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Today is Monday, October 12, 2026
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The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources indicates that the storms on May 21 “caused tree damage and downed power lines at many state properties across Wisconsin. Staff will be out assessing damage and clearing downed trees. If you see them, please give them space. Please use caution while recreating at state parks, forests, trails, recreation areas and wildlife areas in the coming days and report any property damage or downed trees to the local property office. At this time, please avoid Blue Mound State Park due to more widespread storm damage and downed powerlines. Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we get things cleaned up.”
W8205 Nature Drive, Whitewater, Wisconsin
HUGE LIFE SIMPLIFYING GARAGE SALE
Friday- May 24: 8-1.
Saturday- May 25: 9-12
Golf bag cart
Duck blind, goose and duck motion decoys
Brushed nickel vanity lights/ 4 ceiling fan/lights/shower head and wand
Portable table saw/ drill press
Oak vanity mirrors (3) + Additional mirrors
Pottery Barn queen duvet set
Women’s L 3/4 length leather coat in excellent condition
High quality household and home decor items.
Vintage Hurricane lamp
447 S. Woodland Drive
Moving Sale, Everything must go.
Friday May 24 and Saturday May 25 8 am – 4 pm
Collectables: Colored Glass Decor, Department 56 Dickens Village Series, Rae Dunn Pottery and Holiday Collections, Longaberger Baskets and Pottery
Everyday Items: Kitchen Items, Games, Crafts, Tools, Table and Chairs, Cabinet, more added every day.
W4370 County Rd U
Whitewater
Rummage Sale
Thursday 8:00 am-4:00 pm
Friday 8:00 am-2:00 pm
Packer jackets and caps
Household items
Small kitchen appliances
Collectibles
Seasonal items
And much more!
On Monday, May 20, the Whitewater Boys’ Tennis Team competed in the subsectional tournament at East Troy. The 1 doubles team of Emerson Ellenwood and Yovanni Rojas-Reyes defeated Big Foot 6-2 6-2 and will now face Edgewood for an opportunity to participate in the state tournament. The 3 doubles team of Hugo Portales and Emmanuel Mbifi defeated Jefferson 6-1 6-4 and then pulled through in the 3rd set to defeat Edgerton 6-4 1-6 10-5. They will now also play Edgewood in the semifinals of sectionals on Wednesday, May 22.
Article and Photo Courtesy of Baron West
Whitewater High School Head Tennis Coach
bwest@wwusd.org
By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
Whitewater Wrap & Ship, located at 116 E. Main Street, recently announced that it will be closing its doors, with the last day for domestic shipments being Friday, May 24. The following is the announcement that was posted to their Facebook page by Lori Tanis. When a question was posed on Facebook as to whether they were planning to sell the business, the response was that they have no plans as of now, but, “if someone is wanting to have a conversation about it, we are willing to sit down with them.”
Please see the bottom of this post for alternative shipping services in Whitewater and beyond.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“It is with a heavy heart that I am announcing the closure of our store. We wanted to express our gratitude for the support over the last 4 years from this community.
It is due to many reasons including the explosive growth of the business and many personal reasons that growth affects, our family has made the difficult choice to close our doors. This decision was not made lightly and everyone involved with the store running is in complete agreement the decision is best for all of us personally.
Everyone here at Whitewater Wrap & Ship wants to take the opportunity to thank you for your loyalty and patronage. It has been an honor to serve this community and we are beyond grateful for the relationships we have built with our customers. Your support as we took the risk to open during the early COVID lockdown and the following time as we navigated the growth and changes that came through the shipping industry.
With this closure we are committed to helping the community through the transition to closure. As we close, anyone shipping a package will have the support provided until the packages arrive. Our last day shipping internationally is May 17th. For domestic it will be May 24th. Even though our doors are closed, I will personally be reachable via phone or email for any follow up or issues.
Even though we are closing the shipping store, Kelsey and I are still providing apparel services. We will be updating our contact information for that in the coming weeks.
As we close this chapter, we encourage you to continue supporting our local businesses. Your support is vital in sustaining the local economy and preserving the unique character of our community. We look forward to all the growth and changes that are coming to Whitewater!
Once again we thank you for your support and we are grateful to have been a part of this community. We will cherish the memories, friendships, and connections we have made. Thank you for your understanding and support.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Alternative shipping services
Unfortunately with the closing of Whitewater Wrap & Ship (WWS), there will be no business in the city providing the full range of services that they have offered. For one, as their name implies, customers have been able to rely on the business to provide an envelope or box and to prepare same for mailing. Additionally, WWS has represented and provided pricing for DHL, FedEx, UPS, and USPS. Going forward the Banner is not aware that any business will provide “wrapping” service; further, it appears that existing businesses ship through only one carrier. A significant challenge with using FedEx or UPS is that many people probably don’t have a scale, or at least one that’s sure to be accurate to the pound. WWS and True Value Hardware provided a scale, but that service will apparently only be available at the Post Office now.
Advance Auto Parts, 1184 W. Main Street
Only UPS shipping
Drop off: Customer must bring the package labeled and prepaid. They are not able to work from a QR code. Parcels are typically picked up between 3-4 p.m., Mon. – Fri. (There is also a UPS drop box outside Associated Bank.)
Pick up: Those wishing to have parcels delivered to the store rather than to their home may have parcels addressed with their name care of the store. When residents are not home to accept a UPS delivery that requires a signature the driver will leave a note asking for them to pick up the package at this store.
United States Post Office, 213 W. Center Strett
Only USPS shipping. Envelopes and boxes are available for sale.
Walgreens, 1041 W. Main Street
Only FedEx shipping
Drop off: Customer must bring the package labeled and prepaid. For retail returns, they prefer that the customer have the label, but with the QR code they can usually provide one. FedEx picks up ground parcels Mon-Fri at 3 p.m., express parcels at 12 and 3 p.m.
The Shipping Depot
58 W. Market St., Elkhorn (Next to Taste of China)
Offers “wrapping” service, sells envelopes and boxes. Will provide a label for an Amazon return with QR code for $1.
Ships by DHL (international), FedEx, UPS, USPS.
Open Monday-Friday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
The UPS Store
2811 Milton Ave., Janesville
Offers “wrapping” service, sells envelopes and boxes. Will provide a label for an Amazon return with QR code (as of a few months ago, no charge for the label.)
Open Monday-Friday 8 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Editor’s note: Any readers having further information about mailing services is requested to email us at whitewaterbanner@gmail.com so that we may update this information.
The Bassett House Spring Concert Series continues on Sunday, May 26 at 1:00 pm with a concert of vocal music presented by UW-Whitewater faculty Bob and Sarah Gehrenbeck, joined by special guests Nahuel Recoba, Molly Wanless, and Angela Bleke. The three guest singers are former UW-W voice majors who have worked closely with the Gehrenbecks in the past, who have each made their mark on the local music scene and beyond. Recoba recently made his professional debut at The Fireside in Fiddler on the Roof; Wanless will be starting a Masters program in vocal performance at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln in the fall, and Bleke recently moved back to Wisconsin after completing a Masters at the University of Louisiana.
The program will consist of classical and musical theatre songs sung in German, Italian, and English, including art songs by Robert Schumann, Gioachino Rossini, and Charles Ives, along with selections from My Fair Lady, Pirates of Penzance, Les Misérables, and Anastasia. A unique feature of the event will be an audience sing-along of Memorial-Day themed music, based on a song by American composer Charles Ives called “The Things our Fathers Loved.”
The concert is a fundraiser sponsored by the Whitewater Federation of Women’s Clubs, with all proceeds going toward the preservation of the historic Bassett House, 708 W. Main St, Whitewater.
The two Gehrenbecks have been a musical duo for 25 years since they first met during a performance of a Bach cantata during their graduate school days at Indiana University (Sarah was the organist, and Bob, the baritone soloist). Since that time, they presented additional recitals together in Indiana and Illinois, and portions of recitals in Whitewater, but the upcoming Bassett House concert will be their first joint recital since the birth of their musically talented sons, Henry and Theo. Both Sarah and Bob hold doctorates in music from Indiana University and both also earned degrees at Boston University prior to their paths finally crossing in Indiana. Sarah is currently music director and organist at First English Lutheran Church in Whitewater, and instructor of piano, organ, and harpsichord; staff accompanist, and vocal coach, at UW-W. Bob is director of choral activities at UW-W and artistic director of the Wisconsin Chamber Choir, based in Madison. In addition to their main pursuits as pianist/organist/coach (Sarah) and conductor (Bob), both are also trained singers, having studied once upon a time with the same teacher, Mary Ann Hart, former chair of the Voice Department at Indiana University.
The Whippet Track and Field Teams had a great night at the WIAA Regional hosted by Delavan-Darien on Monday. The top four finishers in each event earned a trip to the WIAA sectional on Thursday in Big Foot. Four regions will feed into one sectional event where the top four finishers will earn a trip to the WIAA State Meet held in UW-La Crosse on May 31st – June 1st.
Ethan Dugan was the top performer for the boys’ team as he etched his name into the record books by taking down Brent Gnatzig’s 1978 record of 49.04 in the 400m dash. Ethan stopped the clock in an eye-popping 48.67 and won the regional title. Sydney Schilt had a very strong day in the relays and the 200. Her time of 26.60 earned her a spot as the 10th fastest 200m runner in program history, bumping off Fy Fy Okocha (1995) and Keri Mclean (2000) who were tied in that same spot with a 26.74. Other sectional qualifiers include:
GIRLS
- 100H Hurdles – Carley Boudreau, 4th
- 200 – Sydney Schilt, 2nd
- 300 Low Hurdles – Carley Boudreau, 3rd
- 4×100 – A’lani Ross, Sydney Schilt, Calli Grosinske, Athena Soto, 2nd
- 4×200 – A’lani Ross, Sydney Schilt, Calli Grosinske, Athena Soto, 2nd
- Pole Vault – Myialynn Cobbs, 2nd; Makayla Bazeley, 3rd
BOYS
- 100 – Traysen Thomason, 4th
- 110H Hurdles – Ty Bucholtz, 3rd
- 400 – Ethan Dugan, 1st; Nate Holden, 3rd
- 1600 – Jack Hefty, 2nd
- 4×200 – Traysen Thomason, Nate Black, Akamion McHenry, Quincy Boudreau, 3rd
- 4×400 – Quincy Boudreau, Traysen Thomason, Nate Holden, Ethan Dugan, 2nd
- High Jump – Jaylyn Ewing, 4th
- Long Jump – Quincy Boudreau, 4th
- Triple Jump – David Rubio, 4th
The boys’ team finished 3rd and the girls’ team finished 7th overall.
FULL RESULTS: https://www.wiaawi.org/Portals/0/PDF/Results/Track/2024/delavandarienregional.htm
Article Submitted by Chad Carstens
Whitewater High School Track and Field Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org
Photos Courtesy of Bob Mischka
Congratulations to this year’s Jerry Award winners for their roles in the WHS Players production of Mean Girls. WHS competed against 80 other high school musicals throughout the state in a wide range of categories. The awards ceremony, on June 9th, at the Overture Center, showcases the talents of the student performers and outstanding musicals. Chacha and Cosette will be performing. Tickets ($35, or $25 for students when purchased in-person) for the event go on sale to the public May 24th by calling the Overture box office or online. There is also a virtual streaming option, which is already on sale, for a “pay what you wish” price. Please congratulate all our winners on a job well done.
2024 Jerry Award Winners
Outstanding Supporting Performance – Cosette Wildermuth-Breitzman
Spirit Award – Chacha Binagi
Outstanding Musical Direction- Liz Elliott
Outstanding Scenic Design- Jim McCulloch and Kat Dunham
Article Submitted by Jim McCulloch
Whitewater Unified School District Drama Director
jmcculloch@wwusd.org
Photos Courtesy of Tom Ganser
The WUSD Robotics Booster Club hosted the first annual STEAM Faire at Whitewater High School on May 18. The event was free and open to the public and was designed to say thank you to the community for the support it has already offered the robotics programs in the school district. STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. The event featured over 30 exhibitors.
Photos are courtesy of Tom Ganser.
Obituaries
Sally A. Schutte, age 73, of Whitewater, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on September 21, 2026, while at Hearthstone Memory Care in Whitewater. Sally was born on November 6, 1952, to Roy and Elsie (Rohloff) Haas. Sally married William Schutte in the spring of 2003. Sally grew up on the family farm in the Town of Hebron and graduated from Jefferson High School. She dedicated nearly her entire career to Fort HealthCare, where her hard work and versatility shone through various roles. Over the years, she served in housekeeping and medical records, Center for Dermatology. Sally … Read more
Zachariah “Zach” Schoenke, 41, of Whitewater passed away peacefully on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. He was born April 4, 1985, to Keith W. Schoenke and Kathleen Schoenke in Fort Atkinson, WI. He grew up and graduated from Whitewater High School in 2003. Zach worked various jobs over the years but was currently working at Cracker Barrel in Janesville. He was a big Packers Fan and liked to play fantasy football. He enjoyed reading, cooking, and watching horror shows. Zach fiercely loved his son, Lincoln, his sisters, Cami and Cary, his mom and stepdad, and his aunt Robin. He will be dearly … Read more
Carla Winn, 82, died September 5, 2026. Funeral Service will be at 12:00 PM, Saturday, September 12, 2026, at East Heights United Methodist Church, 4407 E Douglas Ave, Wichita, KS 67218, followed by a burial at 2:00 PM at White Chapel Memorial Garden 1806 N Oliver Ave. Carla is preceded in death by her parents, Vivian Dwight and Wilma Lois Krehbiel; and sister, Jennifer Krehbiel. She is survived by husband, Stephen; daughter, Ashley (Clint) Gagel, of Overland Park; siblings, Paul (Kay) Krehbiel, of Socorro, NM, Lynn (Bill) Oetting, of Wichita, Ellen (John) Querner, of Wichita, Teresa Woodson, of Lawrence, KS, … Read more
Susan Miller Celebration of Life There will be a gathering of friends and acquaintances at Susan’s Farm Store to celebrate Susan’s life on Saturday, September 19th from 2-5 p.m. at N6623 Lake Lorraine Rd., Delavan, Wisconsin
Our loving mother, JoAnn E Harrop, age 95, passed away on September 11, 2026. Our sorrow is deep, but we are filled with gratitude for the many years we had with her. Even as her mind was failing, she remained strong and appreciative of all who cared for her. JoAnn was born on January 13, 1931, daughter to Fred Braun and Evelyn Braun {Storck). She was raised in Whitewater, Wisconsin by her grandparents, Otto and Edith Storck. She attended Whitewater High School and helped at the Storck tavern where she met her husband Earl C. Harrop. They married on November … Read more
Russell O. Johnson “Russ,” 88, passed away on September 4, 2026 in Whitewater, Wisconsin. Russell was born on July 12, 1938, in Janesville, Wisconsin. Russ grew up in Janesville, and after high school he joined the Air Force on May 1, 1958, serving as an aircraft mechanic until June 12, 1962. He then worked at Parker Pen in Janesville for a time, where he met his future wife, Avis. After marrying Avis Mason in April 1964, Russ worked for Gillman Manufacturing for a time, then began a career at Dana until its closing in 1980. In 1981, Russ started working … Read more
Marcia Zingg, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, businesswoman, and friend, passed away peacefully on September 1, 2026, at the age of 75. Marcia will be remembered for her unwavering love, remarkable strength, generous spirit, and lifelong devotion to her family. She shared 40 wonderful years of marriage with her husband, Jeffrey Zingg, who considered her not only his wife but also his best friend, business partner, and the love of his life. Together, Marcia and Jeffrey built a successful life rooted in perseverance, hard work, laughter, and love. As entrepreneurs in Whitewater, Wisconsin, they owned and managed new car franchises and … Read more
Amanda Jean Hunter was born to Ralph and Malinda (Thomas) Hunter of Whitewater, Wisconsin, on October 6, 1976. She passed away on August 4, in Fort Worth, Texas, where she lived with her family. Amanda passed peacefully in the hospital, surrounded by her loved ones. Amanda was a kind-hearted free spirit with an unmistakable hippie warmth. Generosity, spontaneity, a quick wit, a macabre sense of humor, and an open heart were traits that she embraced. She was a tireless champion of those in need, an innate characteristic that became among the best of her qualities. She proved to be a … Read more
Ellen Eichmiller, 82, of Whitewater, Wisconsin, passed away on Saturday, August 22, 2026. Ellen was born on September 10, 1943, in Monroe, Wisconsin, to Chester “Guy” and Irene (née Holmen) Steig. She married the love of her life, Paul Eichmiller, on December 7, 1963, and together they made their home in Whitewater, Wisconsin. Ellen spent much of her working life as a secretary at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, where she formed many lasting friendships and memories. Ellen cherished her family and friends and treasured the time she spent with those closest to her. She was known for her love of … Read more
Janet Quinn, age 71, of Jefferson passed away on Thursday, August 20th. Janet was born on December 22nd, 1954 in St. Joseph, MI to Robert Mounsey and Edith Christison Mounsey. She was a granddaughter to Herbert Bragg Mounsey, Charlotte Mounsey, and Ester Christison West. She married Michael Durden in 1979 and later married Eury Quinn Jr. (J.R.) in 1988. Janet grew up in Benton Harbor, MI, and subsequently lived in New York and Arkansas before moving to Wisconsin in 2016. She was a dedicated caregiver to her disabled Mother, and worked as a custodian for various employers over the years. … Read more
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