News

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by the Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club.

The Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club will be holding a sit-down, dine-in Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, March 16 from 6:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. (or until the pancakes run out).  All are invited to bring their appetites to the Old Armory, 146 W. North Street, in downtown Whitewater.  No tickets will be sold, and people are asked to consider a donation of at least $7.  Additional donations are welcome to help support the children that Kiwanis serves.

Corey Davis preparing the Jones Dairy Farm sausage at a prior breakfast

Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club President Patrick Taylor said, “We are so excited to see people in person and enjoy camaraderie and friendship as we feast on the delicious Kiwanis pancakes and Jones sausage.  The Old Armory has been our home-base for years, and we are continuing that tradition.” 

Whitewater Kiwanis is a group of dedicated volunteers who help both children of the Whitewater community and the world, all with 100% of funds raised going directly to youth projects and zero to administrative costs. Over five years the club raised funds to make possible the recent installation of the city’s first piece of inclusive playground equipment, a We-Go-Round, in Starin Park.  Annual donations are also made to provide shoes and winter clothes for students, as well as support for organizations such as the Whitewater Food Pantry, Bethel House, The Community Space, and the Whitewater Youth Soccer Club.

If you have an interest in helping youth in Whitewater, you can check out Whitewater Kiwanis on Facebook and join our Club by contacting Patrick Taylor at Petaylor.law@gmail.com.

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving  the world one child and one community at a time.

Introducing The Bassett House Spring Concert Series!

The Whitewater Federation of Women’s Clubs (WFWC) is pleased to announce the inauguration of the Bassett House Spring Concert Series. The concerts will be held at the Bassett House, 708 W. Main Street in Whitewater, on Sunday, April 7, 2024, and Sunday, May 26, 2024. This year, the series will consist of vocal performances by University of Wisconsin-Whitewater faculty and students. The first concert will feature the vocal studio of faculty member Rachel Wood. The second concert will be a performance by faculty members Robert Gehrenbeck and Sarah Gehrenbeck. Tickets include not only delightful musical performances, enjoyed in the charming ambiance of one of Whitewater’s loveliest old homes, but complimentary wine and refreshments. Come join us as we initiate an enchanting new spring tradition.

Ticket prices for adults are $30 per concert or $50 for the full series. Student tickets (high school and college) are $15 per concert. Child tickets (13 years or younger) are $10 per concert. Make checks out to the WFWC, and mail them to Linda Robinson at 957 W. Highland Street/Whitewater, WI 53190. Alternatively, you may pay via Venmo: Whitewater Federation. In either case, please indicate the chosen concerts and the number of adults, students, or children attending. Space is limited, so buy your tickets soon.

All proceeds will go to help preserve the Bassett House, one of Whitewater’s oldest historic homes. The WFWC is currently engaged in a full, multi-stage, and necessary restoration of the Bassett House, and all proceeds will be used for this restoration. This is a wonderful opportunity to support this beautiful Whitewater landmark!

Diane Jaroch assumed the directorship of the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library on an interim basis November 26, 2023, upon the resignation of long-time director Stacey Lunsford, who took a position in Minnesota. The Library Board subsequently appointed her to the position on a permanent basis effective January 29, 2024.

Diane provided the Banner with the following biography and thoughts.

“I began my career working in libraries while attending Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, IL, where I worked for four years in the Slide Library within the Art History Department. My undergraduate degree was in Art History, so that was the perfect fit for me. After graduation, I accepted a position at Columbia College in Chicago, where I worked in the Audiovisual Department of the library for seven years, cataloging art and photography slides. I made the transition to public libraries in 1990 and received my MLIS (Master of Library and Information Science) from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1995. Before coming to the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library, I worked at the Kenosha Public Library, Deerfield Public Library, Monona Public Library, and then at the Watertown Public Library, where I held the position of Library Director for two years.

Before accepting the position of library director, I was the assistant library director here at the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library for the past thirteen and a half years. I am very excited to be the new director at a time when our library is beginning an expansion and renovation project. The response to our capital campaign by the community was overwhelming. It’s wonderful to know that the library is such a valued resource in the Whitewater community. The new library will offer more space and features where people can connect, read, learn, create and feel welcome. There will be 4,400 square feet of additional space and the current space will be redesigned to be more welcoming and accommodating. Construction is expected to begin in July of 2024, with an anticipated completion date of October 2025.”

Virginia Coburn points out part of her collection of Fiesta Ware at last year’s Whitewater
Collects.

The Tenth Annual Whitewater Collections will be held on Saturday, March 23, 2024 from 12 to 3 p.m. at the Cravath Lakefront Community Center, located at 341 S. Fremont Street in Whitewater (Whitewater Street, behind the arch). This event is free and open to the public.

In years past, collections displayed included temperance memorabilia and whiskey nippers, barbershop memorabilia, sock monkeys, vintage Planters Peanuts memorabilia, antique perfume bottles, political memorabilia, neckties, vintage model airplane kits and models, and antique Copper Lustre. This year’s collections promise to be equally eclectic and intriguing!

Visitors can also receive free verbal professional evaluations of value (limit: two items) from noted auctioneer, Carol Miller. Ms. Miller is the owner of Bailey’s Honor Auction and Estate Services, LLC. and conducts the biennial fundraising auction for the Friends of the Wisconsin State Historical Society.

This event is sponsored by the Whitewater Historical Society. Everyone is invited to come enjoy their neighbors’ fascinating collections and learn what their treasures are worth.

For more information, please contact Jan Goder at jgoder1976@gmail.com or (262) 949-0644.

It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. Here is the third view of a band in a mid-20th century parade coming down Main Street. This view shows the west end of the downtown with Hackett’s Grocery on the left side. But, note the three large houses at the top left of the photo. They would all be demolished soon for the First Citizens State Bank building and the gas station that shared the block. Given the vintage of the cars in the photo, I wonder if this was a World War II “victory” parade. Does anyone know?

Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society.

3729P, Whitewater Historical Society

The Universities of Wisconsin has unveiled a new one-stop, easily searchable website that provides access to and information about every fully online degree program being offered at the constellation of 13 public universities. 

Wisconsin Online – with the URL online.wisconsin.edu – will list the more than 200 fully online programs offered by the 13 universities, including 10 associate, 99 bachelor’s and 95 master’s degree programs.

Dozens of academic program degrees are showcased through Wisconsin Online, from applied biotechnology to business administration to transportation and logistics management to writing and applied arts.

“This new website makes it easier than ever for Wisconsinites to find an online degree program suitable to their needs,” said Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman. “It’s a one-stop-shop that showcases the excellent online education our universities offer, and we anticipate that online.wisconsin.edu will especially appeal to adult learners and traditional-aged students who simply prefer to learn online.”

The online programs featured on the website include those that are semester-based, accelerated semester-based, collaborative multi-campus semester-based, and competency based. Semester-based online programs are similar to traditionally delivered in-person programs with courses delivered over a 15-week semester. The competency-based programs, called the UW Flexible Option or Flex, is a distinct pedagogical approach to teaching and learning that focuses exclusively, and explicitly, on the learner’s ability to demonstrate mastery over defined competencies. While fully asynchronous like the semester-based online programs, the Flex competency-based programs are self-paced.

Students can search for programs by program level, area of interest, or campus. There’s also information about what it means to be an online student as well as specific information for international students, military members, transfer students, and prospective graduate and undergraduate students.

Wisconsin Online enhances the promotion of UW online programs marketed on each UW university’s website by collecting all fully online programs into one easily searchable website. Students wanting to learn more about a particular program can click through to the university’s online program webpage or request more information from the university.

“Online.wisconsin.edu also will allow us to market our programs across the U.S. and internationally,” Rothman said. “The Universities of Wisconsin have a great reputation around the nation and the globe, and we want to make our programs as accessible as possible.”

Wisconsin Online was launched on February 1, and, in the future, the website will point prospective students to online certificates, microcredentials, and other “course-to-career” education offerings that serve Wisconsin’s workforce needs. 

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The Universities of Wisconsin serve more than 162,500 students. Awarding nearly 37,000 degrees annually, the universities are Wisconsin’s talent pipeline, putting graduates in position to increase their earning power, contribute to their communities, and make Wisconsin a better place to live. Nearly 90 percent of in-state Universities of Wisconsin graduates stay in the state five years after earning a degree. The universities provide a 23:1 return on state investment. The Universities of Wisconsin also contribute to the richness of Wisconsin’s culture and economy with groundbreaking research, new companies and patents, and boundless creative intellectual energy.

Gustav Holst’s The Planets is a monument of the early twentieth century, and our March concert includes two orchestras performing at the same time! The LGSO joins forces with the incredibly gifted musicians of the University of Whitewater Symphony Orchestra, and this special collaboration will take place at Young Auditorium in what will be a not-to-be missed event for the entire region. In addition, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis by Vaughan Williams, will feature the string sections of both orchestras.

Saturday, March 16, 7:30 p.m. – Young Auditorium, 930 W. Main Street, Whitewater
Tickets: Priority reserved $50; General admission $20; High school and university students are free
Tickets may be purchased online here. There is a $2 surcharge for tickets purchased at the door.

Editor’s note: The following notice was provided by the city clerk.

NOTICE VOTING BY ABSENTEE BALLOT – APRIL 2, 2024

Any qualified elector who is unable or unwilling to appear at the polling place on Election Day may submit a request to
vote an absentee ballot to their municipal clerk. A qualified elector is any U.S. citizen who: will be 18 years of age or
older on Election Day and has resided in the ward or municipality where they wish to vote for at least 28 consecutive
days before the election. The elector must also be registered to vote to receive an absentee ballot. Proof of
identification must be provided before an absentee ballot may be issued.* Refer to www.myvote.wi.gov for more
information

Making application to receive an absentee ballot by mail
Contact your municipal clerk and request that an application for an absentee ballot be sent to you for the primary or
election or both. You may make written application to your municipal clerk for an absentee ballot in person, by mail, by
fax, by email or at MyVote.wi.gov.
Your written request must include: your voting address within the municipality where you wish to vote, the address
where the absentee ballot should be sent, if different from the address above, your signature and copy of your photo
identification*. Refer to www.myvote.wi.gov for more information.

The deadline for making application to receive an absentee ballot by mail is: 5:00 p.m. Thursday, March 28, 2024.

*Voters who are indefinitely confined due to age, illness, infirmity, or disability may not be required to provide photo ID.
If this applies to you, contact the municipal clerk regarding deadlines for requesting and submitting an absentee ballot.

**Special absentee voting application provisions apply to electors who are indefinitely confined, in the military,
hospitalized, or serving as a sequestered juror. If this applies to you, contact the municipal clerk regarding deadlines for
requesting and submitting an absentee ballot.

Voting an absentee ballot in person
You may also request and vote an absentee ballot in the clerk’s office or other specified location during the days and
hours specified for casting an absentee ballot in person. Refer to www.myvote.wi.gov for more information.

Municipality Clerk
City of Whitewater Heather Boehm
262-473-0102
312 W Whitewater St
Whitewater
Mon – Fri 8 am–4:30 pm

The first day to vote an absentee ballot in the clerk’s office is: Tuesday, March 19, 2024.
The last day to vote an absentee ballot in the clerk’s office is: Friday, March 29, 2024
No in-person absentee voting may occur on the day before the election. The municipal clerk will deliver voted ballots returned
on or before Election Day to the proper polling place or counting location before the polls close on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. Any
ballots received after the polls close will not be counted. Refer to www.myvote.wi.gov for more information.

Editor’s note: Photos and report courtesy of Tom Ganser

The Whitewater High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) sponsored a donkey basketball night on March 7. There were two games, each having two 8 minute halves.  

Game One 
WHS staff in light blue vs East Troy HS FFA in green.
WHS = 12  East Troy = 8

Game Two 
WHS FFA in purple vs Milton HS FFA in pink
WHS = 6  Milton = 4

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by the Whitewater Public Library.

Winter sowing is a way to start flower and vegetable seeds outside during winter using little greenhouses made from milk jugs. It is an easy and inexpensive way to grow many seedlings that can be transplanted into your garden when the weather gets warmer, no hardening off required. You can also use the same technique during Spring and Summer to get even more seedlings to transplant.

In this workshop with Linda Holmes, all the materials will be provided. The community is invited to attend on Tuesday, March 19 at 5:30 p.m. After you make your own little greenhouse, you will fill it with soil, plant the seeds of your choice, water it, and tape it shut. Then you will take it home, leave it outside and wait for the exciting results.

The presentation will be held in the library’s Community Room located at 431 W. Center Street in Whitewater. There is no cost or registration. This program is for adults; teens are welcome with a participating adult. For additional information, visit the library’s website at www.whitewaterlibrary.org or call 262-473-0530.