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Place Your Ad Today!! Walworth County Sunday Sunday, December 16, 2007 5
IN THE
NEWS
UW-W running back
wins D-3’s top award
WHITEWATER — University
of Wisconsin-Whitewater senior
running back Justin Beaver
received the Gagliardi Trophy
Thursday in Salem, Va., recognizing
him as the year’s top
NCAA Division III football player.
The award is named after
longtime St. John’s (Minn.)
University coach John
Gagliardi, and recognizes
Beaver for his athletic, academic
and community-service
achievements.
“I am thankful for this honor
and it means a lot to me. This
is not only a personal award,
but an award for those who
have followed the team,”
Beaver said. “This award … is
a tribute to UW-Whitewater’s
great football program and tradition.”
Beaver is the all-time leading
rusher in UW-Whitewater and
Wisconsin Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference history.
Entering Saturday’s national
championship game against
Mount Union (Ohio) College,
the Palmyra native had gained
2,206 yards this season. His
6,335 career rushing yards
ranks No. 2 all-time in Division
III.
Beaver, a physical education
major, has a 3.51 grade-point
average. He recently was
named the 2007 WIAC player
of the year and is a finalist for
the Melberger Trophy, another
award that recognizes the top
Division III player in the nation.
DEATHS
Nov. 26, Phyllis Sandstrom,
83, of Williams Bay.
Nov. 27, Donna Madilia, 80, of
Delavan.
Nov. 27, Delores G. Doering,
70, of Twin Lakes.
Nov. 28, Sandra M. Broussard,
50, of Delavan.
Nov. 28, Margaret G.
Kirchhoff, 83, of Genoa City.
Nov. 30, Joan C. Albus, 77, of
Delavan Lake.
Nov. 29, John Pawluk, 86, of
Twin Lakes.
Dec. 1, Margaret G. Broihahn,
83, of Elkhorn.
Dec. 1, Dorothy M. Wiedemer,
88, of Darien.
‘ WORTH’
QUOTING
“Everyone is born with
genius, but most people
only keep it a few minutes.”
— Edgard Varese
1883-1965
“Do what you feel in your
heart to be right, for
you'll be criticized anyway.
You’ll be damned if
you do, and damned if
you don’t.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt
1884-1962
AMY RATH/STAFF
River of Life Christian Church Pastor Dale Stolldorf stands in front of his congregation’s
unique home. The church purchased the former Delavan Theater in 2006 and transformed the
old building into a worship facility.
Buildings on downtown Delavan’s
east side also receive upgrades
BY AMY RATH
STAFF WRITER
DELAVAN — Several downtown property
owners have independently subscribed
to the out-with-the-old-and-in-with-the-new
theory in recent years, much to the delight
of city officials and business owners.
One of the vacant buildings given new
life is the former Delavan Theater.
Purchased by the River of Life Christian
Church in 2006, the building traded its
movie screens and concession stand for a
worship auditorium and coffee bar.
“We weren’t interested in building a
church because we didn’t want something
that looked like a traditional church, so we
(looked) at warehouses and old restaurants
and such,” said Dale Stolldorf, the church’s
head pastor. “As soon as we walked in (the
former theater), we just all immediately
knew this was what we were looking for.”
Since the building was so run-down,
church officials knew the money they had
earmarked for relocation would be spent
refurbishing their new home.
Church members, who had followed
River of Life through a series of temporary
homes, stepped up.
“We didn’t want to risk losing the property,
so I said to those who were there that
day we would need a handful of people to
step up and buy the building for us,”
Stolldorf said. “Within a few hours, a few of
our members had donated the money and
we purchased the building.”
The church spent $225,000 restoring the
building; that was bolstered by in-kind
donations from its parishioners, who completed
the majority of the
renovations themselves.
“Most of us had absolutely
no clue what we were
doing,” said Stolldorf, with
a smile. “We all worked
together, though, always
keeping in mind why we
were doing it.
“When it was finally
completed, we were overwhelmed
with how amazing
it turned out.”
The project has yielded
much more than a restored
building.
“Our whole goal in restoring the theater
was to create a place where when you
enter, you just feel warm and invited, and I
think our building does just that,” Stolldorf
said. “I think having such a unique building
makes our members feel special,
because this building is historic and elegant,
and yet we have made it new and
safe at the same time.”
Delavan-Delavan Lake Area Chamber of
Commerce President Jackie Busch said
buildings like the theater make the city
unique.
‘As soon as we
walked in (the former
theater), we just all
immediately knew
this was what we
were looking for.’
— Pastor Dale Stolldorf
River of Life Christian Church
AMY RATH/STAFF
The VIP Bar and Grill will open soon at 328
Walworth Ave. in downtown Delavan.
“Our community has a very rich history,
and there used to be some wonderful,
entertaining aspects to downtown, like the
circus and the ballrooms and the theater,”
she said. “Anything with that kind of history
is a big part of what makes downtown
unique.”
Across the street from the church, another
old building has found new life. John
and Stacy Ademi soon will open the VIP
Bar and Grill, 328 Walworth Ave., in the
former Lights and Sirens Bar.
“I think it will be interesting to see how
VIP does downtown,” Bradley’s
Department Store owner Bill McKoy said.
“That building has been several different
businesses over the years, but I know the
new owner has put a lot of effort into its
renovation.”
Mayor Mel Nieuwenhuis
said the bar and grill will
add another important element
to the east side of the
downtown district.
“The corner where VIP is
located was one of the spots
downtown that was starting
to look a little run-down
and neglected,” he said. “I
think opening it as a nice
restaurant will do a lot of
good for the area.”
The Ademis did not
return calls seeking comments
for this story.
Business officials hope community members
and visitors notice all the hard work.
“There is so much other work that has
been put into the downtown, like the brick
street project and the light poles, and now
these new buildings,” said Lori Wuttke,
president of Delavan’s Downtown Business
Association. “The biggest challenge will
still be to get the word out to visitors —
and to our own community — that we are
here. But I think our downtown will continue
to stay alive, as long as we all work
together.”
■ HOTEL
Continued from page 1
“It really hurt a lot of businesses when
the hotel closed,” Wuttke said. “After all, 85
percent of business down here comes from
tourists. With the only lodging being out by
the interstate now, very few people come
through down here any more.”
The hotel’s new owners, Grafin, Inc., a
Chicago-based project management and
consulting firm, plan to re-open the hotel
this spring as a Holiday Inn and Suites.
“We looked around the area to see what
was available and what the community
needed,” Grafin President Robert
Slomczewski said. “Our core focus in choosing
downtown Delavan has been to draw
people to this community, and to show the
people of Delavan what the future of their
city could be.”
Mayor Mel Nieuwenhuis believes the
hotel will be a great asset.
“It is wonderful to see someone who
wants to put in the funds and the effort to
restore this building,” he said. “Especially
with a big name like Holiday Inn, I think
this will only prove to be a wonderful addition
to the community, and will help
enhance the beauty of our downtown.”
Plans call for a 56-room hotel, including
some luxury, apartment-style suites, an
indoor swimming pool, banquet and conference
facilities and an upscale restaurant
and bar.
“We want the final outcome to be a place
where those who have
the extra money to
spend, either on a weekend
getaway or on a nice
evening on the town, can
come and feel comfort-
able, and receive excellent
service and quality,”
Slomczewski said.
Work is progressing
slowly; the building was
stripped down to its
walls and foundation.
“We are paying great
attention to details, and
expect this to be a very
beautiful addition to the
area,” he said.
Wuttke said she is pleased the hotel will
no longer sit vacant.
“That project is a huge undertaking, and
I am glad there is someone — especially
from outside the community — willing to
put in the effort to bring it back to life,” she
said.
Bill McKoy, owner of Bradley’s
Department Store, across the street from
the future Holiday Inn, hopes the project
will be an anchor for the downtown business
district.
“I think the stores we have down here
now still attract people, but many of the
traditional mom-and-pop shops are gone,
and there isn’t the same variety of stores
there used to be,” he said. “Hopefully, the
hotel will help draw more people to the
area, as I think the downtown could be a
great social center for our community.”
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