Arby’s Looking to Open Westside Restaurant

The Whitewater Plan and Architectural Review Commission at its regular meeting on June 10 approved a Conditional Use Permit for a drive thru at a proposed Arby’s at 1415 W. Main Street. The restaurant would be located on the northeast corner of the current Winchester True Value parking lot. Mike Breitfelder of ALB Restaurants Properties indicated that his company is the developer of the property, with plans to turn the restaurant operations over to the Arby’s franchisee, DRM. “Our goal is to begin construction very soon with the store ready in the coming months,” stated Mr. Breitfelder.

Whitewater Arts Alliance Summer Concert Series Savory Sounds Will Feature the VooDooHoney Brass Band on June 20

The Whitewater Arts Alliance, in partnership with Fairhaven Senior Services, First Citizens State Bank, Fort Community Credit Union, Olm & Associates, PremierBank, and John and Sandra Heyer will present the VooDooHoney Brass Band as the second performance of the 2019 concert series Savory Sounds at the Cultural Arts Center, 402 West Main Street from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Thursday, June 20. Attendees may bring their own lunch or purchase lunch from Rocky Rococo’s, the participating vendor, while they enjoy music.

After enjoying the music and lunch, attendees are invited to explore the exhibits at the Cultural Arts Center. For June’s exhibit, the Wisconsin Regional Artists Association is sponsoring the WRAP exhibit that features the works of non-professional Wisconsin artists. July features photography by the community to honor the late Fran Achen with the Tenth Annual Fran Achen Photography Competition.

Following are the remaining dates for Savory Sounds, which runs 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at the Whitewater Arts Alliance’s Cultural Arts Center near the Birge Fountain at 402 West Main Street:

Date Artist Food Vendor
   
June 27 Tapestry Subway
July 11 Amanecer Y Mas La Preferida
July 18 The Brothers Quinn SweetSpot

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. 

Common Council Agenda Includes Possible Sale of Property to Kwik Trip

Per a legal notice in the June 13 Whitewater Register, the Common Council agenda for June 18 includes “possible action on sale of property near roundabout to Kwik Trip, Inc.” Although further information is not available at this time, it is known that the city owns property that is adjacent to a parcel that Kwik Trip has owned for many years.

Whitewater Youth Soccer Registering for New Season

Registration for the 2019-2020 soccer season is open for the month of June. Registration is online and the link can be found at www.whitewatersoccer.com. Representatives from the soccer club will be on hand at the Whitewater City Market to answer questions and help register your player every Tuesday night in June from 4-7pm.”

School District Recognizes Retirees

The Whitewater Unified School District recognized five District employees at a retirement dinner on Tuesday, June 4, at the Willow Creek Golf Course in Whitewater. Congratulations to the following retirees for their service and dedication to the Whitewater Unified School District.
Shirley Cutshall
School Counselor, Lincoln Elementary
25 years
Tony Tautges
Science Teacher, High School
22 years
Mary Kay Nelson
3rd Grade Teacher, Lincoln Elementary
31 years
Mary Rogers
Accounts Payable Administrative Assistant
29 years
Irene Bembenek
Duplicating
12 years

Upcoming City & Community Meetings: Week of June 10 – June 16

Plan and Architectural Review Commission – Monday, June 10, 2019, at 6:00 pm at the Whitewater Municipal Building

More information, including agenda


Public Works Committee – Tuesday, June 11, 2019, at 6:00 pm at the Whitewater Municipal Building

More information, including agenda


Community Involvement & Cable TV Commission – Thursday, June 13, 2019, at 5:00 pm at the Whitewater Municipal Building

More information, including agenda


Board of Zoning Appeals – Thursday, June 13, 2019, at 6:00 pm at the Whitewater Municipal Building

More information, including agenda

Prairie and Garden Tours Held This Summer at UW-Whitewater

Summer is the most beautiful time of year on the UW-Whitewater campus, and we invite the community to explore during our free, guided tours! UW-Whitewater Continuing Education is pleased to offer tours of the prairie and nature preserve and campus landscapes and gardens throughout the season. Wes Enterline, UW-Whitewater’s sustainability coordinator and Master Gardener volunteer, will lead the tours.

Titles, dates and times of tours are:

Prairie and Nature Preserve

Over 100 acres on the campus’ northwestern border have been restored and actively managed as a native prairie and nature preserve. Join us for tours to see the diverse array of native plant species and variety of ecosystems and to watch how they change and thrive throughout the season. Meet at Lot 19 for prairie and nature preserve tours.

Thursday, June 20, 6-7 p.m.

Saturday, July 13, 9-10 a.m.

Thursday, Aug. 1, 6-7 p.m.

Campus Core Gardens

New in 2019! We have added new spaces to explore on our garden tours while including past favorites to visit once again. In addition to the annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees in our landscapes around campus and the sustainability practices we use, we will dig into some campus history this year too! Meet at the Visitor Center Lot 7 for campus core garden tours.

Thursday, Aug. 8, 6-7:30 p.m.

West Campus Gardens (Chopp Arboretum, Campus Memory Garden, Hyer Hall, Normal School grounds)

Thursday, Aug. 15, 6-7:30 p.m.

Southeast Campus Gardens (Heide Hall, South Wyman Mall, Hyer Hall, Salisbury Arboretum, Minneiska Springs)

Thursday, Aug. 22, 6-7:30 p.m.

Northeast Campus Gardens (Campus Garden, Minnieska Springs, Micro Prairie, White Hall)

All tours are free with registration and open to the public. These are walking tours with low activity levels and are held rain or shine, unless severe weather warnings are issued. If you need accommodations or have questions about physical access, please contact Kari Borne at bornek@uww.edu or 262-472-1003. Register for any or all tours here: http://www.uww.edu/ce/garden. Campus maps can be found here: http://www.uww.edu/campus/.

Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association honored Jones as Driver of the Month

Alyn Jones of Whitewater was recognized and honored as the WMCA Driver of the month at the Safety Awards Banquet held at Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells, in March 2019, along with the honorees from the other 11 months.

Jones has been driving since 1976 and has over 4.8 million accident-free and ticket-free miles.  He drove for Hawthorn Melody until it closed in 1993, drove over the road for a few years and then began working for the then company of Perlman Roque, (now Martin Brower) delivering for  McDonald’s exclusively, in WI, and northern IL.

He recently was chosen by Martin Brower to travel to VA  and train as Driver Safety Trainer Manager. This is part of a national training and awareness initiative through the National Safety Council in Washington DC. He will be part of a team of drivers to train and teach Defensive Semi Driving within the Company and specifically in Whitewater.

Alyn is a Whitewater native and has been a part of the community since 1962. He is married to Debra (Weiss) and they have five children and three grandchildren.

Whitewater Local Lauren Harkness is one of two Jerry Award Recipients to Advance to NYC for the 2019 JIMMY AWARDS®

Overture Center for the Arts announced that two Jerry Award ‘Outstanding Leading Performance’ recipients performed and were selected to advance to The Jimmy Awards®, also known as the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA), held in New York City. They will also be part of the Jerry Awards showcase at Overture Center on Sunday, June 9. Tickets are available now at overture.org/events/2019-jerry-awards.

Lauren Harkness | Junior at Whitewater High School in Whitewater, Wis.

  • Received one ‘Outstanding Leading Performance’ Jerry Award this year:
    • Olive Ostrovsky in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Christian Spaay | Senior at Marquette University High School in Milwaukee, Wis.

  • Received one ‘Outstanding Leading Performance’ Jerry Award this year:
    • Marius in Divine Savior Holy Angel’s production of Les Misérables 

Featuring dynamic ensemble and solo performances, the competition will feature 86 high school students from 43 regional programs across America. Nominees will be vying for the Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor and Actress. This year, over 1,700 high schools and 100,000 students are participating in the events leading to the Jimmys Awards ceremony.

Tony Award®-Winner BEN PLATT will host the eleventh annual JIMMY AWARDS® ceremony on Monday, June 24th at 7:30 p.m. at the Minskoff Theatre, 200 West 45th Street in Manhattan. This marks his second time in the role. He first hosted the ceremony in 2017, the same year that he won the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for his performance in Dear Evan Hansen.

Tickets for The Jimmy Awards are now on sale and can be purchased by visiting JimmyAwards.com  or Ticketmaster.com. Prices range from $49 to $110. Premium seats are $350.

Details about the live stream of the event will be announced soon.

“Ben Platt is a tremendously talented performer who perfectly represents what Broadway is all about. He did an outstanding job when he first hosted the ceremony in 2017 and we are thrilled to have him return to the stage this year,” said Charlotte St. Martin, President of the Broadway League. “Seeing these young artists step onto a Broadway stage for the first time after a week of intense training is unforgettable. It’s an evening that stays with you long after the lights have dimmed, not only for the 86 nominees competing but for everyone who will be watching and cheering them on.”

“I am thrilled to be back hosting the Jimmy Awards again this year. It is one of my favorite times of the year where everyone comes together to celebrate young talent with a passion for theatre,” said Ben Platt. “I look forward to seeing all of this year’s amazing performances.”

Student performers qualify to compete in the national program by winning top honors at regional high school musical theatre awards competitions presented by Broadway League member performing arts centers. Since its inception in 2009, the National High School Musical Theatre Awards® (NHSMTA®) has enabled over $2,000,000 in university and conservatory scholarships to be awarded to talented students at the national and local level—several of whom have already been cast in Broadway, Touring and West End productions.

NHSMTA nominees will prepare for their debut on a Broadway stage during a ten-day professional training intensive with NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ New Studio on Broadway faculty members plus other theatre professionals. Winners will be selected by a panel of industry experts.

Founded in 2009 by Nederlander Alliances LLC, Pittsburgh CLO, and Broadway Educational Alliance (BEA), the NHSMTA’s mission is to raise the profile of musical theatre in schools, recognize dedicated teachers and inspire the next generation of performers and enthusiasts. Also known as The Jimmy Awards, in honor of legendary Broadway producer/theatre owner James M. Nederlander, the NHSMTA is supported by many leading theatre industry organizations. More information about the National High School Musical Theatre Awards can be found at JimmyAwards.com.

The Broadway League administers the program through The Broadway League Foundation, which acts as its philanthropic arm. Part of the Foundation’s mission is to enlighten and increase the public’s knowledge, appreciation and awareness of the theatrical arts, and since its founding in 1993 has supported a number of projects to help preserve Broadway’s heritage and introduce new audiences to Broadway theatre. The Foundation is a corporation organized under the Not-for-Profit Corporation Law of the State of New York, the purposes of which are exclusively charitable as defined in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Donations to support the program can be made at JimmyAwards.com.

At this year’s 2019 Jimmy Awards event, the INSPIRING TEACHER AWARD presented by WELLS FARGO will be bestowed to two teachers for the encouragement and inspiration that led their students to win the 2018 coveted Jimmy for Best Performance by an Actress and Best Performance by an Actor.