News

For more than 30 years the National Association of Letter Carriers has sponsored the largest volunteer one day food collection effort to “Stamp Out Hunger.” Residents will be receiving postcards and/or plastic bags in the mail as a reminder of the food drive. This food drive is to help relieve shortages that food pantries experience in the spring and summer after holiday donations have been depleted. Food pantries need our help. One in eight children in the United States-approximately 13 million- are, or may, experience food insecurity. When USPS employees join with people in their neighborhoods to support local pantries, it helps hard-hit families put food on the table. Just put your nonperishable contribution in or near your mailbox on Saturday, May 9th, and your mail carrier will take the food to the Whitewater Food Pantry.

The Whitewater Community Food Pantry serves over 200 families. The generous donations and support from everyone make it possible for the food pantry to take care and provide for these families. Last year, the USPS food drive helped collect over 3200# of food for the Whitewater Community Food Pantry.

Suggested donations include peanut butter, jelly, individual packets of oatmeal, canned tuna, dried cereal, pasta sauce, soups, hygiene products, canned fruits and canned vegetables.

Our local sponsors include: Whitewater 4-H, Whitewater FFA, Richmond 4-H, LaGrange 4-H, PremierBank, Kwik Trip, Casey’s General Store, Festival Foods, The Whitewater Community Food Pantry, and The Whitewater Post Office.

For more information about Whitewater Community Food Pantry, visit facebook.com/WhitewaterFoodPantry/

Questions? Laurie Giorno, lead volunteer in Whitewater, can be reached at 262-903-9416

For many years a Citywide Garage Sale has been held on the third weekend of May. The Daily Jefferson County Union has sold ads for the sale. This year the paper told a reader that although they will continue to run ads for sales in Fort Atkinson, Jefferson and Watertown, they will no longer be doing so in Whitewater.

The Whitewater Banner has offered free garage sale ads throughout the “season,” and will continue that tradition this year. This includes the Citywide Garage Sale, May 15-17. Details of our offer are shown below.

A Banner Service: Garage Sale Ads

As a result of a reader’s comment that it’s hard to find garage sales in Whitewater now that we no longer have a weekly shopper, the Banner staff agreed to begin a complimentary “consolidated” garage sale posting that will be published by Thursday morning for the upcoming weekend’s sales. This announcement will only be for garage sales (a sale of miscellaneous household goods, often held in the garage or front yard of someone’s house) in the city and school district boundaries. We will not be accepting, for example, ads for cars or other items that are not part of a scheduled garage sale. There will be a limit of three times per year for a particular property. 

Those wishing to place a notice must send the information to whitewaterbanner@gmail.com by Wednesday at 6 p.m. You may include a brief description of the items that are for sale, the hours and days of the sale, and of course your address. A few photos may also be included if desired; we prefer jpg format if possible.

Copper enameling and felting workshops are being offered at Wisconsin Makers in May. Leani Schoor will teach “Copper Enameling for Beginners and Beyond” on Monday, May 4. The fee is $25 and includes a copper dish.

“Needle Felting” for all skill levels will take place Monday, May 18. The fee is $20. Wet felting also can be learned.

Both workshops will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. at Wisconsin Makers, a nonprofit makerspace at 200 E. Clay St., Whitewater. Payment may be made at the workshops, which are geared toward ages 10 and up. Register by calling Schoor at (608) 421-4078 or emailing her at leanischoor@gmail.com.

Copper enameling is a traditional technique that involves fusing powdered glass to a copper surface at high heat to create a permanent, colorful coating. Needle felting is a craft in which specially designed notched needles are repeatedly stabbed into loose wool fibers, compressing them to create firm, 3-D shapes.

Schorr earned her bachelor of science degree in art education and master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She taught art at Jefferson High School for 38 years. The owner of Studio 2154 in Madison, Schorr teaches wet and needle felting, beadwork, glass fusing, cement yard art, ceramics, copper enameling, metal work and quilting.

Located at the corner of East Clay and Wisconsin streets in Whitewater, Wisconsin Makers is a makerspace that creates an affordable, collaborative and educational environment. The facility houses machine, welding/fabrication, electronics, automotive, 3-D printing, laser engraving and woodworking shops. It also offers pottery, ceramics, metal art, quilting, fabric arts, matting/framing and more.

For more information about the makerspace or workshops, contact Chris Spangler at (920) 728-2960.

It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. Happy May Day! A few years ago we posted a photo of a May Pole with people that were dressed just like the people in this photo. The photos suggest activities that may have been related to May Day celebrations. After a bit of research in the Whitewater Register, it was discovered that in the 1910s, Normal School (UWW) students put on May Day programs that were quite elaborate. This photo and the previously published May pole photo are images probably taken at one of these programs. Celebrating May Day was a popular activity on campus for many years.

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

(5394PC, Whitewater Historical Society)

The vendors who’ve been inside from late fall to early spring are taking the week off from the Indoor City Market at the Cravath Lakefront Community Center. A larger market will open outside beginning next Tuesday, May 5. Further information will be forthcoming soon.

The Whitewater Public Library has a full calendar of free events for all ages in May! To view all upcoming events, visit whitewaterlibrary.org/events.

Events for all ages:

Coloring Club: Mondays, 5/4, 5/11, 5/18 at 3:30 p.m.

Programa de Crianza Nutritiva [Nurturing Parenting Program] (en espanol): Wednesday, 5/6 at 5:00 p.m.

Multi-Gen Finanzas Familiares (espanol): Thursday, 5/7 at 6:30 p.m.

Family Game Night: Tuesday, 5/12 at 3:30 p.m.

Events for children:

Family Jams: Saturday, 5/2 at 10:30 a.m.

Insect take & make craft starting on Monday, 5/4

Build it! Club: Tuesday, 5/5 at 3:30 p.m.

Storytime: Wednesdays, 5/6, 5/13, 5/20 at 9:30 a.m.

Weird Science – Elephant Toothpaste: Wednesday, 5/13 at 4:00 p.m. (registration required)

Books & Blooms: Fridays, 5/15 and 5/29 at 3:30 p.m.

Events for teens:

Teen Gaming: Thursdays, 5/7, 5/14, 5/21, 5/28 at 3:30-5:00 p.m.

Teen Dungeons & Dragons: Monday, 5/11 at 5:00-7:00 p.m. (registration required)

Teen Chess Club, Thursday, 5/14 at 6:00 p.m.

Teen DIY – Zines: Wednesday, 5/20 at 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Teen Movie: Wednesday, 5/27 at 4:00-7:00 p.m.

Events for adults and teens:

Library Garden Club: Mondays, 5/4 and 5/18 at 9:00-11:00 a.m.

Makerspace 101 – Cricut: Tuesday, 5/19 at 6:00 p.m. (registration required)

Makerspace 101 – 3D Printing: Thursday, 5/21 at 6:00 p.m. (registration required)

Vinyl Club: Tuesday, 5/26 at 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Magic the Gathering Draft Tournament: Friday, 5/29 at 3:30-6:30 p.m. (registration required)

Events for adults:

Movie & Mocktail: Star Wars: A New Hope on Monday, 5/4 @ 5:00-8:00 p.m.

Tech Tuesdays: 5/5, 5/12, 5/19 at 1:00-2:00 p.m. (registration required)

Tea Time: Wednesday, 5/6 at 10:00-11:00 a.m.

Fiber Friday: 5/8 at 5:00-6:30 p.m.

Red Cross Blood Drive: Friday, 5/15 at 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Adult Dungeons & Dragons: Monday, 5/18 at 5:00-7:00 p.m. (registration required)

Details about all events can be found on the library’s website at whitewaterlibrary.org/events. Some events require registration, which can also be done on the library’s website or by contacting the library. All library programs are always free and open to the public.

The Whitewater Public Library is located at 431 W. Center Street in Whitewater. For more information, visit whitewaterlibrary.org, email library@whitewater-wi.gov or call 262-473-0530.

The Walworth/Jefferson Chapter of the Ice Age Trail has organized two family friendly hikes in honor of our neighboring city, Palmyra, becoming an Ice Age Trail Community!  

Join us for a pre-Mother’s Day hike on May 3. Yes, Mother’s Day is actually on May 10.

Editor’s note: This announcement was provided by the Walworth/Jefferson Chapter of the Ice Age Trail.

Congratulations to the Culinary Team of Mady Stevens, Emma Valadez and Karlee Korbel Villegas on being chosen as honorable mention in the DPI Whipping Up Challenge Culinary Competition. Their recipe, Southwestern Lime Chicken Rice Bowl will be featured in the DPI cookbook for 2026-27. The girls had to create a healthy entree that could be potentially served in our school lunch program. The team is coached by Lynn Weilbrenner. 

Article and Photos Submitted by Lynn Weilbrenner
Whitewater High School Family and Consumer Science Teacher
lweilbrenner@wwusd.org

Family Jams at the Whitewater Public Library

Calling all music makers! Kids and families are invited to “Family Jams: Music, Movement, and Instrument Exploration” at the Whitewater Public Library on Saturday, May 2 at 10:30 a.m. in Meeting Room 1. Explore world instruments in the “Instrument Lab,” dance and move to expressive music, and make music together at “Family Jams,” a memorable music & movement experience for the whole family. All ages welcome! There is no cost or registration.

10:30-11:00: Instrument Lab: everyone can freely explore and “jam” with a variety of world instruments.

11:00-11:45: Music and Movement “Family Jams” — dance and create music together as a group.

The class is taught by Noelle Larson, a Board-Certified Music Therapist, graduate of Whitewater High School and Berklee College of Music, and the owner of Circle of Song Music Therapy, LLC. Noelle has a passion for helping clients and participants to “Connect, Thrive, and Come Alive Through Music,” strengthen family relationships, learn adaptive coping strategies, and experience wonder and joy through the delight of participating in live music making.

The Whitewater Public Library is located at 431 W. Center Street in Whitewater. For more information, visit whitewaterlibrary.org, email library@whitewater-wi.gov or call 262-473-0530.