Visit from grandkids reinforces all that makes Appleton special

When we moved here, my wife and I knew little about Appleton or northeast Wisconsin.

Eight years later and we are always proud to show off our city to friends and family coming to visit for the first time.

While we have come to accept that our corner of the world is a real gem, a recent visit from our granddaughters and their parents made us cherish it anew. Maybe we don’t ever appreciate what we have as much as we might until we see it through the eyes and hear it through the accolades of others. Or through the delighted laughter of children.

The fact is, we were able to keep our three- and seven-year old granddaughters entertained and stimulated for most of seven full days and do so at so little cost.

Three mornings we all walked the five blocks to the Erb Park playground which has always been a fave of our oldest, Rosemary. And our youngest, Eloise, could not contain herself at the variety of entertainment she discovered, even if it was just the spongy surface that is so fun to run on and keeps kids safe.

Of course they loved the pool at Erb Park with its many slides and cascading waters. Fearless Rosemary would no sooner leap out of the water chute at the bottom of the twisting green slide than she was running up the steps to do it all again. Eloise, not too keen on water at first, seemed to lose her fear when she discovered all the whimsical elements at the edge of the pool whether it was the bubbling waters she could stomp on or the water spouts.

Two mornings we took them to the creative and fun children’s floor at our inviting and capacious brand new library. They checked out books, played in the “Wonder Zone,” listened to stories in The Story Room and bounced on the spongy platform. Another morning at the library, they were entertained by a man who sang children’s songs and told silly jokes.

The next day was dedicated to the fun and educational Building for Kids Children’s Museum, with its enticing layout for kids to explore all the imaginative exhibits and stations. (Driving the fire truck was a favorite of Eloise).

That evening we took our guests out to the newly renovated Plamann Park for Pints at Plamann. We listened to the musicians and took turns taking the kids to the spacious playground. The next-to-last day of their visit we hauled everyone in the car for a trip up to Bay Beach Amusement Park, surely one of the best values for entertaining kids you could hope to find. I mean, it’s a buck-fifty to ride one of the oldest, most-storied wooden roller coasters in the country. And, yes, Rosemary just cleared the height bar and hopped on with her dad without a hint of apprehension.

The final day we took them to the Luv2Play indoor playground, which was as big a hit with Rosemary and Eloise as just about anything all week. 

The point is, Appleton and northeast Wisconsin don't have to offer these amenities, some of which are private businesses but most of which are either publicly funded or publicly subsidized. I respect concerned taxpayers who disagreed with the money Appleton spent on the new library or who thought Erb Pool could have been a simple splash pad instead. I’m certain some people in Green Bay opposed Bay Beach, which has been publicly operated and funded since it opened in 1920.

And we should be mindful of how we spend taxpayer dollars. But offering so many attractions attracts people and people are the lifeblood – economically, socially, culturally –  of any community. We could strip Appleton down to its essentials. We could live without the PAC. We could have stuck with the old library. It would have saved us all some money, for sure.

But beyond the economic return on these investments we make is quality of life. The tension will always be between what we need and what we’d like to have and how much we’re willing to spend. And how much we should spend.

What we offer our citizens, what we offer our visitors and what we were able to offer Rosemary and Eloise last week makes me believe Appleton has found the proper balance. 

And, by the way, the second set of granddaughters will be here this weekend. So we’re about to do it all again!

We are lucky to live here.