that make the fair stronger: booth materials, signage, prizes, promotion, supplies, and a better experience for each young entrepreneur.

For local businesses, this is a chance to invest in the next generation of creators and problem-solvers.

For family-focused brands, it is a meaningful way to connect with parents who value hands-on learning and independence.

For banks and financial companies, it is a direct way to support financial literacy in action.

For restaurants, shops, and businesses near Lake Lorraine, it brings families into the area for an event filled with energy and community connection.

For past sponsors and community leaders, it is a way to help grow something that already has momentum in Sioux Falls.

There are several ways to support the 2026 fair:

• Sponsor the event.

• Donate prizes.

• Provide supplies.

• Volunteer.

• Share the fair with local families.

• Attend the event and shop from the young entrepreneurs.

Every kind of support helps give children the stage.

And sometimes, the stage is all they need to show us what they can do.

Support the Acton Children’s Business Fair 2026

The Acton Children’s Business Fair Sioux Falls 2026 will take place on Thursday, June 25, from 4:00–6:30 PM at Lake Lorraine.

Come meet the young entrepreneurs. Shop their booths. Cheer them on. Help them experience what it feels like to bring an idea to life.

If you would like to sponsor, donate, volunteer, provide supplies, share the event, or support the fair in another way, you can learn more here:

https://actonacademysiouxfalls.org/cbf