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Monthly Archives: May 2019
Bob Campbell Honored as Grand Marshall in Good Ol’ Days Parade
Bob Campbell, 52, has been Fort Scott High School’s head football coach two different segments of time, from 1992 – 2005 and again 2010 – 2019.
In addition Campbell has been the head boys track coach from 1992 to 2005 and was high school math teacher from 1990 to 2005.
This year, he has retired from coaching.
The community is honoring Campbell by making him the grand marshall of the 2019 Good Ol’ Days Parade, this evening, Friday May 31 at 6 p.m. There are over 70 entries in the parade according to the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce.
The following is an interview with Campbell:
How did you become a coach? And when?
“As I was growing up, sports was always a big part of my life and something I really enjoyed. My friends and I were always playing football, baseball, basketball, or competing in some game. After high school, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to play football at Pittsburg State University and be a member of the track team as a javelin thrower. About my junior year in college, I chose to become a math teacher and I knew I wanted to coach as well. During my time at Pittsburg State, I was fortunate to spend time and learn from two outstanding coaches – Dennis Franchione and Jerry Kill. I student taught and coached football at Webb City High School in the fall of 1989 and upon graduating from PSU, I accepted a job as math teacher, assistant football coach, and assistant track coach in Fort Scott.”
What motivated you to coach for 25 years at FSHS?
“One of the factors that led me to Fort Scott in 1990 was my dad’s illness. He had been recently diagnosed with cancer and I thought it would be best if I were closer to home. As I became the head football and track coach in 1992 at age 25, I wanted to stay and build quality programs. I enjoyed the classroom and I always wanted my students to see me as a teacher first. The school district, students, and community were very supportive of me and I loved my job.”
What is the best thing about coaching?
“It’s hard to explain the best thing about coaching, but it would be the relationship and experiences you share with your athletes and coaches. Our success over the years would not have been possible without the outstanding, hard-working athletes we’ve coached and the amazing help I’ve had from assistant coaches over the years. They have been more than assistants. They have been some of my best lifelong friends and I will always cherish the memories we have shared! My goal was always to give our community a program they could be proud of. I grew up in a small town and I realize the impact a program can have on the community. I also need to thank the community and all of the wonderful parents who allowed us to coach their kids. ”
What challenges are there?
“There are challenges at times. Coaching is very time consuming! Most folks see practice and games, but they don’t see the planning of practice schedules, working at the stadium, watching film, coaches meetings on weekends and many other duties that come with the position. I was only able to make it work because of the help from my amazing wife and family. At times, Tami, Mallory and Matt were three more assistants. Every job has challenges, but coaching provided me with countless wonderful memories!”
What are your feelings for being the grand marshall of the Good Ol’ Days Parade on May 31?
“It is humbling! I was shocked when I was asked. It’s an honor that I share with all of our former players and the outstanding assistants who have helped me over the years. As I have said on many occasions, I haven’t made a tackle, thrown a pass, or scored a touchdown ever at Fort Scott. Our success belongs to all of the kids who have worn the Tiger uniform. I want to say ‘Thanks You’ to all of them.
“We’ve also been associated with the Good Ol Days for a long time. One of the duties our football team has helped with over the years is the set up, trash duty and clean up of the Good Ol Days celebration. We started in the early 90’s and have been helping every year since. It was a good way for us to earn money for our program and it provided a service to our community.”
He and his wife, Tami Campbell have a daughter, Mallory Martinez and son-in -law Ryan Martinez, and a son Matt Campbell.
The Uniontown High School graduate of 1985 furthered his education by earning a bachelors of science degree in mathematics from Pittsburg State University in 1990.
Following his retirement in 2005 from teaching, he attained the position of financial advisor and business partner with SEK Financial in 2006 and is still employed there.
D-Day Commemoration June 6
D-Day Commemoration at Lowell Milken Center Includes Release of New Children’s Book
On June 6, the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes invites all to attend special events at the Center to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of D-Day.The center is located at the corner of Wall and Main Streets in downtown Fort Scott.
There will be an honorary recognition of Andrew Jackson Higgins, the man who invented the Higgins D-Day boats, which were very instrumental in the Allied victory in WWII. Events will include the 8:00 a.m. Chamber Coffee, the 3:00 p.m. presentation and discussion with special guests, Skipper Higgins and Jerry Meyer, the 4:00 p.m. wine and cheese event, and the 10:00 a.m. introduction of the Center’s fourth children’s book, What If Higgins Had Given Up?
The author of the new children’s book, Cathy Werling, will host a book reading and signing event at 10:00 a.m. All children are invited to learn the story of Andrew Jackson Higgins and be encouraged to work toward their goals without letting obstacles hold them back. Higgins never gave up in his quest to design and provide the perfect boats needed for important missions during World War II. That determination and perseverance were evident in his early life, as well, and provide powerful lessons for children today.
There will be two very special guests in attendance during the day. One is Skipper Higgins, the oldest living grandson of Andrew Higgins, who has many stories about his grandfather, whose spirit greatly influenced Skipper and his children. One of Skipper’s stories plays an important role in the story, “What If Higgins Had Given Up?” The other special guest, Jerry Meyer, conceived, designed, and completed The Andrew Jackson Higgins National Memorial in Columbus, Nebraska, which is the birthplace of Mr. Higgins. His knowledge of the life of Andrew Higgins contributed greatly to the details included in the children’s book.
Cathy Werling is an award-winning, retired elementary educator living in Fort Scott, Kansas. Her passion for helping students develop positive character traits and seek out worthy role models led to her part time work at the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes.
About the Lowell Milken Center: The Lowell Milken Center is a non-profit 501 © (3) that works with students and educators within a range of diverse academic disciplines, to develop projects focused on unsung heroes. Once their projects are finished, the student’s unsung heroes are shared in the Hall of Unsung Heroes or on the website, encouraging people all over the world to discover their individual influence and obligation to take actions that improve the lives of others. The Hall of Unsung Heroes is proudly located in Southeast Kansas and showcases some of the top projects developed in collaboration with the Center.
Church Splits by Patty LaRoche
I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment (1 Cor. 1:10)
Denominational splits might have been much fewer had churches put Paul’s advice into practice. Researching this topic, I was shocked at some of the petty arguments leading to denominational divides:
- Which picture of Jesus should hang in the foyer
- If a weed eater should be purchased or not
- If “deviled” eggs should be served at the church dinners
- If cranberry/grape juice instead of grape juice is a communion substitute
- Whether or not to add stall dividers in the women’s restroom
No doubt it was issues like these that led to the joke about a rescued man who had lived on a desert island for years. His liberators questioned why he had built three huts. “Well, the first one is my house, the second one is my church.” The obvious question followed: “What’s the third hut?”
“Oh, that’s where I USED to go to church!”
Sometimes instead of church splits, there are mere rifts:
- A three-hour meeting over whether or not to buy a new vacuum cleaner followed by a vote to determine which church members should be allowed to use it
- A quarrel over replacing a worship song with a Bible reading/ singing verses 1-3 instead of 1,2 and 4
- A squabble over where the pastor stood outside to greet the people after church
- A 45-minute spat at a women’s group meeting over whether dinner rolls for an upcoming church supper ought to be sliced horizontally or vertically
- A remodeling project in which an elderly man didn’t like the idea of recessed lighting and referred to the scripture about not hiding our light under a bush
One church elder wrote about his experience: “One time in our church staff meeting (9,000- member church in a very affluent suburb in North Houston), a 25-minute argument ensued over how many hot-dogs we should order for the 4th of July service celebration: ‘Should we order 1,200 or 1,500?’ There was a food bank/kitchen literally three blocks away that would gladly take the excess. But we had to argue over 300 hot dogs for 25 minutes … because, you know, they’re so darned expensive and ‘we have to be good stewards.’”
Typically, churches do not split over trivial matters. The most common splits happen over financial or doctrinal issues, members who have a sense of entitlement instead of service and dissenting church-goers who move from church to church, sowing seeds of discord. Nevertheless, they all leave in their wake hurt feelings and un-Christlike attitudes.
Imagine what would have happened had Paul’s appeal been practiced from his day forward. I think we all know the answer to that.
The Fort Scott Police Department Daily Reports May 29
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FS Adult Summer Reading Challenge June1
The Adult Summer Reading Challenge at Fort Scott Public Library takes place June 1st through August 31st. Participants read books, rate them, and score points. No registration is required. Anyone of any age may participate, but we do ask that books entered be geared toward young adult or adult audiences. If you take part in our Adult Reading Challenge and are eligible to participate in any of our other Summer Reading programs, we encourage you to do so.
The big change this year: after you submit your first book read using our online form (or after you have library staff submit it for you), you can pick up a prize at our downstairs circulation desk. Additionally, we will have monthly challenges for more surprises. Information about the monthly challenges will be available at the library, on our website, and on our Facebook page.
We want to encourage everyone to read and to share their reading interests with others. Every month, we’ll post a list of all the books everyone has read plus the ratings assigned so that everyone will find some new authors or titles to read.
To make things competitive (for those who like a little competition), everyone scores points for each book read, and the person with the most points gets bragging rights for winning the Adult Summer Reading Challenge. We encourage participants to choose a nickname, since the list of participants and their total points will be on our Facebook and web pages.
The Challenge will last from June 1 to August 31. You can submit your entries individually on our website (fortscott.mykansaslibrary.org), or we have a form you can fill out and turn in. Complete information is available at the library and on our website.
Good Ol’ Days Begins Tonight!
This evening begins the 39th Annual Good Ol’ Days Festival in downtown Fort Scott.
The Fort Scott Talent Show begins at 6 p.m. at Memorial Hall, Third and National Street, with admission $5, kids five and under are free.
There are 13 contestants that have entered the show, Rhonda Dunn, president of the Good Ol’ Days Committee said at today’s Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Weekly Coffee at Skubitz Plaza.
The carnival is located at the corner of Third and Main Street and offers nine rides. The cost of an armband that covers all rides for that session is $25.
Hours for the carnival are 7 to 11 p.m., tonight, Thursday, May 30. Fridays and Saturday hours are 6 to 11 p.m.
The Good Ol’ Days Festival is put together by a committee of volunteers: Rhonda Dunn, Melissa Wise, Kayla Hall, Ally Turvey, Shawn O’Brien, Carl Brenner, Charlotte Thompson, Leah Bowman, Tim Van Hoeke, and Janet Braun.
The committee takes a month off following the festival, then meets together to plan for the next year’s festival in the following months.
Holmtown Pub Events: Live Music and Motorcyles
Submitted by James Wood
Holmtown Pub has many exciting things happening in June. We will be unveiling our new menu, which will feature the favorites of old and some new healthier choices for kids and adults alike.
Holmtown Pub is located at 206 N National Ave and can be reached at 620-223-1477.
We have your traditional bar menu; burgers, steaks, salads, wraps and the best porkchop in town.
We will continue our community friendly hours of operation throughout the summer.
Our kitchen hours are Monday – Saturday, 11 am-10 pm and Sunday 4 pm-10 pm. We welcome everyone during our kitchen hours. Our bar hours extend later into the evening and could be as late as 2 am, and patrons must be over the age of 21 after 10 pm.
Exciting upcoming events:
Friday May 31st – We welcome a local favorite “Shades of Blue” from 9pm-1am, they play of mix of Blues and Classic rock favorites.
Saturday June 1st – We welcome another local favorite “The Barnstormers, featuring BJ Pruitt”, from 9pm-1am. They are a Red Dirt band with a mix of classic country and rock hits.
Saturday June 8th – We will be the final stop for our local Fort Scott Fire Department annual Ride. All riders are welcome and Registration is noon at Fire Station 1, with kickstands up at 1pm. They will go on a 100 mile ride and finish at Holmtown Pub. There will be live music at 5pm from “Royce Hyer”, with the “Dirty Bourbon Band” playing at 6pm. They are supporting a local family, Jack and Stephanie Lockwood, with Stephanie’s fight with cancer. There will be a gun raffle between bands.
Saturday June 15th – The 5th Annual TATA Ride will finish at Holmtown Pub. Registration will be at 5 Corners gas station from 9am-10:30am, with kickstands up at 11am. They will ride throughout Southeast Kansas and finish at the Pub around 5pm. There will be a large number of silent and live auction items as well as some amazing raffle items. The auctions will begin when they arrive at Holmtown Pub. They will have some live entertainment from 7pm-11pm “Pickleback” a local group from Girard, will be playing some great music. The TATA ride supports Care to Share, the Sharing Bucket, a local organization that helps all families fight cancer with a variety of services.
Effective Leadership Seminar June 4
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Fort Scott Special Events May 31 to June 2
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports May 30
Free Fishing Days Offer Many Opportunities
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism’s (KDWPT) has announced that anglers can fish without a Kansas fishing license at public waters on June 1 and 2, 2019 thanks to “Free Fishing Days.”
Each year, KDWPT designates one weekend when everyone can fish without a Kansas fishing license. All you need is a pole and a place to go! Free Fishing Days celebrates National Fishing and Boating Week – a week dedicated to recognizing the importance of recreational boating and fishing.
Don’t let stories of flooding at some lakes and state parks derail your fishing plans. There are still many great opportunities to fish at lakes large and small. Many more Kansas state parks are open for business than are closed. Fisheries biologists report that high water gives fish more habitat to exploit, so fishing may be better when the water is higher. As always, exercise caution around high water and respect barricades.
If your favorite fishing hole is inaccessible, look to state fishing lakes and city and county lakes. KDWPT stocks many community lakes through its Community Fisheries Assistance Program (CFAP). More than 90 percent of the community lakes in Kansas are enrolled in the program and do not require any additional fishing licenses. A few community lakes not in the CFAP program require local fees to fish from the shore or a boat. A list of CFAP lakes is available in the 2019 Kansas Fishing Regulations Summary and the 2019 Kansas Fishing Atlas.
If you’ll be taking part in Free Fishing Days, here are some tips to help you plan your weekend outing:
- Visit ksoutdoors.comand click “Fishing,” then “Where to Fish” to find a public fishing spot near you, including CFAP lakes.
- You can consult the 2019 Fishing Forecastat ksoutdoors.com/Fishing/Fishing-Forecast to locate waters ranked highest for a given species.
- For a list of state park conditions, check out ksoutdoors.com and click “State Parks,” then “State Park Alerts” or call the park office.
- While license requirements are waived for the weekend, anglers must still abide by all other regulations such as length and creel limits, equipment requirements, and more. To find regulation information, grab a copy of the 2019 Kansas Fishing Regulations Summaryat a license vendor near you. The summary also lists every state fishing lake, community lake and reservoir, and designates those considered “family friendly,” which means they have easy access to the water, flush restrooms, security patrols and lighting, and no alcohol is allowed.
Go fishing on June 1 and 2; the only thing it will cost you is your free time.