An article in Spectrum News1 on July 23 features an interview with the developer of the Bower’s Building, which he has indicated is the name he would prefer rather than the commonly used White Elephant. The following are quotes from the article.
“For many, the White Elephant is just another empty building in downtown Whitewater. However, Greg Aprahamian said he saw it as an opportunity.
“The big reason I wanted to purchase the building, it was one of the larger buildings in the downtown area. It was built in 1880. It has a lot of potential with the size of it,” said Aprahamian.
The Bower’s Building (Photo credit: Spectrum News1)
The White Elephant was also called the Bower’s Hotel until the 1970s.
Aprahamian said his vision includes a commercial space on the ground floor and about a dozen apartments on the upper floors.
“The ceilings are really tall. The windows are really large. It has that old atmosphere of living and it’s going to be more than just student housing. We are also hoping to get young professionals living in the downtown area by providing them a nice place to live,” said Aprahamian.
To read the remainder of the article click here. It appears that it is not necessary to be a Spectrum/Charter subscriber in order to access the article.
Editor’s Note: The following was provided by the Whitewater Arts Alliance.
Beginning on August 4, the Whitewater Arts Alliance will be presenting a gallery exhibition of work created by Karolyn Alexander and Virginia Epps. This exhibition will be on display through August 28 in the Cultural Arts Center located at 402 W. Main St., Whitewater. The gallery will be open Thursdays through Sundays from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. There will also be a virtual display.
There will be a reception on August 6, 2022 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Cultural Arts Center. Both Alexander and Epps will be present. The reception is free to the public. Food and drink will be provided.
Virginia Epps and Karolyn Alexander Tscharnack
Karolyn Alexander Tscharnack
Bridges from Connections series by Karolyn Alexander
“Abstracts: a Series of Series” is one half of the exhibit to be displayed in August. Karolyn Alexander Tscharnack is a lifelong resident of Whitewater. An early influence in art came from her father, Richard Kettwig. Her childhood interest in art was put on hold as she focused on employment and family responsibilities. After an early retirement from UW-Whitewater, Alexander immersed herself in artmaking. She has worked in clay and painted with watercolor, acrylic, and collage. In 1993, Alexander began taking clay classes with Susan Alexander at Clay Loft Studio in Palmyra. This interest in working with clay blossomed, leading her and her husband, Hugo, to purchase a kiln, slab roller and lots of clay and glazes. In 1999, Alexander and her husband started participating in summer art fairs around the state of Wisconsin.A passion for watercolor led Alexander to classes with Marilyn Keating at L’Atelier Art Studio in Janesville. She took numerous watercolor workshops with other talented watercolor artists. Eventually, Alexander began teaching watercolor painting to others in Janesville and Whitewater. Alexander’s interest in creating abstract art using acrylic and mixed media developed slowly. In 2015, she decided to concentrate on painting abstracts. Her current work includes mark making, texture, and layers of paint, mixed media and sometimes collage. Alexander has been a member of the Whitewater Arts Alliance since its inception and a member of the Janesville Art League for almost 20 years. She has shown her paintings in various venues in Southeastern Wisconsin and now exhibits her art primarily in Whitewater and Janesville. Locally, her art can be found at the Book Teller in downtown Whitewater and Raven’s Wish in Janesville.
Virginia Epps
Let Courage Reign by Virginia Epps
The other half of the exhibit to be displayed in August is “Enjoying Regenerative Play” by Virginia Epps. Epps was raised in eastern Kansas where she grew up on a prairie that developed her deep adoration for the environment, as stated on Woodwalk Gallery’s Facebook page. Epps spent many years teaching middle and high school students in science before leaving the schooling system to work on her visual arts. During her time away, she completed her graduate degree in Fine Arts Design, 3D at the University of Kansas, as stated on the Woodwalk Gallery’s Facebook page.
Due to practical considerations, Epps went back to teaching high school classrooms in science and visual arts. She took night courses at the same time until she graduated with a doctoral degree in Science Education. In 1991, Epps applied for and received a teaching position at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in elementary and secondary science education.
Upon completion of a career as a science educator in 2007, Epps retired and returned to exploring and enjoying the visual arts. During the years as an educator, regardless of the specific title of the class or the age of the students in the classroom, the following ideas usually gained importance when Epps was teaching: 1) our species will be known by what it throws away because away is somewhere; 2) the earth is fragile and deserves respect; 3) openness to the results of the random forces of nature or events is generative; and 4) astute, disciplined, contemplative observation of nature and its systems ground sound science as well as the arts, particularly visual arts and design. Both as a science educator and a visual artist/designer, Epps wished to share the joy of encountering the world as both a fascinating and an aesthetic experience.
Epps has exhibited her pieces in the Museum of Wisconsin Art, the Wisconsin Regional Arts Association, the Wisconsin Regional Arts Program, and the Whitewater Arts Alliance. She regularly exhibits with the Alliance and is a member. She also has both collage and color totems on exhibit at the Woodwalk Gallery in Egg Harbor and Anderson Arts Center in Kenosha.
An artist’s statement provided by Karolyn Alexander: I have been creating art regularly for the past 30 years. About 10 years ago, abstract painting found its way into my heart. Since 2015 I have focused on painting abstracts with acrylic paint, mixed media and sometimes collage. I work on gallery wrapped canvas, cradled panel, and paper. For the past several years I have been working in series. The theme or subject for a series varies for me but the task of creating paintings that are related in some way offers the possibility of exploring a subject or technique in greater depth.
The series included in this exhibit are “Home,” “Connections,” “Windows,” “Grids” and “Dots.” The “Home” series paintings were created during the pandemic. Each contains a rather generic house shape without detail. The “Connections” series started a few years ago and continues today. This series focuses on mark making and layers of veiling and/or covering with more mark making in each layer. I consider a painting finished when I love it! The “Windows” series was also created during the Pandemic as I found myself spending more time looking out my windows, especially to watch the birds at our feeders. Grids are a common compositional format. My “Grid” series started with a black underpainting.
Layers of paint and mark making followed with attention paid to color mixing and opacity vs. transparency. The black lines of the underpainting were left to separate the shapes. The lines were not intended to be perfectly straight, nor were the shapes. I enjoy the irregular edges. My newest series is the “Dot” series which consists of layers of paint and marks. During the final layer, five dots were added to each piece with considerable thought given to placement, color, and value. I enjoy working in series as each series allows me to explore an idea more fully than a single piece of art would allow.
An artist’s statement provided by Virginia Epps: Discarded paper products such as tissue wrapping paper, grocery bags, corrugated cardboard, shipping cylinders, and mat board leftovers serve as my primary medium. When working in low relief, I cut and laminate mat board scraps and/or corrugated cardboard to build the base design. To this structure, I add loops or columns that I quill from papers I have cut from discarded papers such as wrapping tissue, envelopes, dressmaker patterns, handouts, or maps. I also add colored pencil or graphite to the assembled low relief. When working in two dimensions, I laminate multiple layers of discarded or scrap papers on Masonite or on mat board. Once the laminated papers are dry, I sand the surface and often add additional layers of paper. The sanding and layering process becomes a cycle exposing unexpected random shapes and colors. As a final step building collages, I either draw on the sanded surface with graphite, ink, or colored pencil or tone the surface with acrylic glazes. In response to the widespread fear, anxiety, isolation, and depression driven by the pandemic during recent years, I wanted to give persons living behind masks reason to smile behind their masks. The eyes of a smiling face smile too. The two indoor stands in this exhibit are cut from a used shipping cylinder that I painted with bright yellow, orange, cyan, green, and red acrylic paint. The figures suggested kites or balloons adrift above the beach. They were intended as invitations to think of a cheerful, playful place, experience, or activity. The bases of the stands are made of leftover wood pieces. The two-layer tops of the stands also are made of wood and coated with bright acrylic paint. I extended my central concern for the use of cheerful color and light to the other, free standing three dimensional pieces that I refer to as “color totems” that are intended for outdoor use in the yard or garden. Year round, they keep cheerful color and continually changing shadows in view. Each color totem has a spine of rebar and cubes of cedar. Some viewers have found the totems dependably cheerful and calming to view during the difficult years of late.
The exhibit also includes a set of “wall boxes” containing treasures from the prairie ecosystem remaining at the close of fall and beginning of winter. The specimens used in the boxes were collected from private prairies or prairie roadsides. The forms left at that time are strong forms of grace and determination leading to another year of prairie life and beauty. They are the essence of resilience, a spirit much in need during these years of the pandemic.
Big thanks to our sponsor, First Citizens State Bank.
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.
Steve Watson writes, “On my morning walk about, I spotted this big fellow up in the trees on Cravath Lake.”
From Hillside Cemetery. It’s not uncommon for this species to rest with their wings spread.
From Cravath Lakefront Park (Photos courtesy of Steve Watson)
After some detective work (Elementary my dear Watson), I discovered that it is a cormorant, a new and unexpected sighting at Cravath Lake.
Copied from Oceanwide Expeditions: Cormorants are expert divers. Some dive as deep as 45 metres (150 feet). They speed along underwater via their webbed feet, using their wings as rudders. Some colonies of cormorants have been observed herding fish for more efficient hunting.
Our thanks to Steve Watson for yet another interesting photo from his morning walks.
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City of Whitewater Urban Forestry Commission – Monday @ 4:30 p.m. Agenda includes Arboretum update Cravath Lakefront Room – 2nd Floor 312 W. Whitewater St. Please join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. https://meet.goto.com/920889877 You can also dial in using your phone. United States: +1 (646) 749-3122 Access Code: 920-889-877
City of Whitewater Common Council – Tuesday @ 6:30 p.m. Agenda includes 1) Commendation honoring Cameron Clapper, 2) Resolution authorizing referendum question (to increase tax levy) for November, 2022 election, 3) Presentation from Running, Inc. (formerly Brown Cab) regarding shared ride taxi staffing, 4) Amendment to contract with Bird Scooters, extending contract dates, 5) Discussion regarding hiring structural consultant for Starin Park water tower, 6) C&R Family Trust offer to sell three parcels of vacant land (approx. 47 acres) on south side of Highway 12 to city, 7) Discussion regarding entering into an agreement to assist with promotion of referendum City of Whitewater Municipal Building – Community Room 312 W. Whitewater St. This will be an IN PERSON and a VIRTUAL MEETING. Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join us via computer, smart phone, or telephone. Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods. You are invited to a Zoom webinar. Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81724335979?pwd=VU4wY2VrTS8rWnJmczJWQXJrQ2pxdz09 Passcode: 610930 Or Telephone: Dial: 1 312 626 6799 Webinar ID: 817 2433 5979 Passcode: 610930
Editor’s note: We were not provided with the names of those in the picture. If any are from Whitewater, please let us know so that we may add that information.
Walworth County 4-H is celebrating the graduation of thirty-three members from its program this summer. 4-H graduates are current youth members who are either aging out of the 4-H program or who graduated from high school during the spring and are not planning to continue their 4-H membership into their freshman year of college.
Honorees include:
Big Foot Pioneers 4-H Club
Amanda Bender, Walworth
Sarah Frederick, Lake Geneva
Natalie Lohse, Walworth
Adalynn Quackenbush, Walworth
Alia Woss, Williams Bay
Elkhorn 4-H Club
Madelyn Kleist, Elkhorn
Senya Kruger, Elkhorn
Flame Throwers 4-H Club
Kenneth Police, Genoa City
Harvesters 4-H Club
Anna Sorg, Darien
Lake Beulah 4-H Club
Ciera Kawleski, Whitewater
Lakeland 4-H Club
Katlyn Ackerman, Lake Geneva
Emily Beinert, Elkhorn
Bobbie Neal, Delavan
Richmond 4-H Club
Rebecca Schmidt, Delavan
Ridge Prairie 4-H Club
Daniel Keizer, Delavan
Sharon 4-H Club
Victoria Curry, Delavan
Emma Frodl, Sharon
Rebecca Wells, Walworth
Springfield 4-H Club
Tyler Etten, Elkhorn
Suzanne Haacker, Elkhorn
Spring Prairie 4-H Club
Atlas Bartlett, Whitewater
Paige Jacobs, Elkhorn
Olivia VanWyhe, Waukesha
Sugar Creek 4-H Club
Emma Jacobson, Elkhorn
Olivia Moore, Elkhorn
Jessica Winters, Elkhorn
Valley View 4-H Club
Isabella Atkinson, East Troy
Walworth 4-H Club
Josiah Harder, Delavan
Whitewater 4-H Club
Tobias Bellrichard, Whitewater
Alizaya Gainey, Whitewater
Emma Hageli, Whitewater
Emma Wade, Whitewater
Molly Wade, Whitewater
Graduates were officially honored during an informal ceremony and reception on July 25 in Elkhorn.
4-H is a Positive Youth Development program of UW-Madison Division of Extension. Membership is open to boys and girls, grades 5K-13. Learn more about Walworth County 4-H at: https://walworth.extension.wisc.edu/, contact the Walworth County Extension Office at 262-741-4951, or visit our promotional display in the yellow Youth Building at this year’s Walworth County Fair (Aug. 31-September 5). The new 4-H year starts on October 1.
Editor’s Note: The following was provided by the Whitewater Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Council.
The Whitewater Area Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce that, with support from a 2nd Year JEM Grant from the WI Department of Tourism and a generous sponsorship from Generac, they will be bringing back the Whitewater Storytelling Festival! This wonderful festival, happening September 23-25, 2022, is a celebration of the art of storytelling, bringing to Whitewater locally, regionally, and nationally known storytellers. The festival is a collaborative event, harnessing the talents, skills, and resources of multiple organizations and individuals in the Whitewater community. Information about the activities happening during the festival weekend can be found at https://www.whitewaterchamber.com/whitewater-storytelling-festival/. Updates are being made weekly as the schedule for the festival grows!
Photo by Katy Daixon Photography
The JEM Grant from the WI Department of Tourism will help with marketing this exciting event and attracting visitors to the community from new tourist markets. The Whitewater Chamber is keenly focused on making Whitewater a place people want to visit, live, learn, celebrate, and grow. This 3-year grant opportunity gives the Whitewater Area Chamber and its partners the opportunity to highlight Whitewater’s robust arts community and build the festival into an event that puts Whitewater on the map!
Tourism is a multibillion-dollar industry in the state of Wisconsin, and the industry is crucial to economic recovery and success. JEM grant funds are available to nonprofit organizations for the promotion of Wisconsin tourism events and destinations and are just one of the tools in the toolbox for the Department of Tourism to partner with organizations and nonprofits around the state who are using innovation and creativity to bring visitors and dollars to their community.
Photo by Katy Daixon Photography
The Whitewater Area Chamber is thrilled to receive the 2nd year JEM Grant! We are also grateful to be part of such a vibrant community filled with talented and generous individuals and organizations. We look forward to the 2nd year of this wonderful festival and welcoming new visitors to the community. Be sure to follow the Chamber’s Facebook page for updates on the festival planning! For questions about this event or anything Chamber related please contact Kellie Carper, Exec. Director at (262) 473-4005.
Steven (Steve) Alvarado “Alvy,” age 64, of Fort Atkinson, WI passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, July 20, 2022. Steven was born in Laredo, Texas on May 23, 1958, son of Juan and Juliana (Estevis) Alvarado Sr. He and his family moved to Palmyra, Wisconsin in 1960 and resided in the area the remainder of his life.
After many years of working at Spacesaver, Steve changed careers working construction on many projects in the area. He was currently employed at Cretes Here out of Fort Atkinson, WI. Through his employments he gained many friends over the years who became family.
Steve enjoyed being outdoors golfing and fishing. He was very active and for many years you could find him playing softball down at the ballpark. He was a Wisconsin sports fan who also loved the Dallas Cowboys. He cherished time with family and friends at family gatherings and often was found capturing the moments through video recording and taking pictures. Steve lived in the moment.
Survivors of Steve are his children Jason Alvarado, Joshua Alvarado, and Cassandra Alvarado; Siblings, Juan (Vicki) Alvarado, Jr., Whitewater, WI, Jose (Patti) Alvarado, Mount Horeb, WI, Gilbert (Lynnette) Alvarado, Fort Atkinson, WI, Albert Alvarado, Richville, IN, Thomas Alvarado, Fort Atkinson, WI, Gary Alvarado, Fort Atkinson, WI, Donald Alvarado, Fort Atkinson, WI, Zulema Montemayor, Webberville, MI, Margaretta (Andrés) Sanchez, Janesville, WI, Carolina (Reynaldo) Mayans, Fort Atkinson, WI; Sister-In-Law, Joanie Alvarado, Fort Atkinson, WI. Steve is further survived by his step-children, grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, and several close friends who became family. He was preceded in death by his parents; son, Christopher Alvarado; brothers, Hector Alvarado and Raul Alvarado; brother-in- law, Raymundo Montemayor; nephews, Roberto Montemayor and Guadalupe Alvarado; niece, Holly Alvarado.
Steve will always be remembered as the genuine kind hearted person that he was. He would give the shirt off of his back to anyone without expecting anything in return.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, August 5, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 1660 Endl Blvd, Fort Atkinson. Visitation will take place from 3:00 p.m. until the time of the mass. Nitardy Funeral Home is assisting the family. Online Condolences may be made at www.nitardyfuneralhome.com
The NEW online Lakeshore Resource Guide for Walworth County is now available to provide lakeshore property owners, managers, residents, and hired professionals the resources they need for living on, managing, and working at these properties for the benefit of the lake. Construction, landscaping, yard maintenance, lawn care, and other practices are different for lakeshore properties. Practices done on a suburban or urban property can be detrimental to the lakeshore environment. Using the resources in the Guide, you can manage and maintain your property to preserve the shoreline, water quality, and overall ecology.
The contributions of many local and regional organizations, government agencies, lake associations, and residents created the online Lakeshore Resource Guide for Walworth County. The Guide features links to credible, trustworthy resources free of bias and backed by research and evidence. Topics include landscaping practices, invasive species, property development, and questions to ask when hiring professionals as well as other educational resources.
Look for the NEW online Lakeshore Resource Guide for Walworth County on the county’s Land Use and Resource Management website: https://bit.ly/3zrq3IM
If you have questions about this resource, please contact Julie Hill, UW-Madison Division of Extension Walworth County Horticulture Outreach Specialist, julie.hill@wisc.edu.
The image on the homepage is from Image by Neta623 from Pixabay.
Diagram of Emotional Intelligence with keywords. EPS 10 – isolated on white background
Editor’s Note: The following was provided by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at Rock County.
In this course, professionals will explore and understand the research and science behind the five domains of emotional intelligence. Rooted deep in behavioral and organizational psychology principles, emotional intelligence training is becoming an absolute necessity for the modern worker who wants to grow in leadership skills. When IQ only gets you so far as a leader, EQ skills will take you farther. In this course, aspiring and established leaders will understand the power of acumen and how to harness emotions in order to be effective with others, build resilience during stressful situations, and stay motivated for achieving further success. Participants will engage in their own reflection and measurement of EQ skills. This course will focus on self-awareness, self-regulation, social awareness, social regulation, and motivation. Class discussions will be centered around practical scenarios for improving self-awareness in the work space, and understanding how emotional intelligence can positively impact leadership skills and improve team dynamics. Outcomes: Understand the research and science behind emotional intelligence. Review the data collection of how people perform when they utilize the science and techniques for improving emotional intelligence. Professionals will evaluate personal domains of emotional intelligence and identify areas for improvement. Discuss practical scenarios and strategies for how these domains impact performance as a professional. Decide how newly acquired awareness and knowledge in these areas will impact higher levels of collaboration in the workplace. Reflect on how applying EQ skills will help professionals achieve future leadership goals . This event is available to registrants aged 18 and up.
Registrations accepted online until Thursday, September 22, 2022.
Registration Questions
Registrants will be asked the following questions in the registration. Please have the answers prior to registering:
Registrant name, address, phone, email, gender identity, race/ethnicity (optional), job title, how did you hear about this event, I understand the refund policy, accommodations/comments, name on CEU certificate (optional).
We do accept walk up registrations at event check-in. Walk-up registration available here to download after online registration closes.
Your online registration and payment are always safe and secure. We accept MasterCard and Visa credit card payments in our online registration system. We will NOT accept credit card payments over the phone. We will accept checks made out to “UW-Whitewater” and mailed to UW-Whitewater Camps and Conferences, 800 West Main Street, Room 2005 Roseman Hall, Whitewater WI 53190.
Confirmation Emails Once you register to attend an event (including waitlisted), a confirmation email will be sent to your email account. Contact cesevents@uww.edu if you do not receive this confirmation email. You must have a working email address on file with us to be able to receive important announcements and updates about this event.
