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🌱 Patch AM: How a downtown Appleton bakery grew into a Fox Cities landmark

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Good morning Appleton! We're back again in your inbox, keeping you updated with what's happening in and around town. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • How a downtown Appleton bakery grew into a Fox Cities landmark
  • Why an Appleton woman faces decades over alleged murder-for-hire plot
  • What happens if Appleton loses its Fox Cities Exhibition Center manager?

Also on today's calendar: Indoor Fox Den Mini Market.

Find out what's happening in Appletonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: What did one tuna say to the other after getting caught stealing files from work? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Appletonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Thursday: Variable clouds; very cold, with a high of 20 and low of 7 degrees. ⛄️ Brr!
  • Friday: A little snow in the p.m., temps: high: 20, low: -10.
  • Saturday: Snow and flurries at times, with a high of -1 and low of -8 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. For 75 of its 145 years, Elm Tree Bakery was owned by the Pfefferles (postcrescent.com) — Longtime residents may remember Elm Tree Bakery, which began in downtown Appleton in the 1880s and later expanded to a major plant on West College Avenue in Grand Chute. This historical look traces the Pfefferle family’s 75-year ownership and connects it to other Appleton milestones, from a 1920s Menasha sewer project to a 2000 water-main break that shut a key north-south Appleton street.
   

2. Woman pleads not guilty to murder-for-hire plot against parents over past abuse (fox11online.com) — An Appleton woman has pleaded not guilty to charges she tried to hire someone to kill her mother and stepfather, allegedly tied to anger over past abuse that wasn’t reported. The case, which carries potential decades-long prison sentences, is moving toward a pre-trial conference scheduled for January 14 in Outagamie County court.
   

3. Management of Fox Cities Exhibition Center up in the air as contract deadline nears (wbay.com) — Appleton officials are racing to renegotiate the Fox Cities Exhibition Center management contract with the Hilton Paper Valley Hotel before it expires December 31, with no backup plan yet in place. The city has offered major concessions and up to $800,000 in improvements, but Mayor Jake Woodford insists Appleton taxpayers won’t directly subsidize the facility’s operations.
   

4. Man convicted in Grand Chute road rage shooting (fox11online.com) — An Outagamie County judge in Appleton has convicted 22-year-old Luke Vandenheuvel for firing a shot into another vehicle during a July road-rage confrontation in Grand Chute. He pleaded no contest to second-degree reckless injury, and sentencing is set for Jan. 16, with the other driver saying the bullet passed within inches of his head.
   

5. Imperati named Kenyon's Director of Athletics (wmvo.com) — Lawrence University’s athletic director in Appleton, Jason Imperati, has been hired to lead athletics, fitness, and recreation at Kenyon College starting June 1, 2026. He’ll finish the academic year in Appleton before departing, after overseeing major facility upgrades and program expansions during his four years guiding the Vikings.
   

📸 Around Appleton

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Food Pantries - a shout out and thanks to Alderperson Vered Meltzer for compiling this great list of food pantries in Appleton area: Salvation Army - Fox Cities, 130 E.
    North St., 920-734-3324; Open 8 to 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/wi/menasha/appleton-road-corps/ Freedom Center… (Nextdoor Glendale Ave)
  • Baron is lost from Neenah -
    LOST DOG Barron 2025-12-07! Maple St, Neenah, Winnebago County, WI, US, 54956. Male ***Rottweiler*** Black/Tan or Cream. Contact: 901997b2@contact… (Nextdoor W Pine St)
  • P.F. Chang's China Bistro posted a job opening for Expeditor in Appleton. Apply here.
  • City of Appleton (WI) posted a job opening for Library Volunteer-Materials Management Adopt a Section in Appleton. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Appleton here.

Ok Appleton! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I could get canned for this!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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