Appleton Christmas parade will honor PAC founding board

APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) - Tuesday night Local 5 will be live in downtown Appleton.

It is all part of the festivities for the 42nd annual Downtown Appleton Christmas Parade.

This year it will be lead by not one grand marshal, but ten.

"Every year we try to pick someone who has had a huge impact in the last year on the downtown itself" explains parade chairman Greg Otis.

Impact does not come much greater than the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. The facility is celebrating ten years.

"We actually built a while new float for them with Mrs. Claus. It will be a huge float" says Otis with a smile.

The float is huge to accommodate ten members of the PAC's founding board of directors.

"It feels good because Mayors do not get to do this, at least until they are retired" says Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna.

For O.C. Boldt, another founding board member, the parade holds a lot of history. He was chairman of the chamber when the event started 42 years ago.

The Boldt Company brought the PAC blueprints to life.

"I think we have had a history of supporting the arts, and there is no reason we wouldn't support the PAC" says Boldt.

Just two of the ten people who helped build a legacy that will last for generations.

"You always have those goals and when you stop and look back, boy we've made a lot of good choices" Hanna says.

"I think it is on its way to being more than we ever envisioned when we were a part of making it happen" says Boldt.

Tuesday night Local 5 will be live starting at 6:00 pm Santa Scamper.

Then, at 6:30 pm, we will have all the sights and sounds of the parade.

Because of our parade coverage NCIS will air at 12:38 am, early Wednesday morning.

You can also watch the episode online at CBS.com.