Library Hosted Fun At Ellis Center

The Fort Scott Public Library Reading Program filled the lobby of the Ellis Fine Arts Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College Wednesday morning.

Music, dance, reading challenges, crafts, snacks and other fun activities helped the children get ready to set reading goals for themselves for the summer.

Following are snapshots of the morning.

Registering for the morning’s events at the Fort Scott Public Library’s Summer Reading Program kick-off.
Upcoming activities for June at the Fort Scott Public Libary were handed out.

 

A coloring table and snacks were enjoyed by these children.
The reading challenge table.
Air guitar props for photographing children.
Oliver Shelton plays in the pool filled with balls Wednesday morning at the library reading program kick-off.
Children pick out prizes given following the activities at the Fort Scott Public Library Reading Program kick-off Wednesday morning at the Ellis Fine Arts Center at Fort Scott Community College.

 

 

FSCC Construction Trades/Masonry in National Competition

Photo courtesy of Stephanie Potter

Fort Scott Community College students Dylan Giager, from left, Alex Garcia and Pittsburg High School students Coltin Oehme and Wil Jameson qualified for the SkillsUSA National competition after sweeping the SkillsUSA state competition in masonry and carpentry.

 FSCC Construction Trades and Masonry take on SkillsUSA Nationals

Fort Scott, Ks.—Fort Scott Community College Construction Trades and Masonry students head out to Louisville, Ky. to compete in the 54th annual SkillsUSA National competition held on June 25th-29th. Students who placed first at the state level competition earned the chance to take on nationals. FSCC took 13 carpentry students, 3 HVAC students, and 3 masonry students to state and 4 students came out on top; Alex Garcia and Coltin Oehme for masonry, Dylan Giager and Wil Jameson for carpentry.

FSCC sophomore Siarra Clark, who came in second at state, but only by a couple points, says “I was raised around concrete and construction so the program at FSCC was fitting. The competition was a great experience and I hope to compete in something like this in the future.” Siarra took 1st in the hands-on portion of the state competition and 2nd in the written portion, making it 2nd overall.

Pittsburg High School (PHS) senior and now FSCC certified mason Coltin Oehme came in 1st overall at the state level, so he will go on to compete at nationals. Oehme not only came in 1st but was the first one done even with making multiple corrections. “If the design isn’t correct and perfect, it’s an automatic loss,” says Oehme. FSCC Masonry instructor, Nacoma Oehme, Coltin’s cousin, says “Coltin did great at state and we’re looking forward to seeing what he does at nationals…he takes a lot of pride in his work, especially since it’s in the family. We come from a long line of masons. Coltin inspires others to look into masonry as a career choice.”

FSCC carpentry students Dylan Giager (FSCC) and Wil Jameson (PHS) will compete on the carpentry side of SkillsUSA. This is FSCC carpentry’s 7th year to nationals under the supervision of instructor Kim Coates. “You never know who is going to bring who,” says Coates, “Wil Jameson is the first high school sophomore to win gold and go to nationals…I was surprised and very excited.” Brady Newman, FSCC student barely came in 2nd behind Dylan Giager by only 2%, winning him a silver medal. Right behind him was Thomas Mayfield with a bronze medal.

No Switching Allowed Starting June 1

The Bourbon County Clerk’s Office in on the second floor of the courthouse, located at 210 S. National Avenue.

At noon, Friday, June 1 is the filing deadline for candidates interested in serving as a candidate in the upcoming primary election.

Additionally, no switching of political parties is allowed for a period of time starting tomorrow, June 1.

A law passed in 2014 by the Kansas Legislature prohibits Republican and Democratic party members from switching parties during the period of June 1 (at noon) through the  August primary (following certification of election results), according to a public election notice posted by Bourbon County Clerk Kendell Mason.

” You can’t switch from a Republican to a Democrat or vice versa after noon June 1st,” Mason said. “If someone wants to switch parties they need to do this before noon on June 1st or wait until after the August primary.”

A registered voter who is not affiliated with either the  Democrats or Republicans may choose to align with either party at three times:  during this period, or when requesting an advance ballot through the Bourbon County Clerk’s Office or when voting at their polling site during the primary election, according to the public notice.

” An unaffiliated voter can affiliate at any point including on election day, but they will need to fill out a new voter registration card to affiliate,” Mason said. “They will remain the party they affiliated with until they fill out a new voter registration card.”

The primary election is August 7, 2018.

For more information: 620-223-3800.

 

Boiler Room Brewhaus Expands Into Historic Downtowner Hotel

Barbara Ritter, one of the owners of the Brewhaus, shows some of the work being done in the new taproom of the microbrewery.

Boiler Room Brewhaus is expanding. The microbrewery is moving from 102 S. National Avenue to 10 S. National Avenue, the historic Downtowner Hotel.

“We ran out of space,” Ritter said. “Bryan (her husband and the brewer for the business)…didn’t have enough space. (He) couldn’t make it in advance to not run out.”

Bryan Ritter left, and his brother, Dan Ritter, Stillwell, Ks. work on the new bar in the taproom Tuesday morning.

There are additional advantages to the location at the corner of National Avenue and Wall Street, “Two of the busiest streets in Fort Scott,” she said.

“It’s all on one level, more patrons will have easier access, it has handicapped accessible restrooms, visibility is pretty significant and there is a lot more room for cold storage, like a bigger refrigerator. We will now have a refrigerated room to put kegs in…trucks can come up to deliver grain, and more storage,” Ritter said.

The door to the brew room, the former kitchen of the Downtowner Hotel.
The brew room will allow more beer to be made for the microbrewery, Ritter said.

“We’ll be able to make more of our own stuff,” she said. “We’ll have the ability to serve from four more taps. Although, it will take us a while to catch up, because of the move.”

Future plans also include an outside patio area for customers, under the carport on the south portion of the building.

Barbara Ritter shows the area that will be the outside patio space of the microbrewery Tuesday morning.

The Ritters,  she and her sister-in-law Peggy Ritters are the owners, will have a “soft” opening at the new location Friday, June 1 at 4 p.m. “to celebrate with people and say thanks for all your help and support,” she said.

Ritter also wanted to thank Bobby and Denise Duncan for letting them start their business in their building,  Ritter said.

Josh Jones, the owner of the Downtowner building has been repairing and updating the new site for them.

“He’s done all the painting, replaced glass, changed locks, plumbing and took up all the carpet and sanded the floor,” Ritter said.

Charles Corpstein is painting the exterior of the Boiler Room Brewhaus Tuesday morning. He is employed by Josh Jones, he said.

Saturday, June 2 is the public ribbon cutting at 1:45 p.m. just before they open at 2.

Hours for the microbrewery remain Thursday-Friday from 4-10 p.m.

Saturdays from 2 to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 2 to 7 p.m.

Contact them at 620-644-5032.

The old neon sign is being refurbished by Darren Crays, Ritter said.

The Ritters lobbied for a change in local law, so they won’t have to have 30 percent of their profit in food sales at the microbrewery.

Liquor by the drink laws in Kansas from information provided by Ritter.

As of January 2017, 66 counties (shaded in medium pink above) in Kansas require there be 30 percent of profits in food sales on the premises to be able to sell liquor, 33 (light pink) counties don’t have that requirement and six counties (dark pink) are “dry” counties, and have no liquor by the drink.

Currently, Bourbon County requires 30 percent food sales in a business that sells liquor.

“It has been approved to put it on the November 2018 ballot to say you do not need to have 30 percent food sales to sell alcohol,” Ritter said.

 

Obituary For Douglas Duane Bower

Douglas Duane Bower

Douglas Duane “Big Doug” Bower, age 47, a resident of rural Deerfield, Missouri, left this earth for a better place on the other side, Saturday, May 26, 2018, at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas.

He was born November 5, 1970, in Ft. Scott, Kansas, the son of John Henry Bower and Amelia Elizabeth Jones Bower. Doug graduated from Nevada High School. He had been employed by Ward-Kraft and later for the Deerfield Conoco Station. Doug enjoyed nature. He liked hiking and camping and spending time with his family and friends.

Survivors include his parents, John and Amelia Bower, of Deerfield; a sister, Jill Love and husband, Ron, of Deerfield; three brothers, Rick Jones, of Ft. Scott, Jason Bower and wife, Thabena, of Deerfield, and Tony Bower of Clarksville, Tennessee. Also surviving are nieces, Jessica Bower, of Fresno, California, Rebecca Bower, of Clarksville, Tennessee, Alyson Love, of Deerfield, Micala and Preslee Bower, also of Deerfield, Kendria Brown and husband, Jerome, of Norcross, Georgia and Haley Jones of Ft. Scott; and nephews, Josh Jones and wife, Karen, of Ft. Scott, Dustin Jones and wife, Tabitha of Jacksonville, Florida and Quentin, Gavin and Evan Love of Deerfield; six great-nieces, four great-nephews and several aunts, uncles and cousins. Also surviving are his beloved dogs, Dapper Dan and Pete who were like his children.

Following cremation, the family will receive friends from 5 to 7 P.M. Thursday at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Private burial will follow at a later date.

Memorials are suggested to Lee’s Paws & Claws and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

 

Fort Scott Pharmacy Opens

Fort Scott Pharmacy employees, from left, Taylor Cation, pharmacist; Ashley Shelton, technician; Julie Pellett, pharmacist.

Fort Scott Pharmacy, located in the northeast corner of Price Chopper Grocery Store at 2322 S. Main, Suite B, is open for business as of today, May 29. The phone number is 620-644-9444.

Hours of the pharmacy: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; closed from 1:30 to 2 p.m. Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Closed on Sunday.

Hours of the Fort Scott Pharmacy in Price Chopper.

Julie Pellett, one of two pharmacists, worked as the inpatient pharmacist for Mercy Hospital for 16 years.

Taylor Cation, a 2012 graduate of Fort Scott High School and most recently from Kansas University with a degree in pharmacy in 2018, is the second pharmacist.

“Taylor shadowed us at Mercy,” Pellet said. “She was one of my favorite students to do that.”

“I’ll do my boards this summer, by the middle of July I’ll know my results,” Cation said.

Ashley Shelton is the pharmacy technician, with eight years experience working for the former Woods Supermarket pharmacy as a technician.

The pharmacy is located inside the grocery store and has a drive-through window on the north.

The pharmacy is located on the northeast part of the Price Chopper Supermarket building at 2322 S. Main, Suite B.

“We offer personalized care, more flexibility, competitive pricing and friendly service,” Pellet said.

“We offer compounding more than other chain stores,”  she said.

Other services:

  • daily medicine packs, to organize medicine for patients
  • synchronization of all meds to be due and filled at the same time, to avoid several trips
  • auto refilling of prescriptions
  • free delivery
Daily medicine packs make taking multiple prescriptions organized. They are individually packed and dated.

“Stop by to input new patient information, transfer prescriptions or just meet the staff,” Pellett said.

The pharmacy doesn’t sell over the counter medicines, but can assist and advise the public on purchasing the right product, she said.

“However we don’t sell them through the pharmacy,” Pellett said.

The Iola Pharmacy Group is the owner of the pharmacy.

“They’ve been a retail pharmacy for over 40 years,” she said. “We are the only independent pharmacy in Bourbon County.”

The pharmacy has a lease agreement with Price Chopper, she said.

“We are excited to launch our business, “Pellett said. “We’ll be in the Good Ol’Days parade (to let people know they are in business).