What’s Happening in Fort Scott?

Submitted by the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

7-8
Livestock Sale – Fort Scott Livestock Market, 2131 Maple Rd., 10am-5pm
7-8
50-min. narrated Trolley Tours of Historic Fort Scott on the hour from 11am-4pm leaving from the Convention & Visitors Bureau at 231 E. Wall St., $6 adults, $4 children 12 and under, last tour leaves at 3pm.
7
Employees of Walmart are hosting a Pulled Pork Sandwich Dinner at Buck Run Community Center to benefit Children’s Miracle Network, goes until 8pm!
7
Friday Night Concert in the Park featuring the Takin’ Notes Band – Heritage Pavilion, 1st & Main St., downtown, 7-8pm, rain location is Common Ground Coffee Co.
8
KS Rocks Recreation Park Adopt-A-Trail work day. AAT groups take a day to show pride in their park and help with some trail maintenance.
8
Farmers’ Market – Skubitz Plaza, downtown, 8am-12pm

 8
Equipment Consignment Auction at 10am. There will be a preview day September 7th from 10am-5pm. Independence Auction Co. is accepting consignments as in tractors, combines, hay equipment, planters, seeders, trailers, backhoes, and loaders. For more information, you may visit iauctionco.com or call 417-313-0221

8
Downtown Ladies’ Night, Papa Don’s Pizza is pairing up with The Boiler Room to experience a local evening out with your bestie! Meet at Papa Don’s in the Celebration Room no later than 5 pm and then YOU get to create your own pizza. As the pies are cooking walk over to BRB and enjoy one glass of wine, beer, or a soda pop. Dinner will be served at 6 pm and cost is $10.00.  Call Papa Don’s at 620-223-4171 with questions or more info.

10
USD 234 Board of Education Meeting – Board of Education, 424 S. Main St, 5:30-6:30pm

11 Story Time – Fort Scott Public Library, 201 S. National Ave., 10-11am
11 Kiwanis Meeting – FSCC Heritage Room, 2108 Horton St., 12-1pm
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T.O.P Meeting – Buck Run Community Center, 735 Scott Ave., 4-5pm

11
Farmers’ Market – Skubitz Plaza in downtown Fort Scott, 4-6pm
11 Historic Preservation Association of Bourbon County Meeting – Old Congregational Church, 7-8pm
11 Breakfast Bingo at Buck Run Community Center – 735 Scott Ave., 9-10am
12 Story Time – Fort Scott Public Library, 201 S. National Ave., 10-11am
12 Rotary Meeting – Presbyterian Church, 308 S. Crawford St., 12-1pm
12
Understanding and Responding to Challenging Behaviors – Remote Learning Series on the education of Alzheimer’s, Mercy Hospital, 402 Woodland Hills Blvd., 12:30-1:30
12 Adult Coloring Program – Fort Scott Public Library, 201 S. National Ave., 2-4pm
12 TAG – Teen Advisory Group – Fort Scott Public Library, 201 S. National Ave., 4-5pm
13 Chamber Coffee – City of Fort Scott Municipal Airport, 932 187th Terrace, 8am

13
Kiwanis Pioneer Club – FSCC Heritage Room, 12-1pm
13
Thursday Card Players – Buck Run Community Center, 6-9pm
Fort Scott National
Historic
Site
PROUDLY SHOW YOUR PATRIOTISM: FLY THE FLAG EFFORTLESSLY! The Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site Inc. announce a new project to benefit programming at Fort Scott National Historic Site that also honors our country and beautifies our city. The Friend’s U.S. Flag Project provides homeowners and businesses, within the city limits of Fort Scott, the opportunity to fly the Stars and Stripes on five different flag holidays without the hassle of purchasing, erecting, and storing a flag and pole. You don’t even have to remember the holiday!
For $35 annually, the Friends will install a 3’x5′ flag on a 10 foot staff at your home or business on each of the following Flag Holidays in 2019:
Memorial Day, May 27th
Flag Day, June 14th
Fourth of July, July 4th
Labor Day, September 2nd
Veteran’s Day, November 11th
Sign up by October 1, 2019 and you will also get Veteran’s Day 2018 included in the offer–SIX DAYS for the price of FIVE!!! Agreements can be obtained at the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce or can be downloaded from the Friends website. Contact Kelley Collins at 417-684-2484 or Martha Scott at 620-224-9924 for further information. All proceeds support programs at Fort Scott National Historic Site. These include: Symbols of Sacrifice, a Citizenship Ceremony, Candlelight Tour, Youth Engagement, and many others.
Show your patriotism and help our local National Park by lining the streets of Fort Scott with our nation’s symbol! The U.S. Flag Project is a yearly project sponsored by the Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site. Once signed up, you will receive the option to renew annually.
14-15
Livestock Sale – Fort Scott Livestock Market, 2131 Maple Rd., 10am-5pm
14-15
50-min. narrated Trolley Tours of Historic Fort Scott on the hour from 11am-4pm leaving from the Convention & Visitors Bureau at 231 E. Wall St., $6 adults, $4 children 12 and under, last tour leaves at 3pm.

14
Art Walk hosted by the Bourbon Co. Arts Council – Liberty Theatre Patio, 113 S. Main St., 5-8pm
If you are interested in being a vendor contact Debbie Anderson at [email protected] or call 620-224-8650
14
Friday Night Concert in the Park – Heritage Park Pavilion, 1st & Main St., downtown Fort Scott, 7-8pm
Bring your lawn chair and enjoy this free live event!

15 Farmers’ Market – Skubitz Plaza, downtown, 8am-12pm
15 Special Olympics Fundraiser Scramble – Woodlands Hills Golf Course, 8am registration, 9am shotgun start
15 Art in the Yard hosted by Bobbi Kemna – 1366 215th St. just north of Fort Scott, 10am

Will feature all forms of Art (no crafts) – Paintings, Pottery, Jewelry, Art, Fabric Art; Live music by Matt Harper of Nevada, MO; BBQ from KC; FSHS Thespians selling beverages; dessert table; and kettle corn

16 Fairy Garden Workshop at Redbud Farms and Nurseries – Use your imagination to create a whimsical, miniature garden for your fairy friends! Container, soil, plants, top dressing, and materials to construct fairly furniture will be provided, along with face-painting and a snack! Boys and girls, along with adults are sure to enjoy this magical afternoon! Pre-registration is required at 620-215-1811 or [email protected]. This is a $25 fee.
17 Chamber Board Meeting – Papa Don’s, 12-1pm
17 FSCC Board of Trustees Meeting – FSCC Heritage Room, 5:30-6:30pm
17 Book Club – The book: A River in Darkness: One Man’s Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa and Risa Kobayashi, 7-8pm
18
Story Time – Fort Scott Public Library, 201 S. National Ave., 10-11am
18 Kiwanis Meeting – FSCC Heritage Room, 2108 Horton St., 12-1pm
18 Community Bingo at Country Place Senior Living located at 820 S. Horton St., 2-4pm
18
T.O.P Meeting – Buck Run Community Center, 735 Scott Ave., 4-5pm

18
Farmers’ Market – Skubitz Plaza in downtown Fort Scott, 4-6pm
18 City Commission Meeting – City Hall, 6-7pm
19 Rotary Meeting – Presbyterian Church, 308 S. Crawford St., 12-1pm
19 Adult Coloring Program – Fort Scott Public Library, 201 S. National Ave., 2-4pm
19 TAG – Teen Advisory Group – Fort Scott Public Library, 201 S. National Ave., 4-5pm
20
Chamber Coffee – American Legion, downstairs of Memorial Hall, enter from National Ave, 8am
20 Kiwanis Meeting – FSCC Heritage Room, 2108 Horton St., 12-1pm
20
Thursday Card Players – Buck Run Community Center, 6-9pm

Save the Date:
September 21 – Welcome Seniority Club of Seymour Bank to Fort Scott for a Daytrip
September 22 – Paizlee Crumby Motorcycle Ride Benefit & More
September 24 – Get your flu shot at Buck Run Community Center
September 29th – Dough Hazelbaker Memorial Breakaway
Click here for full events listing on our website.

Hedgehog, INK! Coming To Downtown

Dick and Jan Hedges stand in front of their bookstore that will open soon. Submitted photo.

Jan and Dick Hedges are not ones to sit back in retirement.

A new project they are taking on: Hedgehog, INK!, a bookstore coming to 16 S. Main in historic downtown Fort Scott.

“When I was a little girl, I wanted to open a bookstore,” Jan Hedges said. “Dick and I are loyal to the community. We looked downtown and kept hoping someone would open some retail store. We decided ‘why couldn’t we’?”

“It’s our community service project,” she said with a laugh.

The name of the store, Hedgehog, INK! came from a nickname of her husband, Dick Hedges.

“Dick has often been called Hedgehog. They are cute and whimsical and that is what the store will be,” she said.

“The INK is because it’s also for writers, we want to encourage people to write,” Jan said.

There will be a table in the bookstore where people can meet for reading or writing groups.

A small area in the store will have a typewriter for poetic inspiration, she said.

There will be a designated children’s corner, as well.

Accepting books now

Hedges is accepting “gently used” books currently.

“We will come and pick up books…I can come to look at them to see if they are books suitable to the store,” she said. Contact her at 620-728-9001.

Some people are donating books, “Which is awesome,” she said.

When the store opens, store credit will be given for books.

They will be setting up the store starting in mid-September, following the completion of the renovation of the building they are renting from Jared Leek.

People can wait to bring books in and get store credit when they are setting up.

“The opening will hopefully be mid-October,” she said.

14 and 16 S. Main, July 2018.

 

 

Cruise by Patty LaRoche

My college sorority friends and I decided this, our 50-year reunion, would be “special”: We would take a cruise to Alaska. What we did not anticipate were the awaiting challenges, like how Carol broke her tooth the night before our trip but decided Orajel and pain killers would dull the ache. For the first four days, that seemed to work. Unfortunately, it was a seven-day voyage.

Since Diana is wheelchair and walker-dependent, she brought along her therapist to share her handicap-equipped room…which was anything but geared for a handicapped person. Seriously. How can a “Handicap” room be too small to accommodate a wheelchair?

Six of us spent our first night in Seattle. For $238 a room (thankfully, split between three of us), we experienced a night in a nasty hotel. Nasty, as in bugs and scalding water. Regardless, we refused to let that dull our excitement for this once-in-a-lifetime trip!

Morning #1: we were awakened by a text that Diana had fallen and was being gurneyed to the ship’s infirmary. She returned in a medical boot to protect her broken foot. Because this was her “good foot”—the other one cannot support any weight—it took six of us using a lift sheet to transfer her to a wheelchair and, whenever her feet swelled, back to bed. There would be no sightseeing or shopping for our dear friend.

Morning #2: Juneau was our first stop where we had paid extra for an excursion to two sites: one to watch whales and the other to view the Mendenhall Glacier…which I imagine is quite spectacular, had it not been for the endless rain and thick fog. Still, from inside our whale-viewing boat where we were protected from the elements, we learned much from our marine biologist guide who demonstrated the intricacies of the humpback, using her seven-inch plastic replica. Diana’s two daughters (who also were on the cruise) weren’t even that lucky; they had booked a helicopter Iditarod dog excursion, but because of the weather, their trip was canceled. They stayed behind to care for their mother.

Morning #3: due to unusually rough waves, two of the girls ended up in bed, sea-sick. I attempted the treadmill.

Use your imagination.

Morning #4: We docked at Sitka and were bussed to the small village where we saw a thirty-minute, all-women, Russian dance troupe. For clarification, these were neither Russian nor professional but were volunteers on their lunch breaks. (This time, an upbeat imagination is required.) That night on the ship we danced to a fantastic “Oldies” band but had to stop when the rough seas caused us to lose what little balance we have left. Following that hour of excitement, three girls had to ice their knees and could walk only short distances for the duration of our trip.

On Day #5, the fog lifted and we were able to sit outside on the large deck and play dominoes. At that time, everything was put into perspective. One of the girls began sharing how the ice packs had not helped her hurting knee. Diana spoke up–you know, the Diana in the wheelchair who can’t walk. “Every time I start to feel sorry for myself, I thank Jesus because I know so many people have it so much worse than I do.”

Here is a woman who loves God passionately, who, because medicine was incorrectly prescribed for her now lives in a residential facility, who had to give up her job, who chokes when she eats, whose shoulders and legs have atrophied, yet she reminded us that things weren’t nearly as bad as we made them out to be.

And if that isn’t a “special” message, I don’t know what is.

Students Move In Greyhound Lodge by Briana Blandamer

Students have moved in FSCC’s Greyhound Lodge, with the renovation of the former Red Ram Motel ongoing.

Greyhound Lodge, formerly known as Red Ram Motel, is in the final stages of renovation.

Fort Scott Community College began the renovations on the old motel at the beginning of the summer to create more off-campus housing for students.

As the final touches are being made, students were able to begin moving into the lodge on Tuesday afternoon, September 4.

The students moving into the Lodge are primarily rodeo team members, with the exception of a few track athletes and the John Deere program students.

Pictured is Tanner Phillips in his room. He is a Bareback Rider on the FSCC Rodeo Team.

Cory Brown, one of the FSCC Rodeo coaches, was hired to be a Residential Assistant at Greyhound Lodge.

Cory Brown shows the Greyhound Lodge Commons Area, which is yet to be furnished.

Brown said the college has plans to add TVs, couches, and a pool table in the common room to create an area for the students to meet. There will also be a computer room for students to do studying and homework.

The student laundry area.
The common kitchen area.
An empty room at the Greyhound Lodge. The beds are stackable if desired.
A bathroom is in each two-person room.
A microwave and small fridge are in each two-person room.

In addition to the computer and common rooms, there is a laundry space and kitchen area.

The lodge is comprised of bedrooms with attached bathrooms.

 

New Children’s Book on Irena Sendler Coming

The Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Coffee, which was hosted by the Lowell Milken Center, drew a big crowd Thursday, Sept. 6.

The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes hosted the weekly coffee for the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Sept. 6.

Director Norm Conard said this the 12th year in Fort Scott for the center and the third year in their new facility at the corner of Main and Wall Streets in the historic district.

About 10,000 visitors came to the center last year, he said.

Cathy Werling, an administrative assistant at the center and children’s book author, announced that she is completing a book on Irena Sendler.

“It will open with Megan (Felt, the program director at LMC for Unsung Heroes) and her daughter, Blair,” Werling said. “About Megan going on a trip to do a performance (of Life in a Jar). It tells the story of Irena Sendler. Blair learns Irena was a brave person who stood up for what is right.”

Werling, is the author of Why Did Grandpa Cry? and Why Did Sergeant Stubby Go To War? which also featured unsung hero stories.

Center staff, from left, are Megan Felt-program director, Addison Brown-admin. assistant, Madison Shelden-admin. assistant, Cathy Werling-admin. assistant, Joyce Davenport- admin. assistant and Norm Conard, executive director.

Board of Nursing Public Forum Will Be at FSCC Sept. 25-27

The Kansas State Board of Nursing (KSBN) will be visiting Fort Scott Community College (FSCC) on September 25th through the 27th to evaluate the FSCC Nursing program.

On September 26th, there will be a public forum open to the community from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm at the Burke Street Campus, Room 101. All are welcome to attend for questions and comments.

For more information about the forum, please contact Jordan Howard at 620.768.2908 or email at [email protected].

Chamber Coffee at Milken Center Sept. 6

WEEKLY CHAMBER COFFEE REMINDER
Join us for the weekly Chamber Coffee!

coffee_table.jpg

Hosted by:

 
 Location: 1 S. Main St.
 
Thursday, September 6th, 8am


Click  here for Lowell Milken Center’s website.
Click here for Lowell Milken Center Facebook’s page.
Chamber members and guests are encouraged to attend for networking, community announcements, and to learn about the hosting business or organization.
Members may pay $1 to make an announcement about an upcoming event, special/sale/discount, or news of any kind.
Upcoming Coffees:
September 13th – Fort Scott Municipal Airport
September 20th – American Legion
September 27th – Fort Scott Family Dental

New Ambulance Needed By Mercy Hospital

Christi Keating, executive director of patient care services at Mercy Hospital, speaks at the weekly Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce coffee August 30.

A new ambulance is needed at Mercy Hospital.

“It will be replacing a 2013 model with over 210,000 miles,” Christi Keating, Mercy’s Chief Nursing Officer, said.

Mercy Hospital hosted the weekly Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce coffee August 30 which gave Mercy a chance to tell the crowd about the need.

The new ambulance will be an inter-facility transport, Keating said.

The ambulance will ensure a commitment to the health and safety of this community and surrounding counties, according to information provided. It will improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of patient care in emergency situations. And it is a pro-active move to meet the needs of patients and their families.

There is match challenge currently underway to fund the $97,310 ambulance.

Almost $40,000 is currently needed with the hope of an order date of Sept. 10 for a fall delivery of the ambulance.

The match is 1:1 until the goal is reached, Tina Rockhold, Fort Scott Mercy’s Community Relations Manager, said.

To donate, call Rockhold at 620-223-8094 or go online to mercy.net/donate

Mercy Hospital Fort Scott CEO Reta Baker said the Mercy Health Foundation takes a project each year.

In the recent past, the foundation raised $100,000 for new ultrasound equipment.

“This year, the new ambulance is the project,” Baker said.

She told the Chamber weekly coffee attendees that the foundation is comprised of “younger people than most communities, who are more innovative than most communities.”

The foundation board is made of up of: Jared Leek – Chairman, Chris Petty – Vice Chairman, Darcy Smith – Secretary, Bryan Holt – Treasurer, Alysia Johnston, Mark McCoy, Bill Michaud, JoLynne Mitchell, Colleen Quick, Becky Tourtillott, and Reta Baker.

Baker said she is “excited about the future of Mercy.”

Below are photos of a poster that was part of the presentation given at the weekly coffee.