News

Bench Dedication Ceremony Honoring Jim Allen

Join the City of Whitewater as we honor James (Jim) Allen, a beloved community member whose passion for our lakes and parks touched so many lives.

Thursday, November 6, 2025, 5:00 PM, Trippe Lake Park – Lower Shelter
407 South Wisconsin Street, Whitewater

This memorial bench will serve as a lasting tribute to Jim’s spirit — a place to pause, reflect, and enjoy the beauty of the lakes he loved.

All are welcome to attend and share this special moment with our community.

Editor’s note: Jim Allen served on the Whitewater Common Council for 15 years, including a number of terms as president. Among the committees on which he served was the recently formed Lakes Advisory Committee. His obituary may be viewed here. Nancy Des Jardin, Jim’s mother, told The Banner that “he loved this city, lived in this city, worked here, and learned to swim in this lake!”

Veterans Day Ceremony at UW-Whitewater

The University of Wisconsin–Whitewater invites the community to attend its annual Veterans Day Ceremony on Tuesday, November 11, 2025.

University Center, UW–Whitewater
Free parking available in Lot 12A

Everyone is welcome to join as we honor and celebrate the service and sacrifice of our veterans and military community.

Editor’s note: This announcement was provided by UW-Whitewater. The Whitewater Banner appreciates having permission to use the image on the homepage by  Kim Heimbuch from Pixabay.

Surplus UW-Whitewater office furniture, chairs, and other seating will be offered for sale to the public at the Community Engagement Center, 1260 West Main Street (behind the Fairfield Inn) on Friday, November 7 and Friday, November 14.  Sale hours both days are 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM.  ONLY cash and personal checks will be accepted.  Parking and entry on the south side of building (closest to the hotel).  Desks, tables, rolling chairs, guest chairs, bookshelves, and MORE will be available.  Contact SURPLUS@UWW.EDU with any questions.

Library Closed October 27-November 8
As we pull into the final stretch of the library’s building project, the library is closed from October 27-November 8 as we move into the new space. We are excited to see books going back on shelves. Please pick up your holds at another Bridges library or “freeze” your hold until the library reopens for curbside pickup on Monday, November 10. Thank you for your patience as we wrap up this huge undertaking. The library plans on being fully reopen on December 8.

November 10-December 6: Curbside pickup services, including printing, will be available. The phone lines will also be open for reference questions and library account assistance. If you need assistance or have questions, contact the library at 262-473-0530 or library@whitewater-wi.gov.

Thank you for your patience as we wrap up the library’s building project! We’re excited to see you in the newly renovated and expanded library soon!

Note that even while the library building is closed, we are still hosting some events and programs off-site. Click here to view the library’s events calendar.

Editor’s note: The above information is from the library’s website.

This past Thursday, October 30th senior David Enns performed in the WMEA State Honors Mixed Choral Ensemble at the Overture Center in Madison. This is the most prestigious honors ensemble in the state of Wisconsin with auditions happening this past February and rehearsals occurring during the summer. The Whitewater music department is very proud of David for representing our high school and community well. 

Article and Photos Submitted by MacKenzie Gehrke
Whitewater High School Vocal Music Teacher
gehma01@wwusd.org

The We Energies Cookie Book is a holiday tradition dating back to 1928, when it promoted electric appliances for baking. The books were produced every year until 1974. The next edition was produced in 1984, and then subsequent editions were produced in 1991, 1998 and 2002. Since 2006, the book has been printed each year, restoring the annual tradition.

Every year, we receive hundreds of recipes from customers within our service area, and we’re honored you share them with us. This year is no exception. Bright flavors. Warm spices. Gooey caramel and chocolate. We had a hard time narrowing it down to just 37 recipes. Employees from across the company enjoy tasting the cookies and deciding which ones will fill the pages of the We Energies Cookie Book. This year, you’ll see a few of our favorites marked throughout the book.

Our cookie jar is overflowing with so many delicious treats. We hope you enjoy the recipes and find a few new favorites to fill your jar.

The 2025 book may be downloaded here.

For those who prefer to have a hard copy of the book, here is the distribution schedule for drive-through pickup. The closest site to us is the Jefferson County Fair Park, 503 N. Jackson Ave. in Jefferson. Books will be available there on Wednesday, November 5 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The cookie book archive is available online here.

Editor’s note: This announcement is from the We Energies website.

The Whitewater Music Boosters is holding its next monthly meeting on Monday, November 3rd from 5:30-6:30 PM. Join us at WHS – Room 403 or via Google Meet at the following link: https://meet.google.com/fko-afzc-hxa. At the last meeting, Erin Nickelsburg was elected President and Sponsorship/Fundraising Coordinator, and Ryan Clarksen was reelected Secretary and elected Public Relations/Volunteer Coordinator, but the elections of Vice President and Treasurer were tabled until the upcoming meeting.

Agenda, Past Minutes and Other Documents:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TuBl93A6i-eHoumy9RN1HDvYWYLHdbeN?usp=sharing

Constitution:https://docs.google.com/document/d/176FiAPf8aBMIY6qAUMseCVGTBSoBRencaSgcpmIwuek/edit?usp=sharing

Ways to get involved: 

Way #1:
We know that our meeting times don’t work for everyone, but anyone can volunteer!

Whitewater music events frequently need your assistance. To help coordinate these efforts, we have a SignupGenius form for events in November and December. Look for other opportunities from Whitewater Music Boosters and from teachers in the future. Volunteering is a great way to support students in their music experience.

SignupGenius Form: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C044DA8A72DA3F8CF8-60073876-music

Way #2: If our meeting times are a better fit for you, run for one of the vacant seats on the Board! The positions of Vice President and Treasurer are up for election at the upcoming meeting. Position descriptions are in the Constitution.

Way #3:

Over the recent years, our funds have steadily decreased, so we could use people to donate and/or fundraise! In addition to supporting student activities through volunteering, Music Boosters supports the growth of students through sponsoring music related activities and providing monetary support for instruments, uniforms, and other needed items that aren’t budgeted for. Donors are recognized on social media and through the programs at district music events, but can also donate anonymously if it’s preferred.

Donate/Share Form: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qkxHs1iNBujuaWKY7SqiDjH4QjZQ5dg2/view?usp=drive_link

Wisconsin Makers in Whitewater is offering two origami classes in November. Rebecca Finster will teach an introductory class on Tuesday, Nov. 4, and an intermediate designs class Thursday, Nov. 6. Both start at 7
p.m. at the makerspace, located at 200 East Clay St.

Classes are subject to pre-registration and limited to 10 participants age 10 and older. To register, call or text Chris Spangler at (920) 728- 2960. The classes are being offered for free; however, a free-will offering of $20 is suggested. All materials will be provided.

Finster, who has studied with origami masters, graduated from Janesville’s Craig High School in 1973. She went on to earn an art degree in 1979 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a graphic design certification from the Portfolio Center in Atlanta, Ga., in 1983.

Finster worked as a graphic designer for UW- Madison’s Agriculture Journalism and UW- Extension programs from 1984-91 and as a middle school art teacher at Eagle School in Madison from 2005-15.

Wisconsin Makers is a makerspace that creates an affordable, collaborative and educational environment that inspires people of all ages to becoming innovators within their communities by unlocking their skills through continual training. It has members from Jefferson, Walworth, Rock and Waukesha counties and beyond, and all have access to the workshops around the clock. The facility houses machine, welding/fabrication, electronics, automotive, 3-D printing, laser engraving and woodworking shops. It also offers pottery, ceramics, metal art, quilting, fabric arts, matting/framing and more. The building is accessible and has off-street parking, Wi-Fi, and many other amenities. For more information about the makerspace, contact Spangler at (920) 728-2960.

Kind people have been asking about how The Community Space (TCS) is faring with the surge in demand for food, especially with the expected suspension of SNAP benefits for folks. We have already been seeing new faces and longer lines and expect the need to increase.

What we are doing:

 Putting out extra red baskets to move people through the food pantry more quickly.

 Working with local organizations to coordinate food drives for us. (Thanks!)

 Looking at possible grants to secure more food.

 Updating our website and adding a means to make online donations.

If you’d like to help:

 Food donations — peanut butter, canned tuna and chicken, and breakfast cereals are especially needed — can be dropped off Tues 8:30-10:45 am; Wed 3:30-6:45 pm; Sat 8:30 am-11:45 a.m.

 Monetary donations really let us put our savvy shopping powers to work. Donations of any amount can be made out to “The Community Space” and mailed to P.O. Box 213, Whitewater WI 53190 or dropped off at TCS. (We’ll let you know when online donations can be made.) TCS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Editor’s note: This announcement was provided by The Community Space.

The following University of Wisconsin-Whitewater students are among the more than 4,300 Warhawks who are first-generation college students at the Whitewater and Rock County campuses:

53190 Whitewater, WI: Rori Nikole, whose major is Communication at UW-Whitewater.

53190 Whitewater, WI: Stephanie Hensel, whose major is Accounting at UW-Whitewater.

53190 Whitewater, WI: Yovanni Rojas-Reyes, whose major is Human Performance at UW-Whitewater.

53190 Whitewater, WI: Mariana Aranda, whose major is Finance at UW-Whitewater.

53190 Whitewater, WI: Meng Cheng, whose major is Legal Studies at UW-Whitewater.

53190 Whitewater, WI: Ally Smith, whose major is Psychology at UW-Whitewater.

53190 Whitewater, WI: Stephanie Goettl, whose major is Communication – MS at UW-Whitewater.

53190 Whitewater, WI: Katherine Sainsbury, whose major is Elementary Education at UW-Whitewater.

53190 Whitewater, WI: Kasi Hall, whose major is Social Work – MSW at UW-Whitewater.

53190 Whitewater, WI: Toya Butler, whose major is Communication at UW-Whitewater.

53190 Whitewater, WI: Alexis Faber, whose major is Art at UW-Whitewater.

53190 Whitewater, WI: Jaciel Flores, whose major is Marketing at UW-Whitewater.

53190 Whitewater, WI: Whitney Meisner, whose major is Supply Chain Management at UW-Whitewater.

First-generation college students – or students who are the first in their families to attend college – make up more than one-third of the undergraduate population at UW-Whitewater. Fifty-eight percent of students on the Rock County campus alone are first-generation.

UW-Whitewater is proud to participate in the annual First-Generation College Celebration, a national effort led by First-Gen Forward. Held on Nov. 8, FGCC Day not only champions first-gen students’ contributions to their communities but to connect them to the resources they need for success.

As part of the celebration, the university will hold a kickoff event at noon on Monday, Nov. 3, at the University Center, the Whitewater campus’s student union. [See this Whitewater Banner article for more information.] A pop-up exhibit featuring photo portraits of first-generation Warhawk students, faculty, and staff is currently on display at Roberta’s Art Gallery, and students at both campuses are enjoying free giveaways all week.

Chancellor Corey A. King is one of several Warhawk faculty and staff members who were the first in their families to graduate from college and was one of the people featured in last year’s exhibit. He was recently named a top executive in southern Wisconsin by the Milwaukee Business Journal.

“College just opened the world for me,” King said in a video recording last fall. “From meeting people from various journeys and backgrounds and beliefs and ideas, gaining friends; it just really developed me personally, both inside and outside of the classroom.”

UW-Whitewater is dedicated to eliminating barriers to first-generation student success. Last fall, the university opened One Stop, a space dedicated to one-on-one support for students to direct them to resources on topics including financial aid, financial services, scholarships, advising, course registration, and student life.

Learn more about the ways UW-Whitewater supports and celebrates first-generation Warhawks at uww.edu/students/first-generation.

Editor’s note: This press release was provided by UW-Whitewater. A number of the students listed are likely not long-term Whitewater residents; however, they have registered with the city being their residence.