MENASHA (NBC 26) — A beloved Fox Valley tradition is growing beyond its roots as the Marigold Mile expands from Appleton to Menasha, bringing vibrant flowers and community spirit to a new city.
The Marigold Mile, a community-driven volunteer program that brings thousands of bright orange and yellow flowers to South Oneida Street in Appleton, has been beautifying the area for 35 years.
Eric Reynebeau, a fourth-generation florist at Reynebeau Floral in Little Chute, has been supplying the marigolds for the program for more than 20 years.
"We've been on this corner for 100 years," Reynebeau said.
His family business has deep roots in the community, with the floral shop passing down through generations.
"About 13,000 [marigolds] every year. And they all look beautiful," Reynebeau said.
The program has now expanded to Menasha, where a local physician decided to bring the Marigold Mile to his community just one year ago.
Todd Shackleton, chairman of the nonprofit behind the Appleton Marigold Mile, has been instrumental in helping the program grow.
"Dr. Bob Gehringer is kind of running the one in Menasha. And he helped me to see that was really the important thing is that the local people donate and plant it," Shackleton said.
This expansion has Shackleton thinking Menasha could be just the first of many cities to join the tradition.
"It's about the community. The volunteers. People seeing the flowers and saying 'Hey, what's this? How do we get involved?" Shackleton said.
If you're interested in getting involved, you can donate or sign up to volunteer here.
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