As part of the National Novel Writing Month, Nate’s Place opened their venue up to local and Kansas authors Friday evening to display their books for community members interested in purchasing signed copies of the books or meeting the authors.

“I think this is mainly a celebration for our local authors,” hostess Pat Lyons said of the event, which featured about seven authors.

For some authors, such as Fort Scott resident Kathryn Salsbury, it was her first book, while Leigh Stites is working on a series of books, with Fort Scott and local venues such as Nate’s Place being featured in her novels.

The books on display Friday included romance novels, children’s books, a biography of a Fort Scott Community College professor and other works of fiction and nonfiction.

Topeka resident Ken Berry, a former major league baseball player, said he now enjoys visiting elementary schools and reading his children’s books he has written to the students, often bringing his World Series ring and Gold Glove Award with him.

Local historian Don Miller was also present to provide a preview for a pictorial book of Fort Scott which will be ready for purchase in the next couple months and will include photos of the city covering more than a century.

For the rest of the month of November, Lyons said they encourage writers to come to Nate’s Place to work on their own writing, saying they have already had some visit with their laptops to work on a novel.

The sophomore class of Fort Scott Christian Heights had their second annual work-a-thon fundraiser at the Gunn Park bike trails Friday, with local businesses and individuals sponsoring them as they raise money for their senior year.

“We are raising money for our senior trip,” student Christin Guilfoyle said, saying the students hope to travel to the Redwood Forest in California.

The seven students said they started raising money with a similar work day their freshman year, and have set the goal of raising $1,000 each year. Area business such as Country Cupboard, Cheney Witt, Sleep Inn and city hall sponsored them with either flat donations or a rate for each hour they worked.

From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the students worked to clear leaves from the trails, remove fallen limbs, repair bridges and move dirt to improve the bike trails. Frank Halsey, who started the work on the trails at Gunn Park and directed the work day, said the students cleared leaves from about five miles of trail just in the morning hours.

“It’s great to have this type of a group,” Halsey said, saying the students worked really hard, though they admitted it was tiring. “It’s for a good cause for them.”

Halsey said he was also pleased that the students considered the bike trails a good way to help the community as well as raise money.

The students said they hope to have raised $1,000 by the end of next week. Those interested in supporting the students can contact their school.

Community members of all ages had the opportunity to participate in Veterans Day activities around Fort Scott Wednesday, as local organizations, schools and other venues hosted events to honor those who have served in the military.

The Fort Scott National Cemetery invited members of the community to attend a service which featured Cmdr. Matthew Jones, retired, of the United States Coast Guard, taps played by Jerry Witt, an honor volley by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1165 Honor Guard and music from the Fort Scott Community College band.

Jones said veterans are often men and women who serve others before themselves, and reminded retired veterans that they still have much to offer their community, including wisdom they have gained through their experiences.

Jones also reminded his audience that Veterans Day is a time “to honor those gone before and take time to listen to those we still have.”

Second graders at Winfield Scott Elementary School sang patriotic melodies for their family members and veterans in attendance at their program Wednesday morning. Certain children also read lines expressing their gratitude to those veterans.

“We want you to know that we appreciate all the veterans of the United States of America,” Principal Marianna Daugherty said.

The event at that school ended with a slideshow of photos portraying the students’ and teachers’ relatives who have served or are currently serving in the military, whether it was the students’ great, great grandparents or the teachers’ children.

Students at St. Mary’s Catholic School also sang patriotic songs during their service Wednesday afternoon, presenting gifts to the veterans in attendance.

The program at the Fort Scott Middle School included an array of fake poppies in honor of the poem, In Flanders Fields. The FSMS Concert Band and Select Ensemble provided music while eighth grade students read quotations from historical figures and even unknown authors, expressing gratitude and respect to veterans.

“We can’t say enough to say thanks,” Principal Jim Howard said to veterans who attended the program. “This day is for you.”

“Today we honor our veterans who have served and died,” speaker Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Black said, saying his question now is who from the next generation will step up and carry on that legacy.

The area Pioneer Kiwanis club invites members of the community to participate in their Chili Feed Thursday, their largest fundraiser of the year which will set the pace for the organization’s budget for the upcoming year.

Kiwanis member Gayle Sackett has been a part of the group for 12 years and said they have held this particular fundraiser each of those years. In previous years, Sackett said the community has really shown their support by attending.

“This is our biggest fundraiser of the year,” Sackett said, saying in past years they have raised about $4,000.

Sackett says they hope the fundraiser is successful again this year as those finances will then be used for the organization’s budget and ability to help area children and elderly through other local organizations.

“There are lots of things we budget for to give back to the community,” Sackett said of what the funds will be used for, including giving to organizations such as the Beacon, Adopt a Family, Care to Share, United Way, My Father’s House, as well as after-school programs and to the police department for backpacks they give to youth taken into custody.

The chili feed will be hosted at the First Presbyterian Church, from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., for $5 when tickets are purchased in advance from Kiwanis members or at the Chamber of Commerce, Landmark Bank or Country Cupboard, or for $6 at the door. Children under the age of 5 years old are free.

Tickets include the chili meal and a dessert of homemade pie. Hot dogs will also be available.

For a fourth time, Kayla Puterbaugh, 24, will travel to Africa to work with children in Uganda, staying for three months starting in January.

After hearing a missionary family speak at a Christian camp she went to during middle school, before her family moved to Fort Scott after she finished high school, Puterbaugh said her desire to visit Africa became even more real to her.

“I’ve just always loved it since I was a kid,” Puterbaugh said of Africa and her fascination with the idea of traveling there.

That desire was realized when she went on a 10-day medical trip in 2010, helped at an orphanage and as a nanny for that same missionary family for six months in 2011, and again went there this past August for a month.

The most recent trip, Puterbaugh spent two of those weeks working with Ruja, translating to “to dream,” an organization started by a friend of hers out of Idaho a couple years ago. This time, she will spend the full three months partnering with that group to help take care of five foster children.

“Long-term I want to be working with an organization that goes to Africa,” Puterbaugh said, saying she enjoys being with the children, caring for them and letting them know they are important. “I’m not positive if I want to live there full-time or not, but I definitely want to be going.”

Puterbaugh needs a total of $3,000 for her upcoming trip and will hold a bingo fundraiser Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. at the Common Ground Coffee Co., where she is a barista, to help raise some of that money. Participants give a donation for each bingo card, with prizes including baked goods and even gift certificates donated by local business.

“I know it’s a big number, but I also know God can provide it,” Puterbaugh said. “God just keeps supplying every time I’m ready to go.”

Those interested can find more details of her trip and make donations at https://www.gofundme.com/hs78yvp4

Fort Scott Community College will host benefit rodeo and other events Saturday to raise funds to help pay for the medical expenses of Ryan White, who suffered a brain injury earlier this summer from a riding accident.

A local and FSCC alumnus, White and his father-in-law, Dave Carey, have helped the college in past events for other auctions, donating items from their website. White has also spent time training as well as buying and selling horses.

“They’re really involved with the rodeo team,” said Cali Griffin, assistant coach of FSCC’s rodeo team. “We just wanted to help out.”

Griffin said White has had surgery since the accident and is well on his way to recovery, but he and his wife Cody still face medical bills as a result. Money raised during Saturday’s events will go to the family.

Activities will begin at 5 p.m. with a barbecue meal for a free-will donation. A silent and live auction will begin at the same time. T-shirts will also be sold and a two-year-old gelding will be raffled off.

The rodeo itself will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Arnold Arena and includes events such as calf roping, steer wrestling, team roping, barrel racing, peewee barrels for those under 10 years old, goat tying, bull riding and bareback and saddle bronco riding. Event winners will be given Montana Silversmith buckles. Admission to the rodeo $5.

Griffin helped organize the fundraiser and said already they have had about twice as many entries in the rodeo as they had hoped, including team roper and National Finals Rodeo qualifier Coleman Proctor, who has also offered a day of private lessons for two people in the auction.

During their November meeting held Monday evening, the USD 234 school board received a report from the architects of Hollis and Miller and Nabholz Construction representatives concerning the renovations that will be done at each of the USD 234 schools.

“We felt it was perhaps a little overdue that we come and share some exterior, elevations and the colored floor plans to give you just a snapshot of new construction,” said architect Ed Carlson of Hollis and Miller, who participated in the report along with Michael Patrick and Meaghan Williams. “We’re going to give you that broad overview.”

Patrick said the process is moving right along, as they completed the schematic, design and development portions of it, with construction being the next step.

Each of the schools will receive a high-wind shelter located on the school grounds which will have the mandatory specifications to provide shelter to everyone in the school in case of severe weather.

Winfield Scott will also receive a new entry and other changes include a new administrative area, relocating the kindergarten class and other renovations.

Patrick said Eugene Ware served as a bit of a challenge because of the requirements as a historical building, so exterior changes such as in a more secure entry and the shelter will be complementary to the existing structure. The cafeteria will also be relocated and some of the grades shuffled around. The bus loop and drop-off areas could also change slightly.

The middle school will have upgrades done to the corridors as well as the entry piece and add large and small meeting spaces for students.

The elementary and middle schools will also include flexible learning spaces that Williams described as “a different environment than the typical classroom,” meant to get the students excited about learning. Those areas provide more opportunity for interacting while learning as well as spaces where presentations could be made.

The high school has already seen changes, such us in the removal of the old junior college wing, which in the future will include a new entrance and administrative area. Other additions include the auxiliary gym, a science room located in the high-wind shelter, a common space and gallery to place students’ works.

The entire project will include two or three other packages other than the building renovations and changes, which will include signage, furniture and other interior work such as in the auditorium. Those packages will come to the school board in months ahead.

Bids for the project will be accepted on two days this month, Nov. 19 and Nov. 24. Earlier Tuesday they held a pre-bid that included a large number of businesses interested in taking part in the project. A decision will be made by Dec. 7, and will likely require a special school board meeting to approve of it so construction can begin immediately.

“We’re just as anxious to get started as you are,” said Steve Bennett of Nabholz Construction. “We’re optimistic that we’re well on our way to a good project.”

School board members expressed their excitement at seeing progress through the architects’ designs and the interest of bidders for the project, when in recent months there seemed to be no visible achievements. But Carlson and Bennett said both groups have been busy since the school bond was approved a year ago.

“The pace will quicken from here,” superintendent Bob Beckham said.

The Fort Scott National Historic Site invited members of the Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site organization to a soft opening Thursday evening of a new, interactive exhibit displaying the historical impact of Bleeding Kansas and events that happened in Kansas during that time.

“We’re really excited about it,” said Holly Baker, who joined the staff at the fort just a few weeks ago and got to dive right into the project of putting in the exhibit.

The process of getting the new exhibit began four years ago when they were granted approval for federal funding. They then had to go through the long process of creating designs for the exhibit, which changed several times along the way, and ended with careful editing of each of the videos, audio and scripted portions of the exhibits.

The exhibit includes videos of six individuals representing groups of people during the Civil War era, including slave owners, slaves, Native Americans and others. Visitors may recognize two of the actors in the videos, who are Fort Scott residents.

Baker and fort superintendent Betty Boyko both said the innovative nature of the interactive exhibit could help draw more visitors to the fort, especially from younger generations. Boyko said they decided to use more advanced technology for the exhibit because it could likely be there for a few decades.

“It’s a great addition to the fort,” said Reed Hartford, president of the Friends of Fort Scott NHS, which has been in existence for about five years. “It’s so much nicer. I liked the old exhibit, but it was kind of flat and two-dimensional.”

The Friends of Fort Scott NHS organization assists the fort as a non-profit, non-governmental entity through advertising and with handling of finances, which the fort cannot do as a federal entity.

“Our goal is to support all the activities at the fort,” Hartford said.

In the near future, the exhibit will be officially opened to the public.