Up to 30 young entrepreneurs will sell handmade goods, baked treats, and lemonade at a free one-day marketplace on Aug. 1 at Lake Bible Church in Lake Oswego.

The Acton Children's Business Fair runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 4565 Carman Drive and is open to kids ages 6 to 17. Each participant picks a business idea, creates the product, designs the branding, and runs the booth. Expect stuffed animals, jewelry, soap, slime, plant pots, mini churros, lemonade, and cookies.

Indi Hampton, who co-founded Acton Academy Lake Oswego with her husband Mike Hampton, is organizing the fair. The couple are parents of four.

"As parents of four, Mike and I know how much courage it takes for a kid to build something and then ask a stranger to buy it," Hampton told the Lake Oswego Review. "Every customer who stops by a booth is giving these young entrepreneurs something money can't buy — proof their idea was worth trying."

The national fair's registration page showed 24 of 30 booths claimed as of Wednesday, July 16. Applications close Friday, July 25, and must be submitted online at childrensbusinessfair.org/lake-oswego-oregon. There is no cost to apply or attend.

The Lake Oswego event is part of the Acton Children's Business Fair network, which started in Austin, Texas, in 2007 and has since hosted fairs in hundreds of cities across North America. Acton Academy Lake Oswego, a learner-driven school Hampton is opening this fall, is the local host.

Families looking to attend can walk in without registering. Hampton said every decision at the fair belongs to the child, from what to make and what to charge to how to win over a customer.

Applications are open at childrensbusinessfair.org/lake-oswego-oregon through Friday, July 25.

Upcoming community events

  • Thursday, July 23: Music in the Park featuring Petty Fever (Tom Petty tribute), 6:30 p.m. at Tanner Creek Park, West Linn. The series runs Thursday nights through Thursday, Aug. 20.
  • Saturday, July 25: First City Celebration, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Main Street in downtown Oregon City. Live music, vendors, food, and entertainment.
  • Saturday, Aug. 1: Acton Children's Business Fair, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Lake Bible Church, 4565 Carman Drive, Lake Oswego. Free admission.