Lynn Binnie

The Fort Atkinson Club Hosts Wellness Day on Saturday, February 3

Saturday, February 3 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., The Fort Atkinson Club (FAC), in partnership with Fort Healthcare, invites area residents to this free event focusing on community health and wellness. There will be over 12 experts sharing information on nutrition and fitness, healthy cooking, CPR/AED information, fall prevention and community health as well as preventative screenings, financial and environmental health and more. There will also be chair massage sessions available along with healthy snacks and a variety of other presentations. The FAC, along with Fort Healthcare, is pleased to host this event for the first year.

Wellness Day starts at 10 a.m. and runs until 1 p.m. and will take place on all three levels of the historic Fort Atkinson Club Community Center, which offers a beautiful setting in a historic building overlooking the Rock River. The FAC community center is located at 211 South Water Street East, and visitors can use the front entrance or drop off at our side entrance with elevator, for folks with mobility issues.

“This is going to be a wonderful, fun event and we are thrilled to serve as a venue for many presentations, workshops and informational opportunities that focus on the health and wellness of our community, ” says Executive Director Lawan Glasscock. “There will definitely be something for everyone, from healthy cooking to Zumba demos, wellness screenings and opportunities to connect with those who are anxious to share their knowledge and passion for healthy living.” Everyone is welcome!
For more information, you may contact the Fort Atkinson Club at 920-568-1720.

The Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra’s annual Gala is set for Sat., Feb. 10, 2024, at the Abbey Resort in Fontana.  The event includes cocktails, an elegant dinner and dessert, orchestra concert, auction items, and dancing the night away to the LGSO Swing Band featuring award-winning vocalist Maureen Christine.

The evening starts at 6:00 with cocktails and live music by small ensembles, followed by dinner.  Enjoy a fun evening of music and dancing while supporting a wonderful cause as LGSO leads the audience “Around the World.”

In addition to being the major fundraiser for the year, the Gala is the best way for the orchestra and audience to mingle and get to know each other. It starts with the fact the orchestra isn’t on a stage.  Orchestra members and the audience are side by side as they enjoy the evening’s festivities.

Looking ahead, on Mar. 16 at 7:30 p.m., the LGSO will forces with the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Symphony Orchestra at the Young Auditorium in a not-to-be-missed performance of Gustav Holst’s monumental orchestral suite, “The Planets,” along with “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis” by Vaughan Williams.

For more information and tickets ($100 plus fees), visit www.LakeGenevaOrchestra.org or call 262-359-9072. The deadline is Sunday, February 4.

Qualifying taxpayers are invited to receive free tax preparation and electronic filing of their 2023 federal and state income tax returns at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Volunteer Income Tax Assistance clinic. This IRS-sponsored program is available for low and moderate-income taxpayers at no cost, and no appointments are needed.  

The UW-Whitewater VITA clinic will be located in the UW-W Community Engagement Center, 1260 W Main Street, Whitewater (next to Walmart). There is plenty of free parking in front of the UW-W Community Engagement Center for VITA participants. Clinic hours are from 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Wednesdays from January 31 through April 10. Clients will be served on a first-come, first-served basis and they should arrive at least one hour before closing.  

The VITA clinic is staffed by certified student preparers and supervised by faculty in the College of Business and Economics Department of Accounting. In addition to providing hands-on experience for graduate and undergraduate accounting students, the free VITA clinic helps residents of Whitewater and surrounding communities.  

“We have many long-time clients who return for assistance each spring,” said Robert Meyers, accounting department lecturer and VITA program co-director. “The opportunity to apply training while working with real people is an invaluable experience for our students.”  

Important information, including a location map, program limitations and required supporting documentation, can be found at https://www.uww.edu/cobe/vita. For additional information, email the VITA Site Coordinator at vita@uww.edu or leave a message at 262-472-5452. 

The Greater Whitewater Committee (GWC) will be hosting its annual meeting to celebrate its accomplishments from 2023 and upcoming goals for 2024. This year’s banquet will feature a keynote presentation from Secretary Dan Hereth from the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services.

This event will take place on Thursday, February 8th at 5:30 p.m. at 841 Brewhouse banquet hall, 841 E Milwaukee St., Whitewater. GWC would like to cordially invite the community to attend this event. Social hour begins at 5:30 p.m., and the keynote speaker will begin presenting at 6:00 p.m with the social hour to continue after his presentation. 

RSVP is required to attend. To reserve your spot, contact Lilly Munkvold or Anna Dahl at pr@knightpublicaffairs.com or operations@knightpublicaffairs.com by Wednesday, February 7th. 

Dan Hereth was appointed secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) in August 2022. Prior to that, Secretary Hereth served as the department’s assistant deputy secretary since 2019, and he served as the Deputy District Director for Congresswoman Gwen Moore since 2007.

The Council of State Governments honored Hereth with a 20 Under 40 Leadership Award in 2023, making him the Council’s first such honoree from Wisconsin.

At DSPS, Hereth has led technology upgrades and guided innovative partnerships with professional associations, employers, and other stakeholders. His work has increased licensing efficiency and bolstered Wisconsin’s professional workforce, while keeping a focus on the department’s public safety mission.

Hereth is a Watertown, WI native and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a Minor in Public Administration from the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, and a Master of Arts degree in Human Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

“ We are excited to hear from Secretary Dan Hereth on all of the success and progress that was made in the Department of Safety and Professional Services,  and their plans for the future,” said GWC President Jeffery Knight. 

For further details, please contact Jeffery Knight at 920.728.0662 or jpk@knightpublicaffairs.com. 

 About the GWC 

The GWC is an action-oriented group committed to working with citizens, elected officials, and policy makers to identify, craft, and implement a pro-business agenda. The agenda advances the economic, education, and social policies required to energize and secure the Whitewater area’s economic future, as well as protect Whitewater’s quality of life.

David Stavlo, noted firearm historian, gunsmith, and author will present a program on antique American firearms on Sunday, February 4 at 1:00 p.m. in Whitewater. The presentation is being sponsored by the Whitewater Historical Society and will be held at the Cravath Lakefront Community Building, off Whitewater Street [341 S. Fremont Street.) The presentation is free and open to the public.

Stavlo has been working in the antique firearm industry for more than 15 years. He is the owner of Lodgewood MFG, a full service antique firearms shop that specializes in the repair, restoration, and sale of antique firearms dating from c.1445-1945. Stavlo’s work has been showcased in many publications, including Guns of the Old West, and American Rifleman magazines and on television and film productions. Stavlo has shared his knowledge of antique firearms through many presentations at institutions and organizations around the Midwest, from the Kenosha Civil War Museum to the Ohio Gun Collectors Association.

Stavlo’s presentation for the Whitewater Historical Society event is “An Introduction to Antique American Firearms, From Colonization to the Civil War,” and will outline the changes in American firearm development over a roughly 250 year span, from the first English settlements on the east coast to the Civil War era. Stavlo will show several original firearms from his personal collection of antique firearms.

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

Updated 1/31/24 @ 11:25 a.m. – Per City Clerk Heather Boehm, no additional applications were received.

As was previously announced on the Banner, the Common Council is accepting applications for the open District 1 seat that was held by David Stone, who resigned. A map of the districts may be found here. District 1 is basically in the east/southeast part of the city; a call to the city clerk’s office can confirm a resident’s district. The council will interview the candidates on February 6, and if a selection is made, that individual will be immediately sworn in for a term that will expire in April, 2025. The deadline for applications is Tuesday, January 30 at 4:30 p.m.

Common Council meetings are held on the first and third Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Members are expected to review the agenda packet prior to the meeting. In addition, all members serve on one or more committees. The salary is $300 per month.

Applications can be physically picked up at the second floor of the Municipal Building, found at 312 W Whitewater Street, or they can be found online at the City Website. If you have any questions about the application please contact the City Clerk at 262-473-0102 or at hboehm@whitewater-wi.org.

The following individuals have submitted applications as of the close of the Clerk’s Office on Monday:

Curtis Knull, 404 E. Cravath Street
Patrick Singer, 263 Amber Drive

One other person submitted an application; however, his residence is not within the city, which is a requirement.

This vacancy occurred too late to be placed on the April 2, 2024 election. The Common Council chose to wait until the 2025 spring election to fill the seat rather than calling a special election.

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

Updated 1/31/24 @ 11:25 a.m. – Per City Clerk Heather Boehm, no additional applications were received.

As was previously announced on the Banner, the Common Council is accepting applications for the open at large seat that was held by the late James “Jim” Allen. The council will interview the candidates on February 6, and if a selection is made, that individual will be immediately sworn in for a term that will expire on April 16, 2024. The deadline for applications is Tuesday, January 30 at 4:30 p.m.

Common Council meetings are held on the first and third Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Members are expected to review the agenda packet prior to the meeting. In addition, all members serve on one or more committees. The salary is $300 per month.

Applications can be physically picked up at the second floor of the Municipal Building, found at 312 W Whitewater Street, or they can be found online at the City Website. If you have any questions about the application please contact the City Clerk at 262-473-0102 or at hboehm@whitewater-wi.org.

The following individuals have submitted applications as of the close of the Clerk’s Office on Monday:

Joseph Kromholz, 393 Eagle Court
Carol McCormick, 555 E. Clay Street
Greg Majkrzak, 1294 Tower Hill Pass
Michael Smith, 327 E. Clay Street
Keith Staebler, 542 E. Clay Street

Majkrzak and Staebler are the two candidates who will be on the ballot for the position in the April 2 election.

Do you love nature and writing? Join a small group of like-minded individuals to read and/or reconnect with, and then discuss, the best environmental literature of all time: representative excerpts from the likes of Thoreau, Burroughs, Muir, Leopold, Beston, Krutch, Eiseley, Carson, Abbey, Lopez, Kimmerer, and others. If participants have interest, we will also do a little nature writing, each of us creating a short personal narrative for group discussion.

The workshop series will be held at the Irvin L. Young Library’s Community Room every Thursday evening in February at 5:30 p.m. and will be led by Jim Nies – a retired educator, author of several children’s nature books, editor of an environmental lit anthology, and founding member of the Arboretum At Starin Park.

There is no cost, but registration is required. Visit whitewaterlibrary.org – events – registration forms or contact Sarah French to register at sfrench@whitewater-wi.gov or 262-458-2782. The Irvin L. Young Memorial Library is located at 431 W. Center Street in Whitewater.

Updated 1/30/24 @ 4:20 p.m. – Parking in the lot adjacent to the Greenhill Center for the Arts will be free for this event.

Join us for an evening of musical excellence as these talented musicians showcase their skill and dedication. Don’t miss the chance to be part of this unforgettable musical event. Tues., 1/30,  7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Light Recital Hall (Greenhill Center of the Arts)

The 132D Army Band is made up of 37 Army Musicians hailing from all across the state of Wisconsin and beyond. These Soldiers are music teachers, students, and performers, as well as all manner of professionals in various fields, but they come together one weekend a month and two weeks a year to perform both high quality concerts and military ceremonies wherever the mission takes them. Not only does the unit combine to form large ensembles such as concert, ceremonial, and jazz band, but also brass and woodwind quintet and any other small ensembles the mission dictates or the unit desires. For their 2024 Winter Tour, the 132D will be performing in their newest musical project, Concert+Rock, combining the strengths and sounds of both our amplified and acoustic instrumentation.