A Pine Road lemonade stand Saturday was staffed by, from left, Peter Snynder, Rachel Stewart, Sam Ruppenthal, and Liam Wright.

A stand at Woodland and Lorimer. (E3D photo)

That gauntlet of lemonade stands set up on Davidson’s streets on Saturday really delivered, and that means computers for local school kids who need them. Organizers with E3D (Eliminate Davidson’s Digital Divide) said Sunday night the effort raised $3,134 – the equivalent of about 10 new or 30 refurbished computers.

The nonprofit E3D estimates there are 50 students at Davidson Elementary School alone who don’t have the advantage of a home computer with an internet connection. Founded in February by town residents, the group is working with public schools in Davidson and Cornelius as well as the Ada Jenkins Center to obtain computers and provide technical support. Read the full story

Thursday was the annual butterfly release a Davidson College Presbyterian Church Weekday Preschool. Organizers managed to come up with a record 100 butterflies to release, as kids sang songs and wore butterfly hats and masks. DavidsonNews.net’s Gayle Shomer was there to record the scene. Here’s her gallery:

“I’m so bored!” As predictably as the singing of cicadas, summer brings the familiar cry of ennui from children big and small. Fortunately, once your son or daughter reaches age 14 you can respond as parents have for generations: “Get a job!”

Child labor is the subject of both state and federal laws designed to protect children from dangerous jobs and exploitation. The first federal law regulating child labor was passed in 1916. In 1918, Roland Dagenhart of Charlotte challenged the restrictions, claiming that Congress had no power to prevent him from sending his sons, aged 12 and 14, to work at Atherton Mill. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed with Mr. Dagenhart and invalidated the law. The Dagenhart children were free to work. Read the full story

More than 700 runners joined in for the Run Wild 5K and Wild Child Fun Run in Huntersville’s Birkdale neighborhood Saturday, raising $30,000 for the African Children’s Project. Davidson-based Olympian Anthony Famiglietti won the race in one of the fastest 5K times in the area in recent memory. Claire Naisby of Davidson won the women’s division. See results and photos in our latest Running column, in SPORTS»

Math fair winners and Davidson Elementary fifth graders Ariana Conway (left) and Jackie Jewel.

Davidson Elementary School fifth graders Ariana Conway and Jackie Jewel won first place in their division Friday, May 3, at the State Math Fair at N.C. School of Science and Mathematics in Durham.  The duo collaborated on a project called “The Secret Code of Math,” a study of secret codes and ciphers and how mathematics helps solve them. Read the full story

Alex Johnson, 8, ponders a move at the after school chess program at Community School of Davidson. (Gayle Shomer/DavidsonNews.net)

“When someone wins, we just shake hands and I don’t care if I lose”, says Alex Johnson, 8. He and other novice players, recently joined seasoned Chess Club members for four weeks of Chess After School Enrichment at Community School of Davidson.

They learned basic moves, strategy and how to lose graciously. Read the full story

Leyla Herrera, 8, of Mooresville, helps guide the canoe for her sister, Lydia, 4. More photos below. (Gayle Shomer/DavidsonNews.net)

CORNELIUS – A crowd came out to the Lake Norman YMCA on Lake Cornelius Saturday for the annual Family Fun Day. Activities included canoeing, archery, sports, bounce houses, face painting, and arts and crafts. The event also was a chance for the Y to promote its summer events, from day camps to the annual triathlon to adaptive water skiing, which allows people with disabilities to learn how to ski.

MORE INFO: http://www.ymcacharlotte.org/lakenorman

Bill Gross holds “Fred”, an inflatable dog, while helping out his daughter, Dr. Lori Hoe, at the booth for new her practice, “Main Street Veterinary Hospital” in Cornelius. (Gayle Shomer/DavidsonNews.net)

Brad Larsen, of Cornelius, coaches his son, Noah, 5, in archery. (Gayle Shomer/DavidsonNews.net)

The band 3 Days Leave of Lawrence, SC, performed. (Gayle Shomer/DavidsponNews.net)

Devin Gilroy, 4, of Cornelius, wears bunny ears while playing in the kids’ obstacle course area. (Gayle Shomer/DavidsonNews.net)

Thomas Lurey, 8, holds an albino king snake while his grandfather, Charlie Wilkins, watches. More photos below. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Eight-year-old Thomas Lurey stood next to a table in the courtyard between two Davidson College science buildings Saturday with a white snake draped around his neck, its head in one hand and tail in the other.

“It’s an an albino king snake … It’s non-venomous,” he told a reporter, with the air of an expert.

Thomas and his grandfather, Charlie Wilkins, drove from Greensboro Saturday for the college’s annual Reptile Day, when Davidson College’s Herpetology Lab brings a horde of slithering, climbing and crawling creatures into the sunlight for a few hours. Read the full story