September 1, 2019 marked our 3^rd anniversary as owners and innkeepers at the Franklin Street Inn Bed and Breakfast.  We continue to enjoy this chapter in our lives. This year also marked the 25^th anniversary of the Franklin Street Inn! Thank you to all of the guests, prior innkeepers, former staff, supporters and business partners who have contributed to the Inn’s success since 1994!

Fall Fun

Lori and I are always thrilled to celebrate our business anniversaries in our favorite season: Fall!  To us, there is nothing better than grabbing a warm mug of apple cider, hot chocolate, or our fresh ground and brewed coffee, and sitting on the elegant wrap-around porch of the inn, taking in the crisp fall air.  We enjoy watching the autumn leaves change, and the Fox Cities definitely has plenty of leaves!  As an avid baseball fan, Keith sometimes takes a radio or iPad out on the porch. He loves catching the games as teams play their way into and through the playoffs to the World Series.  With the Brewers and Cubs still vying for a wild card spot this year, it should be an exciting final few weeks of the season. Hopefully a favorite team will still have some play-off games in October.

Another great highlight of Fall is the start of the football season.  Watching the college games on tv is where you will often find us on Saturday afternoons.  We cheer on the Wisconsin Badgers and our alma maters, and sometimes tune in to other good college games.

Of course we are Packer fans as well. With Appleton so close to Green Bay, much of the local buzz is centered on the Packers.  We are grateful for the fans who stay with us, both Packer fans and rival fans. They come for the games, to see Lambeau Field, and to have a Green Bay experience, but also enjoy the charm of the Franklin Street Inn and the city of Appleton.  Most fans enjoy the traditional Packers' tailgate parties of brats, beer, and lots of cheese. Occasionally, we serve a Wisconsin Brat and Cheese strata for breakfast on game day, who can resist! We especially enjoy meeting the variety of football fans from all over the country, and even had Packer fans from Sao Paulo, Brazil stay with us!

Fall Festivals and Events

Speaking of brats, beer, and cheese, Appleton and the Fox Cities communities have begun their annual series of Fall Festivals and events.  Some of our local festivals and events in Appleton and the neighboring communities include:

Mid-Late September

• Appleton's Downtown Farm Market – Saturday mornings, Sept through – Oct 26
• Park “ing” Event (An Art on the Town Event, Appleton) – Friday, Sept 20
• License to Cruise Car Show (Appleton) – Friday, September 27
• Octoberfest (Appleton) – Saturday, September 28
• Cuff Farms' (Hortonville) Pumpkin Season – every Thurs-Sun, late Sept – October

October

• Haunted Hearthstone (Appleton) – Fridays and Saturdays in October, plus Oct 31
• The Hallows: A Haunted Trail Walk (Neenah) – Oct 4-5
• Crawlies Halloween Event (Heckrodt Wetlands Reserve, Menasha) - Oct. 4-5
• Cities Book Festival (Little Chute) – Daily, Oct. 7-13
• Youth Go’s Haunted House (Neenah) – Fridays and Saturdays, October 11 - 26
• Romp in the Autumn Swamp (Bubolz Nature Preserve, Appleton) - Oct. 19
• Neenah's Farmers Market Fun Day - BooFest - Oct. 19
• Pumpkin Harvest Celebration (Hilbert) – Daily, Oct. 19-31

November

• Fox Valley Roots Music Festival (Gibson Music Hall, Appleton) Nov 12-18
• Appleton Christmas Parade – Tuesday, Nov 26
• 12th Annual Turkey Trot (Fun Run & Walk) - Nov. 28

This is not a complete list, there are many more.  So please visit The Fox Cities Visitors Bureau website at http://www.foxcities.org/ and Appleton Downtown, Inc.'s website at https://appletondowntown.org/upcoming-events/ for more events and more information on these events.

A Fall Poem

I hope the following short poem helps capture some Fall feelings:

The leaves are now turning, the greens getting duller
Changing to fall’s more beautiful color
We’ll relish to taste of fall’s pumpkin spice
Apples, brats, cheeses and other delights

The wind is shifting, now more from the north
A nip in the air is now coming forth
Halloween too soon will be here
Goblins, ghosts, witches and ghouls striking fear

Football has started, some games are fantastic
While baseball wrap’s up with the yearly Fall Classic
So please enjoy autumn before winter’s snow
While our locals keep chanting:  "GO PACK GO!"

The Franklin Street Inn Bed and Breakfast wishes you an awesome autumn!