It’s time again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society!
Most likely taken sometime between 1910 and 1919, this image depicts the skating rink at the local swimming pool. It was located between Main and North Streets, along Whitewater Creek and behind the Old Stone Mill. The buildings on the right side of the photo stand where Brewery Hill Park is now located. What are some of your favorite winter Whitewater activities?
Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society collections!
“The King of Staten Island”(Comedy/Drama) – Tuesday, January 12, 1 p.m. only Rated R (Language, Sex, Drugs), 2 hours, 16 minutes (2020) A semi biographical film of Pete Davidson, a member of the ensemble of “Saturday Night Live.” At age 24, he still hasn’t come to grips with the passing of his firefighter father, a victim of 9/11. Also stars Marisa Tomei, Bill Burr, Steve Buscemi, and Machine Gun Kelly.
There is a capacity limit, and COVID-19 precautions, including facial mask, are required. Please register in advance online, by email (dweberpal@whitewater-wi.gov), or phone (473-0535).
(Whitewater Fire Dept. Facebook page) On Tuesday January 5th at approximately 1 p.m., the WFD was dispatched to a report of a garage on fire in the 500 block of South Franklin St. First arriving units found the detached garage to be fully involved and immediately worked to protect a vehicle in the driveway. Crews were on scene for about an hour and a half. The cause is suspected to be heating related. The garage and contents were a complete loss.
(Whitewater Public Library submission) The Irvin L. Young Memorial Library Presents “Bizarre History of Wisconsin- Strange Stories from Our Past” on Tuesday, January 19th at 6:00 p.m. Registration is required for this Zoom program. Register at whitewaterlibrary.org to receive a meeting invitation.
This presentation, by Chad Lewis, showcases over 100 bizarre newspaper stories from Wisconsin that have not been seen in over 100 years. These unbelievable stories were not lost; they were simply hidden. This program provides a time portal back to the early days of the state when it was filled with strange deaths, ghosts, sea serpents, peculiar people, medical anomalies, oddities, psychic phenomena, and UFOs This will change the way you view the good ol’ days of WI.
(Whitewater Public Library submission) The Irvin L. Young Memorial Library presents “Health Disparities and Race in the Time of COVID-19” on Monday, January 18, 2021, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. No registration is required. To view the presentation, people should go to: youtube.com/waukeshalibrary. This program will only be viewable LIVE with no recording available afterward. Visit whitewaterlibrary.org for more information.
Join Dr. Damon Tweedy for a special Martin Luther King Jr. Day presentation on YouTube examining health disparities and race in the time of COVID-19. Dr. Tweedy is the acclaimed author of the New York Times bestseller Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor’s Reflections on Race and Medicine and is a professor at Duke University. He will discuss the topics of race and medicine as they intersect at the center of our national discussion during this historic pandemic.
Dr. Tweedy is a graduate of Duke University School of Medicine and Yale Law School. He completed both his medical internship and psychiatry residency at Duke Hospital. He is currently an associate professor of psychiatry at Duke University School of Medicine and a staff psychiatrist at the Durham Veteran Affairs Health Care System. He has published articles about race and medicine in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and other medical journals. His columns and op-eds have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, and various other print publications.
This presentation was made possible by the collaboration of fifteen public libraries in the Bridges Library System: Alice Baker, Brookfield, Butler, Delafield, Dwight Foster, Hartland, Jefferson, Muskego, New Berlin, Oconomowoc, Pewaukee, Town Hall, Watertown, Waukesha, and Whitewater.
(Troy University press release) TROY, AL (01/06/2021)– Abby Grosinske of Whitewater, WI has been named to the Chancellor’s List at Troy University for the Fall Semester/Term 2 of the 2020/2021 academic year.
The Chancellor’s List honors full-time undergraduate students who are registered for at least 12 semester hours and who earn a grade point average of 4.0.
About Troy University
Troy University is a public, historic, international university with 22,500 students and 154,000 alumni. Students choose TROY for its quality academic programs, reasonable costs and availability of financial aid, outstanding faculty, and flexible in-class and online class offerings. Students on the Troy, Ala. campus enjoy a traditional college experience, while adult students are the centers of attention at campuses in Dothan, Montgomery and Phenix City, Ala., as well as at locations around the world and online.
Frank Ferd Kelling, 91, of East Troy, Wisconsin, passed away on Sunday, December 13th, 2020 at Fairhaven Senior Residence in Whitewater, WI, after contracting the coronavirus and developing other complications. Frank was born on Tuesday, July 30th, 1929 to Frank J. and Erna A. (Mundt) Kelling at Mercy Hospital in Janesville. He spent his early years in Johnson Creek, graduating from Johnson Creek High School in 1947. He then attended Wisconsin State College at Whitewater and became a member of the Delta Kappa fraternity (the house later became a student rental property where his daughter lived in while attending UW-Whitewater as well). He graduated in 1958 and earned a Bachelor of Science – Elementary Education degree. The day after his college graduation, he married his sweetheart, Ruth Sidona Klemke, on Flag Day: Saturday June 14th, 1958 at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Johnson Creek, WI. He then began his career as a sixth grade teacher at East Troy Junior High. He furthered his studies by earning a Master of Science: Educational Psychology degree in 1965 from UW-Madison, and transitioned to the position of school psychologist for the East Troy Community School District. He held this position until the time of his retirement in June of 1991. He thoroughly enjoyed his tenure there and made many friends along the way. Many remember the Ticonderoga pencils that accompanied him to each evaluation.
Frank served in the United States Army on active duty during The Korean War, until his honorable release to the Enlisted Reserve Corps for a period of five years. He earned the Korean Service Medal with one Bronze Service Star, and the United Nations Service Medal with one overseas bar.
He was a member of the Wisconsin School Psychologist Association, St. James Church of East Troy, and the Experimental Aircraft Association. He was a self-taught, but very accomplished, woodworker and created many classic pieces over the years including models of airplanes, boats, board games, signs, birds, benches, birdhouses and feeders (that became squirrel houses), camping kitchens, ornaments for each grandchild, and wooden features to place on his infamous snow sculpture animals. He would carefully study images and work diligently to complete the project. Frank also enjoyed repurposing items that he would find on trips to Goodwill or St. Vinnie’s, then present them to family, friends and visitors to their house. When he was able, he enjoyed gardening, hunting Up North, airplanes, bird watching, nature, camping, hiking, watching skydivers, kites, and hot air balloons. He enjoyed the work of Leo Buscaglia and Fred Rogers, and sought to make others laugh or feel special, occasionally sending cards “signed” by a famous person he knew a person liked, making secret installations of woodcut animals along highway on-ramps or on a pole near your home, using “extra” paint to coat the street sign pole or a rock in a neighbor’s yard, complimenting people on their appearance, and other escapades.
Before his vision failed, Frank was an avid reader and life-long learner. He encouraged curiosity and a sense of wonder. “Papa Questions” were often anticipated prior to family gatherings, like “If you put all the pies eaten today end-to-end, how many times would it circle the earth?” Total strangers occasionally became friends after he “pulled a Frank” as it became known to family, often asking random individuals, “How do you like your car?” “Is that a good restaurant?” “Where did you get that shirt?” He enjoyed asking following the activities of his children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and their children as they grew, often writing details or taping newspaper clippings into notebooks to spark later conversations. The circus held a special place in Frank’s heart. His sisters remember trips they took with him to the circus and many other experiences he gave them. And let’s not forget his deep, hearty laugh.
Frank is survived by his son, Christopher K. Kelling (Laurie E. Lambert) of Morrow, OH; his daughter, Renée K. Barr (Charles B. Barr) of Fort Atkinson, WI; his grandchildren Molly C. Barr of Oakdale, MN, Kate L. Barr of Madison, WI, Owen L. Kelling of Cincinnati, OH, Claire E. Kelling of State College, PA, and Hannah E. Kelling of Lakewood, OH; his sisters Joyce Konkol of West Allis, WI and Gail Frasier of Lake Mills, WI; his cousin Shirley Bendall of Watertown, WI, and many other nieces, nephews, and friends.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Ruth S. (Klemke) Kelling (by about 48 hours), his mother Erna, his father Frank, and his uncles Owen E. and Roy F. Kelling; as well as many other uncles, aunts, and cousins.
No visitation or funeral service will be held at this time due, in part, to the current public health situation, but also his personal wishes. Frank expressed a hope that one day some of his cremains might join his beloved stocking cap (made from wool yarn that Ruth carded, spun, and knitted) that blew onto the rocks by Lake Michigan and was taken by the crashing waves into the lake. A private family memorial may be planned at that time.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to your local food pantry, school (remember those Ticonderoga pencils), Goodwill or other organizations, so a child who may need the basics can enjoy life just a bit more. Be curious and adventurous (but safe). Help your friends and neighbors. When you can, visit the elderly. For now, send cards, pictures or other signs of hope to those who may find it slipping away. Other expressions of sympathy can be sent to his daughter, Renée (620 W. Cramer Street) who will share them with the rest of Frank’s family.
Thank you, friends and neighbors in East Troy, past and present, for keeping a watchful eye on Frank and Ruth, especially as the years took their toll. Your visits, cookies, cards, calls or other contacts helped shorten days when nothing seemed to be moving around out their window. They both wanted to stay in the home (that seldom changed) for as long as they could, comfortable in the routine of their lives with their little dog, Sophie, and the Westies that preceded her. Thank you also to the staff of Home Helpers of Burlington, WI; so many fellow teachers and former students, and finally, the many thoughtful, caring and dedicated employees at the Fairhaven Senior Residence who provided care, comfort and compassion during his stay and final hours.
“The man who was the circus is weak Close his eyes, let him sleep… And while he sleeps he can’t help remembering… The man who was the circus is gone Still the show must go on.” – SHEL
The deadline for filing for candidacy for Common Council and the School Board was January 5.
Per City Clerk Michele Smith, the following persons will be on the ballot for Common Council on April 6, 2021.
Aldermanic District 1: Carol McCormick (Incumbent), 555 E. Clay Street
Aldermanic District 3: Brienne Brown (Incumbent), 156 N. Fremont Street
Aldermanic District 5: Neil Hicks, 1254 Tower Hill Pass Greg Majkrzak III, 1294 Tower Hill Pass (Incumbent)
Councilmember at Large: Daniel Machalik, 416 W. North Street Lisa Dawsey Smith, 273 N. Fremont Street (Incumbent Patrick Singer is not running for reelection.)
Per School Board Secretary Jaclyn Tueting, the following persons will be on the ballot for one of the two open positions on the Whitewater Unified School Board for the election on April 6, 2021.
Jakub Fadrowski, W7857 Blue Heron Dr., Whitewater Tom Ganser, 140 N. Esterly Ave., Whitewater (Incumbent) Larry Kachel, 457 S. Buckingham Blvd., Whitewater Andrea M. Svec, W7679 Shereda Rd., Whitewater Maryann Zimmerman, W7582 R&W Townline Rd., Whitewater
Kelly Davis is not running for reelection.
There will be a Spring Primary on February 16, 2021, at which time voters may cast a ballot for up to two candidates. The four candidates with the highest votes will advance to the April election.
There will be no city positions on the February ballot; however, it is anticipated that there may be a contest for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Whitewater Fire Department, Inc Business Meeting – Thursday @ 6:30 p.m. Click here for agenda. Due to Coronavirus Concerns, this will be a VIRTUAL MEETING. Please join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. https://meet.google.com/brt-btif-ezw You can also dial in using your phone. United States: +1 240-366-5335 Access Code: 638 277 999
(Whitewater City Market Facebook page) Happy New Year market friends! Now that the outdoor season is over (brrrr), we are thrilled to announce the details of the 2021 indoor market season.
Beginning this Saturday, Jan. 9, the market will be held 10 a.m. to noon every Saturday through March at the UW-Whitewater Community Engagement Center, located at 1260 W. Main Street, adjacent to Walmart — also known as the old Sentry building.
We are very grateful that, through a partnership with the university, we can continue to provide a safe venue for our vendors and market-goers to share local food and other goods. The fully refurbished CEC offers both the space and up-to-date air filtration systems needed to ensure a safe environment. Capacity will be limited to 30 in the building at any one time, including vendors, and traffic flow will be one way. More detailed information regarding these precautions will be announced this Friday.
Below is the list of vendors who have signed up for the 2021 indoor season; about 12 vendors will be at the market each week. Every Friday we’ll post a list of the vendors you can expect the next day.
Belt Me Beef Bowers Lake Coffee Clark Family Garden Coco’s Cakes Fremont Sweets Helena’s Plant Closet/Whitewater Egg Delivery Hoots Fruits and Vegetables Kettle Moraine Honey Komboocho Brewing Kit’s Knits Kristie’s Creative Kitchen Margie Hammerl My Farm Pat Hall Soap of the Earth Stephani’s Spot Sunny Brook Farm Wood Street Bakery
Many thanks to all the people who are working to bring the 2021 Whitewater City Market indoor season together!
