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March 19, 2007

This is the first of regular updates on planning for the Whitewater 2007 Home-Coming Festival. If you do not wish to receive these updates, simply respond to this email and you will be removed from the list.
1. The most recent Planning Committee meeting was Tuesday, March 13; over 20 people attended. The meeting will be Tuesday, April 10, at 6:30 in the 2nd Floor Lakefront Room at the Whitewater Municipal Building.
2. This Wednesday, March 21, at 7:00 Pm, the Whitewater Historical Society will be presenting a program on the 1907 and 2007 Home-Comings; all are welcome. There will be photos and other items from the 1907 festival, and the storysite (www.whitewaterhomecoming.com) will be presented so that attendees can understand how to use it and add their own stories, historical information, and even photos. Whitewater Municipal Building, 2nd floor Lakefront Room; refreshments at 6:45 PM.
3. The main focus this month is on getting about 5,000 save-the-date postcards out to as many former residents as possible. These will provide basic information about the 2007 Home-Coming and encourage people to go to the storysite to learn more and eventually register. An address and phone number will also be provided for people who prefer to phone or write. To do this we need as many up-to-date addresses for far-flung friends, classmates, colleagues, and family members as possible! Email these to Jan Bilgen, chair of the Community Team, at janbilgen@gmail.com, or send them to Box 3, Whitewater, 53190. She's building a database for mailing purposes, and repeat entries will deleted.
4. In one example of the many partnerships that are starting to form as we plan for Home-Coming, Rick Fassl has worked with the UW-Whitewater to reserve the Crossman Gallery for the last week of June and first week of July. This excellent space, located in the Greenhill Center of the Arts, was used to present the Curtis Exhibition in 2005. Plans are afoot to use the gallery to display local artists and other Whitewater offerings, as well as objects from the Whitewater Historical Society not normally on display due to space contraints.constraints.
5. Speaking of the Whitewater Historical Society, they have committed to providing a second Oak Grove Cemetery Tour on Tuesday, July 2,3, from 1-4 PM. This is also the rain date for their first tour, on May 28 (Memorial Day) from 1-4 PM. Many will be on hand and in costume to provide insight into the memorable people buried in this, the oldest cemetery in Whitewater. Also on hand will be an 1870s hearse and a black Percheron horse to pull it in the Memorial Day parade. Don't miss this opportunity to hear the stories behind the gravestones!
6. Another example of partnership is the Whitewater Unified School District. Superintendent Leslie Steinhaus and Summer School Playhouse Directors Lane and Anne Kuske heard of our Home-Coming and scrapped their plans to stage "High School Musical" (it will be the fall musical at the high school instead) and substituted "The Music Man"! According to Lane, "Typically some 30-40 6th-12th graders are part of the Summer School Playhouse musicals, culminating in the presentation of a dazzling Broadway-style musical with professional lights, choreography, sets, costumes, and sound in the WHS Auditorium. This year, a condensed (or "Junior") version of the ever-popular Meredith Willson's The Music Man will be performed Friday and Saturday, June 29 and 30 at 7:00 p.m. (Total running time: 80 minutes) The show is an American Musical Classic, featuring a barbershop quartet, live marching band, and memorable songs, including "76 Trombones," "Till There was You," and "Wells Fargo Wagon.' We will be including a number of rich connections regarding Whitewater's history with our fictional on-stage setting, including starting with the Whitewater train station for the opening number and incorporations of Whitewater landmarks in the set. We would love to have a display of city historical artifacts and information in the auditorium lobby and photos and are happy to host a multi-media presentation about the 1907 and 2007 Home-Comong festivals to run in the auditorium just prior to the show.' Efforts will be made to provide shuttle bus service down to the Lakefront park after the show so attendees can enjoy the fireworks those nights.
7. Last week City Manager Kevin Brunner sent out letter to Governor Doyle, inviting him to speak at our Grand Opening on Sunday, July 1. This week an invitation will be sent to Illinois Senator Barak Obama. The keynote speaker for the 1907 festival was Col. J. Lewis, twice the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, who would himself go on to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate!
8. Information alert! Does anyone have information or current contact information on relatives of author/historian and Whitewater native Stephen Ambrose? If so, please respond to this email and the information will be passed on to Rick Fassl. Thanks!
9. 2007 Home-Coming co-chair Fred Kraege is now an official Fort Rehab "graduate" and proud of it. He has already been spotted at Novaks and is sure to be found most mornings at McDonalds and plans to be at the historical society meeting Wednesday night. Welcome back Fred!
10. Upcoming meetings:
Wednesday, March 21, 6:45 PM: Whitewater Historical Society presents planning for the 2007 Home-Coming; Whitewater Municipal Building
Monday, April 2, noon: Community Team meeting; Double Dip Deli
Monday, April 2, 6:30 PM: Unity Team meeting; Greenhouse Cafe in Sugar Bay
Tuesday, April 10, 6:30 PM: Home-Coming Planning Meeting; 2nd Floor Lakefront Room, Whitewater Municipal Building
Many thanks! Let us know if you if you have questions, comments, or concerns.
The 2007 Whitewater Home-Coming Team