News

Dear WHS Band Alumni,

For the 27th year, we will be putting together an alumni band for the July 4 parade. If you’re going to be in this part of the country for the holiday, please consider joining us! I know that some of you have been playing professionally while others haven’t touched it since graduation – ALL are welcome!  Instrument loans are available as are fingering charts! No marching is involved; we’ll be sitting on a flatbed truck!

There will be no rehearsal, but if you want to see the music ahead of time, I can email scans to you. Our “uniform” for the parade consists of ANY WHS Band T-shirt and AT LEAST one other article of clothing. (I just happen to have some pretty nifty WHS Band shirts still available at the low price of $5) or just wear something red.

The parade starts at 10 AM, the normal time. We’ll plan to meet at Lincoln Elementary School (Prince St. between Highland and Walworth) around that time although we will be near the end of the parade. Do not attempt to drive up Prince Street that morning; best bet for close parking is in the Middle School (old HS) lot off Elizabeth Street. [Note: Walworth Avenue will be under construction and closed to all but “local” traffic all summer.] Drummers, talk to me about the best way to get your equipment onto the truck.

For added incentive, there will be the traditional gathering at the beer tent after the parade.  (OK, soda for you recent alumni)

PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU’RE COMING so I know how many chairs, stands & copies of music we need.  Also, please forward this to any other WHS Band Alumni you know from any decade – my list of email addresses is far from complete.

Hope to see you there!

Dr Don W Deal [WHS Band Director 1979-2012 and again in 2020]

drddeal@gmail.com

NEW WILMINGTON, PA – Amber Krebs of Whitewater, Wis., was one of 246 students earning degrees from Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pa., on Saturday, May 10, in an outdoor ceremony on Old Main’s Weisel Senior Terrace. Krebs graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology.

A total of 250 degrees were conferred, including 79 Bachelor of Arts, seven Bachelor of Music, 133 Bachelor of Science and 12 Bachelor of Nursing degrees. Four students earned dual Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees. An additional 19 master’s degrees were conferred, including 10 Master of Education and nine Master of Business Administration degrees.

About Westminster College: Westminster College is nationally known for its collaborative environment, outstanding experiential learning programs, focus on student success, and the effort invested in making higher education affordable and attainable to all students. Established in 1852, Westminster is proud to be the first college in the country open to all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, sex or religion from its founding charter by the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by Whitewater Unites Lives (WUL).

Ed Schweitzer is at WUL Hometown Hero and he was nominated by Jasmyne Hauger and Brian Robinson of Fairhaven “For his kindness and generosity by bringing a flower and handwritten card to each mother living on Fairhaven’s Assisted Living Floors on Mother’s Day.”

Jasmyne Hauger, Dining Services Manager at Fairhaven, said, “I was approached by Apartment Resident Ed Schweitzer the week of Mother’s Day as he asked if there was any way I could find out how many mothers there were on the assisted living floors. He had the beautiful idea of getting a flower for each Mom and a nice handwritten card. Ed wanted to make sure that they were celebrated and felt special. I could tell this meant a lot to him as well.”

“I had the honor of delivering the flowers and cards with Ed on Friday prior to Mother’s Day. Seeing the faces light up when they were handed a flower and told “Happy Mother’s Day” was such a heart-warming moment. People like Ed are the reason I love working here. Remembering to slow down and take time to think of others and the people that you care about. I have known Ed for over nine years, and he is one of the kindest most thoughtful people I know,” she said.

Brian Robinson, Director of Marketing, Community Relations and Leisure Services at Fairhaven said, “It brought goosebumps to hear of him wanting to do this and to be able to hear of him doing so and the response afterwards was one that made this nomination a no-brainer.  Ed not only makes Fairhaven Senior Services a better place, he makes the World a better place.  Thank you again Ed!!!”

WUL (Whitewater Unites Lives) is a locally-focused civil and human rights group that works to connect the people in our community and to create opportunities for all people to learn and support each other in our common humanity.   

Anyone who would like to nominate a local hero of any age should send their nomination, with a short description, to whitewaterunites@gmail.com 

Updated 6/2/25 @ 6:00 p.m. to add future bingo dates to end of the article.

Join the Fun at The Whitewater Arts Alliance (WAA)

“BINGO For the Arts” Night – June 6, 2025!

Join us for a fun evening at the WAA “BINGO For the Arts!” during our 20th Anniversary year. The event will be held on Friday, June 6, 2025, from 6pm-9pm, with doors opening at 5pm. This event will be held at the Community Engagement Center (CEC), located at 1260 West Main St, in Whitewater (next to Walmart) in Rooms 108 and 109, which are fully accessible.

Get ready for an exciting night filled with fun, games, and community spirit! For just $20 admission, you will receive one BINGO sheet for each of the 10 rounds, one 50/50 raffle ticket, and refreshments to keep you energized throughout the night. Additional BINGO cards are available for purchase: a 10-pack of 3 sheets each for $10, a 10-pack of 6 sheets for $15, and a 10-pack of 9 sheets for $20. Beer and wine will also be available for purchase (cash only), and we accept cash (preferred), checks, and Mastercard/Visa for all BINGO cards.

Plenty of free parking is available at the front, back, and side of the building. You can sign up to attend through the WAA website at whitewaterarts.org, visit the Cultural Arts Center during regular gallery hours, or simply join us on the day of the event.

Admission includes food, soda, and water, with beer and wine available for purchase. The evening will feature a running slide show, a special appearance by Scoopie from Culver’s who will bring custard for dessert, basket raffles, money prizes, a 50/50 raffle, and the chance to win a FREE WAA membership. Additionally, we will be serving Toppers pizza, breadsticks, soda, and water.

All proceeds benefit the Whitewater Arts Alliance to help the arts thrive in the community.

Looking Ahead

We are excited to announce our future “BINGO For the Arts” events, which will take place on Friday, September 26; and Friday, November 7, from 6 pm-9 pm at the CEC. We look forward to seeing you there for a night of fun and community!

UW Whitewater at Rock County is offering 10 scholarships worth $1,000 each to encourage both current and prospective students to enroll full-time or part-time (at least 6 credits) for fall 2025 classes at URock. For students enrolled by June 16, 2025, five scholarship recipients will be selected at random and the winners notified by June 20. For students enrolled by July 28, another five will be selected at random and notified by Aug. 1.

“Enrollment for this fall is already strong, and it’s important that students who have already enrolled know they are also eligible for these scholarships,” said Tricia Clasen, assistant vice chancellor of the Rock County campus and dean of the College of Integrated Studies. “With our affordable tuition and 100% acceptance rate, URock is a great option, and we hope this incentive just sweetens the pot.”

UW-Whitewater at Rock County, with an enrollment of more than 700 students, has a 100% acceptance rate for all new freshman and transfer students with official transcripts, and no application fee is required. Students at URock campus find a friendly, welcoming campus, located in Janesville, that embraces a wide range of students, including 61% of our new students — and 73% of our transfer students — who are first-generation. The college offers small class sizes, an affordable tuition and flexible scheduling options for their academic programs.

The Rock County campus continues to grow its academic programs with the introduction of the collaborative nursing BSN program in 2023 and, just this spring, the new Bachelor of Science in medical sciences program, with an emphasis in diagnostic sonography or radiologic technology.

Also recently added to the list of academic offerings are two new emphases in the online Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (BAAS) program: education (FoTE to K-9) and operations and supply chain management. Designed for working adults, the BAAS program offers a flexible degree completion pathway for students who hold an applied associate degree from a technical college.

For more information and to apply, visit the admissions and enrollment website.

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by Be Kind and Whitewater Unites Lives.

Steve Watson writes, “By the skate park. 
Northern flicker lapping up water.
Their tongue is about 2″ long,
past the tip of its bill.
It’s a woodpecker.
They eat mostly ants, so a long
tongue that’s sticky and barbed.”

Our thanks to Steve Watson for sharing another beautiful photo together with the interesting description.

— Our Readers Share: We hope that you might have something that you’d be willing to share.  Anything that’s been created by someone else should, of course, be credited, and you should ask their permission if you’re able. We cannot post copyrighted material without permission. We can’t guarantee that we’ll have space for all submissions, and contributions will be subject to editorial board approval. The one definite exclusion is anything politically oriented. We will assume that you’re willing for us to include your name as the submitter unless you indicate that you prefer to remain anonymous. Send to whitewaterbanner@gmail.com. Thanks for thinking about this!

On Saturday, May 17^th Studio 84 opened its doors to the community with a night of kindness and sharing and had its annual Gala event.  Studio 84 is a non-profit Art Studio, Gallery and Gift Shop in downtown Whitewater that provides fully accessible opportunities in the arts. There were artists proud to share their work, themed raffle baskets, and the room was filled with laughter and the telling of wonderful stories. Even though it was chilly outside it was nice and toasty warm inside listening to the delightful sounds of the Vox Quartet playing a whimsical medley of light-hearted tunes. The Co-Directors Ben Kelly and Lynnette Gmur were introduced, along with the board members in attendance. Karina Pittro, the Artistic Mentor, even made it there after appearing at her own graduation ceremony. She graduated with a BFA (Bachelors of Fine Arts) earlier in the day from UW-Whitewater. Another notable attendee was the recently retired founder of Studio 84, Deborah Blackwell. She was honored and appreciated for her innovation and many years of dedication to the studio and its artists. Everyone was sad to see her go, but excited for the continued success and growth of Studio 84. 

Studio 84
121 W Center Street
Whitewater, WI 53190

Studio, Gallery and Gift Shop Hours
Monday, Tuesday, Friday 10-5
Thursday 10-2

262-473-9845
www.studio84inc.org
info@studio84inc.org
facebook.com/Studio 84, Inc.

Photo credit: Tom Ganser