APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Appleton’s College Avenue is home to the biggest nighttime Christmas parade in the Midwest. Many in the city also say it’s the best.
“It’s a great tradition in the city of Appleton,” Appleton Mayor Jake Woodford said. “So we’re excited to see it come back. We had a couple years without the Christmas parade and I think it just reminded us how special it really is.”
But there are scammers out there, trying to put a damper on the fun for the roughly 80,000 people who attend.
“I’m not sure what their motive is, but nonetheless, there’s about 15 different downtown Appleton Facebook page events,” Eric Stadler, assistant chairperson of the Appleton parade committee, said. “Some of those events created by scammers are for the wrong date and the wrong time.”
While trying to stay one step ahead of the scammers, parade organizers are warning people on social media. Others are also trying to help.
“It’s always held on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving,” Woodford said. “If you see posts that are saying otherwise, it’s not true.”
That includes Woodford, who says it’s important for everyone to have accurate information on one of the city’s most popular events.
“This is new,” Stadler said. “We are finding though that there are other community events experiencing the same thing that came before our event.”
Stadler says it serves as an important reminder for everyone to stay attentive.
“It’s frustrating but we’re staying on top of it and getting the word out so people can either unlike those events and make sure they’re following the correct one or be diligent if they’re looking for information.”
The unofficial pages have not requested any personal information. Rather, the concern is the thousands who have already responded will be given inaccurate or outdated details.
“They won’t get the new information that we post about special features that are going to be in the parade or special announcements that come up that people need to be aware of for this event,” Stadler said.
The Appleton Christmas Parade is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 7:00 p.m.
For official parade information click here.
