WAUPUN — 2023 has been an exciting year for Waupun, with many events, action, and improvements to the City. Below WPN has collected the top stories of 2023, covering a variety of topics that gained interest throughout this year.
Much has happened on the business side of Waupun, particularly with the creation of the Waupun Business Alliance late last year. The Business Alliance works in association with Envision greater Fond du Lac and operates as the successor to the Waupun Chamber of Commerce, holding their first annual banquet in March.
The construction of the new Waupun Senior Center Facility is one of the most important events in recent history, and will serve as a new gathering place for community members of all ages with a gym facility, banquet hall, and offices for REACH Waupun and the Waupun Food Pantry. Construction for the new Community Center was started at a groundbreaking ceremony held September 26th.
Some of the best WPN pictures this year came from Celebrate Waupun, where photographer Jaedon Buchholz captured stunning photos of the End of the Trail Statue in Shaler Park during the annual fireworks show.
On the school side Central Wisconsin Christian celebrated their 75th “Diamond” Anniversary this year, completing construction on their newest addition to the CWC campus. They broke ground on the expansion in August of last year, completing and opening it to students in just under a year. An open house was held in September to give parents the chance to tour the facility, new and old.
One of the more controversial happenings in Waupun was the cancellation of this year’s Community Garden. The original plans were to place the Community Garden on an empty city-owned lot on Welch Street, but in the week before the garden was to be set up, neighborhood residents came to the City Council to express concerns about what it might change about the street. Ultimately the Gardens were suspended for the year, requiring them to look for another location next year.
The most read single article goes to the interview of the owners of Main Street Bistro and Bakery, Todd and Shae Cupery. One of the most talked about events this year was the opening of the new restaurant in the former Goose Shot building, and more recently the return of Todd’s Pizza out of the bistro on weekends. They held their grand opening on June 2nd this year.
Perhaps the most exciting announcement this year was the new winter celebration IceFest, which will display 56 ice sculptures downtown and host a variety of winter-themed entertainment February 17th and 18th. Proceeds from IceFest will go towards promoting the arts in Waupun and a rotating sculpture tour to begin next summer.
One of the most historical events in 2023 for Waupun was the observance of the centennial anniversary of the placement of the Recording Angel in Forest Mound Cemetery. In October of 2022, Mayor Bishop put together an ad hoc committee to spearhead the event, led by Historical Society executive director Kyle Clark and Waupun Fine Arts Committee president Sue Haefmeyer. Along with the ceremony was a live play at City Hall performed by the Waupun Community Players, which was based on a ransom threat against the Shaler-Hanisch family and the Recording Angel itself.
A more recent but very important story took form in the later months of 2023 when Police Chief Scott Louden resigned from his position in the Waupun Police Department. Deputy Chief Jeremy Rasch took charge as officer in command and was quickly chosen and sworn in as Interim Police Chief until the Department can go through the process of hiring the next permanent Chief of Police in Waupun, a process to begin in the early new year.
The absolute top story throughout 2023 were the fundraising efforts by the Waupun Hockey Association to replace the original ice arena floor. Driven by the knowledge that the floor could go out any day, the Hockey Association has worked towards getting support from the City Council and sponsorships from local businesses for over a year to ensure the future of ice rink operations in Waupun. This included partnering with the Waupun Baseball Complex in requesting ARPA funds from the City, as well as major sponsorships from National Exchange Bank Foundation, Homan Auto, and Werner-Harmsen. This culminated in the City granting $100,000 each to the Hockey Association and Baseball Complex and the creation of a city sports and recreation grant.
