Appleton isn’t a huge town, but it’s the type of city that holds a special place in the hearts of everyone who grew up there. If you grew up in Appleton, you probably didn’t appreciate the place at the time. You probably complained about it being small, that there was “nothing to do” except the usual mall, movies, or food. Once you get out of Appleton, though, you realize it wasn’t such a bad place to be after all. It was a good place to spend your childhood, and even if you choose not to spend the rest of your life there, you can still look back and smile over the memories you made in good ol' A-Town.
1. You spent your childhood summers at Mead and Erb pools.
Those pools were the place to be as a kid. You probably spent most of your summer days beating the heat by splashing around in the cold water. As long as your mom had the chance to lather a pound of sunscreen onto your face and arms, you were set to have the perfect afternoon.
2. In elementary school, during the winter, you weren't allowed to play outside unless you had snow pants and boots.
It was THAT cold. And you really, really wanted to play on the snow hills.
3. As you eventually got older, you complained about having nothing “fun to do.”
You can only spend so many weekends at the movie theater or the mall. Once you had gone to these places enough times, you realized your options for entertainment were pretty limited. You always ended up finding something to do anyway, but not after a hearty round of complaints.
4. You constantly got Facebook notifications inviting you to Nightstorm.
Maybe you went, maybe you didn’t, but it certainly was all the rage for those hormonal middle schoolers. I wonder if that’s still where the party’s at these days.
5. The default answer for “where should we hang out tonight?,” was always Copper Rock. Always.
Nothing can beat that coffee shop vibe.
6. You got super excited for “Snowball” and “Spree” in high school.
It gave you the chance to show kids from the other high schools how fun and cool you were. Oh, you snuck in some of your parents’ vodka? You badass.
7. You may not know everyone in the city, but for every person you don’t know, you most likely know someone who knows him or her.
Cue the awkward “we’re not friends, but our friends are friends” eye contact.
8. You regularly refer to Appleton as “A-Town.”
It makes us sound a little bit cooler than we actually are.
9. Though you never thought you would admit it, you’re a little bit proud of your “920” area code.
It just sounds so nice before your own string of digits.
10. You know that it’s a “bubbler.”
It’s NOT a “water fountain” or whatever people try to tell you. A water fountain is one of those pretty sculptures that have water coming out of it.
11. You couldn’t stop laughing when that video complaining about Bath & Body Works and “Jen from Appleton” went viral.
You just couldn’t get over the fact that this overdramatic, middle-aged woman was talking about YOUR town. You probably even went to Bath & Body Works at the Fox River Mall in the hopes of finding Jen…from Appleton.
12. You know that one of Appleton’s only cool historic facts is that Houdini is from there…but that’s pretty much all you know about his Appleton days.
Have you been to that Houdini museum? Yeah, me neither.
13. You’ve tried to visit “Kate Blood” at least once.
If you went at night, you probably got all freaked out. In reality, nothing paranormal actually happened.
14. You’re proud of our little town for coming up with Mile of Music.
You secretly hope it becomes the next Coachella – minus the flower crowns.
