APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) – We’re more than a month out – but parade organizers in Appleton are making the final preparations for the first actual Memorial Day procession in the city since 2019.
“The last 2 years we’ve had a virtual Memorial Day ceremony, a traditional Memorial Day ceremony,” said Appleton Parade Committee Assistant Chairman Eric Stadler. “We’re just elated that we can bring that back for the city to be able to have that procession through town. It’s a great precursor to that traditional moment of remembrance ceremony that we have.”
Stadler says unlike the annual Flag Day parade, the Memorial Day procession is reserved to be more of a somber event to set the mood for the following remembrance ceremony.
“To remind people within the community as to what the memorial day really is all about…Yes, it’s a an extra day off that weekend and there’s barbecue. Really, the reason we have that extended weekend is so that we can honor those men and women of our United States military that paid the ultimate sacrifice, that died while they were serving our country,” Stadler told WTAQ News. “The importance of having the parade to set the tone for the day, to have that ceremony, is just invaluable. It’s priceless…The importance of keeping the memory of those people alive, of their passing and what it really means to us and our freedoms that we have today.”
Any local organization or business wishing to take part in the procession needs to get their application in, so the organizers have enough time to put the order together and get that information back to participants. The deadline is April 1st.
“It’s quite typical that we get some that trickle in the week after, so we understand. We just encourage people that are interested in joining the parade to fill up that entry application,” Stadler said.
As for attendees, Stadler hopes to bring out people of all ages.
“Come out on the parade route. Bring your family – the young children, moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas – and make it a family affair. It’s also a teachable moment for our younger children as to the importance of that day and what it really is all about,” Stadler said.
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