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Editor’s Note: The following was provided by Walworth County.

Walworth County boasts three major parks—Price Park Conservancy, Natureland Park, and White River County Park. In total, our parks encompass 419 acres, with hiking trails, ponds, springs, and wetlands. This April, Walworth County invites residents to get outside, get involved, and experience our County parks through trail walks, volunteer work days, tree plantings, and educational activities.

In honor of Earth Day, Geneva Lake Conservancy and Walworth County are recruiting volunteers for a Park Work Day on Friday, April 21, from 9 a.m. to noon, at White River County Park, 6503 Sheridan Springs Rd., Lake Geneva. Volunteers will assist with invasive species removal and native planting. From noon to 2 p.m., Geneva Lake Conservancy will host an educational session teaching participants how to make seed bombs.

On Earth Day, Saturday, April 22, at 10:30 a.m., Kettle Moraine Land Trust (KMLT) and Walworth County are recruiting volunteers to help collect trash at Price Park. Afterward, participants can turn trash into treasure at KMLT’s recycled art station.

To celebrate Arbor Day on Friday, April 28, KMLT and Walworth County will host two tree-planting events. Volunteers are needed to assist KMLT and Walworth County staff with tree plantings at Natureland Park, W8338 Territorial Rd., Whitewater, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and at Price Park, from noon to 2 p.m.

Those interested in volunteering at the Earth Day or Arbor Day events should contact Karin Texidor, Volunteer Services Coordinator, at (262) 741-4223, ketexidor@co.walworth.wi.us.

About the Walworth County Parks Division: Walworth County has a long history of promoting and protecting the natural beauty of our County lands. We welcome you to discover and explore our three beautiful County Parks: Natureland, Price, and White River, or hike the White River State Trail. Learn more at www.co.walworth.wi.us/306/Parks.

According to Lake Geneva Regional News, “Whitewater man steals XBOX from an apartment, faces burglary charge after lengthy process: Owen W Peroutka Kress, 27, of 100 block N Fremont St., Whitewater, has been charged with burglary of a building or dwelling. On April 29, 2022, Whitewater police were dispatched to an apartment in the City of Whitewater for a burglary complaint. The resident said he heard his door slam while he was sleeping. When he woke up, he noticed his Microsoft Xbox Series S was missing. Security footage at the apartment complex showed a man wearing orange shorts, a dark colored baseball hat, a black shirt, and a tan jacket enter the apartment. On Nov. 3, 2022, an officer conducted an internet search to determine the IP address where the XBOX was logging in from. The officer completed a subpoena for records at Charter Communications for all account holder information of the IP address. On Feb. 23, 2023, the officer received the subpoena results from Charter Communications that listed Owen W Peroutka Kress, the defendant, with the IP address. A search warrant was done three days later at the defendant’s apartment where they found the XBOX in the living room, a driver’s license belonging to Peroutka-Kress and the tan jacket seen in the security footage.”

Per Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, Peroutka Kress is charged with burglary – building or dwelling, a felony. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 17, 2023. A charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proved guilty.

Editor’s note: The following press release was received from the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office.

On Friday, March 31st, 2023 at approximately 11:26 AM, The Walworth County Sheriff’s 911 Communications Center received a report of a head-on collision between two vehicles on County Hwy A near Johnson Rd. in the Town of Richmond, Walworth County, WI. Initial reports indicated one of the vehicles was on fire.

Upon the arrival of Sheriff’s Deputies, they observed a vehicle fully engulfed in flames. The driver was out of the vehicle and sustained critical injuries. The injured driver was treated on the scene by Medix Ambulance and the Delavan Fire Department. The driver was transported from the crash scene to a trauma center via Flight For Life. The driver’s name is being withheld pending family notifications.

The initial investigation indicates an eastbound vehicle crossed the center line of County Hwy A, East of Johnson Road, and struck the victim’s vehicle. The operator was cited for operating left of center causing great bodily harm.

The Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Wisconsin State Patrol, the City of Delavan Fire Department, Medix Ambulance, Mercy Hospital MD1, and the Walworth County Highway Department.

Pursuant to the directive of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, as found in Supreme Court Rule 20:3.6, Trial Publicity, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proved guilty.

It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. This week’s image is from the 1970s. Do you remember when the old Bank building on Main Street was painted in a colorful mural?

The mural was designed in 1975 by Sachio Yamashita and painted specifically for the upcoming bicentennial celebration of the United States in 1976. The project used some money from a grant meant for communities to celebrate the bicentennial. Needless to say, its colorful appearance and design did not please everyone and a number of letters to the editor of the Whitewater Register were highly uncomplimentary. Faculty from the UW-Whitewater, though, defended it for its artistic merit.

While most historic building experts do not recommend painting murals on buildings today, if this artwork still existed, it would probably be considered “historic” in its own right and worthy of preservation as an example of 1970s art done to celebrate the nation’s 200th birthday.

Online registration opens Monday, April 3 for 4K and new-to-the-district kindergartners for the Whitewater Unified School District. Please be sure to visit our enrollment webpage for more information on enrollment: https://www.wwusd.org/page/4k-and-new-to-the-district-kg. The next step after online registration is attending our Registration Day event on April 12 to ask questions, meet the staff, and collect helpful resources. 

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Roberta Art Gallery.

Honor Earth Month by delving into the 2D and 3D realms of landscaped fences and monocultures with Ben Orozco’s “Walled Gardens” exhibit at Roberta’s Art Gallery through April 25. Orozco’s exhibit, in collaboration with UW-Whitewater Sustainability, is challenging the way we see physical space and urban landscapes with grown and built barriers. Orozco creates illusions that challenge viewers’ perceptions of flatness and depth.

Orozco is a graduate from UW-Madison, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts with Concentrations in Graphic Design, Neon/Glass, and Sculpture. In 2020, he completed a 9-month Fulbright-Hays fellowship in Småland, Sweden, researching Swedish glass and neon design and techniques. Alongside the Glass Factory Museum in Boda, Sweden, his artwork has also been exhibited in various areas around the United States including New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Madison, Wisconsin.

Roberta’s Art Gallery is located on the first floor of the James R. Connor University Center at UW-Whitewater. The gallery collaborates with campus departments, student organizations, and community artists in coordinating and sponsoring exhibits. In semester, hours are Monday – Thursday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and closed Saturday and Sunday. The Gallery will be closed during Spring Break from March 27-31.

Join us for the exhibit reception on Tuesday, April 18 at 6 p.m., where we will have an artist meet-and-greet, a panel discussion on the environments we live in, and an opportunity for audience questions. Free food and refreshments will be provided.

Roberta’s Art Gallery prides itself in all exhibits being free and open to the public. Attending certain events can earn students class credit. To be featured in Roberta’s Art Gallery, contact us for a proposal request. Reach us at ucart@uww.edu or (262) 472-3193 or visit our website for any questions or inquiries.

Jeanine and Rick Fassl are again taking their art to new heights.  They are participating in the Whitewater Arts Alliance Public Art Project by creating wooden barn quilts that will hang on the light poles downtown for the summer. They have enjoyed creating fish, chairs, water barrels, bikes, kites, hearts and more for the many years the Whitewater Arts Alliance has been hosting the project.  

Blanks are available at the Cultural Arts Center or the Chamber of Commerce office. The finished boards are to be returned by April 15 unless an extension is requested. Further information is available here.

Our thanks to Jeanine and Rick Fassl for sharing their beautiful work in progress with us.

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High School Mission Trip Fish Fry Fundraiser

What: Fish Fry (Fried fish, French fries, coleslaw, bread, water, and lemonade)

When: Friday, March 31 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. (Cod and Tilapia)

Where: Berry Hall—Upstairs (St. Patrick Church, 1225 W. Main St.)

Cost: $15 for 3 pieces/ $12 for 2 pieces—Soda or milk for $1

Carry-outs are available.

(All proceeds support the St. Patrick Church’s High School Mission Trip to Kansas City this summer.)