As part of the ongoing Riverfront Park project on North National Avenue in Fort Scott, a 30-foot by 50-foot pavilion will be available for public use next spring.

Schenkel Contracting, Fort Scott, will construct the building which will arrive in late October from Lester Building Systems of Minnesota.

“It will be a wooden frame, with commercial scissor trusses, with a steel roof and gable ends,” Schenkel said. “It’s an open concept. It will have electricity and lights.”

The pavilion will be located east of the parking area just inside Riverfront Park in the Belltown Trail area, north of the Marmaton River.

Members of the Fort Scott Bourbon County  Riverfront Authority met Tuesday evening at their regular monthly meeting to discuss this and other items upcoming in the park.

The board envisions this pavilion use for family gatherings or public concerts/meetings, according to Jerry Witt, chairman of the authority board.

The authority board has overseen the $2.2 million project, paid for with no taxpayer money, according to Jeff Sweetser, secretary/treasurer of the group, since 2007.

Reimbursements from Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism were received in the amount of $20,114.02 for expenses on the pavilion and the overlook walkway. The City of Fort Scott provided in-kind labor for the park, which is an 80/20 cost split grant from KWPT.

The overlook will be a  wooden, pentagon-shaped walkway which will be at the intersection of the Marmaton River and Mill Creek in the park. Westar Energy is supplying recycled electric power poles for the overlook construction.

The authority board approved the overlook design from Brian Leaders Design, and discussed adding seating to the overlook walkway.

In other business, the authority board:

• Discussed where information kiosks will be located.
• Was updated on the Mercy Hospice Memorial area, to be located in a wooded section of the park near the river.  It will be circular with benches.
• Learned that the Long Shoals Bridge bid-letting will start in December. The historic Parker Truss Bridge located in northeast Bourbon County will be relocated and restored over the Marmaton River in Riverfront Park.

Community Christian Church and Fort Scott Community College Campus Christians are partnering with Food for the Hungry to provide an opportunity for Fort Scott residents to help with Hurricane Harvey relief efforts by hosting a benefit concert Thursday evening.

The Stars Go Dim concert, with special guest Merci Neff, will be held at Community Christian Church at 7 p.m. Thursday, with tickets available for $10 at the host church and Ruddick’s Furniture.

For details about the event, contact Larry Davenport, 620-224-4310.

Submitted by Heather Browne, FSCC

FSCC to Host Painting and Wreath Classes on Sept. 26

Fort Scott Community College will host the Witches & Wreaths painting and crafts classes 6-9 p.m. Tuesday, September 26, in the Greyhound and Heritage Rooms of the Dick Hedges Administration Building, 2108 South Horton, Fort Scott.

Instructors will show participants how to create a Halloween-themed painting or wreath for their homes. The cost is $20 for one class or $30 for both classes; the fee includes a treat, refreshments and painting or craft supplies. Space is limited for this event. For more information or to preregister, contact Kassie Fugate-Cate, FSCC Admissions Representative, at  [email protected] or 620-223-2700, ext. 3530.

FSCC Volleyball Team to Host Dig Pink Night

The Fort Scott Community College Volleyball Team will host Dig Pink Night to support breast cancer awareness at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 4, at Arnold Arena, 2108 South Horton Street, Fort Scott.

The Dig Pink Rally is an event that brings together volleyball players across the nation to raise funds for breast cancer research, demonstrate the power of teamwork and show support for people with the disease.

Attendees are encouraged to wear pink to the game. The team will also be collecting donations for the Side-Out Foundation, a nonprofit organization that raises funds to support breast cancer research and programs. For more information, please call Lindsay Hill, FSCC Head Volleyball Coach, at 620-223-2700, ext. 7220.

All aboard for “Bus Stop” at FSCC

When a headstrong young rodeo cowboy, unfamiliar with the finer points of courtship, all but kidnaps an attractive nightclub singer intending to haul her back to his ranch in Montana and make her his bride, the last place he wanted to find himself was stuck in a bus stop outside Topeka waiting out a snow storm. But that’s exactly what happens to Bo Decker, the self-proclaimed “prize bronco-buster, steer-roper, and bull-dogger anywhere around,” in William Inge’s modern classic, “Bus Stop.”

The FSCC Theatre Department, under the direction of new instructor Allen Twitchell, will present “Bus Stop,” at 7:30 p.m., October 5-7, at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center. Admission will be free.

“I wanted to fold our fall production into the Homecoming Week celebration, and I felt this play was a perfect fit because of its timeless subject matter—the pursuit of love—as well as its name recognition and the connection to our outstanding rodeo program,” Twitchell said. “It just seemed to be calling to me.”

Playing the role of Bo is sophomore Royce White, from Shawnee, while sophomore Stephanie Rice, from Fort Scott, plays Cherie, the unwilling object of Bo’s affection. Also in the ensemble cast are sophomore Jackie Neher, from Lamar, Mo., as Grace, the savvy owner of the bus stop’s restaurant; freshman Hannah Casner, from Mound City, as Elma, a naïve young waitress; sophomore Jared Oshel, from Princeton, as Will Masters, the stern-but-fair sheriff; freshman Jesse Cooke, from Redfield, as Carl, the bus driver with an eye for Grace; freshman Sammy Jamison, from Pittsburg, as Virgil, Bo’s older, more wise-to-the-world sidekick; and Harold Hicks, FSCC English instructor, as Dr. Gerald Lyman, a former college professor conflicted by his attraction to alcohol and young girls.

“Inge was masterful at representing the myriad of emotions and complications of the male-female relationship,” Twitchell said. “This play deals with a variety of romantic entanglements—Bo-Cherie, Carl-Grace, and Dr. Lyman-Elma—from the perfectly natural to the intentionally uncomfortable.”

Serving as understudies are freshman Payton Boswell, from Pittsburg; transfer Natalie Cable, from Dallas, Texas; sophomore Paulette Hays, from Perry; sophomore Kartis Leal, from Denver, Colo.; and freshman Peyton Quick, from Fort Scott.

The stage manager is sophomore Linda Shinkle, from Fredonia, with Leal serving as shop foreman and chief of the set crew. Also assisting with the production are freshman Katelynn Coe, from Linn Valley; freshman Ka’Si Gates, from Bronson; sophomore Ashley Lockwood from Fort Scott; sophomore Kaitlan Palmer, from Mulberry; and Abby Cooke, from Redfield.

Gordon Parks Celebration to feature Poetry Out Loud

The Gordon Parks Celebration, scheduled for October 12-14, at Fort Scott Community College, will feature the Parks Poetry Out Loud contest. Participants will pick one of seven selected poems written by Gordon Parks and present it in front of an audience at noon on Friday, October 13, in the Gordon Parks Museum on the FSCC campus.

There is no fee to enter the contest, and participants will be judged on how they present the poem through voice, diction and interpretation. It is open to everyone—students and adults alike are encouraged to take part. Cash prizes will be awarded to first ($100), second ($75), and third place ($50) winners.

“This is a new event for the Gordon Parks Celebration, and this type of event is often called a poetry slam,” said Jill Warford, Gordon Parks Center Director. “Anyone who likes to read and interpret poetry will enjoy this. We picked seven of Gordon’s poems that vary in their subject matter.”

The poems include “Momma,” “Come Sing with Me,” “From the Huge Silence,” “The First Bud,” “A Bottle’s Worth of Tomorrow,” “Homecoming,” and “No Apologies.” The seven poems are available on the Gordon Parks Museum website at gordonparkscenter.org.

For more information, email [email protected] or call 620-223-2700, ext. 5850.

Submitted by Bridget Mann, FSNHS

Recruits in the modern U.S. Army are known as “Army Strong.” At Fort Scott National Historic Site, we are looking for a few good recruits to become “Artillery Strong.” We want you to join a School of Artillery for anyone aged 16 and above. The training will take place on Saturday, September 23, 2017.

During the program, site staff will train you in military deportment, marching and maneuvers related to the army presence at Fort Scott in the 1840s. The highlight though, will be the firing of the cannon. Those in attendance will receive instruction as “cannoneers.” The instructor will walk you through each position on the artillery crew and teach you to perform your duties with “speed and accuracy.” At the end of the training day, participants will then fire the cannon for the public.

We are looking to expand the ranks of our volunteer artillery crew. If you go through this training and meet all other qualifications, you will be able to participate on the cannon crew and take part in future artillery demonstrations at Fort Scott NHS.

The program will begin at 8:30 a.m. on September 23, and go through 4 p.m. that day. Participants will check in at the visitor center and then dress out in period clothing for the day’s activities. In addition to artillery training, those in attendance will also receive a guided tour of the site and be part of a flag retreat ceremony.

Registration is now underway. To register for this program, call 620-223- 0310. You must be 16 years or older to participate. If you are below the age of 18, a parental permission is also required. Space is limited to 10 people, so call now to reserve your spot.

Art, dinner, and a movie is the way The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes celebrated their tenth anniversary Thursday evening.

“We are at the top of the second inning of what we want to accomplish,” Founder Lowell Milken told the audience about the future of the center.

At the exhibition gallery, at Wall and Main Streets, the founder and staff showcased six ArtEffect Project winners and four new Unsung Hero Exhibits.

Later, dinner in the courtyard of the Liberty Theater happened to be on a perfect Kansas weather evening, with temperatures in the 70s.

Local author and retired Fort Scott teacher, Cathy Werling, was showcased  with her  new children’s book “Why Did Grandpa Cry?”

Since her retirement a few years back, Werling has been employed by the center.

One thing led to another and Werling was asked to write a children’s book about some of the unsung heroes.

“I saw this as an opportunity to move this (story) down to their level of understanding,” Werling said.

“Why Did Grandpa Cry?” is about Unsung Heroes Ken Reinhardt and Ann Williams,  who were a part of the American story of desegregation in the late 1950s.

It is first in a series of 12 children’s books that Werling has been asked to write about unsung heroes.

Books can be purchased through the center and other online sources.

“If purchased through the center, it’s matched by the Lowell Milken Family,” she said. Those funds help the local center.

A documentary film “Teach Us All”  by Sonia Lowman followed the dinner.

Lowman is director of Communications for the Lowell Milken Family Foundation in Santa Monica, Calif.

She came to Milken with an idea about racial inequality, Milken said.

The film was created to “inspire and activate young people to understand the legacy of The Little Rock Nine and why they need to act on that legacy,” Lowman said.

The film also focuses on the need to support teachers and schools, she said.

The film will debut on Netflix on September 25, which marks the 60th anniversary of The Little Rock Nine desegregation battle.