News

Photos courtesy of Tom Ganser

Best way to jump start the Holiday Season??? Easy answer: Taking in a performance of the Whitewater High School’s red-hot production of “Mean Girls, High School Version.” 

Based on the Paramount Pictures film “Mean Girls,” performances will be held November 16-18 at 7 p.m. and November 19 at 2 p.m. in the newly named James Stewart Auditorium located in the Whitewater High School. 

General Admission seating is $10 for adults and $7 for students. Call the box office at 262-472-8178 for more information.

“Mean Girls, The High School Version” tells the story of Cady Heron, a teenage girl who finds herself in a public high school after years of being home-schooled on the African savanna. Confronted with the animalistic social order of American teenagers, Cady devises a plan to topple the school’s queen bee Regina George and her cohorts: The Plastics.

Under the artistic direction of Jim McCulloch and musical direction of Liz Elliott, the cast and crew have been working very hard preparing for opening night. 

Due to mature themes and language a rating of PG-13 is recommended for audiences.

Cast members include Brooke Mason, Alex Sullivan, Ayden Clark, Hayleigh Pond, Haley Keltesch, Lauren Rollette, Cosette Wildermuth-Breizman, Chacha Binag, Ava Van Daele, Alex Clarksen, David Enns, Jocelyn Alcala, Ian Agen, Hailee Ambrose, Deven Bawden,  Kaci Beaver, Belle Cohen, Peyton Comfort,  Esteban Diaz-Gallegos, Vivian Harris, Nina Heim, Jimmy Kinson, Ameera Lin, Ruth Lopez, Sam Nickelsburg, Sophia Noonan,  Kai Peterson, Lia Ramirez, A’lani Ross, Josie Selby, Taylor Speerbrecher, Willow Vogelzang, Sophia Walenton, and Elora Wildermuth-Breizman. 

Putting their talents to work as part of the Production Crew are Kara Long and Gabi Kirley (Stage Managers), Taytum Atkins (Choreography), Kat Dunham (Tech Director), Alexa Casino-Pena (Costumes),  Matt Zingheim (Sound), Kerry Ramsden (Scenic Painter), Payton Bunger, Natalia Gallegos, Laken DePorter, Emerson Dunham, Ava Nygren, Lucy Troxel, Joshua Nygren, Rae Breisath, Ace Hudec, Miles Nickelsburg, Taiya Kolb, Payton Peacock, and Cora Schimming. 

The Pit Band Members include Sam Averill (Conductor), Liz Elliott, Thayer Coburn, Isabelle Lavertu, Liz Ngabo, Jay Downs, Dante Baker, Justin Kamp, Maddie Blain, Samantha Van Daele, Kayla Mikos, and Adam Drefs.

Before each performance, Tom Ganser’s photos will be displayed from the Whitewater High School Players productions of “The Little Mermaid” (2019), “Footloose” (2021), and “Beauty and the Beast” (2022).

Put “See ‘Mean Girls, High School Version’ on your To Do List.

LWV Whitewater Area to Honor Jenny Rule, founder of the Whitewater Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense, on November 19

The League of Women Voters Whitewater Area is honored to announce that Whitewater resident Jenny Rule has been selected to receive the League’s 2023 Making Democracy Work award for her outstanding leadership in the Whitewater Area Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense. The League’s Making Democracy Work Award recognizes citizens who strive to make their community a safer and fairer place in which to live. 

A public reception celebrating Jenny’s advocacy on ways to reduce gun violence and encourage responsible gun ownership will be held Sunday, November 19, at 2 p.m., at the Prairie Village Community Center, located at Prairie Village on County U and Fremont Street in Whitewater.  Refreshments will be served. 

Jenny organized the local Whitewater Area Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in 2018, driven by a desire to do something positive in the wake of the horrific Parkland High School shooting. Her first meeting drew six people. The group now reaches out to over 100 concerned citizens on their mailing list. 

Please join us on November 19th in honoring Jenny Rule, who became civically engaged and motivated others to join her in the fight against gun violence. Learn more about Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense and how you can become involved.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues and influences public policy through education and advocacy. Visit our website at https://my.lwv.org/wisconsin/whitewater-area and like us on Facebook!

Two of Whitewater High School’s former students, Ella Smith (above) and Haley Street, are appearing in the fall musical at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  The production is the modern musical adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. 

Ella Smith, after completing a year of training at Manhattan School of Music in New York and a year of international travel, is now a freshman at UW-Madison.  Ella plays the part of Feste with enthusiastic singing, guitar playing, acting, and dancing to her credit. 

Haley Street, another enthusiastic member of the ensemble, is a sophomore at UW-Madison majoring in Vocal Performance with a certificate in Theatre.   This is her first production at UW-Madison.   Haley has several singing performances in Twelfth Night in addition to acting and dancing throughout the musical.

The musical was declared a success this past weekend and will delight audiences once again this coming weekend: Thursday, Nov. 16 @ 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 18 @ 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 19 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at the UW-Madison’s “Campus Arts Ticketing” site. Admission is $26 for adults, $21 for seniors, $9 for college students and children K-12. CONTENT ADVISORY: This play contains mature content and depictions of physical violence.

Quotes from the musical’s program describe the vibe: “‘Twelfth Night is a rousing contemporary musical inspired by Shakespeare’s classic comedy.  The musical features an original jazz-funk score.  Expect pure joy and lots of laughs with a deeper message of empathy and compassion.”

Twelfth Night is a rousing contemporary musical inspired by Shakespeare’s classic comedy about love, mistaken identity, and self-discovery. Separated from all she knows after a wreck at seas, young Viola washes up on the shores of Illyria, and disguises herself as a man in order to survive. Sent to court a Countess on behalf of her new employer, she instead falls hard for him herself! Hilarious mishaps ensue as she navigates this strange and wonderful new land, finding her true self and true love in the process. Featuring an original jazz-funk score by Shaina Taub, this fresh take on Shakespeare’s classic delivers its meaningful messages of empathy and compassion with music, joy, and lots of laughs.

Editor’s note: The following announcement was received from the Jefferson County Parks Department.

Each year, in collaboration with all our wonderful park users, the Jefferson County Parks Department creates an exceptional calendar of dogs, doing dog things, at the Jefferson County Dog Park.  These calendars have been a huge success the past 10 years, and we are proud to be releasing the 11^th edition just in time for the holiday season. 

Each Calendar sells for $10 and all sales proceeds go directly to the maintenance and development of the Jefferson County Dog Park. Proceeds from the sale of the annual calendar make up almost 15% of the total operating budget of the Dog Park.  Your help is essential in keeping the park as beautiful as possible. 

To purchase your calendar today you can:
*Stop by the Jefferson County Parks Office
311 South Center Ave, Room C1060
Jefferson WI 53549
Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., or

*Follow us on Facebook (Jefferson County Dog Park Friends) for updates on when staff will be selling them at the Dog Park (W5098 Canine Dr., Johnson Creek, WI 53038). 

As always, we also want to thank our many dedicated sponsors for their contributions to this year’s calendar including Nestle Purina, Blain’s Farm & Fleet, Jefferson Veterinary Clinic, Sullivan Veterinary Service, Lake Mills Veterinary Clinic, Pidder Padder Paws, and Theisen’s.  Without all of you, we can’t do what we do. 

Thank you, 

Jefferson County Parks Staff
311 South Center Ave
Jefferson WI, 53549
920-674-7260
jeffcoparks@jeffersoncountywi.gov

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

Updated 11/14/23 @ 3:15 p.m. to show a response at the bottom of the article from the state project manager regarding the sealer that the county used on their project.

County Highway N

Readers may have noticed areas on the newly resurfaced County Highway N that look oily or shiny. Some people have even expressed the opinion that the road is slippery when wet or cold. The Banner reached out to Duane M. Jorgenson, Jr., director of public works for Rock County, to inquire about these reports. His response is shown below.

“We applied a thin asphaltic emulsion sealer on CTH N (similar to a couple other county highways in the past couple years).  This is a treatment to fill in small air voids in the surface material to reduce the early deterioration of the pavement in an effort to extend the life of the pavement.  (Typical life expectancy is approx. 24 years; we are trying to extend it to 30 years).  These small air voids get water in them and with the freeze thaw cycles we see and combination of the pavement oxidizing over time (you see the pavement turn lighter gray over time) the pavement begins to break down.  This is an effort to slow that deterioration process down.

The sealer does leave a slight sheen appearance initially, but that will wear off in time.  There should not be any significant difference in slipperiness as compared to a new asphalt pavement.  We did some friction testing on a section last year and it was consistent with new pavement.”

US Highway 12

Upon the long-awaited reopening of Highway 12 between Whitewater and Fort Atkinson, some people expressed great relief but questioned why not all the pavement looked new. The Banner reached out regarding this to Craig Hardy, the project manager for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

Per Hardy, resurfacing of Highway 12 took place in three phases over the past five years:
– Whitewater Bypass intersection with Business Highway 12 to Buckingham Road started on 4/12/18 and was completed on 9/28/18.
– Buckingham Road to south of Star School/Carnes started 3/6/23 and was completed the week of July 4th.
– Star School/Carnes to County Highway M started 7/6/23 and was completed 11/3/23.

Hardy stated, “When asphalt is placed, all of the oils on the surface are fresh and give off the “new pavement” look. When the southern sections of asphalt were originally placed, it was just as black as the new pavement on the northern half. Over a short period, the sun, dirt and dust have a “bleaching” effect that lightens the color of the pavement. In a few months the northern half of the project will have a similar grey look like that of the south half of the project.”

Update: Reader Eric Cutshall inquired as to why the sealant used on CRH N wouldn’t have also been used on US Highway 12. Hardy provided this response to the Banner, “WisDOT doesn’t typically use the emulsion sealer on our projects. It is a tool that entities can use in their proposed pavement life cycles, but not a requirement. As technologies improve, and studies are completed, maintenance strategies change from organization to organization. As this time we do not use it as a standard practice.”

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

The Jefferson County Sheriff issued a press release on November 13 soliciting help from hunters, specifically around STH 106/CTH A, in watching for anything that may lead to a conclusion in a double homicide case involving suspect Kevin P. Anderson. It was stated that the case remains active while Anderson remains at large, and the agency has continued to follow up on leads generated from across the country.

On June 16, 2020 Kevin P. Anderson is alleged to have shot and killed his sister and brother-in-law, Nedra J. and James H. Lemke, at their family farm in rural Jefferson County. Anderson then proceeded to burn the farm house down and shot at a sheriff’s deputy responding to the farm. Anderson is believed to have fled the area as no remains were found in the farm house. Anderson is an avid hunter and camper. He is charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, one count of attempted intentional first-degree homicide, one count of arson, and one count of felon in possession of a firearm.

Anderson is described as a white male in his mid 60’s, 6’0″ tall, weighs about 200 lbs., has blue eyes, and balding brown hair.

Anyone seeing Anderson, who should be considered armed and dangerous, should not approach him but should immediately contact local law enforcement. Anyone who believes they have seen Anderson, have any knowledge of his whereabouts, or information to share pertaining to this case, should contact the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office at 920-674-7310.

Editor’s note: The following press release was received from Wisconsin Makers.

Wisconsin Makers will host its first-ever aluminum pour on Saturday, Nov. 18.

The public is invited to this family-friendly event at the regional makerspace, located at 200 E. Clay St. in Whitewater.

The event will be similar to the past cast iron pours, except organizers will be pouring aluminum, which has very different properties. It melts at a lower temperature, is lighter, is silver in color and does not rust.

Spectators are welcome to watch the “pour team” — Teresa “Tree” Lind, a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater lecturer of art and design, and her students and alumni — melt aluminum in an outdoor furnace and then fill sand scratch molds with the liquid metal.

The aluminum will be poured starting at noon, with castings completed by mid-afternoon.

The per-person cost is $25. Participation is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Make your own casting

Members of the public wishing to make their own casting may buy a scratch mold square to personalize with their design that day, starting at 9 a.m. They must be completed by 11:30 a.m.

Persons wishing to get a head start on their design may attend a scratch mold workshop at the makerspace Friday, Nov. 17, from 6 to 8 p.m.

If participants would rather to do their artwork at home, they may purchase scratch molds beforehand at Binning and Dickens Insurance, 319 W. Center St., Whitewater, during weekday business hours.

“We are very excited to be hosting our first-ever aluminum pour,” said Wisconsin Makers President Al Jewer. “We have held cast-iron pours in the spring for six years and they have been a lot of fun. This is a wonderful opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind piece of art.”

Wisconsin Makers is a nonprofit regional makerspace (community workshop) offering an affordable, collaborative and educational environment that inspires people of all ages to become innovators by unlocking their skills through continual experimentation and training. Work areas/equipment include: 3-D printing, laser engraving, machining, welding/fabrication, electronics, blacksmithing, woodworking, ceramics/pottery, jewelry making, arts/crafts, quilting/fabric arts, matting/framing and more.

For more information on the iron pour or scratch mold workshop, or to learn about the makerspace or memberships, visit Wisconsin Makers’ Facebook page at @wisconsinmakers or call Jewer at (630) 430-9498.

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by the League of Women Voters Whitewater Area.

The League of Women Voters Whitewater Area’s Book Club welcomes community members to join the last of our three Book Club discussions of Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story by Jacob Tobia.  Our third and final Book Club discussions will be held on Friday, November 17, 2023, 6-8 p.m., at the home of Dwight Watson, 220 S Church St in Whitewater. 

League members and the general public are invited to fully participate in discussions of this engaging memoir by a gender non-conforming writer.