News

Updated: 4/8/25 @ 3:30 p.m. to add gallery hours (Thursday through Sunday, 12-4 p.m.)

The Whitewater Arts Alliance and the Whitewater Unified School District (WUSD) are excited to announce the 2025 Art Exhibition, Let Kindness Be My Muse. This annual event, showcasing artwork by students from all five WUSD schools, is a proud part of the Be Kind Whitewater, a grassroots, community-based, non-partisan group that promotes kindness, connection, civility, and creative expression for the betterment of our community and region.

The exhibition runs from April 3 to April 27, 2025, Thursday through Sunday from 12-4 p.m., at the Cultural Arts Center, 402 W. Main St., Whitewater. The Arts Alliance will celebrate with a closing reception on Saturday, April 26, from 12 pm-3 pm with refreshments, music, and an awards presentation to recognize the students’ efforts.

Kim Adams, Whitewater Arts Alliance Gallery Director, shared, “This exhibition brings our community together and highlights student talent. It has become the most attended annual event at the WAA, with nearly 150 community members and students at last year’s event.”

Come check out the students’ work and join us for a fun day of community and art. It’s a great way to celebrate kindness and creativity as part of the Be Kind Whitewater initiative.

WAA thanks the sponsor of this event: Leif E. Knudsen, CPA, S.C.

2nd Annual WMS Mattress Fundraiser for Washington DC & New York trips in 2025 and 2026

Whitewater High School’s FBLA students recently traveled to Green Bay for the State Leadership Conference and brought home some impressive achievements! 

Our students made the most of their trip, combining competition with valuable learning experiences. They enjoyed tours of the iconic Lambeau Field, explored a few local Green Bay businesses, and visited the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

But the real excitement was in the competition! We are thrilled to announce the following outstanding results:

• Ameera Lin impressed the judges with her poise and communication skills, earning a top 12 placement in Introduction to Public Speaking.
• The creative trio of Zoe Zei, Maggie Maas, and Maddie Morton showcased their storytelling and technical talents, securing 7th place in Digital Video Production.
• Lilian Navejas-Ortiz demonstrated her strong foundation in business, achieving 7th place in Human Resource Management.
• And a special congratulations to Atreya Wilson, who earned 1st place in Entrepreneurship! Atreya’s innovation and dedication have earned her the honor of representing Whitewater Unified School District at the FBLA National Leadership Conference in Anaheim, California this summer!

We are incredibly proud of all our students for their hard work, professionalism, and spirit of excellence. Way to go, Whippets!

Article and Photos Submitted by Baron West
Whitewater High School FBLA Advisor
bwest@wwusd.org

According to a press release from the City of Whitewater Fire/EMS Department [WFD], at approximately 6:26 a.m. on 04/06/2025, they were alerted to a barn fire at 8731 N. Lima Center Road, Town of Lima, Rock County. The property is approximately 6.5 miles southwest of the fire station in an area that does not have hydrants.

The legacy dairy barn, which was being used for livestock shelter and hay storage, was completely engulfed in flames upon the first firefighters’ arrival. Due to the amount of hay in the building, approximately 100,000 gallons of water was needed to fully extinguish the fire. WFD indicates that the barn and its contents are a total loss. Some of the cattle, sheep and goats in the barn at the time of the fire were able to escape, but due to the collapse of the building it is unknown how many livestock were lost.

Investigation is ongoing, but the fire was not deemed to be suspicious. There were no injuries to firefighters or civilians.

WFD thanked the following departments for their assistance: Whitewater Fire/EMS would like to thank our mutual aid partners for their assistance: Lauderdale-LaGrange, Darien, City of Delavan, Town of Delavan, Palmyra, Troy Center, Rome, Sullivan, Johnson Creek, Lakeside, Jefferson, Fort Atkinson, Elkhorn, East Troy, Janesville, and Lake Mills.

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

Christine Hayes is a WUL Hometown Hero nominated by Fairhaven’s Brian Robinson “For bringing joy and music to Fairhaven with the Drumming Program, and for raising funds to purchase drums so that Fairhaven can start to hold community drumming sessions in the future, thus enriching the lives of residents and the community.”

Brian said, “Christine brings incredible energy and passion to her volunteer work at Fairhaven, and has recently started bringing in university students to engage with and enrich our residents’ lives.  The future is bright to expand this to everyone in our community and we couldn’t thank Christine enough for all she does for us here at Fairhaven.”

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 

Versiti is the primary blood supplier for Southeastern Wisconsin hospitals, including Aurora Lakeland Medical Center and Fort Memorial Hospital. They are also the primary provider for all of the veterans’ hospitals in the state.

Everyone who participates in this drive will be eligible to receive a $15 e-gift card that’s good at Walmart and many other retail stores. You must have a valid email address and enter SHOWERS in the appointment notes. Donors will also be offered 4 free Mt. Olympus passes while supplies last.

Reserve your spot at this link or by calling Lynn at 262-473-2997.

B. Pechous shared this old photo from the Mattie Perry Jelinek collection, with the following description.

Sharecroppers’ daughters: Whitewater, WI, circa 1926

Evelyn (1908 – 1982) and Elinor Perry (1911-2007)

The photo was taken in the Whitewater area.  Their parents were Charles and Anastasia Perry, who sharecropped on several farms in the Whitewater area for around fifty years. Evelyn and Elinor attended the Stone School on Fremont Road in Cold Spring township.  Their parents farmed the Fred Ludemann Place (N1655 Findlay Road) from 1920 to 1926. Evelyn married LeRoy Boltz in 1928.  She had three children and lived on Bluff Road for the rest of her life.  Elinor married James Larson in 1932.  They had three children and lived on Peterson Road (for a while) on the old Peterson farm. They are both buried in Hillside Cemetery. 

Our thanks to B. Pechous for sharing this fashionable nearly 100-year-old photo.

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Looking for the best way to leave behind the winter blahs and get ready for early springtime fun?  Just take in a performance of Whitewater Middle School’s sparkling production of “Annie, Jr.” April 10 and 11 at 7 p.m. and April 12 at 2 p.m. in the James M. Stewart Auditorium at Whitewater High School.

General admission tickets are “Pay What You Can” for the April 10 performance, and $8 adults and $5 students for the April 11 and 12 performances.  Tickets are available one hour before the performances. 

Prior to the opening, Tom Ganser’s flashback photos from the WMS productions of “Shrek” (2022), “Seussical” (2023) and “Far Fetched Fairytales” (2024) will be shown

Under the direction of Jim McCulloch, Alyssa Orlowski, and MacKenzie Gehrke, the cast includes Alanna Alaniz, Camdyn Avila, Lucy Baldwin, KinLeigh Dvorak, Laylah George-Ortiz, Aurora Gerblick, Suleyka Granado, Raena Hicks, Amelia Lefaive, Karlee Luna, Avery  Schultz-Majkrzak, Emma Schultz-Majkrzak, Ava Nass, Samantha O’Donnell, Donovan Ross, Ade Runnoe, Melody Smith, Serina Soto, Sylvia Straight, Lily Tranel, Felicity Volbright, Zachary Welsh, Joseph Werhane, and Mariah Williams,.

Set designer Kat Dunham and scenic painter Kerry Ramsden guide the backstage crew of Evie Baker, Sydney Block, Corbin Bunger, Josie Davis, Shae Onstott, Cora Schimming, Camila Suarez, Paxton Wilson, and Arlo Zotti.

Based on “Annie,” the popular 1977 Tony-winning musical that ran on Broadway for nearly six years, “Annie, Jr.” features a wonderful score, including the Broadway smash hit, “Tomorrow” with its promising message so important today:  “The sun’ll come out tomorrow, so ya gotta hang on ‘til tomorrow, come what may. Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, tomorrow! You’re only a day away!”

With a perfect combination of street-smarts and optimism, Annie warms the hearts of the audience as we witness her rise from next-to-nothing in New York City. She is determined to find her parents, who left her at the orphanage years ago. However, things don’t quite work out the way she has planned. She does however thwart the plans of the evil Miss Hannigan and find a new family with billionaire Oliver Warbucks, secretary Grace Farrell, and her lovable pooch, Sandy.

The Greater Whitewater Committee is set to host Multimedia Account Executive, Kayra Lorch and Multimedia Account Executive, Christian Birsching as our guest speakers at the upcoming April GWC meeting.

The Greater Whitewater Committee (GWC) is set to host Multimedia Account Executives, Kayra Lorch and Christian Birsching of the Daily Jefferson County Union, at the upcoming April meeting. Kayra and Christian will be presenting on the Daily Jefferson County Union’s marketing efforts.

This event will take place on Thursday, April 10th at 7:00 a.m. at the Community Engagement Center Room 105: 1260 W Main St, Whitewater, WI 53190.

Kayra moved to the United States from Amsterdam, Netherlands in 2016. She has a rich background of corporate experience in sales and in marketing. She grew up as the daughter of a small business owner in her home country, and her true passion lies in helping local business owners achieve their goals. She loves connecting her clients’ visions to a tailored strategy, helping them stay connected and seen by their community, and ensuring her clients’ companies flourish.

Christian has a background in teaching, caregiving, and contract management, which speaks to his diligence, organization, and people-centered skills. He also had several years of experience with diverse sales. Outside of work, Christian enjoys eating dessert, playing and watching baseball, and traveling.

The GWC’s upcoming monthly meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday, April 10th at 7 a.m. at the Community Engagement Center: 1260 W Main St, Whitewater, WI 53190. The public is more than welcome to attend this meeting to hear more about Daily Jefferson County Union’s marketing efforts. If you are interested in attending, you must RSVP. To reserve your spot, contact Jeff Knight at  jpk@knightpublicaffairs.com or 920.728.0662 by Wednesday, April 9th.

“We are very excited to host Kayra and Christian at our next meeting,” said GWC President Jeffery Knight. “I am looking forward to hearing more about their marketing plans for the Daily Jefferson County Union.”

 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 collaborating 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 needed to energize and secure the Whitewater area’s economic future, as well as protect Whitewater’s quality of life.

CHILDREN’S STORY TIME WITH A LOCAL BANKER

Celebrate Financial Literacy month with a fun story time that will be presented with the help of a local banker. There will also be opportunities to play and learn with hands-on activities. The first twelve children attending will receive a free piggy bank!

Note that due to library construction, story time will be held at the Cravath Lakefront Community Center located at 341 S. Fremont Street. Children will enjoy books, songs, and early learning stations just right for preschool play and learning. Everyone is welcome to attend this fun, free story time, which is best for ages 2-6 but all ages are welcome. Registration is not required.

The Community Helpers story time series will continue every 2nd Wednesday of the month at the same time and location through May. May’s story time will feature a police officer. Contact Sarah French with questions or accommodation requests at sfrench@whitewater-wi.gov or 262-458-2782. For a full listing of library events, visit whitewaterlibrary.org.