The 39th Annual Downtown Appleton Christmas Parade marched down College Avenue on Tuesday, November 24th at 6:20 p.m. The parade featured 74 units including floats, decorated vehicles, walking units and animal entries. Seventeen marching bands from Northeastern Wisconsin high schools and area communities will perform in the parade. "A Child's Christmas" was our Parade theme this year.
As is tradition, three traveling trophies were awarded to the best entries in the following categories:
1) The Appleton Downtown Inc. Trophy – Best Commercial Entry-Heid Music
2) The Christmas Parade Trophy – Best Non-Commercial Entry-Appleton YMCA.
3) The Bernie Pearlman Memorial Trophy – Best Entry "In the Eyes of a Child"-Boys & Girls Club of the Fox Valley.
There was a tree lighting and Christmas carols in the City Park immediately following the parade. The Downtown Appleton Christmas Parade is the largest nighttime Christmas Parade in Wisconsin, attracting about 50,000 spectators to downtown Appleton. A television audience in excess of 100,000 watched the event live on WFRV-TV 5, Green Bay, and WJMN-TV 3 in Escanaba, Michigan.
To celebrate the Christmas season, the company Appleton sponsored the Annual City of Appleton Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in City Park at approximately 7:45 p.m. immediately following the parade. The event included performances by the Appleton Boychoir, a community sing-along and a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony led by Appleton Parade Marshal Jay Schumerth.
The 39th Annual Downtown Appleton Christmas Parade Lineup:
1 Appleton Police Department Color Guard
2 Appleton City Band
3 Parade Marshal with East Wisconsin Savings Bank
4 Fox Cities P.A.C. - Mrs. Claus
5 Appleton North H.S. Band
6 Makaroff Youth Ballet
7 The Wreath Factory
8 Nicolet National Bank
9 Menominee H.S. Band
10 American Red Cross
11 ORGLE - llamas & alpacas
12 Trinity Irish Dancers - Appleton
13 Weyauwega-Fremont H.S. Band
14 Outagamie County Sheriff Department
15 M & I Bank
16 Fox Valley All-Stars
17 Fox Valley Lutheran H.S. Band
18 Rare Elegance Limousines
19 Mulberry Lane Petting Farm
20 Tennies Jewelry
21 Kimberly H.S. Band
22 Lamers Bus Lines
23 Scarlet Guard Color Guard, Amer. Legion Post 38
24 Schenck SC
25 Peshtigo H.S. Band
26 Appleton Public Library
27 Rhythm In Motion
28 MCC, Inc.
29 Menasha H.S. Bluejay Brigade Marching Band
30 Outagamie County Highway Department
31 Girl Scouts of N'Western Great Lakes & 95.9
KISS FM
32 Lutheran Boy & Girl Pioneers
33 Appleton West H.S. Band
34 Shipyard Marine Inc.
35 B.A.B.E.S. Respite & Counseling
36 Eastshore Humane Association
37 Bonduel H.S. Band
38 Foster Boys & Girls Club
39 Casa Hispana
40 King's Jesters
41 New London H.S. Band
42 JCB Construction Equip.
43 Appleton YMCA
44 Sylvan Crossings
45 Little Chute H.S. Band
46 Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
47 Appleton Boychoir
48 Community Blood Center
49 Xavier H.S. Band
50 ACES/ Xavier Puppets
51 Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley
52 Appleton Family Ice Center
53 Oshkosh West H.S. Band
54 Rebuilding Together
55 Festival Foods
56 AseraCare Hospice
57 Eternal Love Lutheran Church
58 Hortonville H.S. Band
59 Winnegamie Dog Club
60 The Learning Shop
61 Saint Vincent dePaul
62 Thrivent Financial for Lutherans/ WHBY
63 Kaukauna H.S. Band
64 The Salvation Army
65 Apostolic Truth Church
66 Wisconsin EMS Honor Guard
67 Heid Music
68 ROCKS - J.R. Gerrits Middle School
69 North Shore Bank
70 Military Cadets Color Guard
71 Appleton East H.S. Band
72 Appleton Fire Department
73 Mirror Image Dance Academy
74 Santa Claus
