News

City crews and Downtown Whitewater, Inc. volunteers removed holiday snowflake decorations and installed new light pole banners.

In 2018, Downtown Whitewater, Inc. designed and printed new light pole banners for the downtown area. It was a unanimous decision by the board of directors to put into production something that was different from logo-based ones of the past.

Board President Lisa Dawsey Smith says, “We’ve added a message to banners because one of the most important parts of any city/neighborhood/area is a sense of community. We hope that each member of the community will feel the same sense of connection to Whitewater that we do. Whether you are simply passing through, here for a degree, or here for a lifetime we truly hope that Whitewater will always feel like home to you.”

There are four different images on the banners: One a traditional Wisconsin fish fry, photographed with the assistance of local restaurant 841 Brewhouse; one a multigenerational family image photographed by UW-Whitewater graduate Leslie Jones; one a photo of a child playing with sidewalk chalk also photographed by UW-Whitewater graduate Leslie Jones; and one a photo of Fran Achen provided with permission by the family of Fran Achen whose studio was located in the Downtown.

Downtown Whitewater, Inc. is a volunteer-driven organization spearheading community efforts to re-energize and enhance our historic downtown. We are community advocates and volunteers who share a passion for Whitewater. We bring people from all walks of life together to celebrate Whitewater’s history and traditions, to care for our downtown neighborhood, and to inspire confidence and investments that are flowing toward an economically vibrant, engaging and exciting place in the heart of Whitewater – a place we love, a place we’re proud to call home, and a place where future generations can grow and take pride in calling their own.

From City Clerk Michele Smith:

As a result of the problem Art Coleman had filing his Statement of Economic Interests, he will not be on the ballot, and Whitewater will not have a February primary.

Congratulations to all Whitewater Middle School students that submitted work for this year’s Southern Lakes Anthology competition. The quality of middle school entries was outstanding again this year. These 12 students have been designated as our middle school district winners:

Front Row: 6th graders – Lucy Troxel, Ava Nygren, Nola Coburn, Alex Clarksen

Middle Row: 7th graders – Leah Newmann, Iza Tovar, Andrea Alcala, Ghati Binagi, Michelle Abarca, Cosette Wildermuth-Breitzman

Back Row: 8th graders – Monica Juette, Emma Weigel, Caleigh Yang, Ashlynn Prah

These selected entries will now advance to the regional competition on January 29th where they will compete against entries from approximately 35 different school districts. We wish them the best of luck at the next level.

Whitewater High School FIRST Robotics Team #6574 Ferradermis is currently fundraising as part of the Wisconsin FIRST Raffle. The Grand Prize in the raffle is $1000. Second and third prize are a large flat screen TV and a laptop. Team members are selling tickets for $3.00 each or 4 for $10.00. If you would like to purchase tickets to help support the team on its journey to compete at the Northern Lights Regional in Duluth and the Wisconsin Regional in Milwaukee, please stop by First Citizens State Bank or reach out to Laura Masbruch at lmasbruch@wwusd.org, and we will send a team member your way. The ticket sales will continue until Valentines Day.

If you would like to see the game that the team is designing a robot to play this season, visit https://youtu.be/Mew6G_og-PI?list=PLZT9pIgNOV6bbr6hfD2K0WZgvQT_B6JVX to view the game animation.

Are you interested in an exciting, challenging and highly rewarding career in public service? Consider joining our Communications Center team by becoming a Public Safety Dispatcher with the Whitewater Police Department. As the initial point of contact, our dispatchers provide 24/7 coverage to ensure emergency service needs are managed professionally and efficiently for the City of Whitewater, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and surrounding townships.

Full Time Position

Part-Time Position

Article by Jeanine Fassl of the UWW/Community Optimist Club

For over 25 years, December has always been a very busy month for the UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club. The members of this community service group love to spread Christmas cheer throughout the Holidays with their involvement in Whitewater’s Annual Holiday Parade, the club’s annual Breakfast with Santa, Toys for Kids toy drive, and Mitten Tree events!

Again this year, Frosty the snowman got a first class ride in the city’s Christmas Parade on Dec. 7th. He was also present for our Annual Breakfast with Santa the following day.

On December 8th, Breakfast with Santa served a total of 671 people this year; 365 adults and 306 children. Over 50 volunteers of the UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club, UW-Whitewater Student Optimist Club, and Whitewater High School Octagon Club helped run this event where families could enjoy breakfast, meet and take pictures with Santa and Frosty, listen to Christmas carolers, and the music of the brass duet of Dr. Don Deal, retired Band Director of Whitewater High School, and Griffin James, who is the current band director at Baraboo High School and a WHS grad.

This year, the Toys for Kids drive helped families in the Whitewater area. Children’s names were distributed to area churches and businesses for community members to pick up and buy gifts for. A special thanks is given to the First Congregational United Church of Christ, First English Lutheran Church, First United Methodist Church, St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, for hosting the Toys for Kids drive in their facilities. The UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club would also like to thank the UW-Whitewater Student Optimists, who helped our members sort and wrap more than 300 presents on Monday, December 17. The gifts were distributed through the Whitewater Food Pantry.

On Sunday, January 27 at 2:30 p.m. the Whitewater Arts Alliance will kick-off its 2019 Public Art Project- Portals to the Past: Portals to the Future of Our Community, with a special presentation by Carol Cartwright, at the Cultural Arts Center, 402 West Main Street. Cartwright is a local historian and president of Whitewater Historical Society. Cartwright will inform and inspire prospective public artists with an interesting look back at Whitewater’s history.

The portals are to be painted on plywood boards measuring 24 x 42 inches. The plywood for the boards will be provided free of charge to anyone who wishes to participate in this annual project.

The art will hang during the summer from the light poles in the downtown area. Each artist can include a story of his/her vision, and it will be included on the Whitewater Strive On app. Strive On utilizes the GPS on smartphones and will take individuals on a walking tour of the portals.

The annual public art project aims to provide a fun way for businesses, individuals, families and friends to participate in a fun and educational experience. Artists are encouraged to make their portals creative, whimsical, colorful, and fun!

The Whitewater Arts Alliance will have materials and instructions ready for pickup on January 27 at 2:30 p.m. If an artist would like to participate but can’t transport the boards, an Arts Alliance member will deliver them. Opportunities to sponsor a portal will also be available. This is one of the major fund-raisers for the WAA each year.

The boards will also be available at the Cultural Arts Center during gallery hours, Thursdays through Sundays from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. beginning February 1 during the Quilt Show.