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Appleton Downtown Inc., (ADI), was approached by the City of Appleton last spring about the possibility of the Downtown Angels not going back up this year. The City had been noting the deterioration that was occurring when the decorations were taken down each year and discussed it with ADI, but the funding was not in the budget. Each one of the 38 pole Angels and 8 intersection Angels needed to be renovated due to the deterioration of the wiring, which made them unsafe and unreliable, as well as the need to upgrade them to use LED bulbs. The upgrade to LED bulbs was necessary because the electricity was being maxed out at each intersection and causing a strain on the system.  The good news is: the Angels went up this year without a hitch thanks to the legacy gift of Frances Burstein.

In 2003, Frances approached ADI in response to the need for renovating the Downtown Christmas decorations.  Frances supported 95% of the renovation of all the Angels and kept the Appleton tradition alive.

When Frances passed in May of 2012, her daughter Dr. Penny Krampien approached ADI with a reassurance that the Avenue of Angels would always be looked after by her Mother’s legacy.  Jennifer Stephany, Executive Director for Creative Downtown Appleton Inc. and ADI, expressed her gratitude “Just like the Angels, Penny and Frances have been a part of the Downtown family for years and we are so grateful and blessed by their generous, on-going support. Thanks to their wiliness to upgrade all of the Angels with LED lamps, the Angels are part of our Holiday celebration again this year and will be for years to come. “

ADI continues to also work on adding additional intersections with the cross angel decorations. Each cross section is about $6500 to fully renovate and upgrade the cables. We welcome additional support for adding intersections as part of Giving Tuesday on December 1^st – learn more at givingtuesday.org or give direct to Creative Downtown Appleton Inc. at https://appletondowntown.org/gift-certsstore/creative-downtown-appleton

ADI is a non-profit advocacy source for the businesses and merchants of Downtown Appleton, presenting the weekly Downtown Appleton Indoor Winter Farm Market and a host of other events. For more information about ADI and/or a complete listing of upcoming Downtown happenings, visit www.appletondowntown.org, on Facebook at the Appleton Downtown or on Twitter @downtowncool.