Lynn Binnie 
The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire extends congratulations to the 2,528 students named to the spring 2023 dean’s list. Their academic performance has been outstanding, and we recognize these students with pride.
Congratulations, Blugolds!
The Dean’s List eligibility criteria can be found online at: https://www.uwec.edu/news/news/spring-2023-deans-list2-5791/
Students from our area who were named to the Dean’s List are:
Rye Fader, College of Business, Eau Claire
Editor’s note: The city of Whitewater did not have the test kits; it was the town. The press release was in error using the word “city,” and unfortunately we didn’t catch that.
Walworth County Public Health Offers Discounted Well Water Test Kits
Do you live on or own a property with a private well? This July, Walworth County Division of Public Health is offering well water test kits at a discount. It is recommended to test your well water annually for contaminants, such as bacteria, to ensure you and your family have safe drinking water. Walworth County offers testing for four different contaminants, including bacteria, nitrate, arsenic, and lead.
Throughout July, residents can purchase test kits for $10 per test—that’s half off. The at-home test kits can be picked up or dropped off at Walworth County Department of Health and Human Services or any of the participating town halls listed below.
Only checks will be accepted as a form of payment at the town halls. Cash or check are accepted at Health and Human Services.
Testing your private well water is simple to do. Follow the instructions provided in the sample kit and then return the bottles to Walworth County Health and Human Services, or any of the participating town halls, within 30 hours of taking the test.
The Walworth County Department of Health and Human Services is located at 1910 County Rd. NN, Elkhorn. Please visit our website at www.co.walworth.wi.us/430/Well-Water-Testing for water laboratory hours or call (262) 741-3200 for more information.
A Whitewater Main Street Church will be opening its building for Fourth of July attendees and providing free cold water, iced tea, and frozen treats along with available parking.
First English Lutheran Church (FELC) at 401 W. Main Street will provide restroom facilities from 9:30 until the end of the parade on Tuesday, July 4th. Main Street doors will be open with volunteer church members guiding guests through the historic structure that dates back to the late 1800s.
In addition, FELC will have a drawing to give away two tickets (including transportation) to the Sunday, July 9th Milwaukee Brewer game against the Cincinnati Reds. Winners of the drawing will join over 30 FELC members as they depart from the church parking lot after services on the Sunday following the 4th of July celebration. Carpools with pre-purchased preferred parking privileges are targeted to leave between 10:30 and 11 on July 9. Church attendance is not mandatory.
FELC offers services downtown each Sunday at 9:30 and monthly oil lamp services at a historic one room church on Chapel Drive on Whitewater Lake. The historic Whitewater Lake Heart Prairie church was built in 1858. Oil lamp services are held because it has never had electricity. The “English” in the First English Lutheran name refers to the fact the Norwegian founders of the original church proudly offered services in English in addition to traditional Norwegian.
FELC welcomes all individuals and offers open communion. Weekly online services are also available at www.FirstEnglishLutheranChurch.360unite.com. Page down to the video screen and hit the forward (>) symbol. The congregation also operates a “Thrift Shop” featuring second items at bargain prices on nearby Church Street. Thrift Shop is open various late morning and afternoon hours every day except Sundays and Mondays. The proceeds go toward church operation costs.
Prairie Village residents assemble to plant their share of 288 flags on the tree lawns.
Front row: Curt McCulley, Tom Dosemagen, Lee Murray, Carolyn Behrens, Beth McCulley Back row: Kathy Ross, Tom Stanley, Bob Aulik, Rusty Kapela, Gary Fry, Steve Ryan, Bob Behrens. Photo courtesy of Terrie Munger
By Tom Ganser
Feeling the need for the Prairie Village community of seniors to commemorate Independence Day, a small group of Prairie Village residents placed 288 American flags along N. Acorn Ridge and Burr Oak Trail on June 29. The flags will remain in place through the 4th of July holiday and will be picked up Thursday, July 6th. The plan is to continue this new commemoration annually each Independence Day as a way for Prairie Village residents to honor our nation. Remaining photos are courtesy of Tom Ganser.
Catherine A. MacKenzie, 86, of Whitewater, WI passed away peacefully on Friday, June 30, 2023 at AngelsGrace Hospice in Oconomowoc, WI.
Catherine was born on January 2, 1937 in Palmyra, WI the daughter of Ernest and Ruth (Frodl) Congdon. She grew up in Palmyra and graduated from Palmyra High School. She continued her schooling at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, graduating with a teaching degree. Catherine enjoyed being a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in the Town of Troy. She had fond memories of the travel experiences she had with the teachers’ association. She was united in marriage to Alex MacKenzie and the two would later divorce but remained friends until Alex’s passing in 2015. Catherine and Alex were blessed with seven children. Catherine was a devoted mother, making sure her children had everything they needed as they were her number one priority. Catherine had a very loving personality and taking care of others’ needs came naturally to her. Her Catholic faith was also a major part of her life. She was a very active parishioner at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Palmyra for many years where she taught CCD classes. She also was a history buff and greatly enjoyed sharing her love of history with others. She worked at Old World Wisconsin as an actor and guide for many years and enjoyed every minute. Catherine liked to stay informed about her community. Most recently, she especially enjoyed her visits with her dear friend, Michael Sullivan, as it was difficult for her to leave home. She was a proud mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother and she will be sincerely missed.
She is survived by: 5 loving children, Greg MacKenzie of Whitewater, AJ MacKenzie of Whitewater, Henry (Kay) MacKenzie of Mukwonago, Margaret MacKenzie of Loup City, NE, and Gabe MacKenzie of Whitewater; 6 grandchildren, Cheyenne, Waylon, Johnathan (Nikki), Private First Class Ryan, Gabe, Jr., and Alexandra; a great-grandchild Lila; and her brother, Richard Congdon of Palmyra.
She is preceded in death by her parents, the father of her children, Alex MacKenzie, two dear sons, Michael and Ernest, and her siblings, William, Mary Lou and David Congdon.
Catherine’s family would like to extend a special thank you to Mercy Home Health Care for the loving care they provided to Catherine over the last several years.
Memorials in Catherine’s honor may be made to AngelsGrace Hospice Center.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, July 6, 2023, 11:00 a.m., at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Palmyra, WI. Msgr. Donn Heiar will officiate the service. Visitation will take place from 9:00 a.m. until the time of mass at the church. Catherine will be laid to rest in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery.
Gibson Family Funeral Homes of Palmyra and Eagle, WI is serving the family. To place an online condolence please visit gibsonfuneral.com
Carthage College congratulates Andrew Schmidt of Whitewater, WI, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology.
About 620 members of the Carthage Class of 2023 took part in Commencement festivities May 26-28. After the formal degree conferral on Friday evening, individual graduates and their guests took part in an extended procession and ceremonial stage walk at assigned times on Saturday and Sunday.
ABOUT CARTHAGE
Carthage College is raising expectations for a private college experience. It blends the best liberal arts traditions with desirable degree programs, transformative learning opportunities, personal attention from distinguished faculty, and a focus on career development, which makes its graduates competitive in the workforce. Founded in 1847, Carthage is located on an idyllic shore of Lake Michigan in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in the thriving corridor between Milwaukee and Chicago. Grow with Carthage: www.carthage.edu
Mark Dorn writes, “At 5:20 a.m. Thursday morning, a visitor to the Village at Trippe Lake pondered: where’s the lake..?”
Our thanks to Mark Dorn for sharing this great photo with us.
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The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has announced its 58th Hall of Fame Class.
Former student-athletes Brent Allen ’07 (football), Dan Hytinen ’09 (track and field), Rebekah Nelson Johnson ’08 (volleyball), Jessica Kohlman (track and field), Kate LaZotte Langfeldt ’08 (volleyball), Andre McKoy (men’s basketball), Derek Stanley ’18 (football and track and field) and Ann Kingsnorth Zessin ’05 (gymnastics) will be inducted.
Longtime UW-Whitewater Athletic Administrator Bob Lanza will be inducted under the category of staff/coach, and Warhawk supporter Tim Patterson will be inducted for his distinguished service to the institution.
All 10 individuals will be recognized for their contributions to Warhawk Athletics as part of the UW-Whitewater football team’s game against UW-Platteville on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 1 p.m. Inductees will be part of the Homecoming Parade, which begins at 10 a.m., and be honored at halftime of the football game and at the annual Hall of Fame banquet, which begins following the contest at 4:30 p.m. at the University Center’s Hamilton Room.
More information on the Hall of Fame Banquet, including registration, will be posted in August.
For more information on each inductee including photos and short biographies, please visit https://uwwsports.com/news/2023/6/27/general-uw-whitewater-athletics-reveals-2023-hall-of-fame-class.aspx
By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
Whitewater residents and visitors have already endured two construction-related highway closures this season, and this past week brought the announcement of yet another. Highway 12 from Whitewater to Fort Atkinson has been closed since March, and is not anticipated to reopen until close to the end of the year. Highway 89 to Richmond was shut down beginning May 1, with projected completion by midsummer; however, the beautifully resurfaced road has already reopened. Now the Rock County Public Works Department has announced that the portion of County Highway N which extends from the western end of Walworth Street will be closed beginning Wednesday, July 5 until August 31 for paving and culvert replacement.
It does remind one of the old adage, “Wisconsin has two seasons: winter and road construction.” One social media commenter was moved to adapt the old Eagles song, Hotel California, by saying, in Whitewater “you can check out but you can never leave.”
Shown above is the official detour to/from Whitewater, which is described as follows:
Eastbound USH 26 to STH 59 to STH 89 to USH 12
Westbound USH 12 to STH 89 to STH 59 to USH 26
Commuters who normally take County N to access I-39/90 to Madison will be relieved to find that the construction zone ends just east of STH 26, so they will be able to use the on/off ramps there in order to finally get on N for a short ride to Newville.
Regarding the east end of the construction zone, Duane Jorgenson, Rock County Director of Public Works, confirmed to The Banner that he expects that the intersection of N and County Line Road will remain open. Jorgenson also stated that local traffic will be maintained, sometimes with a single lane, for access to businesses and residences within the construction zone. The Postal Service has been appraised of the work, and it is anticipated that, perhaps with rare exception, mailboxes will still be accessible. Contact has also been made with the emergency services providers. Through traffic will not be permitted, and violators may be subject to being cited.
The following area students have been named to the Dean’s List at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse for the spring semester of the 2022-23 academic year, ending May 2023.
Qualification for the Dean’s List is limited to students who have attained outstanding academic achievement. To be eligible, students must have earned not less than a 3.5 semester grade point average and carried a minimum of 12 credits.
UW-La Crosse, founded in 1909, is one of the 13 four-year institutions in the University of Wisconsin System. UWL has more than 10,400 full and part-time students enrolled in 101 undergraduate, 28 graduate and two doctoral academic programs.
UW-La Crosse – www.uwlax.edu – is the state’s top-ranked public or private higher education institution by U.S. News & World Reports for master’s degree institutions and has been ranked among the top four Midwestern public institutions for more than a decade.
Students on the Dean’s List from the Whitewater area include:
Bryce Hibbs, Communication Studies Major: Organizational and Professional Communication Emphasis
Josie Hintz, Finance Major
Connor Sharlow, Radiologic Science Major: Radiation Therapy Emphasis
Catherine Skindingsrude, Biology Major
Celine Zahn, Therapeutic Recreation Major