April 15 recap: Lake Geneva news you may have missed today
Don't miss Wednesday's most popular stories from Lake Geneva Regional News.
(9) updates to this series since
Carey Fowler opened Eight Maids Cheese Shop, 723 Williams Bay in Lake Geneva, in December 2025. The cheese shop features locally-produced artisan cheeses, meats, jams, wines and beers. Fowler is following in her family’s tradition of producing cheese and dairy products, as they have operated the Klondike Cheese Company in Monroe for about 100 years. Klondike Cheese Company manufactures Odyssey-brand feta cheese, Greek yogurt, labneh, Greek yogurt dips and sour cream. The cheese also produces Buholzer Brothers-brand cheeses. Fowler is now looking forward to establishing her own business and providing dairy products to customers with the Eight Maids Cheese Shop.
Todd Krause was elected to his second term as Lake Geneva’s mayor during the April 7 spring election. He defeated District 3 Alderman Joel Hoiland. Krause received 1,458 votes, while Hoiland obtained 931 votes. However, Hoiland was re-elected as District 3 alderman by defeating former Alderwoman Peg Esposito. Hoiland received 356 votes, while Esposito received 285 votes. Krause was first elected mayor in 2024 by defeating them incumbent Charlene Klein. Krause was appointed as a city alderman in 2006 to finish an existing term and then was elected to two additional terms. Hoiland was elected District 3 alderman in 2024 by defeating Pamele Wilkinson. Both were were seeking to replace Tim Dunn who chose not to run for another term. Hoiland currently serves on the Lake Geneva Plan Commission.
Lake Geneva school board members were re-elected to their seats on April 7. Jeffrey Buntrock, Barbara Krause and Niki Ceisel were re-elected to their seats on the Lake Geneva-Genoa City Union High School Board. Buntrock and Krause were re-elected to their Lake Geneva seats, being challenged by Steven Bartos. Voters will asked to select two of the three candidates to serve on the board. Krause received 3,081 votes, Buntrock received 2,781 votes and Bartos obtained 1,848 votes. Ciesel ran unopposed for her town of Linn seat and received 4,159 votes. Barbara Dinan was re-elected to the Lake Geneva Joint No. 1 School District Board. She ran unopposed and received 3,354 votes.
Four Lake Geneva alders were re-elected to their City Council seats during the April 7 spring election. Two of the council members faced challenges, while two others ran unopposed. Alderman Joel Hoiland ran unsuccessfully for mayor, but retained his District 3 seat by defeating former District 3 Alderwoman Peg Esposito. District 1 Alderwoman Sherri Ames defeated business owner Anthony Silvestri. District 2 Alderwoman Mary Jo Fesenmaier was re-elected while running unopposed, and District 4 Alderwoman Cindy Yager also was re-elected while running unopposed.
Lake Geneva City Administrator Dave De Angelis presented an updated on the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Highway 50/Main Street road reconstruction project during the Business Improvement District’s Annual Meeting and Community Improvement Awards on April 1. The project is set to be conducted in 2027 and 2028, with most of the outline areas of Lake Geneva being worked on in 2027 and the downtown area to be worked on in 2028. The project is set to include pavement replacement, road resurfacing work, traffic signal installation, drainage improvements, curb ramp reconstruction, intersection improvements and sidewalk construction. City officials have approved to work with G. Moxie Communications of Elm Grove to develop a communications plan during the project. City officials and Business Improvement District officials also plan to develop a trolley program to transport people to and from the downtown area during the course of the project.
Gage Marine crew members conducted the annual process of installing boat slips for Lake Geneva’s West End Pier during the week of April 6 to p…
Representatives from the Lake Geneva Business Improvement District plan to conduct the “We Love Locals Campaign,” beginning in May. The program will be held each Wednesday throughout the year. As part of the initiative, downtown business owners will be offering sales and promotions at their establishment. The purpose of the campaign is to help attract residents to the downtown area during which is typically a slow shopping day. Besides, the “We Love Locals” initiative Business Improvement District officials also plan to conduct a Pride Week event, June 11-14, to honor National Pride Month. The event is set to feature sidewalk sales from participating businesses.
Members of the Williams Bay Village Board approved an ordinance on April 6 to establish a tourism commission in the village. The ordinance was adopted by a 5-2 vote with trustees Mary Bartholomew and Susan Franzen voting “no.” The purpose of the tourism commission is to help oversee tourism promotion and development in the village of Williams Bay, as well as to monitor how the village’s room tax money is spent.
A celebration event will be held from 2-8 p.m. Sunday, April 26 at Champs Sports Bar & Grill, 747 Main St., to honor the business’s 40th anniversary. The event will feature live music, food buffet, introduction of specialty drink menu and 1980s retro apparel. Proceeds will go towards scholarships for male and female athletes at Badger High School, in honor of Champs founder Greg Bush.
Members of the Southern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission recently completed their lake management plan for Geneva Lake. The plan proposes methods for preserving and protecting the lake’s water quality, ecological integrity, beauty and recreational opportunities. The plan may be viewed by visiting www.sewrpc.org and www.GenevaLakeConservancy.org.
