Penny Pollack Barnes with daughter, Caroline, at Gunn Park last year. Pollack is taking over coordination duties from Frank Halsey, founder of the annual TriYakAthon, a multi-sport contest. Submitted photo.
Penny Pollack Barnes commented to Frank Halsey, organizer of the annual TriYakAthon at Gunn Park, that he ought to think about getting someone to help organize the event. This comment was in July at the annual bike race that Halsey initiated, called the Marmaton Masacre.
Halsey took her up on the offer.
Since August, Pollack has been helping to get sponsors for the event and getting t-shirts orders, she said.
“Frank does so much for the trails,” Pollack said. “He’s doing the dirty work. I’m doing logistics.”
Currently, Halsey is getting the trails marked for the event that starts at 8 a.m. this Saturday, Oct. 14.
Over the last several years, Halsey mapped out, then built the trails and continually maintains them. He is an avid mountain biker.
Pollack is a runner and has been involved with some of the events that Halsey has organized on the trails.
“I like the multi-sport aspect of the TriYakAthon,” Pollack said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Registration starts at 8 a.m. for the 5th Annual TriYakAthon and the contest start time is 10 a.m.
There are 4 miles of running, 2.5 miles of Marmaton River kayaking, and 6.5 miles of cross-country mountain biking in the TriYakAthon.
Competitors can go solo for $35 or be part of a relay team for $60. Online registration deadline is Thursday, Oct. 12 at 5 p.m. To register, check out their Facebook page.
This year the proceeds from the event will go to a multi-sensory playground at Ellis Park, 1182 E. 12th Street, south of the middle school.
“It will be a special park that kids with disabilities will be able to use,” Pollack said.
The multi-sport event for the TriYakAthon involves running, kayaking and mountain biking. Photo taken from the event Facebook page.
Non-professional Bourbon County photographers of all ages are invited to submit a photo as part of the Gordon Parks Celebration, by Wednesday, Oct. 4.
The photo must be inspired by Park’s poem “Homecoming” and entitled “What Makes Fort Scott Special to Me”, according to a press release from the Gordon Parks Museum.
Monetary prizes of first place, $100; second place, $75 and third place, $50. All photos submitted will be on exhibit during the 14th Annual Gordon Parks Celebration, Oct. 12-14.
Photos must be submitted via email to [email protected]. The file size has a limit of 2MB and must be in JPEG format. Name, address, email and phone number along with the title of their submitted photo must accompany the photo. If under 10 years of age, please include parents information.
It is the photographer’s responsibility to make sure permission is granted to use the photos subject’s image.
For more information email [email protected] or call 620-223-2700, ext. 5850.
The audience listens to leaders of the group, Live Local BB, on Thursday.
Live Local BB is a grass-roots organization that had a public introductory meeting Thursday at Sharkey’s Pub and Grub.
BB stands for Bourbon County and Live Local BB encourages growth of local businesses in the county.
“We want to educate the community on how it benefits the community to live locally,” Geoff Southwell told the group of interested people. “Use local whenever possible. Money stays in the community. It’s creating and maintaining wealth and jobs”
Board member Geoff Southwell addresses a group of interested people Thursday at the initial public meeting of Live Local BB. Board member Melissa Wise listens in the background.
The group’s board members are Cindy Bartelsmeyer, Richard Goldston, Bryan Holt, Dave Lipe, Chris Maycumber, Andy Norris, Angie Simons, Southwell, Rebecca Sutterby and Melissa Wise.
Live Local BB Board Members Rebecca Sutterby, left, and Melissa Wise, facing away, sign in interested attendees at the initial public meeting of the organization.
Live Local BB board members from left: Andy Norris, Dave Lipe, Bryan Holt, Chris Maycumber and Richard Goldston listen as Geoff Southwell addresses the attendees at the initial meeting.
Fort Scott City and Chamber of Commerce officials “have jumped on board with us,” Southwell said.
The City of Fort Scott presented a $500 check to the group Thursday evening at the initial meeting.
To get the word out, the 65 businesses who have joined so far are encouraged to tell about their business on the local radio station.
“There will be 2 to 3 radio spots a day for the first twelve months,” Southwell said. “Talk in microphone, they will edit that. KMDO brings it together and it’s good. Volunteers are needed to get the word out.”
The group also has a Facebook page, Live Local BB.
Live Local BB is a grass-roots organization just formed in Fort Scott to encourage residents to buy from local businesses.
If all goes as anticipated, the recently moved John Deere Tech Program at Fort Scott Community College should have all parts of the facility completed in December.
The facility is located at 2223 S. Horton, formerly the Kansas National Guard Armory.
“They are building a bigger shop for big machinery,” Kent Aikin, one of the program’s two instructors, said Wednesday. A second instructor is Dale Griffiths, hired around one month ago.
The building being constructed is just to the east of the current tech program facility. The general contractor for the project is Tri-State Building, Pittsburg.
The current building is used for instruction on smaller machines and classrooms, Aikin said. The instructor’s offices are housed in this building as well.
The auditorium of the current facility is used for instruction on smaller engines.
“John Deere sends us three to six machines every year, for training purposes,” Aikin said.
Renovation of the current building started a month ago with the addition of new air lines and electrical lines.
Even though all is not completed in the facility, classes began in August with 13 first-year students and 10 second-year students.
Three first-year John Deere Tech Program students work on lessons in a classroom Wednesday.
Students who fulfill all requirements for the program have options of electrical, hydraulic or service advisor certification.
The program’s students must be sponsored by a John Deere dealership, and go through an interview process, Aikin said.
Aikin and Griffiths help the students through the whole process.
“We help locate a dealership to sponsor them,” Aikin said.
“There is a high demand for these jobs,” Aikin said. “The job prospects are good. I’d say over 90 percent have a job waiting for them.”
The move from Frontenac to the repurposed facility on the FSCC campus was precipitated by the selling of the building they were leasing, FSCC Director of Public Relations Heather Browne said.
Students have more accessibility for living in the dorms now, Browne said.
They also have easier accessibility for completing their general education classes, Griffiths said.
An open house for any interested students will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, November 2 and 8 a.m. to noon, Friday, November 3.
Following completion of the new part of the facility in December, a grand opening for the public will be in February, Aikin said.
A whole power-train for a John Deere 8300 tractor is used in instruction during the tech program.
Fort Scott Community College’s Ellis Arts Center is the venue for the 14th annual Gordon Parks Celebration. The Gordon Parks Museum is located in the arts center.
As part of the annual Gordon Parks Celebration
scheduled for October 12-14, at Fort Scott Community College, there will be a “Parks Poetry Out Loud” contest this year. Participants will pick one of seven selected poems written by Gordon Parks and will present it in front of an audience at noon on Friday, October 13 in the Gordon Parks Museum in the Ellis Fine Arts Center on campus.
“I have wanted to do this for years,” said Jill Warford, Gordon Parks Museum Director. “We hope a lot of people take part in the poetry contest, it will be a lot of fun.”
There is no fee to enter and participants will be judged on how they present the poem through voice, diction, and interpretation. Cash prizes will be awarded: first place will win $100; second, $75 and third, $50.
“You don’t have to register to enter,” Warford said. “Just show up.”
It is open to anyone and both students and adults alike, are encouraged to take part, she said. The seven poems are available on the Gordon Parks Museum website: gordonparkscenter.org .
Select poems from the website, then print them out for use, she said.
For more information email [email protected] or by phone call (620) 223-2700, ext. 5850
Poems to choose from are:
MOMMA
by Gordon Parks
Now and then she said things that made my ears frown.
More than likely they were just too young to understand.
“Brush those teeth, and wash your feet before you go to bed.
And stop snoring so loud. You keep everybody awake.”
Pig feet, turnip greens and chitlins put hair on the chest.
My stomach craved apple butter and crackling bread.
It had a mind of its own. It wasn’t looking for hair.
Sunday school was particularly necessary, but not enough.
Reverend Frockcoat’s bland sermons had to sanctify the day.
Some other things stood in my way
Talking too much when I should have listened,
Crying when laughing was better,
Shooting marbles when the cattle needed feed.
Momma’s most relentless warning stuck like claws.
“Son, don’t ever come home blaming your skin’s blackness
For tumbling you downward.
If a white boy can do something worth doing,
Remember you can do it too. When the time comes
Just get out there and do it or forget to come home.”
Much later, long after she was gone,
And swimming in her advice, I’ve tried to keep going,
Going and going.
Down through the years, her warnings helped push clouds away
While sopping tears from stars that insisted on falling.
Yes, it was Momma who spread the checkered tablecloth.
But it was my good fortune to sit down and eat.
Her love filled the space between heaven and hell.
She was a mother beyond all other mothers.
I owe her everything
My breath in the half light of autumn,
For spreading patience when doubt surfaced,
For smiling at the unrest that over took my anxious feet,
For guidance that walked me away from my mistakes,
And for hands that pulled me out of the storms.
Yes, I owe her for these things and many, many more.
So no goodbyes, Momma. The love petals
Falling like rain upon your grave
Are mine all mine.
COME SING WITH ME
By Gordon Parks
Despite the turmoil, anguish and despair
Disrupting the planet we inherited,
There is something good I choose to sing about.
That something lies within us, patiently waiting
Beneath us, above us and around us.
Its peaceful message yearns to fill
Our places of murderous anger and hatred,
To flourish forever.
Hope is the song I have chosen to sing
A deathless song, flowing steadily beside my faith.
Whenever the fist of doubt knocks at my door,
It is powerfully turned away by my hopeful singing.
When things go from bad to worse I still sing my song.
Why not?
It helps me endure the bloodthirsty days.
Once earth’s fire had devoured my hopes.
As my twisted soul slid toward Hell,
Fate came racing from another direction.
Pinned to it was a belt of sun with new instructions.
These, it said, are for you! Suddenly fear was gone.
I made peace with the mean roads I’d walked.
My jackals could now lie down in truce.
From that day on, I began singing the song called Hope.
I still sing it loud
Above the waves, fire, darkness and mud.
From The Huge Silence
by Gordon Parks
The prairie is still in me,
in my talk and manners.
I still sniff the air for rain or snow,
know the loneliness of night,
and distrust the wind
when things get too quiet.
Having been away so long
and changed my face so often,
I sometimes suspect that this place
no longer recognizes me
despite these cowboy boots,
this western hat and
my father’s mustache that I wear.
To this place I must seem
like wood from a different forest,
and as secretive as black loam.
This earth breathes uneasily under my boots.
Their odor of city asphalt
doesn’t mix well with the clean smell
of wild alfalfa and purple lovegrass.
It puzzles me that I live so far away
from our old clapboard house
where, in oak tree shade,
I used to sit and dream
of what I wanted to become.
I always return here weary,
but to draw strength from
This huge silence that surrounds me,
knowing now that all I thought
was dead here is still alive,
that there is warmth here
even when the wind blows hard and cold.
The First Bud
by Gordon Parks
Through winter locked and hungered days,
And during trials of doubtful years,
I walked mistaken roads searching for you.
So when as you say during pillowtalk,
You do not know me,
remember that I am you.
We have been one for thousands of years.
Our love is older than the sky.
That love tremored every windflow
While waiting to be summoned
By a cry, a moan from my heart
That was ablaze with loneliness.
Then, with the silence of a cloud,
It emerged through shadowless mist
and, with pity,
Ripped my outraged soul apart,
Then strung it together with stars
That light your peaceful shade.
Now those nights
That were once without splendor
Dance in on wings that sing.
And the sound of rain
Falling on the roof is joyous.
A Bottle’s Worth of Tomorrow
by Gordon Parks
Time slipped out of my house last night
As I was bringing in the cat.
Angry, worried, frowning,
I went in search of it
Where it lay wrinkled and disgruntled
Behind a stubborn door among thorns.
I knocked and knocked;
The door refused to open.
Time, it finally said, is tired,
And in need of a long rest.
The hours it spent on you
Were far too exhausting
And moved much too slowly.
Remember your running from sky to sky,
With fog falling on you like fire?
The suit my soul wears
Was growing threadbare.
I had eaten salt for supper
And been killed so many times.
I was about to die some more
when the stranger appeared,
Asked me to wait,
handed me a scrap to paper
Then left as quietly as he had come.
He had scribbled his name: Tomorrow.
Wait? Where? For how long?
Distraught, I went toward home,
Worried and frowning even more.
Who was this fellow Tomorrow anyway,
And where was he last night
When time ran out on me?
Later I slept among bad memories.
Having lived in the forest under my scalp,
They knew me well; but I no longer knew them.
I had drowned the worst in waves of skepticism.
But when I awoke to let the cat out
They were stirring inside me, moving as I moved.
I opened the door
and there stood tomorrow,
Grinning, with a sack full of sun, stars
And a little bottle filled with a little more time.
He dropped the sack and then hurried off.
Content, at least for the moment,
I gave a thankful sigh for those signs
That had quietly walked out with my cat.
But after a close look at that little bottle,
It all became clear. No time was left
To wait for myself.
I snatched a bunch of thoughts from the air,
Then I too was off in a hurry.
Homecoming
by Gordon Parks
This small town into which I was born,
has, for me, grown into the largest,
and most important city in the universe.
Fort Scott is not as tall, or heralded
as New York, Paris, or London
or other places my feet have roamed,
but it is home.
Surely I remember the harsh days,
the sordid bigotry and segregated schools
and indeed the graveyard for Black people,
(where my beloved mother and father
still rest beneath Kansas earth).
But recently, the bitterness,
that hung around for so many years seems
to have asked for silence, for escape
from the weariness of those ugly days past.
Thankfully hatred is suddenly remaining quiet,
Keeping its mouth shut! And I’m thankful
For the contentment we lost along the way.
My hope now is that each of us can find
What GOD put us here to find
LOVE!
Let us have no more truck with the devil!
No Apologies
by Gordon Parks
Fate holds no reason to frown at what Providence granted me.
My thanks remain uncountable.
After long talks with my
past I now realize that life held a divine purpose,
For shoving me into places that were as changeable as the wind.
In between the floundering of then and now, the eyes of fate were following me
watching, always watching with
narrowing glances.
Now, having given deep thought to life’s offerings,
I realize everything that happened should have happened.
So my heart lifts praise to a smiling autumn
To those fallen years that no longer exist.
With this, and with no respite, I give thanks
To each dawn,
To each night,
To all the falling and climbing that patiently carried me through unpredictable wanderings.
Crowned in the confusion that hammered my journey,
On Saturday afternoon, the utility pole in front of the library fell into National. Police said it was not hit by a car and the base had just rotted away. The street was blocked with police vehicles and cones while public works employees made sure the wires were not hot.
The Bourbon County Arts Council hosted a Downtown Art Walk Friday evening in downtown Fort Scott, drawing together local artists as well as shoppers and viewers interested in enjoying those items on display.
A collection of photographers, painters, potters and other artists displayed a variety of items in numerous forms, giving Fort Scott residents an opportunity to enjoy and celebrate the arts in their community.
Another Downtown Art Walk will be held July 15. Artists are encouraged to sign up for a booth at the event.
Fort Scott and Bourbon County welcomed the Vinedo del Alamo Winery Friday afternoon with a ribbon-cutting ceremony provided by the Chamber of Commerce, inviting other business owners and community leaders to see the new business.
Located east on Poplar Road north of Fort Scott, the name of the winery is Spanish for poplar vineyard, a tribute to the business and vineyard’s location as well as the owners’ Texas heritage.
Bobby and Denise Duncan have been residents and active members of Fort Scott for several years, but also hold roots in Texas, where Denise grew up and Bobby also lived for a time. But, admitting that vineyards do not grow well in Texas, the Duncans said they looked into starting one in Fort Scott after they purchased land off Poplar.
“I like wine,” Bobby said of his reason for first considering this venture.
Initially, the couple planned to sell the fruit from their vineyard to other wineries and businesses, but none showed interest right away as their product volume is not high at the moment, though Bobby said they look forward to an increase as they move forward.
But instead, the couple looked into opening their own winery, the first official one to open in the area.
“This is the first winery ever in Bourbon County,” chamber of commerce director Lindsay Madison said.
The business’ doors will be open Friday through Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. each week, although it is also open for Labor Day this week. The winery also has an outdoor, covered area with tables and opportunity for live music.
The Duncans requested that visitors sign a guestbook, hoping to get enough signatures to receive highway signage for the business.
The fort again welcomes visitors Monday for its annual Highlights in History event after scores of Fort Scott residents and visitors from out of town visited the national historic site Saturday and Sunday.
Visitors could take part in guided tours, witness musket and artillery demonstrations and visit with participants dressed up as figures from history such as soldiers, officers, laundresses, cooks and physicians.
Those activities and others will be featured again on Monday, including special presentations from the viewpoint of a surviving soldier from the Marais des Cygnes Massacre and how the Bleeding Kansas events affected other areas of the community and its government.
Activities at the fort begin again at 10 a.m. Monday and will continue until 4 p.m.
For just over a month, New Wave Broadband of La Harpe has provided wireless internet services to the Fort Scott area.
“We had a lot of folks who had requested it,” said David Lee, a member of the company that has been run by his family for about 65 years.
First run by his grandfather, Lee’s father now runs the company that expanded from a telephone company with a switchboard in the early 1950s to an internet, cable and cell phone service provider as technology continued to develop. Their business was also one of the first to reach into rural areas of Kansas.
Since receiving an invitation from the city of Fort Scott to come to the area more than six months ago, Lee said they have placed broadband equipment on each of the three water towers in Fort Scott, located near the hospital, middle school and water treatment plant.
Currently, New Wave Broadband can only provide services to those within line of sight of those three water towers. Lee said they plan to increase that reach by constructing a tower near the southwest side of the lake.
“We’re going to be building on what we have now,” Lee said.
So far, Lee said they have received very positive feedback from those in the Fort Scott area they are providing services for.
“The city of Fort Scott has been extremely pleasant to work with and very accommodating,” Lee said, saying the hospital has also worked with them. “Both organizations have really bent over backwards. They’ve been awesome.”
The Bourbon County Conservation District hosted the weekly Chamber Coffee Thursday morning, sharing about their own organization while other entities gave updates on upcoming programs and events.
Board chairperson Kathy Valentine first asked if anyone in attendance knew what the conservation district does, and few did, although just this year the district celebrated its 70th year of existence.
“A lot of people think it’s just about farmers,” Valentine said. “It’s not about farmers, it’s about landowners…We care about water. We care about soil.”
The district sells grass and other seed as well as has different equipment on hand for rent. They also focus on training young members of the community through educational events such as a conservation day at Gunn Park, speech contests and other programs.
Other announcements given for the price of $1 towards Dolly the Trolley included:
Bumps and Bruises clinic will start Saturday, hosted by the Mercy orthopedic department and sports medicine. A sports massage clinic will also be provided for area athletes for $20 for a 15 minute session.
Next Thursday, the Fort Scott National Historic Site will start putting in the almost 7,000 flags for the Symbols of Sacrifice event starting on Sept. 11. Volunteers are welcomed to help with the flags as well as to read names of those killed in the line of duty during the event on Saturday.
This year, the Pioneer Harvest Fiesta will include an auction for machinery or other items on Friday, Sept. 25, at 1 p.m. Those wanting to sell items can participate as well as buyers.
The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes is participating in a seminar workshop for teachers concerning the Civil War and civil rights, in collaboration with the fort on Sept. 19. Two spots remain available.
The Meals on Wheels program for area senior citizens is in need of volunteers who can deliver meals. A route would take about 45 minutes in the mid-morning hours.
The Circles program continues to offer classes each Wednesday evening against poverty in Fort Scott. The program is also looking for volunteers who could serve as mentors with Circles leaders, donating one to four hours a month.
The Fort Scott Police Department and Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office will sponsor a drug take-back event Sept. 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., allowing members of the community to get rid of old prescription drugs and other medications.
In the spring, the Kansas State extension office will participate in a statewide barbecue university program, providing training sessions with meat specialists and others.
City Manager Dave Martin said the city is continuing to look for ways to provide better transportation system in Fort Scott. One area gentleman is interested in starting such a program but is looking for partners.
The Fort Scott Farmers’ Market continues on Saturday, featuring fresh peaches while pumpkin season approaches.
Mercy will be offering a flu vaccine drive-through on Sept. 19, from 8 a.m. until noon, for $25.
The Townwide Garage Sale will occur Sept. 11-12, with registrants welcome through Wednesday if they want their home to be featured on the map that will be distributed.
A naturalization ceremony will be held Sept. 25, at 10:30 a.m.
Fort Scott’s National Historic Site will provide opportunities for members of the community and visitors to learn about the fort’s history through guided tours, but also experience it as volunteers play the roles of soldiers and civilians from the 1840s and ‘50s.
“What better way to learn the history of Fort Scott than to actually see people in period clothing?” park ranger Galen Ewing said. “It allows them to step back in time and use their imagination a little bit.”
The Highlights in History event held Saturday through Monday will display what life during that time period was like, through demonstrations concerning areas of life including medicine, laundry, baking, discipline and politics.
Flintlock musket and artillery demonstrations will also be given all three days. Ewing said that has been especially popular during the annual event and is a favorite of his as well.
“Everybody likes to hear the boom,” Ewing said.
The fort hosts similar events for Fourth of July and Memorial Day as well, using those holidays to share about the military function of the fort and its role in American history.
“It’s tied in to interpreting a little bit of the different military periods that the fort was occupied here,” Ewing said of those events held throughout the year, with the Labor Day event focusing on Bleeding Kansas and the Civil War.
Ewing said they have had a conservative estimate of 500-600 visitors participate over the weekend in the past, though weather plays a key role how many attend. This year, Ewing said he would like to see 1,000 come.
While each event has some similarities, Ewing said they are bringing back some special presentation that had not been offered in years, such as the Blood on the Prairie and Democracy Run Wild presentations on Monday.
Volunteers from the Holmes Brigade, a non-profit, living history organization which includes reenactors from Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and other states, will participate in the weekend as well.
See the schedule below for details on the weekend events.
