The Appleton Parade Committee will proudly present an online Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May 25. The Moment of Remembrance will begin streaming at 10:15 a.m. on our parade partners' social media channels and/or websites: WFRV, WHBY, Y100, Wichmann Funeral Homes, and The City of Appleton.

The virtual program will feature a combination of live and recorded elements: poignant speeches and poems delivered by Appleton high school students; remarks from Appleton Mayor Jake Woodford and our master of ceremonies; and patriotic music, including live performances from bagpiper Mike Dickinson and the Mid Life Crisis Quartet. The ceremony will end in the traditional manner: a rifle salute to our fallen servicemen and women will be performed by the Appleton American Legion Post 38 honor guard, who will be accompanied by the Appleton VFW Post 2778 color guard. A bugler will play “Taps” to close the Moment of Remembrance.

The online ceremony is organized by the Appleton Parade Committee, produced by WFRV, and hosted by Wichmann Funeral Homes. The Patriot Guard Riders will display a “bunch of beautiful American flags” and Lamers Bus Lines will provide a patriotically wrapped coach bus.

Appleton annually honors our community’s fallen heroes. However, in order to protect the health and safety of participants, spectators, and volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency, the Appleton Parade Committee decided the 2020 Appleton Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony would not take place as planned. Instead, the Committee collaborated with parade partners to build a new way to pay tribute to those who died protecting our rights and freedoms. On May 25, the public is encouraged to watch the City’s first-ever virtual Moment of Remembrance. Our community will continue to honor our heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The Appleton Parade Committee is grateful for the pride, passion, and patriotism our spectators bring to our community events. You make our parades great! We deeply appreciate all of the time and effort and creativity participants put into their parade floats, performances, and presentation. We see 2020 as a temporary break, one from which Appleton’s parades will bounce back stronger and better than ever.

Follow the Appleton Memorial Day Parade on Facebook for news and updates on this year’s online Moment of Remembrance as well as upcoming announcements for this year’s Flag Day community celebration.