Editor’s Note: The following information was provided by the Walworth County Department of Health & Human Services’ Aging and Disability Resource Center.
The Walworth County Department of Health & Human Services’ (WCDHHS) Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) has released its 2022 “Welcome to Medicare” workshop schedule. These popular educational sessions are designed for individuals who will become eligible for Medicare in coming months. Individuals turning 65 years of age or those over 65 and planning to retire should attend one of the available workshops.
Attendees will receive information about Medicare and Medicaid options. “It is vitally important that individuals eligible to receive Medicare are aware of the different parts of Medicare, including Part A and Part B, as well as the prescription drug coverage,” says Elder Benefit Specialist Julie Juranek. “Being knowledgeable about premiums and penalties for not having creditable prescription drug coverage will help people make sound choices when exploring available plans.”
The “Welcome to Medicare” workshops will be offered at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Health and Human Services building (1910 County Road NN, Elkhorn) on the following dates:
February 17, 2022
April 21, 2022
June 16, 2022
August 18, 2022
October 20, 2022
December 1, 2022
RSVPs are highly recommended by calling (262) 741-3366.
About the Walworth County Aging and Disability Resource Center: The ADRC provides information and assistance to older and disabled adults, their friends, family, caregivers and the public. We can assist by evaluating your current needs and providing options available to meet the needs of your personal situation.
On February 13, The Whitewater Lion Club will be celebrating their 46th Annual Fish-A-Ree on Whitewater Lake and Rice Lake. The event kicks off with a Freewill Drive-Thru Pancake Breakfast from 6:00 AM to 11:00 AM The Lions will be serving their famous light and fluffy pancakes, home-cooked scrambled eggs, and yummy sausages. Milk and juice are available also. The Best of Fish in six species competition is from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM with winners to be announced at 3:00 PM. The winner of the 50/50 raffle and the bonus winner will also be drawn at 3:00 PM.
Also starting on the 13th is their second annual Online Auction. Check out the wide variety of items. There is something there that will be attractive to everyone. Check them out at BiddingOwl.com. Bidding starts Feb.13 thru Feb. 20th.
Editor’s Note: The following was provided by the Whitewater Unified School District.
The Whitewater Unified School District has teamed up with the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Early Childhood Education Program to create free family/child enrichment sessions. These sessions will be offered on Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00- 9:45 a.m. for 0-2 year olds and Tuesday and Thursday from 10:15- 11:15 a.m. for 3-5 year olds. There will be three, three-week sessions.
The sessions will be: Session 1: January 25 – February 10 Session 2: February 22 – March 10 Session 3: March 29 – April 14
Sessions will be available for sign up two weeks prior to their start date. All sessions will be offered in English and Spanish.
You can sign up by going to wwusd.org and clicking on the Partners in Play link at the top of the page. Children from surrounding towns are welcome to join! Contact WUSD Family/Community Engagement Coordinator, Molly Fuller at mfuller@wwusd.org if you have any questions.
Spots are limited so sign up today!!
*parents/guardians must stay with children for the duration of the session
The following information was provided by the City of Whitewater.
February 7, 2022 – Dredging began Wednesday, February 2 on Cravath and Trippe Lakes as part of the Lakes Drawdown Project. After many weeks of preparation with a controlled burn, skinning snow and vegetation from the top and laying wood matting, Stout Construction was able to begin removing dredged material from both lakes last week.
The controlled burn helped to stop vegetation in the planned dredged areas. The skinning of snow and vegetation cleared the ground for direct access to cold temperatures. The areas to be dredged need 18 inches of frozen ground to allow for excavating equipment to drive on and remove materials.
Due to the warmer temperatures we have experienced, not all areas to be dredged had enough frost to begin the process. Wood matting was placed in many locations that did not freeze to allow for the equipment to drive over without sinking.
Because of warmer temperatures, crews are forced to alter their planned dredging times. When temperatures rise along with the sun warming the ground, crews must stop the process to keep equipment from sinking. In the past week, crews have been dredging when temperatures drop and skies are cloudy, including working through the evening and early morning hours. This process will continue in the upcoming weeks.
Crews were able to dredge over 20 hours on Trippe Lake and 10 hours on Cravath Lake this past weekend due to colder temperatures. When the sun began to warm the ground and temperatures rose, crews had to stop. They will resume evening dredging on Wednesday, February 9.
To learn more about the Lakes Drawdown Project and receive weekly updates, visit https://www.whitewaterwi.gov/520/Lakes-Drawdown-Updates or contact Parks and Recreation Director, Eric Boettcher at (262) 473-0122 or EBoettcher@whitewater-wi.gov.
Editor’s note: The following information was provided by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension-Walworth County
UW-Madison Division of Extension Horticulture Program is offering FREE educational mini webinars to help you be more successful in your own yards, gardens, containers – anywhere you grow plants!
The first in our FREE mini-webinar series kicks off this winter with Planning for a Fruitful Season. These engaging mini-webinars are 20 minutes each followed by Q&A. Registration is required for each mini webinar. Participants can attend only one or all three! This series is open to the public. All webinars will be recorded and made available on the Extension Horticulture website.
Pruning Apple Trees to Maximize Healthy Fruit Production
Late winter is an excellent time to prune your backyard apple trees and proper pruning helps your trees to produce high-quality apples! Join us and learn about proper pruning techniques and how the structure of your apple tree supports healthy fruit production.
Identification, Management, and Control of Major Apple Pests
Be prepared to combat common pests on your backyard apple trees! Join us to learn about the major insect and fungal pests that can cause damage to your apples and the timing of different management strategies to help you be successful this season!
Presented by: Diana Alfuth, Horticulture Outreach Specialist, UW-Madison Division of Extension Date/Time: Wednesday, March 2, 12:00 p.m.
Growing Strawberries in Containers
Did you know that you can grow your own fresh strawberries in containers? Join us to learn how! We will talk about what you need to know to successfully grow strawberries in containers, including selecting the right variety, soil, watering, and fertilizer, and how to overwinter them.
Presented by: Darrin Kimbler, Agriculture Educator, UW-Madison Division of Extension Iron County Date/Time: Wednesday, March 9, 12:00 p.m.
These mini webinars are hosted by UW-Madison, Division of Extension, Horticulture. For upcoming events and learning opportunities, see https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/events/
Editor’s Note: The following information was provided by Knight Public Affairs.
The Greater Whitewater Committee (GWC) will be hosting its annual meeting to celebrate its accomplishments from 2021 and discuss its goals for 2022. This year’s program will feature a presentation from Assistant Deputy Secretary Joel Nilsestuen and the Division of Transport Investment Management Administrator Joe Nestler from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
This event will take place on Thursday, February 10th, 2022 at 6 p.m. at 841 Brewhouse and the whole community is cordially invited.
One of the GWC’s initiatives is to widen Highway 12 to four lanes, and this event will provide an excellent opportunity to hear more information about the process moving forward. The GWC is very excited to be hosting these speakers, and for the chance to interact with members of the community as it plans for another year of success.
The meeting is open to the public and acts as a formal networking opportunity for members of the Greater Whitewater Committee and local organizations. There will be a social hour beginning at 5:30 p.m. where guests have the opportunity to connect with members of the community prior to the presentation.
“Interacting with the Whitewater community at the annual GWC meeting is something I look forward to every year,” said GWC President Jeff Knight. “We are so thrilled to hear more about the Highway 12 project and celebrate our recent accomplishments.”
While an RSVP is not required to attend, we encourage anyone planning to come to contact us at research@knightpublicaffairs.com.
The GWC is an action-oriented group committed to working with citizens, elected officials, and policy makers to identify, craft, and implement a pro-business agenda. The agenda advances the economic, education, and social policies required to energize and secure the Whitewater area’s economic future, as well as protect Whitewater’s quality of life.
Editor’s Note: The following information was provided by the Whitewater Arts Alliance.
For the month of February Whitewater Arts Alliance is hosting two free virtual presentations! Our first will be Combining Art and Science: Learn More About Story Mapping, Wednesday February 9th from 7pm – 8pm, presented by UW-W professor Juk Bhattacharyya. In this presentation, you can learn about how sciences such as geology can be communicated through story.
It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society.
Winter sports have always been popular in Wisconsin. This last winter image from the Scholl glass plate negative collection from around 1900 shows a little-known (at least to me) winter sport. It appears to be the set-up for horse racing on ice on Cravath Lake. Ice racing with horses? Who knew?
Apparently, this was a popular activity in northern climates during the turn of the 20th century years. A search in old Whitewater Register newspapers only uncovered a couple of references to this activity, but an internet search yielded several entries about this sport. In fact, at the Hennepin History Museum in Minneapolis this month, there was a program on ice racing on the lakes around Minneapolis at this time. And, it appears ice racing still takes place in some locations in the United States and Europe.
Join us next week for more from the collections of the Whitewater Historical Society.
Editor’s note: The following information was provided by Fort HealthCare.
Fort HealthCare is pleased to announce the appointment of two new members to the organization’s board of directors, Christopher Martin, and Paul Schuppner, D.O.
Christopher Martin graduated from Fort Atkinson High School in 2001. He received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2005 and his Juris Doctor from Marquette University Law School in 2009. After being admitted to the Wisconsin bar, he began his legal career at the local firm of Vance, Wilcox, & Short, S.C., where his practice was focused heavily in the areas of estate/trust planning and administration, tax, business law, and real estate. After a short stint at Wilson Law Group, a boutique Madison law firm focused on high-level estate/trust and business planning, with a desire to “come home,” Christopher returned to the Vance law firm in late 2015. In October of 2018, he joined PremierBank’s Wealth Management department where he currently serves as a wealth management advisor/trust administrator. In the local community, Christopher currently serves on the boards of the Evergreen Cemetery, Hoard Curtis Scout Camp, and Fort Atkinson Chamber of Commerce and is a current member of the Fort Atkinson Rotary Club. He was also a past participant in Project Lead. His family includes his wife of 10 years and two sons.
Dr. Paul Schuppner studied pre-exercise science at the University of Iowa and then received his bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University. He went to medical school at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University and completed his traditional internship at McLaren Greater Lansing (formerly Ingham Regional Medical Center). Dr. Schuppner did his orthopaedic surgery residency at McLaren Greater Lansing and an orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship at Orthopaedic Research of Virginia. Dr. Schuppner was appointed to our Medical Staff in July 2013 and began working at Orthopaedic Associates in September 2013. He currently serves on the Surgery Committee. Dr. Schuppner recently moved to Fort Atkinson with his wife and daughter.
Michael Wallace, Fort HealthCare President and CEO welcomes the new members to the board for a three-year term that began on January 1, 2022. Board members may be reappointed for two additional terms.
Board members are chosen based on their professional skills and their ability to represent the healthcare needs of the various communities within the Fort HealthCare primary service area.
“These new members were selected because of their high regard for the welfare and vested interest of the communities they live in.” said Wallace. “Paul’s medical background will help guide the board in our decisions that directly affect the health of our patients. Christopher, with his background in law and the financial industry, provides valuable expertise as well as experience with various community groups.”
In addition to Martin and Schuppner other Fort HealthCare board members are community representatives Mary Behling -Chair, Fort Atkinson; James Fitzpatrick, Ph.D. -Vice Chair, Fort Atkinson; Stephanie Nottestad, M.D. -Secretary, Cambridge; Roy Budlong -Treasurer, Fort Atkinson; Kathi Cauley, Jefferson; Richard Telfer, Ph.D., Whitewater; Tom Vinz; Lake Mills, and providers Bill Kontny, M.D., Christine Chuppa, M.D., and Mary Beck Metzger, Advanced Practice Nurse.
Fort HealthCare is committed to improving the health and well-being of our communities, with a vision to be the healthiest community in Wisconsin. As the leading healthcare provider in the region, it is our goal to reach as many members of the community as possible with health and wellness messages, providing tools and resources to help individuals improve their health and quality of life, while collaborating with several partners to positively improve the population’s health overall on a long-term basis. For more information, visit FortHealthCare.com.
Whitewater Scouting Pack 173 will hold their Pinewood Derby on Sunday, February 13 at the Whitewater Armory Gym (146 West North Street). Check-in begins at 11:30 and Races begin at 1:00.
Prizes awarded for Best in Show, as well as Class 1-3, 405, Troop, Sibling, and Adult. The public is welcome!
