Mukwonago Area Community Choir presents “Songs of Americana” at Fairhaven on May 11

The Mukwonago Area Community Choir will be performing at Fairhaven on Saturday, May 11 at 6 p.m. The theme is “Songs of Americana” and we are celebrating the folk and less formal music from America’s past. Our selections will include: God Bless America, He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands, Erie Canal, America the Beautiful, Cindy, I Dream of Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair, Streets of Laredo, and many more. Our hope is to show how we can unify our people through song no matter their political ideology, socioeconomic status, race, gender, religion, etc. We are a nation of one people, “E pluribus unum,” and together we are stronger than we are as individuals. Music has the power to bring us together for the greater good of our nation and these songs are our heritage and strength. A free-will offering will be taken to support the UW-W InterVarsity Christian Ministries. 

Whitewater Celebrates 25 Years as a Tree City USA Member

The City of Whitewater celebrated 25 years as a member of Tree City USA on Wednesday, May 1, 2019.

City Manager Cameron Clapper read a proclamation of the Arbor Day Celebration to commemorate the planting of a new Red Oak. City streets staff planted the tree near the playground and Senior Center building at Starin Park.

Olivia Witthun, Urban Forestry Coordinator for the Department of Natural Resources, was in attendance to present the 25th Tree City Award to city staff. She discussed the positive environmental, economic and social benefits trees in the urban forest have for communities. The Red Oak tree planted will provide many years of these benefits to Starin Park and the community.

Citizens can view the video of the proclamation on the city’s Facebook page.

City staff encourages citizens to reach out to the Department of Public Works for questions relating to terraces, parks or private trees in the City.

Department of Public Works
(262) 473-0560

Whitewater Arts Alliance’s Cultural Arts Center showcased student art in April

Art by students from ages 4 to 18 was featured in the April exhibit at the Whitewater Arts Alliance’s Cultural Arts Center.

The exhibit included a variety of two and three dimensional artwork by students from area schools. The art teachers displaying their students’ art were: Mareta Hale (Washington), Sara Sixel (Lincoln), Sara Brautigam (Lakeview), Sarah Heyer (Middle School), and Crystal Gill (High School).

Also featured were the Lincoln Elementary School’s World Drumming Ensemble, the Washington Elementary School’s K/1 singers, and the Washington 2/3 singers.

Middle School 7-8 Math Team Won 1st Place in State Math Meet

L-R Front – Jazmin Cederberg, Emma Clarksen, Cole Schlicher, Jared Apgar

Back – Emilia Houwers, Afton Clapper, Silas Baker, Emerson Ellenwood

Congratulations! Whitewater Middle School’s 7-8 Math Team won 1st place in Class B for the State Math Meet sponsored by the Wisconsin Mathematics Council. Several individual team members were recognized for how many points they scored and have received ribbons. Earning Class B First Team All-State status was 7th grader Jared Apgar.  Earning Class B Second Team Status were 8th graders: Emma Clarksen, Cole Schlicher, and Jazmin Cederberg. Other team members contributing to this success were: Silas Baker, Emerson Ellenwood, Emilia Houwers, and Afton Clapper. Great job Whippets! You make us proud!


Public Invited to Annual Meeting of the League of Women Voters, Whitewater Area

The Annual Meeting of the League of Women Voters, Whitewater Area will be held on Saturday, May 11 from 9-noon at Fairhaven Fellowship Hall. Featured this year will be a viewing and discussion of the documentary entitled “Race – the Power of an Illusion.”

A short business meeting which includes a summary of the year’s events and the election of a new slate of officers will be held as well. A brunch will be served. The meeting is open to anyone who would like to learn more about the League.

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Despite snow, “Brats at the Bank for Tilla” a success

A little snow couldn’t stop the fun Saturday, April 27, as members of WCFP, a nonprofit K9, community fundraising group joined forces with staff at Premier Bank, Whitewater for “Brats at the Bank for K9 Tilla.”  Bank staff and the fundraising group raised nearly $1000 to help the Whitewater Police K9 Unit with training needs which include Bite Suit, Bite Sleeve and Decoys.  Handler Justin Stuppy and K9 Tilla were on hand for kid’s games, face painting, food and fun.

Police K9 Fest will be held at Spring Creek Golf Center Saturday, July 20th

Events include:

  • 5K family/pet fun run
  • 10K run
  • Golf Scramble
  • Poker Run/Pub Crawl
  • Raffles
  • Silent Auction
  • Wayne Road Band, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

For more information, find us on FACEBOOK at Police K9 Fest 2019 or runsignup.com/policek9fest

UW-W Chancellor Finalists Named – Community Receptions Scheduled Beginning This Thurs., 5/2

An 11-member search and screen committee, led by Regent Tracey Klein and UW-Whitewater Associate Professor Eric Compas, recommended a list of finalists. The Special Regent Committee determined that the finalists shown below will continue in the selection process.

The four candidates will participate in separate public forums, from May 2-10, offering opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and community members to interact directly with them. There will also be opportunities to provide feedback on the candidates to the search committee.

The Whitewater open forums will be live streamed. Faculty, staff and students who are unable to attend in person will be able to access the livestreams using their NetID and password. Community members can request livestream access here >>

FINALISTS (Listed in the order they will visit campus) All community receptions will be held from 6:00-6:45 p.m. at the Innovation Center at Whitewater University Technology Park.

Dwight C. Watson – Provost & Vice President of Academic & Student Affairs, Southwest Minnesota State University – Community Reception, Thursday, May 2 

Philip K. Way – Provost & Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs, Slippery Rock University – Community Reception, Monday, May 6

Guiyou Huang – Chancellor, Louisiana State University of Alexandria – Community Reception, Tuesday, May 7

Cheryl F. Green- Interim Chancellor, University of Wisconsin – Whitewater – Community Reception, Thursday, May 9

For further information on the candidates and a schedule of the public forums, please click here.

Optimist Club’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt Not Deterred by Weather

Despite Wisconsin’s cold and windy weather, on April 13 from 11:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m., approximately 150 individuals attended the UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club’s Easter Egg Hunt located at Whitewater Middle School. UW-Whitewater Student Optimists and service-learning students also helped facilitate the event.

As the event began, the Easter Bunny and McGruff the Crime Dog were ushered in on a Whitewater fire truck and stayed to have fun and take photographs with the children. As soon as the hunt began, the children sprinted to the Easter eggs as fast as they could. This event was aimed towards 5th graders and under, and all the children in attendance were given a goodie bag once they turned in their Easter eggs. Hidden within the goodie bags were a few golden eggs for each age group. If a child found the golden egg, they were given an Easter Basket.

“Art From My Heart” by Karolyn Alexander Tscharnack At Cultural Arts Center in May

Karolyn Alexander’s solo show of more than 100 acrylic abstracts and collage and watercolor paintings, “Art From My Heart,” will be exhibited at the Whitewater Arts Alliance’s (WAA) Cultural Arts Center (CAC), 402 West Main Street from May 2-26, Thursdays through Sundays from noon until 5 p.m.

Karolyn will host an Artist’s Reception on Sunday May 5 from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. at the CAC.  The reception is free and open to the public.  

Karolyn is a lifelong Whitewater resident and with the encouragement of her father, the late Richard Kettwig, has had a passion for art starting in childhood. She has enjoyed mixing colors and making plain surfaces more colorful since her first box of Crayola crayons. As a youngster she experimented with creating new colors by layering one crayon color over another. The passion for color and color mixing remains today as she uses watercolor, acrylic and collage to make watercolor paper and canvas surfaces more colorful.

Cherry Blossoms by Karolyn Alexander

An early retirement from UW-Whitewater as an IT training coordinator permitted her to focus on art. In April of 2003 she began taking watercolor classes from the late Marilyn Keating at L’Atelier Art Studio in Janesville. Since then she has taken workshops with Kari Anderson, Shelby Keefe, Ratindra Das, Karen Ragus and Laura Lein-Svencner among others. In addition to watercolor, she enjoys doing collage and most recently creating acrylic abstracts. Regardless of the medium she finds delight in experimenting with and using color.

Karolyn said, “I have written a book titled ‘Watercolor Cookbook-Recipes for Mixing Delicious Color’ which includes tips on mixing watercolor paints plus over 60 full color photographs of my watercolor paintings. Many of my paintings can be viewed on my web site www.karolyn.biz. I teach adult watercolor and collage classes in Whitewater and Janesville and on occasion in other locations such as Milwaukee and Jefferson.  Color is everything!”

This exhibit of her work at the Whitewater Cultural Arts Center includes watercolor, collage and acrylic paintings, with varied subject matter from representational to abstract. The abstracts are from some of the series on which she has been working. The series represented in this exhibit include Rhythm, Mark Making and Texture.

WAA President Megan Matthews said, “Karolyn’s artwork is a wonderful, colorful mix of ideas and concepts that invite us to see the world in a new way.  I encourage everyone to stop by during the show, to see the incredible talent of one of our local artists.”

Photo of Karolyn Alexander taken by Hogan Alexander

The Cultural Arts Center is located on 402 West Main Street in the historic White building near the Birge Fountain. Parking is behind the building. An elevator is available for access from the parking lot entrance. 

The mission of the Whitewater Arts Alliance is to promote the visual and performing arts through an alliance of artists, individuals, educational resources, and organizations to promote creativity and diversity that will serve to educate and enrich the lives of the residents of the Whitewater community and surrounding areas.