WAUPUN — Horicon Bank celebrated 130 years in business this year with a ribbon cutting event held Friday at their Waupun branch.
Speakers at the event included Envision Mike Rhode, Mayor of Waupun Rohn Bishop, Envision Greater Fond du Lac Vice President Joe Venhuizen, and Horicon Bank Executive Vice President Erik Stanton.
“Since coming to Waupun, Horicon Bank has been a huge supporter of the Historical Society and Fine Arts Committee,” said Mayor Bishop. “One of the reasons we’re here today is that we’re adding another sculpture to our collection. Horicon Bank has been very supportive of Waupun and our branding as the City of Sculpture, as well as our history and legacy.”
This was followed by Joe Venhuizen, who spoke about the role of Envision Greater Fond du Lac and how they help businesses improve their communities.
“A lot of what Envision does is represent the business community and make a positive impact on our communities,” said Venhuizen. “Horicon Bank is a great example of a corporate steward that does a lot of good for the community that it serves, and it’s 130 years of that.”
Horicon Bank Executive Vice President Erik Stanton was then invited to speak.
“Thank you so much for turning out today, we’re so honored that so many people came out to celebrate with us—this is a big day for us after 130 years in community banking,” Stanton said. “Community banks are something of a dinosaur in a lot of states these days. In 1980 there were over 20,000 community banks nationwide but now it’s only about 4,000 because there’s been so many mergers.”
“So we’re really proud that Horicon has stood the test of time,” he said. “We started as one office in Horicon, we’re now stretched from Appleton to New Berlin and everywhere in between. We have great staff and great teams.”
Stanton also noted that Horicon Bank was voted the #1 best bank in Wisconsin by Forbes Magazine in their “America’s Best-In-State Banks” list for 2026, announced last July.
Horicon Bank started in Horicon in 1896 as a local community bank and grew over the years into what it is today—and still growing.
“I think one of the unique things is about maintaining the community bank feel,” Stanton said. “As you come into our banks, people are still recognized by name. We’re very invested in our communities—every employee at Horicon Bank gets 40 hours of paid leave every year to do local work in our communities, and everyone is very much encouraged to do that.”
“Thanks to all our staff who make us who we are,” he said. “Banks all deliver the same products and what makes us different is how they’re delivered and the understanding and compassion of the staff we hire who deliver it.”
Horicon Bank Waupun Branch Manager Amy Mohr, who is also the treasurer of the Waupun Fine Arts Committee and public art committee Create Waupun, said they’re proud of the sculpture now in front of the business, where the ribbon cutting took place.
The sculpture is known as “Oxbow” and is an abstract representation of a meandering river, which is a natural river formation where the path winds from side to side over time. It was originally brought to Waupun through the rotating sculpture “Sculpture Tour” program from Create Waupun last year, and purchased by Horicon Bank to keep it in the community. The structure is made up of metal beams and green and blue plexiglass panels, which matches the Horicon Bank color scheme.
Mohr also said they’d like to purchase more to make a “butterfly garden” along that green space.
The 130 Anniversary Celebration event went from 11AM to 2PM with the ribbon cutting at noon. Refreshments were served by Go Dutch Solutions, including sliders, soup, cupcakes, and hot apple cider. Live music was performed by cover band Poverty and Panic and a table of nature items from Marsh Haven Nature Center were on display during the event, as well as a live bard owl handled by Marsh Haven Director Matt Rupnik.
Also in attendance at the ribbon cutting were State Representative Mark Born, Waupun City Council President Dan Siebers, and Waupun Historical Society president Steve Biever.
Horicon Bank has been holding 130th anniversary events at all branches for the last several months, and another will be held at their Markesan branch Saturday, October 17 from 11AM to 2PM.
Markesan State Bank was purchased by Horicon Bank in 2019, which had branches at their current locations in Waupun, Markesan, and Randolph. The Waupun branch, located at 807 W Main St, officially became a Horicon Bank location on October 15, 2019.
