Lakeland Health Care Center (LHCC), a skilled nursing facility operated by Walworth County, will host its Third-Annual Lug Nuts & Donuts classic car show on Wednesday, June 12, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. This event is free and open to the public.
“Providing activities and bringing the outside world to our residents is important to their morale and well-being,” says LHCC Administrator Denise Johnson. “For many of our residents, classic cars remind them of their youth and are a profound source of joy.”
Local gearheads will show off their classic rides and sports cars, motorcycles, trucks, and other motorized vehicles in LHCC’s front driveway. Donuts are provided. The residents will choose a first-place prize. The rain date is Wednesday, June 19.
Anyone interested in entering their classic car in the show should contact the Lakeland Health Care Center Recreation Department at (262) 741-3677.
The spring semester Dean’s List at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls has been released by Registrar Kelly Browning. It honors 1,456 students.
To be named to the Dean’s List, a full-time undergraduate must earn a grade point average of at least 3.5 on a scale of 4.0, or midway between an “A” and “B” average.
About UW-River Falls:
UWRF is a student-centered institution that provides excellent accessible academic programs serving the needs of our region, the state and beyond.
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 “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, of course your address, and if you wish, a few photos.
Teachers from the UW-Whitewater Children’s Center walk on campus with children on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (UW-Whitewater photos/Craig Schreiner)
A staple of campus and the local community for nearly half a century, the Children’s Center at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater has been named as a 2024 recipient of the Academic Staff Excellence Award from the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents.
UW-Whitewater’s Children’s Center addresses a critical need in the area as Whitewater is considered a childcare desert — the city does not have enough local, accredited childcare to accommodate working families. It offers year-round, full-day care for children aged 3 months to 6 years and provides a learner-centered, collaborative early care and educational environment for children, families, educators and pre-service teachers, working with numerous departments on campus to provide a high level of care.
“The Children’s Center’s commitment to academic partnerships goes beyond traditional disciplines, with collaborations in sustainability, nutrition education, music, art, and library services,” Chancellor Corey A. King said. “This multifaceted approach enhances the educational experience for university students while addressing the diverse needs of the community.”
In the announcement released by the Board of Regents, the board echoed the center’s benefit to UW-Whitewater, which produces the most licensed teachers in the state and offers respected programs in related disciplines such as school counseling and literacy.
Julia Schultz distributes bean seeds to children for planting in garden boxes. UW-Whitewater Sustainability Program interns Grace Morey, a biology student from Sugar Grove, IL, and Julia Schultz, an environmental science major from Franklin, visited the campus Children’s Center on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023 to water gardens and plant seed with children. The interns maintain the garden which was designed earlier this year by Schultz. (UW/Whitewater photo/Craig Schreiner)
“The program has built and strengthened partnerships across campus since its opening in 1974. A longstanding partnership with the communication sciences and disorders program involves graduate students providing services that include screening, prevention, assessment, and treatment for speech, literacy, and language needs. This collaboration not only benefits the children at the center but also offers vital clinical experiences for speech-language pathology graduate students.”
Following a Reggio-Emilia-inspired practice, which emphasizes learning by teachers alongside their students with a focus on experiential learning in relationship-driven environments, the Children’s Center also holds itself to the state’s highest standards as a Department of Children and Families (DCF) license holder and a YoungStar accredited school.
The center employs a looping model, where teachers stay with the same group of children for multiple grade levels to build strong relationships, bonds and continuity.
Students in the Future Teacher Program, a Learning Community for first-year students majoring in education, tour the campus Children’s Center during a week of programming before the beginning of classes in August, 2023. (UW-Whitewater photo/Craig Schreiner)
Chelsea Newman, director and lead teacher at the Children’s Center, places a high value on the relationships built between teachers and children as well as the collaborations between the center and these campus groups.
“It really enriches the environment that we’re able to provide here at the center not only for our kids, but also for the students,” Newman said.
The center continues to build on those campus partnerships, recently working with Warhawk Athletics to have student-athletes play with the children on the playground just outside of the Roseman Building, where the classrooms are located. Newman and her team, working with the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, have also reinstated literacy groups in the 4K classroom for the first time since the onset of the COVID pandemic.
Education student Ally Montez, a senior, and a boy with his stuffed animal pause for a drink in a hallway at the Roseman Building on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, near the UW-Whitewater Children’s Center. (UW-Whitewater photo/Craig Schreiner)
A total of 64 percent of Children’s Center enrollees are children of university employees, and more than 6,000 placement hours are provided annually for students completing fieldwork and in student teaching in the early childhood program.
“It means the world to me and our family that our son can be on campus with me,” said Nicole Weber, academic advisor in the College of Education and Professional Studies. “The development and growth opportunities that are awarded to the kiddos in the center are beyond what I imagined. The teachers in our classrooms have assisted our son in building his confidence, imaginative nature, and, of course, his adventurous side. None of this would be possible without having a center like this one in my workplace.”
The center’s impact extends beyond campus. Students from Whitewater High School fulfill their child development course requirements at the site. Graduate students from other institutions seeking an early childhood license are placed at the center.
During the 2023-24 academic year, the center addressed family needs by adding school-age childcare when Whitewater schools are not in session and a drop-in site in the University Center for children ages 2-12.
The drop-in site is supported by the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) grant. Newman said grants and state funding have been critical in supporting the center’s initiatives and staff, some of whom don’t receive enough compensation to send their own children to the center, as well as the families who utilize the center’s services.
“I feel like funding has to be given in order to make it more feasible for families to afford,” Newman said. “Otherwise, it’s just that never-ending cycle of, ‘How are we going to afford this?’ I know we have a family here who pays almost $30,000 for three kids. If we want people to stay in the workforce, something’s got to give for our families.”
Newman and her team are hopeful that future funding can support other opportunities, including expanding infant and toddler spaces to meet high demand and working with the library on campus to create family study rooms with toys and other furnishings provided by the Children’s Center.
“We’re really trying to think outside of the box of what more we can do for the greater campus community who maybe doesn’t necessarily utilize us — thinking about how else we could help them succeed,” Newman said.
The staff of the UW-Whitewater Children’s Center outside their offices and classrooms on Monday, May 13, 2024. Children’s Center director and lead teacher Chelsea Newman is fourth from right. (UW-Whitewater photos/Craig Schreiner)
The Children’s Center will celebrate its 50th anniversary this fall. For Newman — who earned her BSE in elementary education and early childhood licensure at UW-Whitewater and will receive her MSE in Early Childhood Education Policy this August and who has been a lead teacher for the last 12 years — this milestone is a testament to the value it holds both on campus and in the local community.
“By doing more research on all the things we’ve accomplished in the last 50 years, we’ve continued to grow not only within the center and what we offer here, but grow within our partnerships with campus and the community,” Newman said.
The relationships she’s built throughout her time at UW-Whitewater — and those her department continues to build — become apparent each time she leaves the Roseman Building.
“We’re able to collaborate and meet different professors or academic staff and build on those connections,” Newman said. “I feel like whenever we go for walks, every year, it’s more people that I’m able to say hi to.”
The Board of Regents Academic Staff Excellence Award recognizes the excellent and invaluable service provided by non-instructional administrative and professional academic staff throughout the Universities of Wisconsin.
The Children’s Center will receive $7,500 for professional and/or program development activities and be recognized Friday, June 7, during the Board of Regents meeting at UW-Milwaukee.
By Lynn Binnie Whitewater Banner volunteer staff whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation indicates that US Hwy 12 will be closed, beginning on Thursday, June 6 and continuing until sometime in the fall, for road construction between WIS 20 and the US 12 bypass at Elkhorn. Resident and business access will be maintained; however, the crossing over the Sugar Creek (Between County A and County ES) will be closed for the duration of the bridge work.
Aside from resurfacing of the highway, a major change will be the installation of traffic lights at the intersection of County ES (commonly known as Abell’s Corners.)
As shown on the map above, the official detour uses WIS 20 to East Troy, I-43 and WIS 67 for access between Whitewater and Elkhorn. However, most drivers wishing to get to Elkhorn would find it much more efficient to use an alternate route upon leaving Whitewater, such as: In La Grange, turn right on Hwy H, which takes a brief jog in Tibbets. (Turn left and then a quick right to continue on H.) Fairly soon you arrive at Holton Manor, where you turn right onto Church Street. At West 3rd Avenue turn left and in a couple of blocks you’ll be at Wisconsin Street, the “main drag” in Elkhorn.
Join State Archaeologist Amy L. Rosebrough of the Wisconsin Historical Society for a special celebration of Whitewater’s effigy mound preserve! A guided tour of this amazing 1000-year-old site will be offered, along with a chance to see and touch artifacts from the time that the mounds were built. Surprises may even be in store! This kid-friendly tour will begin at 10:30 AM on Saturday, June 8 at the preserve entrance at the intersection of Indian Mound Parkway and Wildwood Road in Whitewater. Some walking on grassy trails will be required; comfortable shoes are recommended.
On the evening of June 8, storyteller Elizabeth Matson will be performing Coat and Boots at Whitewater’s charming Wright House. She describes this show as: A cycle of stories about a woman of middling years in an old coat and worn-out boots and her adventures through revisioned tellings of traditional folk tales.
Elizabeth works at the Hedberg Public Library as the Head of Youth Services. She has started a Teen Storytelling Troupe at her library and a peer storytelling coaching group with other Wisconsin storytellers in her area.
Scheduled from July 3rd through July 6th, this year’s 4th of July Festival promises four days of family-friendly fun, patriotic pride, and memorable moments. As part of our festivities, we are inviting individuals, businesses, and organizations to contribute to the success of our event through donations and sponsorships. Your support helps us continue the tradition of providing an unforgettable experience for our community.
In addition to seeking financial support, we are extending invitations for participation in our Fourth of July parade. Whether you’re a local business, a community group, or an enthusiastic individual, we welcome your application to join us in this vibrant procession through the heart of Whitewater. Applications to prior participants have been mailed; all participants are invited to utilize our online registration form available on the festival website or return paper registration forms via the address listed on the form.
We are always on the lookout for dedicated volunteers who share our passion for community and are eager to lend a helping hand. Whether you can assist before, during, or after the festival, your contribution will play a vital role in ensuring the smooth operation and success of this community event. Please reach out to us via email at whitewater4th@gmail.com
Make your plans now to enjoy as many of the scheduled events as possible:
Wednesday, July 3 Christman Family Amusements Wrist Band Session: 5-9 PM, $25 each wrist band Miss Whitewater Pageant at Frawley Amphitheater: 5 PM – 27 contestants registered! Civic Organization Food Vendors: 5 to 11 PM Karaoke at Frawley Amphitheater: 8 to 10 PM
Thursday, July 4 Christman Family Amusements: No wristband sessions on 4th of July Whippet City Mile: 9:45 AM along parade route 4th of July Parade: 10 AM Civic Organization Food Vendors: 10 AM to 11 PM Live Music at Frawley Amphitheater: Polka band 2 pm sponsored by the American Legion Post 173 Sam Rodewald 5 PM to 7 PM U2 Hype / U2 tribute band 8 PM to post fireworks Fireworks: 10 PM
Friday, July 5 Christman Family Amusements Wrist Band Session: 5 PM to 9 PM Civic Organization Food Vendors: 4 PM to 11 PM Live Music at Frawley Amphitheater: Cactus Brothers 5 to 7 PM sponsored by TDS TFK 8 pm to 10:30 PM Family Day Powered by Generac: Free petting zoo, pony rides, camel rides 4 to 8 pm
Saturday, July 6 Christman Family Amusements Wrist Band Special: 12 to 4 PM, $25 each Civic Food Vendors: 11 AM to 11 PM 4th of July Car Show 2 PM to 6 PM, 301 W Whitewater Street Live Music at Frawley Amphitheater: Jerry Armstrong & Blast to the Past 3 PM to 5 PM Cead Mile Failte (Irish Music) 5 to 7 PM Phil 8 PM to after Fireworks Fireworks 10 PM
To stay updated on festival news and events, including the parade lineup and schedule, you can visit our website.
“We are excited to continue the legacy of this long-standing community event and gathering with our community over this holiday weekend,” says Katie Lehman, Volunteer Coordinator for the Whitewater Fourth of July Festival. “Together, with the support of our generous donors, enthusiastic participants, and dedicated volunteers, we look forward to making this year’s celebration the best one yet.”
For more information on how you can get involved, donate, sponsor, participate in the parade, or volunteer, please visit www.whitewater4th.com or contact us at whitewater4th@gmail.com.
About Whitewater’s Fourth of July Festival: The Whitewater Fourth of July Festival is an annual celebration that brings together residents, visitors, and businesses to commemorate Independence Day with a variety of activities, entertainment, and community spirit. Established many years ago, the festival has become a cherished tradition, symbolizing unity, patriotism, and the vibrant spirit of Whitewater.
Editor’s note: The above announcement was provided by the Whitewater 4th of July Festival Committee.
