60 Years of Christmas Marionettes!

Fox Folk Marionettes & Friends is happy to announce we'll be sharing our story in the Appleton Historical Society Presentation Series coming up August 13!

Entitled "60 Years of Christmas Marionettes," we'll trace the history of our marionettes from the early days at All Saints Church in downtown Appleton. It all began in 1965. A repertoire of four classic tales was performed there for 30 years. The scene then shifts to Lake Tahoe where another whole collection of marionettes & shows were created for St. Patrick's Church.  Fast forward to 2004 when both collections were donated to Fox Valley Lutheran High School with the promise that the puppets would continue to perform Christmas shows in the Appleton area.

This December 18th will mark the 60th anniversary of those marionettes sharing the good news of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem. Our friends at All Saints originally dubbed their work "a Christmas gift to the Fox Cities! Since that time over 50,000 people have seen these puppets in action! Our director has done extensive research on the magical story behind these puppets. He has compiled a 250-plus page book filled with photos, newspaper articles, letters, & interviews.  We're also looking to have some video clips from the early years of the puppets thanks to some help from our friends at the Appleton Historical Society.

Our presentation will also feature some "show & tell" fun with a display that will include puppets and props from the original show! If you listen closely, you'll even hear how our puppets have ties to some of the biggest names in the history of puppetry.  Find us in the Community Room of Community First Credit Union at 2626  S. Oneida Street in Appleton at 6:30 p.m. on August 13th.

Mark your calendars & we look forward to seeing you there for all the fun!