By Kim McDarison
Whitewater residents and those in the broader surrounding area once again were treated to a Fourth of July festival spanning several days.
In 2024, according to the festival’s website, activities commenced on Wednesday, July 3, and ended on Saturday, July 6.
Over the course of the four days, those celebrating the Independence Day holiday were offered opportunities to participate in carnival midway rides, civic food vendor booths, a beer tent, myriad live music performances, a car show, petting zoo and animal rides, Miss Whitewater Pageant, two opportunities to view fireworks, and a parade.
Most of the festival’s activities were held in the city’s Cravath Lakefront Park, with the parade, and its associated Whippet City Mile Run, taking place along several blocks within the city’s downtown, including Main and Whitewater streets.
The Whitewater Fourth of July celebration comes with a long history, reaching back to a day when events were held in the city’s Starin Park.
In 2000, a then-event organizer, Jean Mills, interviewing last year with WhitewaterWise’s sister publication Fort Atkinson Online, said the celebration was moved to the city’s Cravath Lakefront Park.
In 2004, information in the Whitewater Register reported, the celebration occupied three days, and continues to grow, offering both familiar staple events and new activities.
According to information shared in past years by event organizers, approximately 50 exhibits typically participate in the annual parade. On Thursday, July 4, streets along the parade route were fully lined by members of the public, both young and old, as the array of colorful floats and marchers moved through the intersection of Main and Whitewater streets.
Responding to questions on Tuesday, Whitewater Common Councilwoman and Fourth of July Festival volunteer Lisa Dawsey-Smith said organizers will soon have an understanding of how well the full event was attended.
“That will lag a month behind most likely because of the service we employ,” she said.
This year’s parade marshal was Mark Zimmermann, who, according to the Whitewater Fourth of July Festival Committee Chairman Don McComb, is a member of the Whitewater Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5470.
According to a short bio supplied by McComb, Zimmermann was born in Watertown and raised in Waterloo, graduating from Waterloo High School in 2000. He then enlisted in the U.S. Navy, where he trained as an aviation structural mechanic. Throughout his military career, Zimmermann served at duty stations in Florida, Maine, Hawaii, Washington, and Spain, and was deployed to various locations including Iraq and Afghanistan. He rose to the rank of first-class petty officer before retiring in 2020.
Following his retirement, Zimmerman moved to Whitewater where he pursued a degree in history education at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, graduating in December 2023. During his time at the university, he was actively involved in campus organizations, serving as the secretary of Aspiring Educators and president of the Veterans Alliance. He also worked as a peer mentor for incoming transfer and freshman students, and his contributions were recognized with the Outstanding Adult Student Award in 2022.
Zimmermann continues to serve his community as an electrical and mechanical mentor for the Ferradermis robotics team at Whitewater High School. Additionally, he holds the positions of chaplain and judge advocate general for VFW Post 5470 in Whitewater.
Zimmermann has been honored with numerous awards, including one Navy Commendation Medal, six Navy Achievement Medals, six Good Conduct Awards, along with the aforementioned UW-Whitewater Outstanding Adult Student Award.
On the Fourth of July, several awards were received by parade participants, including: Best of Parade, awarded to the Whippets Football team; Youth Floats, with a first place award presented to Whitewater United FC, second place awarded to WHS POMS team, and third place, awarded to the Whitewater Parks and Recreation Department; Business and Commercial Floats, with first place awarded to Flora Villa, second place to Staller Winery, and third place to Willow Brook Golf Course; Neighborhood and Adult Floats receiving awards included UWW Athletics, given first place, and Cold Spring Riders, earning second place. Additionally, awards were given to costumed marchers, including Whippets Football, receiving first place, Southern Wakes United Water Ski Show Team, receiving second place, and the City of Whitewater receiving third place. Under a category of horse and pony, first place was awarded to Trinity Hicks, second place to Grazing Goats, and third place to the Whitewater Area Mounted Search Team and Rescue.
More than 60 contributed photos of the parade follow.
Members of Whitewater’s military service organizations present colors as they march along Main Street. Groups included in the guard typically include the American Legion William Graham Post 173 and the Whitewater Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5470.
Equipment operated by the Walworth County Sheriff’s Department moves along Main Street.
American Legion Post 45, Elkhorn, Adjutant Jeff Carls, at left, and members of his family, participate in the parade.
Mike Davenport, at left, a former commander and member of the Whitewater Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5470, is driven by a young Marine in the Fourth of July parade.
Members of the U.S. Marine Corps wave to the crowd as they drive through the intersection of Main and Whitewater streets.
Parade Marshal Mark Zimmermann greets parade-goers Thursday July 4.
Whitewater Lions Club President Howard Rothstein waves to parade-goers.
Members of the Whitewater Fire and EMS department display equipment in the parade.
A Whitewater Fire Department truck turns from Main Street onto Whitewater Street near the end of the parade route.
An asset shared by the Lauderdale-LaGrange Fire Department moves along Main Street.
A parade participant sprays water on grateful parade-goers.
Lauderdale-LaGrange Fire/Rescue assets move into the intersection of Main and Whitewater streets.
Crowned this year as Whitewater’s Junior Miss, Felicity Volbright waves to the crowd.
Two Miss Whitewater Pageant participants ride on a colorful jeep. Maddie Franks, at left, was crowned this year as Whitewater’s Little Miss.
Whitewater Teen Miss 2024 Marcela Torres greats parade-goers.
A newly crowned Miss Whitewater Pageant member rides in the parade.
A depiction of a mammoth, the mascot of the Walworth-Jefferson County Chapter of the Ice Age Trail, is carried by a chapter member through the intersection of Main and Whitewater streets.
Whitewater resident Chuck Mills pulls a sign advertising his annual “Summer Kids Mechanic’s Club.” Mills, responding to questions from WhitewaterWise, said the club is free to attend and open to all ages, but is recommended for kids in grades 6-12. The club, as of July 23, has been meeting for three weeks, and has a few more to go. Mills said he has been offering the club for three years. Meetings are held at Mills Automotive, 707 E. Milwaukee St., Whitewater.
Followed by her exuberant canines, a parade-goer crosses Main Street.
A big rig moves through the intersection of Main and Whitewater streets. The entry was provided by Whitewater-based Kienbaum Iron and Metal.
Zor Shriners mini car operators ride through the intersection of Main and Whitewater streets.
Members of the Whitewater Middle School Band march along Main Street.
Whitewater Middle School marching band members near the end of the parade route at the intersection of Whitewater and Main streets.
A vehicle driven by pedal power works its way along Main Street. The decorated vehicle carried a toy soldier with the following message: “US MC MGY SGT T.J. Frawley, 30 years, 1957 2011.”
Katy Farrey, the 2024 Lima 4-H Queen, greets her fans.
A float, titled “The Magic of 4-H,” carries members of the Lima 4-H club along Whitewater Street.
Rod Lorenz drives his 1953 Chevy truck.
Members of the Southern Wakes United Water Ski Team build a human pyramid on Main Street. The group was awarded second place in the costumed marchers category.
Members of the Whitewater Area Mounted Search Team and Rescue, also known as WAMSTAR, parade through the intersection of Main and Whitewater streets.
Riders turn onto Whitewater Street. WAMSTAR riders were awarded third place under a category of “horse and pony,” among participants in the parade. Awards were given by a panel of judges who were assembled by parade organizers, according to a Facebook page dedicated to the Fourth of July festival.
Trinity Smith-Hicks rides along Main Street. She was awarded first place in the “horse and pony” category. Floats and other parade entries were judged for their creativity by a panel of judges within several categories.
The Whitewater Whippets Football Team marches along Main Street. The group was awarded “Best of Parade” for its holiday presentation.
Members of the Whitewater Whippets Football Team greet their fans.
Decorated in Fourth of July colors, The Taco Truck is among vehicles traveling in the parade.
Walworth County Register of Deeds Kathy Kostock, at left, and State Rep. Scott Johnson wave enthusiastically to the crowd. Both are members of the Republican Party.
Parade participants wave from a float entered into the parade by the Walworth County Democratic Party. On July 4, U.S. President Joe Biden was preparing to run in November for a second term in office. This week, he dropped out of the race. Vice President Kamala Harris is likely to be named as the party’s presidential candidate. The Democratic National Convention is slated for Monday, Aug. 19, at the United Center in Chicago.
Mariachi band performers play for the crowd.
Costumed characters accompany a festively decorated golf cart. The entry was presented by Willow Brook Public Golf Course. The presentation was awarded third place within the Business and Commercial Floats category.
Ron Schults drives his 1952 Farmall Super A tractor along Main Street.
The Whitewater High School POMS Team moves through the intersection of Whitewater and Main streets. The group was awarded second place within the Youth Floats category.
Holiday inflatables decorate a float created by Generac.
The Republican Party of Walworth County advocates for its presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump. The 2024 presidential election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 5. Trump accepted his party’s nomination for presidential candidacy at the Republican National Convention held last week, July 15-18, in Milwaukee. The state of Wisconsin has 10 votes in the Electoral College.
An ATV group, the Cold Spring Riders, moves in formation along Main Street. The group received second place in the Neighborhood and Adult Floats category.
Members of the Mason Family Farm drive their tractors along Main Street. Spanning five generations, the family has farmed in the Whitewater area for 137 years.
A vehicle decorated by town of Richmond-based Staller Winery makes its way through the intersection of Main and Whitewater streets. The entry was awarded second place in the Business and Commercial Floats category.
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Chancellor Corey King sprinkles the crowd with Bubble Gum from his purple Warhawk golf cart.
A variety of participants ride an entry provided by Warhawk Athletics. The float was awarded first place within the Neighborhood and Adult Floats category.
Colorful race cars are among entries in the parade.
A first-place winner in the Youth Floats category, an entry provided by Whitewater United FC turns from Main Street onto Whitewater Street.
Members of the City of Whitewater Parks and Recreation staff present Santa Claus as a reminder that lighted displays will be provided every night in December in the city’s Cravath Lakefront Park. The displays will begin to glow on the first Friday of December.
Members of the city’s Parks and Recreation staff show their enthusiasm as they march along Main Street. The group was awarded third place in the costumed marchers category.
Members of the Whitewater High School competitive robotics team, “Ferradermis,” greet fans along Main Street.
A team of miniature horses pulls a cart along Main Street.
The team of small equines makes a turn onto Whitewater Street.
The Whitewater High School Alumni Band performs as it rides along Main Street.
Members of the Whitewater High School Marching Band move through the intersection of Main and Whitewater streets.
A runner participates in the Whippet City Mile run. The runners occupied the parade route in advance of the parade.
A runner nears completion of the Whippet City Mile run.
Runners don matching attire as they participate in the Whippet City Mile run.
Runners of all ages accept the challenge of the Whippet City Mile run.
A family participates in the Whippet City Mile run.