Lisa Dawsey

Rock, Walworth and Jefferson County Communities to Read and Celebrate 
THE LATEHOMECOMER by KAO KALIA YANG. – Events Start APRIL 3, 2021

In a Press Release issued by Young Auditorium – September 17, 2020—Young Auditorium is a recipient of a full grant of $15,000 to host the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read in  Whitewater and its neighboring communities. An Arts Endowment initiative in partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read  broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. Young Auditorium is  one of 84 nonprofit organizations selected to receive an NEA Big Read grant to support a community reading program between September 2020 and June 2021. The NEA Big Read in Whitewater will focus on THE LATEHOMECOMER by KAO KALIA YANG. In addition  to the featured title, Young Auditorium also selects a companion novel to help involve youth in this innovative reading program. The featured youth title will be A MAP INTO THE WORLD, also by Kao Kalia Yang. Local ‘Big Read’ activities will start with a kick-off event on April 3, 2021, and continue taking place throughout the remainder of April. 

Young Auditorium Director Shannon Dozoryst is thrilled for Young Auditorium to have been awarded this grant for the 9^th time. Dozoryst  explains, “Throughout the years, we have been able to connect and engage with community members, libraries and other community based organizations in a genuine and meaningful way via the NEA Big Read program. We look forward to facilitating a full month of  activities that will include thought provoking discussion, hands-on arts experiences, lectures, and family events”.  

The NEA Big Read offers a range of titles that reflect many different voices and perspectives, aiming to inspire conversation and  discovery. The main feature of the initiative is a grants program, managed by Arts Midwest, which annually supports dynamic  community reading programs, each designed around a single National Endowment for the Arts Big Read selection. 

“We are honored to continue our partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts on this incredible program,” said Torrie Allen,  president & CEO of Arts Midwest. “For more than 14 years this national effort has invested in communities as they gather to discuss the  stories and ideas that connect us to one another. We are especially inspired by the projects and organizations that are finding new,  virtual ways of creating those connections with their communities and are thrilled to support them at this critical time.” 

Since 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts has funded more than 1,600 NEA Big Read programs, providing more than $22 million  to organizations nationwide. Over the past thirteen years, grantees have leveraged more than $50 million in local funding to support  their NEA Big Read programs. More than 5.7 million Americans have attended an NEA Big Read event, approximately 91,000 volunteers  have participated at the local level, and 39,000 community organizations have partnered to make NEA Big Read activities possible. For  more information about the NEA Big Read, including book and author information, podcasts, and videos, visit arts.gov/neabigread. 

In addition to working with partners on a national and regional level, Young Auditorium is enthusiastic about working with multiple  campus and community partners on the Big Read project. Confirmed partners for the Big Read include: UW-Whitewater’s Office of  Continuing Education, UW-Whitewater College of Arts and Communications, UW-Whitewater Office of Diversity, Student Engagement  and Success, UW-Whitewater Andersen Library, UW-Whitewater Children’s Center, Old World Wisconsin, UW-Whitewater at Rock  County, Whitewater LEADS, UW-Whitewater College of Education and Professional Studies/Early Childhood Conference, The Hoard  Historical Museum, Irvin L. Young Memorial Library, Hedberg Public Library (Janesville), Dwight Foster Public Library (Fort Atkinson),  American Association of University Women (AAUW) Geneva Lakes Branch, among others.  

There’s still time to partner with Young Auditorium for an amazing Big Read event! With opportunities ranging from book and t-shirt  giveaways, to book discussions, dance events, luncheons, dramatic readings and more…there’s no shortage of ways to get involved.  While we are planning for live, in-person Big Read events, we are closely monitoring information in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.  If safety regulations limit us in any way, Young Auditorium will be able to pivot to digital-based or hybrid format events. 

Community libraries, businesses and organizations that are interested in working with Young Auditorium for The Big Read should  contact Keriann Kirkeng (262-472-1432/ kirkengk@uww.edu) for more information. A calendar of events and more detailed information about our community programs will be posted to – https://youngauditorium.wordpress.com/ as information becomes available. New  information can always be found by visiting youngauditorium.com. 

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Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support  gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through  partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports  arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the  arts in every community across America. Visit http://arts.gov to learn more.

Arts Midwest promotes creativity, nurtures cultural leadership, and engages people in meaningful arts experiences, bringing vitality to  Midwest communities and enriching people’s lives. Based in Minneapolis, Arts Midwest connects the arts to audiences throughout the  nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. One of six non-profit  regional arts organizations in the United States, Arts Midwest’s history spans more than 35 years. For more information, please visit  artsmidwest.org.

This photo shows a Whitewater High School assembly from 1909. It is somewhat rare to have such quality interior photos that also show the students, since most class photos were taken outside and oftentimes only the exterior of school buildings were photographed. Built in the early 1880s, it served as the high school until it burned in 1927 and wa​s replaced with City High. It was affectionately known as “Big Brick.”

Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society collections!

Flashback Friday photos are posted to the Facebook account for the Whitewater Historical Society. These images and captions will be posted to the Whitewater Banner the following Saturday morning for members of our audience who do not use social media.

The Whitewater Historical Society collects, preserves, and interprets the history of Whitewater and the surrounding area. Be sure to join us next week for more from the Society’s collections. Please “like” us on Facebook and check out our website at www.whitewaterhistoricalsociety.org!​

From a press release issued by the Walworth County Department of Health and Human Services – Walworth County Health & Human Services (WCDHHS) has cancelled the Welcome to Medicare Workshops scheduled for October 22^nd and December 3^rd due to the continued pandemic situation. The event was to be held at the Walworth County Department of Health and Human Services, 1910 County Rd NN, Elkhorn WI 53121. 

“We encourage Walworth County residents to call and speak with a representative from our Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) if they have questions about Medicare,” said Randy Kohl, Health and Human Services Long Term Care Division Manager, “Staff are available to answer questions and connect our seniors to available services.”

If you would like information about services for older adults or need assistance please contact the ADRC of Walworth County at (262)741-3400.

by Lizzy Farrey

Happy #FlashbackFriday and Labor Day weekend from the Whitewater Historical Society!

Pictured here is a group of Whitewater Condensery workers outside of the plant. Hoard’s Creameries only owned the plant from 1939-1944, so this can be dated around World War II. In 1944, Hawthorn-Mellody Dairy of Chicago purchased the condensery and continued to operate it until the 1990s. This image is just one symbol of the integral role that Whitewater played in the local dairy industry throughout the twentieth century.

Flashback Friday photos are posted to the Facebook account for the Whitewater Historical Society. These images and captions will be posted to the Whitewater Banner the following Saturday morning for members of our audience who do not use social media.

The Whitewater Historical Society collects, preserves, and interprets the history of Whitewater and the surrounding area. Be sure to join us next week for more from the Society’s collections. Please “like” us on Facebook and check out our website at www.whitewaterhistoricalsociety.org!​

In a socially distanced event on August 24, 2020 the Whitewater Unified School District welcomed a number of new hires. The Banner would also extend a warm welcome to the Whitewater community to these individuals.

Photos courtesy of Tom Ganser

Join Seniors in the Park for a movie matinee at the Senior Center! Masks are required and you must register for a seat either by calling, emailing or going online here.

“Parasite” (Comedy/Drama/Thriller) Rated R (Sex/Violence/Profanity) 2 hours; 12 minutes (2019)

Tuesday, September 8, 2020 10:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m.

In South Korea, a poor family, the Kims, con their way into becoming the servants of a rich family, the Parks. But their easy life gets complicated when their deception is threatened with exposure. The film was the winner in the Best Motion Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International/Foreign Film, for both the Oscars and the Golden Globes. It is a devastating portrayal of social inequality and the psychology of wealth. This film can only be shown in South Korean dialogue and will be shown entirely in English subtitles.

“Little Women” (Drama/Romance) Rated PG; 2 hours, 15 minutes (2019)

Tuesday September 22, 2020, 10:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m.

Based on the classic Louisa May Alcott novel, this is the sixth film version of the beloved story of the March sisters; four young women determined to live life on their own terms, in the years following the Civil War. Starring Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern, Meryl Streep and Timothee’ Chalamet. Directed by Greta Gerwig (“Lady Bird;” 2017).

Seniors in the Park
504 W Starin Rd, PO Box 178
Whitewater WI 53190

Phone 262-473-0535
Hours Mon-Thurs 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Friday various days/hours

Senior Coordinator Deb Weberpal, CPRP
dweberpal@whitewater-wi.gov

Volunteer Editor Romelle Koch
Front Desk Patrea Wilson
Parks & Recreation Director Eric Boettcher

Websites: schedulesplus.com/wwtr
www.wwparks.org
www.whitewater-wi.gov

Seniors in the Park is a division of Whitewater Parks and Recreation

Per a press release issued by Director of University Communications Jeff Angileri – In the sunbathed city of Tanta in northern Egypt, where the Nile River delta fans toward the Mediterranean Sea, a girl grew up in a house of poetry.

The house included parents Ibrahim and Layla, who loved books and taught in the high school. Literature, lively discussions and the aroma of cardamom-spiced Turkish coffee were ever-present in the family home.

The child, named Hala, loved to sit with her father, an Arabic language teacher and “an amazing man.” They bonded in front of the television where the two would count the gaffs of television newscasters reading Arabic, which has both spoken and written dialects.

“My dad would recite poetry at the dinner table,” she said, remembering the readings over evening meals of cheese, falafel, olives, eggs and yogurt with her mother and two sisters. “The Arabic word for a line of poetry is ‘bayt,’ which also means ‘house.’ So people literally dwelt in these houses of poetry.”

This love of scholarship carried Hala Ghoneim into university at Cairo and doctoral work at UW-Madison. Now an associate professor in the Department of Languages and Literatures at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Ghoneim teaches four levels of Arabic, a World of Ideas course and a course about Islam.

“I now teach Arabic like my dad, but in a different setting and level,” she said. “My mom taught philosophy, and I teach ‘World of Ideas,’ which involves a philosophy component.”

Ghoneim’s scholarly article based on her study of three contemporary Egyptian playwrights, “Indigenization and Modernization: The Invention of a Truly Egyptian Drama,” has earned the 2020 International Award of Excellence from the New Direction in Humanities Journal Collection.

The research paper, which was published in the International Journal of Critical Cultural Studies, deals with three contemporary, Egypt-born playwrights — Tawfiq al-Hakim, Yusuf Idris and Naguib Surur — and how each sought an authentic Egyptian writing for theatre while coping with inevitable Western influences.

“This literary debate is true to other aspects in real life,” said Ghoneim. “And so it really is not (limited to) literature. How do we achieve progress and not renounce authenticity? What does progress mean? Sometimes it means moving away from tradition. Sometimes it means moving back to tradition.”

“I enjoy reading al-Hakim but I am very critical of his thought process,” she said, showing her father’s love of language and then her philosopher-mother’s quest for truth. “I am capable of liking something and being critical of it at the same time. We (scholars) have to be in the in-between state of embracing something but not the whole thing.”

“All of them are really amazing writers,” she adds. She describes al-Hakim as an intellectual who was in a hurry for Egyptian theatre to catch up with the West. The works of Idris and Surur are more relatable for general audiences, particularly Surur, who, ironically, is not translated in the West. All three playwrights were active in the mid-to-late 20^th century and all are deceased.

In her current research, Ghoneim focuses on two contemporary women writers who also are striving for an authentic voice amid forces of male dominance, nationalism and post-colonialism, and who want to be understood, not stereotyped. This can mean simply being seen as brave rather than oppressed, she said.

At UW-Whitewater, undergraduate students in the required World of Ideas class see Ghoneim as a genuine scholar and teacher who loves what she does. They are drawn into debates over such texts as Plato’s “Republic” because Ghoneim brings the ideas from the writings into the here-and-now.

“Every reading of a text is a new birth to that text,” she said “It’s really rewarding when, after a few weeks, they’re valuing the new revelations they acquire as they do this. Every meeting has to tell the students why this is relevant to us today.”

At UW-Whitewater, professors are classroom teachers and researchers in that order, a model which fits Ghoneim perfectly.

“I think people ultimately must teach what they know,” she said. “Just knowing something and not sharing it is like cooking an amazing meal and not sharing it with someone. You’re supposed to do research, with the goal of sharing the knowledge and teaching people what you know.”

“Education opened windows of opportunity for me,” added Ghoneim. “It changed my opinions. It freed my thought. I want what I know to be transmitted to somebody else. That’s what teaching does.”

Per a press release issued by the Whitewater Arts Alliance – As part of the Metals Exhibit at the Cultural Arts Center (CAC), the Whitewater Arts Alliance, in collaboration with the UW-Whitewater Sculpture Department, will be hosting an outdoor aluminum pour on Sunday, September 27, 2:00 pm – 4:00 p.m. at the CAC, located at 402 W. Main Street in Whitewater.

In preparation for the pour, CAC Gallery Manager Taylor McDarison will teach a Scratchblock Workshop on
Sunday, September 13, 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. at the CAC. Attendees will learn how to carve a scratchblock to
create a metal casting mold. The molds will then be used in the aluminum pour on September 27, and attendees will have a metal tile of their own design to take home with them. The workshop is kid-friendly for ages 5 and up; children under 16 should be accompanied by an adult. In observance of COVID-19 precautions, the workshop registration is limited to 14 people and masks must be worn.

The general public can also participate by purchasing a scratchblock to take home, carve, and bring back for the aluminum pour. The cost of the workshop is $30.00 and includes the scratchblock and tools are provided. The cost of a scratchblock to take home is $25.00. The workshop registration deadline is September 6. Registration is available online here.

Metal pours are fun to watch, and the public is invited to join us on September 27 in the CAC parking lot for the
pour. If you have any questions, please contact Taylor McDarison at wwartsalliance@gmail.com.

Big thanks to our sponsor!

Whitewater’s Cultural Arts Center is located on 402 West Main Street in the historic White building near the Birge Fountain. Parking is behind the building, with an elevator available from the parking lot entrance. Parking is also available on side streets.

The mission of the Whitewater Arts Alliance is to promote the visual and performing arts through an alliance of
artists, individuals, educational resources, and organizations to promote creativity and diversity that will serve
to educate and enrich the lives of the residents of the Whitewater community and surrounding areas.

by Lisa Dawsey Smith
Whitewater Banner Staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

We’re teaming up with the Whitewater Historical Society to bring feature content from their social media account to the Banner for those who may not be regular Facebook users. Keep an eye out each Friday for a “Friday Flashback” featuring information and images from the Historical Society’s collection. A huge thank you to Lizzy Farrey and Carol Cartwright for their efforts in forging this partnership. The image above was featured Friday, August 21, 2020 to the Historical Society’s Facebook account with the following caption:

Happy #FlashbackFriday from the Whitewater Historical Society! 
This week we are honoring the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment this upcoming Wednesday (August 26th). Many Whitewater area citizens were active participants in the women’s suffrage movement during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Established in 1964, the local chapter of the League of Women Voters Whitewater Area has hung banners over Main Street for many years during election seasons. This image here, taken by the late local resident George Scharfenberg in about the mid-1990s, depicts one of their banners reminding people to vote.

The Whitewater Historical Society collects, preserves, and interprets the history of Whitewater and the surrounding area. Be sure to join us next week for more from the Society’s collections. Please “like” us on Facebook and check out our website at www.whitewaterhistoricalsociety.org!​

Whitewater Scouting Program (Cub Scouts and BSA Troop) is recruiting new scouts! 

Saturday, August 29th
9:30-11:30 a.m.
Families and scouts are able to drive-thru and talk with leaders and register for our program!