News & Events

By Tom Ganser

There’s no better way to start the holiday season than by taking in a performance of the Whitewater High School Players production of the beloved Disney classic, “Beauty and the Beast,” that showcases the talents of nearly 70 actors, stage crew members, and musicians. 

Jim McCulloch and Liz Elliot serve as Directors, Kat Dunham is the Scenery Construction Coordinator, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Theatre major Taytum Adkins is the Choreographer, and Justin Kamp is Conductor of the pit band.

Performances in the Whitewater High School Auditorium will be Nov. 17, 18, and 19 at 7:30 p.m., and Nov. 19 and 20 at 2:00 p.m.

General admission tickets ($7 for students and $10 for adults) can be reserved by calling 262-472-8178 or in person at the Book Teller in downtown Whitewater.  Tickets also are available an hour before the performances.

“Beauty and the Beast” tells the story of a “beast” who captures a young woman, Belle, in an attempt to gain her love, so he can shed his monstrous form. It’s filled with lovable characters and singalong songs.

“Beauty and the Beast” (“La Belle et la Bête”) was written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in “La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins” (“The Young American and Marine Tales”).  It has been prominent in books, on the stage, and in movies ever since.

About thirty minutes before the curtain rises, there will be a “pre-show” of Tom Ganser’s photos from WHS Players productions of “The Little Mermaid” (2019), “Summer Shorts” (2021), and “Footloose” (2021).

In addition to the regular performances, there will be a special “Be Our Guest” Tea Party on November 19th at 12:30 p.m.  Come dressed as your favorite Disney character, enjoy some sweets and treats in the enchanted castle, get your picture taken with some of the cast, and take home a souvenir teacup. Tickets are $10 per child. Adult chaperones are free. Seating is limited and reservations for this event are required by calling 262-472-8178.

This production of “Beauty and the Beast” will participate in the Madison Overture Center’s Jerry Awards program that encourages, recognizes, and honors excellence in high school musical theater.

Hayleigh Pond is an 8th grader at Whitewater Middle School and takes to the stage as a villager and as a piece of silverware in “Be Our Guest.”  She said, “Even a spoon is important, so that means even if you are not popular or known, you are still a big part of life.”

Skylar Staebler, a senior at WHS, has been in many productions throughout her years in Whitewater.  In “Beauty and the Beast,” she takes on one of the leading roles as Belle.

“I love the resilience and strong, independent nature of Belle. I am a very independent person and think that I can connect well to Belle’s standards. I am not as proper or ‘princess’ like Belle, but I think my hard work and love of stories make up for it. I often find myself daydreaming and living in the world of music like Belle’s love of books.”

Staebler concludes, “I’ve truly loved bringing the world of Belle to life and can’t wait for an audience to see all the hard work the cast and crew have done.”

Joshua Kirley, also a WHS senior who has been in many theatrical productions, is cast in a leading role as the Beast.  He shared that a challenge for him as the Beast is “portraying my emotions in the songs I sing.”

Asked to compare the Beast to a flavor of ice cream, Kirley said, “I think that Rocky Road suits the Beast, because he’s mean at first but as soon as you get to know him you’ll learn to love him.”

The Whitewater Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, a professional Women’s Educators Organization, has had a new Little Library built and donated by Jim Schumacher installed at Starin Park with help of the city crew. This is one of three Little Libraries provided by DKG. We’d like to thank everyone involved and the community for their support and use of the libraries.

Editor’s note: This announcement was submitted for Delta Kappa Gamma by Lori Heidenreich.

Editor’s Note: The following information was provided by the Whitewater Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Council.

The Whitewater Area Chamber of Commerce recently helped one of Whitewater’s longest standing Edward Jones offices celebrate their expansion and move to a larger office location.

Michael Harenza, an Edward Jones Financial Advisor, has been serving the Whitewater community’s investment needs for almost 30 years. He recently moved his offices to 1204 E Bluff Rd in Whitewater giving him the opportunity to invite additional financial advisors to join him in helping Whitewater residents and businesses navigate their investment journeys. The new offices offer a beautiful and flexible space to host clients and provide financial services beyond the normal suite of offerings. Joining Michael in the new offices are financial advisors Josh Peterson and Heather Stelzer and Client Account Administrators Amy Scherrer and Theresa Thompson. This dynamic team is ready to guide their current and new clients through the landscape of financial security and freedom.

The Chamber and its ambassadors celebrated this move and expansion with an official ribbon cutting on November 1st. The sunny and warm fall morning provided a great opportunity to congratulate them on this momentous occasion and tour their wonderful new facility! The Chamber encourages anyone looking for someone to guide them on their investment needs to stop in and meet this amazing group. The Whitewater Area Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to have partners like Edward Jones on our team!

For information about Chamber membership and the benefits of becoming a partner in Whitewater please contact Executive Director, Kellie Carper at (262) 473-4005 or by email at info@whitewaterchamber.com.

Editor’s note: The following press release was received from the University of Wisconsin System.

UW System honors Outstanding Women of Color in Education Award recipients for 2022

The University of Wisconsin System has announced the 13 recipients of the 2022 Outstanding Women of Color in Education Award, an annual honor given to faculty, staff, students, or community members to recognize their achievements in advancing equity and inclusion for people of color within the UW System as well as communities across the state.

This year is the 27^th anniversary of the award through which more than 400 women of color have been recognized for their transformational work.

“The UW System has a longstanding commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion at our universities,” said UW System President Jay Rothman. “We are proud to honor these women of color whose achievements in advocacy and scholarship have transformed our campuses and communities to be more equitable and inclusive.”

Recipients will be formally recognized on November 10, 2022, in Madison at an awards ceremony and reception hosted by UW System. The ceremony and reception will be held in conjunction with UW System’s presentation of the Dr. P.B. Poorman Awards for Outstanding Achievement on Behalf of LGBTQ+ People.

The 2022 Outstanding Women of Color in Education honorees are:

• Stacey M. Jackson, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University Counseling Center Clinician, UW-Eau Claire
• Robyn Davis, President and CEO, Brown County United Way, Green Bay, Wis., selected by UW-Green Bay
• Jazzma Holland, Interim Assistant Director, Multicultural Student Services,UW-La Crosse
• Carolina S. Sarmiento, Assistant Professor, School of Human Ecology; Affiliate, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, UW-Madison
• Wilkistar Otieno, AssociateProfessor, Chair, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Department, UW-Milwaukee
• Heidi J. Nicholls, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, UW Oshkosh
• Trina D. Patterson, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, UW-Parkside
• Brittany Sherman, Multicultural Advisor, Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, UW-Platteville
• Dionna Berzat, Student, Elementary Education Major, Communication Studies Minor, UW-River Falls
• Guresi Mena, Assistant Coach, Women’s Volleyball, UW-Stevens Point
• Masako Onodera, Professor, Department of Art and Art History, UW-Stout
• Cherie Dakota, Assistant Professor, Social Work, UW-Superior
• Tanya Y. Kam, Professor, Department of Literature and Languages, UW-Whitewater

Each UW System university was invited to select one woman to receive the award, which highlights each recipient’s contributions to improving the status and climate for women and people of color and to advancing the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

[From Wikipedia]

Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces (who were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable).^[1][2] It coincides with other holidays including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day which are celebrated in other countries that mark the anniversary of the end of World War I.^[3] Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. At the urging of major US veteran organizations, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.^[4]

Veterans Day is distinct from Memorial Day, a US public holiday in May. Veterans Day celebrates the service of all US military veterans, while Memorial Day honors those who have died while in military service.^[5] Another military holiday that also occurs in May, Armed Forces Day, honors those currently serving in the US military. Additionally, Women Veterans Day is recognized by a growing number of US states that specifically honor women who have served in the US military.

Editor’s note: The image on the homepage, “Veterans Day” by The U.S. Army is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

The Community Space has gotten to a point where we’re willing to reopen beginning Tuesday, November 15. We will be providing our visitors with food pantry services only, during regular hours of operation.

Tuesday 8:30 to 11 a.m.

Wednesday 3:30 to 7 p.m.

Saturday, 8:30 a.m. until noon

At this point we are working together design a way to deal with the rest of The Community Space. One thing we’re sure of is that we need more dedicated volunteers to get us back in action. Takes a village!!! We need help.

We will also begin to take donations again! This will only be during our open hours and by appointment!

There should be NO donations dropped off when we are closed!

The Community Space 
(262) 379-0187

Kori Oberle, member of Whitewater Landmarks Commission, a historian and award winning author, will be giving a guided tour of the Effigy Mounds Preserve, a Whitewater Landmark, on Saturday, November 12 at 10 a.m.

The public is invited to attend. The meeting spot will be in front of the green Effigy Mounds Preserve sign on the west side of Indian Mound Park Way. The tour will take about 30-40 minutes, and just 3 of the 13 mounds will be somewhat visible.

Oberle spoke at the Whitewater Effigy Mounds Preserve presentation on Monday evening at the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library. Whitewater residents spoke of their concern about the current state of the preserve.

Oberle stated the preserve is only one third of the way accessible due to overgrowth.