Kayak units, village mergers, bigfoot, heliports: these are the best April Fools' Day gags

April Fools' Day seems designed to be a gullible person's least favorite day of the year — and this year's no exception.

While some of us are walking through the day as though it were lined with tripwire, the tricksters among us are rubbing their palms in giddy anticipation. It's enough to make us question if any big news announcement is even real. (Yes, so far as we know, the National Weather Service is forecasting several inches of snow across the state Tuesday.)

Wisconsin's chicanery truly has range, from a meat purveyor's well-crafted press release to a police department's cutting edge new water unit to a sasquatch sighting on a wetland reserve. PR teams busted out their Photoshop skills and clever wordsmithing, making sure to get in a few jokes at their own expense for good measure.

Here's a look at the silliest April Fools' Day pranks from some unexpected social media accounts, in no particular order.

Neenah police and the Implement of Husbandry vehicle

Neenah Police Department fleeced the public Monday morning when it announced a new fleet of law enforcement vehicles called implement of husbandry enforcement vehicles. The gag included a photoshop of a John Deere tractor with Neenah's insignia over the tractor's trademark green and yellow.

Normally, explaining the joke detracts from the humor, but Neenah Police Department did take the time to explain what an implement of husbandry vehicle even does — which, in its own way, also served as an educational campaign for people who actually utilize implements of husbandry.

"With planting season right around the corner, keep an eye out for implements of husbandry (IoH), especially on the more rural roadways to the west and south of the city. This new NPD IoH will be able to get through areas that police cars cannot easily traverse, and also be able to push obstacles out of the way in the event of an emergency," the Facebook post read.

Wausau police's add kayak unit?

Other law enforcement agencies were also thinking about fresh new ways to traverse. Wausau Police Department made a splash this morning when it announced its new kayak unit. Everybody knows the best way to catch an assailant by water is by paddle.

And whoever designed the kayak unit pulled out all the stops. In what may otherwise be a serene kayak trip on one of Wausau's iconic lakes, the Wausau Police Department depicted an officer brandishing its "W" logo along with two red and blue sirens on the kayak's stern.

"In an effort to keep our waterways safe this summer, the Wausau Police Department is proud to announce our new Kayak Speed Detection Unit. This team of highly skilled officers and will be patrolling our waterways to detect kayaks and canoes which are paddling in excess of the speed limit. Any paddle craft found in excess of 55 mph will be fined $401.24," the Facebook post read.

Fox Crossing police join the fun

And, not to be outdone, Fox Crossing Police Department took April 1 to announce its very first emotional support animal to the force: Mick the Alligator. The soft, fluffy scales and nurturing reptilian eyes can lull anybody into a state of calm, and that's especially so as the baby crocodile reaches its mature size of 10 feet and 500 pounds.

The relaxing reptile was allegedly a community donation from J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue.

Based on the comments and hundreds of shares, people seemed eager for this little gator to join the force.

"The benefits of having a dedicated support animal trained to provide emotional comfort have been proven over and over again in police departments across the country. After many months of rigorous training, Mick is ready to be deployed full time and give us some much needed snuggles to melt away the stress of a hectic career in law enforcement! He'll continue to undergo instruction and certifications to become an undoubtedly elite emotional support animal and the pride of FCPD," the Facebook post read.

A merger for Howard-Suamico?

Howard-Suamico goes together like peanut butter and jelly. Sure, you've had one or the other before, but it's got a much better ring together. And so it should come as no surprise that the two villages made the important non-decision of announcing their merging as one village.

Howard-Suamico School District contains nine schools and 5,879 students. So the historic merger will finally relieve the confusion, and potentially the identity crisis, of so many local businesses and residents in Suamico and Howard.

Department leaders from both villages will have no choice but to go "head-for-head in a game of pickleball to see who gets to retain their title." And, since Election Day is already upon us and far too late for declarations of candidacy, "elected officials from both villages will remain and form one giant 16-member body. Tie votes will be broken by a polka dance-off."

"Village of Suamico Administrator had this to say about the merger: 'Honestly, it’s about time. Municipalities around the state should be considering similar mergers to save time and money. There’s no reason we need to have two logos, for example. They are practically the same bird,'" the Facebook post read.

(Readers, they are not the same bird.)

Village of Suamico Administrator had this to say about the merger, “honestly, it’s about time. Municipalities around the state should be considering similar mergers to save time and money. There’s no reason we need to have two logos, for example. They are practically the same bird.”

Gone Sasquatchin' with Heckrodt Wetland Reserve

As the saying goes, a simple sasquatch sighting goes a long way. And Heckrodt Wetland Reserve certainly kept it simple when it joked about a wandering wood ape lumbering on one of its boardwalk.

Conservation and nature pages have been dominating social media pages for a few years now. One of our intrepid reporters even scored an interview with the biggest, quippiest Lake Superior. Heckrodt Wetland Reserve's mission is to "enhance, restore, and preserve the Reserve and educate all people on the importance of conserving our natural resources."

Heckrodt Wetland Reserve, located in Menasha, has done such a good job at preservation, it's no wonder Bigfoot came out of the woodwork to enjoy a morning lark.

Jacobs Meat Market trades sausage-making for chic minimalist apartments

In Wisconsin, it makes sense that a much adored meat market would contribute to the prank-filled day with really focused humor. Jacobs Meat Market duped everyone when it announced it was selling its nearly 80-year-old meat market to White Knight Development LLC for a "multi-story, mixed-use apartment building compound."

The press release offered many, many details about its plans to rebrand away from German-style sausage to something closer to a J.G. Ballard-style science fiction nightmare. Offering some good old fashioned gentrification humor, the press release noted it would be reserving 10 studio apartments "for the exclusive use of White Knight Development LLC, as part of their AirBnB portfolio."

Among the accoutrements, Jacobs Meat Market joked that the building would have "smart" apartments, with "affordable" options — bedrooms designed with neither bathrooms nor kitchens, but unisex locker-room style restrooms on either side of the second floor.

But the true pièce de résistance is the penthouse apartment, replete with four bedrooms, five bathrooms, a private elevator and, obviously, a heliport. The press release said it won't be available for 20 years, but will eventually be the Appleton mayor's official home.

Luke Jacobs, Jacobs Meat Market owner, is quoted in the press release, slurring through his seventh Bloody Mary that he couldn't resist the heliport. When USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin reached out to Jacobs, he understandably had to rest after a busy morning of Bloodies. But employee Eric Orozco responded soberly to the request.

"We could think of nothing better for the believable/unbelievable category than yet another apartment building (complex compound) going up in the city of Appleton," Orozco said. "With that premise, things snowballed easily to include the very upsetting (and hilarious) details as found in the press release."

Asked whether Jacobs would still insist on a heliport for his business, Orozco offered a professional take on the situation: "As for heliport plans, we'd love to paint a large circle with an H in it on the roof, but we fear some pilot might use it to disastrous results," Orozco said. "They're difficult to find, but we do have limits."

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Northeast Wisconsin businesses, agencies have fun on April Fools' Day