The Thursday evening parade kicks off the 61st annual Pioneer Harvest Fiesta and the numerous events involved in the weekend event at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds.
Starting with the downtown parade at 6 p.m. Thursday, other events continue Friday through Sunday, including a quilt show, tractor pulls, an arts and crafts show, a bean feed and a number of demonstrations with old crushers, balers and other equipment that have been restored by local and out-of-town participants.
“Lots of activities going on,” organizer Allen Warren says of the weekend event.
Weekend admission costs $5 and includes all three days of activities and the bean feed Friday evening.
Submitted by: Carla Nemecek, Southwind Extension District Director
4-H members from the Southwind Extension District excelled at the annual Kansas 4-H Livestock Sweepstakes event August 1-20 in Kansas State University’s Weber Hall.
Photo Credit: KState Extension. (From left to right): Carla Nemecek, Southwind District Director & Coach; Haydon Schaaf, Gavin Fry, Ryann Allison, Clay Brillhart, Brody Nemecek, Jillian Keller, Danielle Nading and John Emmerson.
Participants from the Southwind Extension District were John Emmerson, Danielle Nading, Ryann Allison, Jillian Keller, Clay Brillhart, Haydon Schaaf, Brody Nemecek, Kolby Seested and Gavin Fry representing 4-H Clubs from Allen and Bourbon Counties.
4-H members gained new knowledge and worked on livestock skills in order to be competitive in the Sweepstakes event which consisted of four contests. Southwind Extension District completed the weekend by being named the 2017 Reserve Champion Kansas State 4-H Sweepstakes Team. Top ten individual Sweepstakes winners for Southwind were John Emmerson, 7th; Haydon Schaaf, 5th; and Gavin Fry 4th.
The Livestock Quiz Bowl started with a qualifying exam. The eight teams with the highest average scores advanced to the quiz bowl competition. Southwind #1 (Seested, Fry, Schaaf, Nemecek) was seeded first after the test and was later named the Champion Quiz Bowl team after the head-to-head matches. Southwind #2 (Nading, Keller, Brillhart, Allison) also scored well on the quiz and advanced to the competition, but lost to the Sunflower District in the first round.
The Livestock Judging contest consisted of nine judging classes and four sets of reasons. Southwind #1 (Emmerson, Nading, Fry, Seested) was 4th in Sheep/Goats; 2nd in Swine; 5th in Cattle and 2nd in Reasons and named Reserve High Team Overall. Southwind #2 (Brillhart, Schaaf, Keller, Nemecek) was 1st in Sheep/Goats; 4th in Swine; 3rd in Reasons and named 3rd Team Overall. Individually, Clay Brillhart was 5th in Sheep/Goats; Gavin Fry was 8th in Reasons; Jillian Keller was 4th in Sheep/Goats; Brody Nemecek was 1st in Sheep/Goats, 3rd in Reasons, and 8th Overall; Danielle Nading was 10th in Swine and 18th Individual Overall; and John Emmerson was 2nd in Sheep/Goats, 1st in Swine, 3rd in Cattle, 4th in Reasons, and High Individual Overall. As the Reserve State Champion Livestock Judging Team, Southwind District will represent Kansas 4-H at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colo. next January.
The Meats Judging contest was based on identification of 30 retail cuts, six placings classes and three sets of reasons. Haydon Schaaf was named 2nd in Retail ID and 5th Individual Overall; Gavin Fry was 7th Individual. Southwind #1 (Schaaf, Fry, Seested, Nemecek) was 2nd in Reasons, 2nd in Retail ID and 3rd Team Overall.
In the Livestock Skillathon, 4-H members rotated individually through stations that addressed six areas of animal science. Those included feedstuffs, breed identification, equipment identification, meat identification and a written test. There was also a team component where members worked together on judging a class of keep/cull meat goat does, reading a medicine label, and determining body condition scoring of breeding gilts. Individually John Emmerson was 9th Overall and Gavin Fry was 6th Overall. As a team, Southwind #2 (Emmerson, Fry, Seested, Nemecek) was 4th in Exam, 3rd in Practicum and 2nd Overall. Southwind #2 (Nading, Schaaf, Keller, Brillhart) was 4th Team Overall.
Having fun while learning was part of the weekend! In addition to the Call Hall ice cream social, team members caught up with old friends and made new ones.
Photo caption: Nine 4-H members had the opportunity to represent the Southwind Extension District at the annual Kansas 4-H Livestock Sweepstakes at Kansas State University. Their skills and knowledge were challenged by participating in Livestock & Meats Judging, Livestock Quiz Bowl and Livestock Skillathon contests. Those attending were (from left to right): Carla Nemecek, Southwind District Director & Coach; Haydon Schaaf, Gavin Fry, Ryann Allison, Clay Brillhart, Brody Nemecek, Jillian Keller, Danielle Nading and John Emmerson.
The 2017/2018 grant applications for the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation are due by August 29.
2016 Grant Recipients
Nonprofits such as churches, governmental entities or organizations with a 501c3 status are encouraged to apply. Applications are available on the FSACF website or may be picked up in person at the Chamber of Commerce, 231 E. Wall.
Acceptance and declination letters will be mailed on Tuesday, October 24. Grants will be awarded at the Foundation’s Chamber Coffee held in the Landmark Bank lobby at Third and Main at 8 a.m. on Thursday, November 2.
The Bourbon County Commission accepted the budget for the fiscal year of 2018 Tuesday, giving raises to employees without raising the mill levy.
“I think it’s a good budget,” said Terry Sercer, certified public accountant for Diehl Banwart Bolton. “You guys worked hard on it this year.”
The commissioners spent the past couple months accepting budget requests from county departments, trying to see where money could be saved while also trying to provide competitive wages for their employees.
The commissioners settled on giving all hourly employees a 75 cents per hour raise, while officers of the Sheriff’s Office received a $1.75 per hour raise. These raises will go into effect in January.
“We’ve raised it to where it’s competitive,” commissioner Lynne Ohara said, specifically of the sheriff’s department wages, which he said are now caught up to the average wages of surrounding counties as recorded as recently as 2015.
With the higher wages, the commissioners said they hope to save money in the long run through the retention of employees, preventing the need to train new officers or pay for overtime if they become shorthanded.
Overall, the county has fewer employees than in past years, which has also allowed the commissioners to save funds. The county also did not include potential revenue from the new law enforcement center such as if cells are leased for inmates from other counties.
The commissioners said the county continues to have a need for new industry and jobs, though the current focus on economic development and the positive housing market has had a positive impact.
“A lot of good things are happening,” commissioner Jeff Fischer said.
Event benefits the local mission of Wreaths Across America to Remember, Honor, Teach
Submitted by Kevin Wagner
This Saturday, a local fundraising group for national nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) will host a motorcycle ride in support of the organization’s mission. The 5th Annual Fort Scott Wreath Ride will raise money to sponsor fresh balsam wreaths that will be placed on veterans’ headstones at the cemetery this December.
The Annual Wreath Ride is the local WAA fundraising group’s biggest event of the year. Last year, the Wreath Ride consisted of 184 motorcycles, raising enough money to sponsor 3,600 wreaths – covering more than half of the 5,600 headstones at Fort Scott Cemetery.
“The Wreath Ride started as an effort to raise awareness for our mission, and has grown into one of the biggest events of the year in our community,” said Kevin Wagner, WAA local volunteer coordinator for Fort Scott Cemetery. “Every year, we are able to sponsor more wreaths than the last – our goal this year is to raise enough money to honor every veteran buried here.”
The Wreath Ride will take place on Saturday, August 26, at 11 a.m. and will begin at Buck Run Community Center in Fort Scott, Kan. Registration is open 9 – 10:30 a.m., kickstands up at 11 a.m. All proceeds from the event go toward wreath sponsorships – every $15 donated sponsors one wreath that will be placed at Fort Scott Cemetery on National Wreaths Across America Day – Saturday, December 16.
“Each donation is a meaningful gift from a Wreath Ride participant or supporter who knows what it means to serve and sacrifice for the freedoms we all enjoy,” said Karen Worcester, executive director of WAA. “We are so grateful to the community of Fort Scott for hosting this event and for continuing to spread our mission to Remember, Honor and Teach.”
The event is sponsored by dozens of locally-based businesses, including Joplin, Missouri-based truckload carrier, CFI. CFI donated money toward Wreath Ride apparel and will send employee representatives as well as the company’s military-branded trailer to the event.
“The Wreaths Across America mission speaks volumes to us as a company,” said Tim Staroba, president of CFI. “Many of our drivers are veterans themselves, and they appreciate the opportunity to be involved in the national effort to remember our nation’s heroes every holiday season, and year-round.”
For more information about the 5th Annual Wreath Ride, or to participate, please visit www.FortScottWreathRide.com.
National Wreaths Across America Day is a free event, open to all. For more information, to donate or to sign up to volunteer, please visit www.WreathsAcrossAmerica.org.
Fort Scott Community College will host the Boards & Bites painting class from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, August 29, in the Student Union, located in Bailey Hall, 2108 South Horton, Fort Scott.
An instructor will show participants how to create fall-themed décor for their homes. The cost is $20 per person and includes a treat, refreshments and painting supplies. Space is limited for this event. To preregister, contact Kassie Fugate-Cate, FSCC Admissions Representative, at [email protected] or 620-223-2700, ext. 3530.
Mostly clear skies gave Fort Scott residents an opportunity to view the total solar eclipse Monday, as the American eclipse made its way across the entire continental United States.
The last time such an eclipse was seen in the U.S. was in 1918. Fort Scott was able to view the eclipse Monday at 96 percent, as the path of totality passed by only about 100 miles north of the county. That percentage was enough to cause the normal daylight to dim as the eclipse reached its peak just after 1 p.m.
The Fort Scott National Historic Site provided eclipse information and activities for visitors Monday, showing them how to safely view the eclipse with special glasses or through other safe means.
The Mercy Health Foundation Fort Scott will receive a $2,000 matching fund checks from the Modern Woodmen of America on Tuesday, Aug. 22, at 10 a.m. in the Mercy Hospital main lobby.
Jolynne Mitchell and Scott Gander from Modern Woodmen will present the check to Mercy Health Foundation Board Members and Hit the Bricks event planners Jared Leek, Jessica Schenkel and Darcy Smith.
The $2,000 was pledged in May to the foundation by the Modern Woodmen of America as a corporate sponsorship for the Hit the Bricks Wine Stroll, Art Walk and Blane Howard Concert. In the sponsorship agreement, the Mercy Health Foundation needed to net a minimum of $2,000 in event proceeds to receive the matching $2,000.
Proceeds from the Hit the Bricks event totaled $11,883 prior to the $2,000 check to be presented by the Modern Wooden of America.
The Mercy Health Foundation Fort Scott is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization which raises money and community awareness for Mercy Hospital. It is dependent on the support of individuals, corporations and foundations to help Mercy meet community health care needs. Mercy Health Foundation invests its philanthropic support in facilities and the advancement of technologies and programs to enhance Mercy’s ability to provide excellence in health care.
Willard Dale “Bill” Good, age 86, a resident of Fort Scott, Kan., passed away Tuesday, August 15, 2017, at his home.
He was born December 2, 1930, in Elkhart, Ind., the son of Jacob Good and Ada Grace Christophel Good. Bill graduated from Elkhart High School and later attended Arlington State University in Arlington, Texas. He served with the United States Air Force from 1950 to 1954 and continued to serve as a reserve officer. Following his military service, he worked as a pilot for Eastern Airlines from 1965 to 1988. He became a Captain in 1981. Bill married Rosalyn Arnold Avery on August 31, 1984, in Las Vegas, Nev. They made their home in Houston, Texas, prior to moving to Fort Scott in 1999. While in Fort Scott, Bill drove Dolly the Trolley for eight and a half years. He enjoyed sharing the history of Fort Scott with the many tourists. He also enjoyed photography and antique cars as well as NASCAR. He was a member of the St. John’s United Methodist Church. For the last three and a half years, he has battled pulmonary fibrosis.
Survivors include his wife, Rosalyn, of the home; his children, Darrell Good of Marietta, Ga., and his two children, Devon and Andrea Good, and two great-grandchildren of Atlanta, Ga.; Eric Avery, of
Point Harbor, N.C., and his daughters, Amy Chewning and husband Scott Chewning, of Chesapeake Bay, Va., and their children Landon and Chloe; Ashley Bravo and husband, Gregg Bravo, of Grandy, N.C., and their children Ava and Adrian; Benjamin Avery, of Bandera, Texas, and his children, Cheri Wright and husband, Anthony and their daughter Lily of Joplin, Mo., Samantha Adams and husband, Kyle Adams, and their daughter, Rosalyn, of Fort Scott, and Joel Avery, of Shawnee, Kan.; and Brent Avery and wife, Angela, of Bastrop, Texas, and their children, Justin Avery of Blue Springs, Mo., Amanda Avery of Durango, Colo., and Lindsey and Blake Avery of Bastrop, Texas. Also surviving are two sisters, Doris Good, of Bloomington, Ill., and Melba Good, of Denver, Colo.; and a brother, Truman Good, of Spencer, Tenn., as well as many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Maynard Good.
Pastor Tom Mullins will conduct funeral services at 10 a.m. Monday, August 21, at the St. John’s United Methodist Church. Burial will follow in the U. S. National Cemetery where military honors will be provided by the Olson Frary Burkhart Post #1165 Veterans of Foreign Wars. Memorials are suggested to Feeding Families, Mercy Hospice or the St. John’s United Methodist Church 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 guest book at cheneywitt.com.
Submitted by: Carla Nemecek, Southwind Extension District
Can you count the ways Agriculture touches your life? When you wake up in the morning, you are lying on cotton sheets. You swing your feet onto the floor either made of wood, a rug made of wool or flooring made from linseed or soybean soil. The soap in the shower contains tallow (a by-product of the beef industry) and toothpaste has glycerin in it. The towel you dry off with and the jeans and t-shirt you put on are made from cotton. You have already used dozens of agricultural products, and you haven’t even started eating!
For these everyday reasons and more, agriculture education is too important a topic to be taught only to the small percentage of students considering careers in agriculture and pursuing vocational agricultural studies. Throughout my Extension career, I have spent time in elementary classrooms teaching about agriculture in a variety of ways. When I ask the students “Does chocolate milk come from a brown cow or a white cow?” the answer is most always the same – “A brown cow!” Although this might give most of us a chuckle, the answer really tells us that agriculture education should be a high priority and it should start with our children. Locally, 4-H and FFA members are educating our youth through various initiatives like Day at the Farm and Earth Day. They cooperate with other organizations such as Farm Bureau, Extension, Conservation District and Wildlife & Parks to demonstrate how agriculture and livestock are important to our everyday lives. We are all fortunate to live in communities where folks still care about agriculture and a rural lifestyle.
With a growing population and a demand to feed nine billion by the year 2050, the agriculture industry needs talented, driven and passionate youth willing to make a commitment to agriculture. Many of these individuals will not have the production background I was privileged to experience while growing up. The next generation will have to gain knowledge and try to understand the depth of the industry through programs in 4-H, FFA and collegiate agriculture courses where hands-on learning is critical to developing the skills necessary to feed the world. Make no mistake, there is tremendous opportunity for careers in agriculture, including banking, energy, food science, education, research and engineering, and I hope you will continue to support those organizations who promote and support agricultural endeavors in our communities.
Southwind Extension District is proud to help educate our youth on the values and importance involved in the agriculture lifestyle. Through participation in 4-H activities like livestock judging, learning how to weld, or even how to grow plants in the garden – the youth in Allen, Bourbon and Neosho Counties are preparing themselves for how to feed the next generation. For more information on how you can become involved in the Southwind District, find us on the web at www.southwind.ksu.edu
“I have never learned anything with my mouth open.” So reads the sign on the office wall of our friend, Howard, who shared that ditty with us this past week. Although clever, I disagree. I have learned great lessons with my mouth open: mainly, that I can be a fool.
Like a few days ago. I was in Wichita, Kan., for a baseball tournament with my husband and three sons. For a week our lives were scheduled for us, thanks to organizers Brent and Jenny Hall and their adult daughter, Haleigh, who kept us informed of schedule changes, etc.
On Friday evening the family members were to meet in the lobby at 5:45 p.m. for a scheduled 6 p.m. bus departure to the ballgame. I was there. Alone. I texted my daughter-in-law, Jenn, who said the group text showed a time change to 6:30. She suggested that I ask Haleigh to put me on her group text so that I would get the announcements. That’s what I did.
Immediately my phone lit up with rapid-fire texts from the other wives. “Do you have an extra hat I can have?” “I will meet you at the game. Don’t look for me on the bus.” “Can I get extra tickets for friends coming into town?” You get the picture. Jenn suggested I ask to be removed from the group text. Good idea. I texted Haleigh to make that request.
On Sunday morning, I found out that friends from Fort Scott were coming to the game, and since Haleigh’s number was still in my contact list, I texted her to ask for tickets. Her response? “Sorry, but you were removed from this group. Maybe you should ask someone in the group to add you again!”
I read it again.
EXCUUUUUSE me? And what’s with the exclamation point?
I re-read the response.
Well, EXCUUUUUSE me again! After trying to get Dave as upset as I was (never happen), I responded. “I asked to be removed because I realized most of it wasn’t any of my business. I didn’t know I needed to be in the group to ask for tickets. No worries.”
Still, I stewed, waiting for Haleigh’s apology. I would have to tell Jenn so she never again suggested someone be removed from Haleigh’s elite little group. Before making that call, our son Jeff dropped by our hotel room. I sought his empathy, a waste of time since that male apple didn’t fall too far from that uncompassionate tree. “Mom, that doesn’t sound like Haleigh. What number do you have?”
Not the right one, as it turned out. The one I used was for the group text which sent out an automated reply to people outside the group. When Jeff gave me Haleigh’s private number and I made the call to the right number, she couldn’t have been more helpful. Jeff wasn’t finished. “Wow, Mom, why did you assume the worst?”
Because I’m good at it would have been the honest answer. Of course, I didn’t say that. I attempted to defend my actions, in which case both the tree and the apple would have none of it.
Relationships have been ruined when assumptions are made. Someone doesn’t answer my email or is short-answered with a text reply or doesn’t invite me to their dinner party or…
Proverbs 25:8 (MSG) simplifies the way I am to think when my feelings are hurt: “Don’t jump to conclusions – there may be a perfectly good explanation for what you just saw.”
Otherwise, my assumption becomes my truth which leads to an ugly response which results in broken relationships…or, in one case, war.
Next week we will look at a Biblical example of how close that came to happening.
Patricia Marylyn Layton, age 84, former resident of Fort Scott, Kan., died Wednesday, August 16, 2017, at Medicalodges of Girard, Kan.
She was born January 12, 1933, in Twin Oaks, Mo., the daughter of George Schwanz and Aline Wilkinson-Killion. She married Orville Layton, on July 1, 1963, in Fort Scott. He preceded her in death on September 9, 1980. She worked for Western Insurance Company for over 25 years and then Wal-Mart until her retirement. Pat enjoyed being outside working in the yard. She liked attending the Opry at Memorial Hall, bus trips with Citizens Bank, collecting doves, and reading Guidepost. She had a special place in her heart for her two dogs. In earlier years, she enjoyed traveling to threshing bees with her family. She was a member of the Grace Baptist Tabernacle.
Survivors include her children, Susan Thurman and husband Dan, Girard, Kan., and Kent Layton and wife Tiffany, Kansas City, Kan.; step-son Deryl Layton, Fort Scott; a brother, Clyde Killion, Fort Scott; three sisters, Cecilia Kramer, Barbara Freer, and Frances Bowles, all of Fort Scott; six grandchildren, Trinity Watkins, Hailey Watkins, Cody Layton, Ella Layton, Caleb Thurman and Ty Thurman; and numerous nieces and nephews. Besides her husband, she was preceded in death by a brother, David Schwanz, and her parents.
Rev. Paul Rooks will conduct funeral services at 2:30 p.m. Monday, August 21, at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Burial will follow in the Clarksburg Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 3 until 5 Sunday afternoon at the Chapel. Memorials are suggested to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, P.O. Box 347, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
