MADISON, Wis. (OFFICE OF GOVERNOR TONY EVERS PRESS RELEASE) – Gov. Tony Evers today proclaimed July 18, 2024, as “Culver’s Day” across Wisconsin and is set to join Craig and Lea Culver, Culver’s Franchising Team Members, and members of the community to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the franchise. A copy of the governor’s “Culver’s Day” proclamation is available here.

“It is an honor to help celebrate and recognize 40 years of Culver’s, a family-owned and operated business that started right here in Wisconsin and has since grown into the nationally recognized and beloved household name it is today,” said Gov. Evers. “As a staple in America’s Dairyland, Culver’s also works to support Wisconsin’s long and proud tradition as the Dairy State, sourcing family farm-fresh dairy products and raising millions of dollars to help educate the public on the importance of our farmers and local producers, our agricultural industries, which contribute mightily to our state and our economy as a whole. For the past four decades, the Culver’s success story has exemplified what it means to keep service, kindness, and hard work at the forefront, and I’m glad to be able to help celebrate this iconic Wisconsin business today.”

Founded on July 18, 1984, Craig, Lea, George, and Ruth Culver opened the first Culver’s in Sauk City, championing the company’s signature ButterBurger and Fresh Frozen Custard. With their well-known slogan, “Welcome to Delicious,” Culver’s has grown from their first restaurant in Sauk City to nearly 1,000 restaurants in 26 states and continues to open restaurants across the nation.

Operating as an owner-operator franchise model, Culver’s offers individuals the ability to own their restaurant which, in turn, provides employment to thousands of dedicated True Blue team members, many of whom are entering the workforce for the first time.

Culver’s also hosts thousands of share nights every year to support their communities. As each Culver’s restaurant is independently owned, every fundraiser or sponsorship is decided by the franchisee, according to Culver’s, and the organization consistently seeks out opportunities to support schools, community organizations, and agriculture. Since 2013, Culver’s and their guests have donated more than $5 million through the Thank You Farmers Project to invest in agricultural education to support the next generation of agricultural leaders, provide hunger relief to communities, and support climate-smart agricultural initiatives that produce nutritious food.

An online version of this release is available here.

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Sgt. William “Bill” Pekrul, a Milwaukee native and World War II veteran, told the RNC crowd that “America is still worth fighting for” during his Wednesday night speech in downtown Milwaukee.

The hometown hero’s entrance on stage drew a thunderous applause and chants yelling “U.S.A.” And it didn’t end there − almost every line he delivered garnered the same applause and patriotic chants.

The highlight of the speech for RNC delegates came when Pekrul, 99, said if former President Donald Trump became president again “I would go back to re-enlist today.”

“I would storm whatever beach … my country needs me to.”

The theme for the third night of the convention was “Make America Strong Once Again.”

A self-proclaimed proud Wisconsinite, Pekrul signed up for the U.S. Army at Boys Tech High School (now Bradley Tech), according to an interview with the War Memorial Center that he gave as part of the Wisconsin Veterans Story Project.

Pekrul fought with the 29th Infantry in the second wave of troops during the Normandy Invasion on D-Day. He was awarded two Bronze Stars and a Silver Star for his service in WWII.

He received additional recognition locally since, including in 2019 when he served as Grand Marshall of Milwaukee’s Veterans Day Parade.

During Wednesday evening’s remarks he said he was honored to be a part of America’s “greatest generation,” a term used to describe those born from 1900 through the 1920s, because “America is the greatest nation in the history of the world.”

Part of Pekrul’s speech also appeared briefly on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” Wednesday. Pekrul described the end of World War II, saying “the Nazis were defeated.”

“For a while, Bill. For a while,” Colbert quipped, hinting that the current Republican party might bear some resemblance to Nazi Germany.

With great power comes great responsibility. Sometimes, that means just taking a seat.

Republican delegates from Wisconsin — one of the nation’s premier swing states and host of the Republican National Convention — occupy prime real estate on the floor of the Fiserv Forum. Because of that, sometimes they get camera time, whether they want it or not.

On Tuesday, there were times when cameras captured open seats, for Wisconsin’s delegations and others. According to Wisconsin RNC committee member Tom Schreibel, former President Donald Trump’s people took notice.

“They were mad last night,” Schreibel told delegates at their daily delegation breakfast. “Because it just wasn’t us … it was a lot of delegations.”

Wisconsin has 41 Republican delegates. Former Wisconsin Republican Party Chair Paul Farrow said if any of them had to leave their seats for long, they could let one of 38 alternate delegates take their place. Republicans said that at one point, there were 23 open chairs.

“It’s our responsibility to be in the chairs,” Farrow said. “If you’re not there tonight, I’m not letting you have your delegation tag tomorrow.”

Schreibel said he was “wearing the mic” that goes directly to Trump’s people, which is how he heard about their concerns.

“This is a highly produced movie that we’re a part of. Very highly produced,” Schreibel said. “This is for the nation. For us to shine. So we have to be in our seats to have this movie pulled off.”

The stakes are higher on the last two nights of the convention. On Wednesday evening, Ohio U.S. Sen. JD Vance is scheduled to give his first address since being named Trump’s vice presidential nominee. Trump will give his address to the convention Thursday.