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Monthly Archives: June 2025
Kansas Tourism Announces 2025 Sunflower Summer Attraction Lineup
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Visit the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes during the All-School Reunion to learn about Local Unsung Heroes!
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Bo Co Commission Budget Advisory Meeting is June 25
There will be a budget advisory meeting at 4:30pm on June 25, 2025 in the Commission Room. This meeting is open to the public.
Susan E. Walker
Bourbon County Clerk
Fort Scott Community College is requesting proposals for a project
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The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports June 23
Revised Agenda for the Bo Co Commission June 23
How SNAP/EBT Works To Give Fresh Food From Local Producers
The Fort Scott Farmer’s Market is excited to accept SNAP/EBT for the purchase of all eligible food items!
SNAP/EBT enables qualifying individuals and families to use their EBT card to buy eligible fresh and local products at the farmers market! This program gives families better access to fresh foods, supports family farms and local producers, and directs tax dollars into the local economy.
How it works
1. Go to the SNAP Booth at the north end of the Farmer’s Market Pavilion.
2. Choose how much you would like to spend that day on food purchases. The Fort Scott Farmers Market runs the EBT machine. We will swipe your EBT card for the amount tokens you want to spend on SNAP-eligible items.
3. Shop for fresh produce.
What products are eligible to be purchased using SNAP?
Plants and seeds that grow food
Foods wrapped, labeled and intended for home consumption, including the following:
Meat, fish, beans
Dairy products
Maple and honey products
Fruits, vegetables
Jams, sauces, soups
Cider
Wants, Whims, and Wishes by Carolyn Tucker
Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker
Wants, Whims, and Wishes
I don’t remember asking for a lot of things when I was a kid. But I certainly remember asking for a piano because that’s all I cared about when I was in third grade. I couldn’t play a lick, but my parents purchased a brand new instrument and the rest is history. My life was forever changed by the wonderful world of piano music. (My dad said it was the best investment he ever made.) However, when I asked my mom for a baby brother or sister she said, “No.” So I immediately asked for the next-best thing, which was a monkey, and she said, “No” again. So I know what it’s like to ask and receive and to also ask and not receive. For all I know, that monkey could have chewed off half my fingers and that would have ended my lifetime of piano-playing fun.
We all have dreams, wants, and needs. I think God-given dreams and goals are healthy and give us something to look forward to accomplishing. God’s Word tells us, “…Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it” (James 4:2b NLT). Sometimes believers ask God and we still don’t receive it. When we acknowledge that God is wiser than we are, we can pray for wants and needs and close the prayer with, “Lord, You know more than I do, so if what I’m asking for would not be good for me, then don’t give it to me. I trust You with everything concerning my life.”
“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. …We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed“ (2 Corinthians 4:8,9b NLT). When troubles come to me, I have a self-centered tendency to think I’m the only one going through the tunnel of “tough-stuff.” I have to remind myself that real life comes to all of us. I appreciate the following scripture from the pen of Apostle Peter: “Beloved friends, if life gets extremely difficult, with many tests, don’t be bewildered as though something strange were overwhelming you” (1 Peter 4:12 TPT).
All of us would vote for constant smooth sailing when it comes to living our life. But that’s simply unrealistic. It all boils down to the fact that we’re not yet residing in heaven, so life is not going to be perfect on this planet. But God is on the side of the weakest believer who, in simple childlike trust, yields and depends on Him to provide help and guidance.
In 1994, Christian recording artist Janet Paschal composed and recorded a gospel song entitled, “If I’d Had My Way.” The lyrics are thought-provoking and I’ve come to appreciate the message more and more through recent years. My life has made twists and turns that I’d not anticipated; nevertheless, I trust God’s wisdom over mine. Here are Paschal’s poignant lyrics: “If I’d had my way about it, I’d have danced in grassy fields and fragrant meadows. And risen in the morning just to hear the robin’s lovely melody. I’d have rested in wide spaces, high above the hurting places. And found a cross that asked much less of me. Never sailed in raging winds or troubled seas, if You’d thought it best to leave it up to me. But if I’d had my way, I might have been wading through the river when You wanted me to walk upon the sea. And if I’d had my say and all of my wants and whims and wishes, You knew how weak, how shallow I would be…If I’d had my way.”
The Key: Believers may ask away and then trust God to have His way.
Obituary of Doris Erickson
Doris Kathryn Ericson, age 89, a resident of rural Hiattville, Kansas, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, June 20, 2025, just one day before what would have been her 90th birthday.
Doris was born June 21, 1935, in Wichita, Kansas, the daughter of Ross Graham and Charlotte Brehm Graham. Doris grew up in Kechi, northwest of Wichita where she rode a horse to her one-room school. Her dad and grandfather, Roy Graham, were horse traders and long-time horsemen. Before she finished her junior year at Wichita East High School, her parents moved to a farm east of Savonburg, Kansas. She stayed with her Brehm grandparents. When school ended, she moved to Savonburg.
A group of hay haulers drove by while she was hanging clothes on the solar clothes dryer and made a bet to see who would get the first date. Henry won and they were married six months later on December 24, 1952, at the Friends Home Lutheran Church parsonage in Savonburg, Kansas.
Shortly after their marriage, Doris and Henry moved to Sault St. Marie, Michigan, where Henry was stationed with the United States Army. Following Henry’s military service, the couple returned to Kansas and lived in Elsmore and Hepler before purchasing their own farm near Hiattville in 1962. They named it Cloverdale Angus Farm, and together they built a life centered around faith, family and community. Doris was an active farm wife and an essential partner in the day-to-day operations of the farm, where they raised hogs and registered Angus beef cattle.
Doris was a devoted wife and mother to their six children. While raising her family, she was greatly involved in the Hiattville 4-H Club, serving in a variety of leadership roles. Long after her own children had grown, Doris remained active in the 4-H community, especially through her service to the Bourbon County Fair. For many years, she managed the 4-H chuckwagon, where her friendly presence and tireless work were a vital part of the fair experience. She also served faithfully on the Bourbon County Fair Board and the Bourbon County Extension Council, always willing to lend a hand and lead with kindness and dedication.
In 1990, Doris and Henry were honored with induction into the Kansas Master Farmer Homemaker Group, in recognition of their years of service and commitment to agriculture, Extension work, and community leadership. In 2007, the Ericson Family was named 4-H Family of the Year, a fitting tribute and legacy rooted in generational care and community investment. Doris was also an active member of the Starlite FCE where she served many years as the club’s treasurer. She also was treasurer for the Southwind District FCE Council. In 2022, she was honored at the state level with the Heart of FCE award. She had been a member of the Eastern Star for over fifty years.
Doris enjoyed gardening and was also active with the Bourbon County Garden Club and had achieved the status of Master Gardener. In addition to her work on the farm, Doris was also employed by the United States Postal Service for nineteen years, where she was known for her reliability, warmth and genuine connection to those along her route.
Following retirement from the postal service, Doris served for many years as the President of the Bourbon County Chapter of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees. Doris had planned to celebrate her 90th birthday on Sunday at the Friends Home Lutheran Church. However, plans have changed. She will now be celebrating in Heaven with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, her beloved husband, Henry, her little boy Rusty, her mom and dad and all the other faithful family and friends who have gone on before. What a celebration that will be!
Left to mourn her passing are her daughters, Debra Lust of Ft. Scott, Karen Ericson, Riley, Kansas, Susan Jones (Roger) of LaHarpe, Kansas and Brenda Peacock (Terry) of Golden, Missouri; her sons, Kevin Ericson (Donna) Frisco, Texas and John Ericson (Ellaine) of Ft. Scott; seventeen grandchildren and twenty-one great-grandchildren with one more on the way.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 A.M. Wednesday, June 25th at the Friends Home Lutheran Church, 3797 Arizona Rd., Savonburg, Kansas.
Burial will follow in the Elsmore Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 P.M. Tuesday at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
Memorials are suggested to the Friends Home Lutheran Church, the Elsmore Alumni Association or the Bourbon County Fair Association 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 guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
Get Ready for Canning Season
Gardens are growing, and more will be planted. Now is the time to prepare for preserving your harvest. It starts with equipment and recipes.
Jams and jellies, pickles, many fruits and most tomato products can be safely canned in a water bath canner. This is a large stock pot with a lid and a rack to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot. Make sure it’s the right kind of pot for the type of burners on your stove top. The pot must be tall enough so when jars are added the water covers the top of the jars by 1-2 inches. Learn more about water bath canning and also steam canning in the How-to Guide to Water Bath Canning and Steam Canning at this website: https://bit.ly/SouthwindPreserving
Pressure canning is required for all plain vegetables and meats. There are no instructions to water bath these foods. Stovetop pressure canners are the standard, and if you have dial gauge canner from Presto, National, Maid of Honor, or Magic Seal, our Southwind Extension offices can test the gauge for accuracy. We do not test All American canner gauges.
Use recipes that have been researched. The testing and research behind these recipes will get you on the right path to success. If you have your own favorite recipe, eat it fresh or freeze it for later use. More information on canning, freezing and dehydrating can be found on the Preserve it Fresh, Preserve it Safe website at https://www.rrc.k-state.edu/.
The Southwind District is planning to host a canning workshop this fall—stay tuned for updates by following us on Facebook! There are many ways to preserve food, and we’re here to help you do it safely and confidently. For more information, contact Sandy Haggard at [email protected] or 620-365-2242.
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Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service
Sandra Hutton Named 2025 National Lowell Milken Center Fellow
This is part of a series of
2025 National Lowell Milken Center Fellows.
FORT SCOTT, KS – June 1, 2025 – The Lowell Milken Center (LMC) for Unsung Heroes in Fort Scott, Kansas, an international educational non-profit, has awarded its prestigious Fellowship to Sandra Hutton, a junior and middle school art educator at St. Mildred’s-Lightbourn School in Oakville, ON, Canada. Sandra will arrive in Fort Scott on June 22nd for a week of collaboration with LMC staff and the other members of the Fellowship.
The LMC Fellowship is a merit-based award for educators of all disciplines who value the importance of teaching respect and understanding through project-based learning. The Center selects exemplary teachers from the United States and around the world who will collaborate on projects that discover, develop, and communicate the stories of Unsung Heroes in history.
Sandra Hutton, a visual arts educator with experience teaching Grades 1–12, has made a meaningful impact through creative programming and arts leadership. Recognized as an ArtEffect Ambassador in 2023–24, she has guided many students to become finalists in the ArtEffect Competition and successfully proposed the addition of Terry Fox to the Lowell Milken Center’s list of Unsung Heroes.
With experience in both public and independent schools, Sandra previously served as a Curriculum Chairperson and Guidance Counsellor at schools in the Toronto District School Board. At her current school, she has twice served as a staff representative on the Strategic Planning Committee and led initiatives, including founding a Student Arts Council, set design for school productions, and gala art fundraising projects. She has also contributed to teacher education as a guest lecturer at the university level. Outside the classroom, Sandra is a practicing artist and founder of Art Immersion, a company focused on original artwork, blogging, and creative content that explores visual storytelling and process.
LMC Executive Director Norm Conard says, “Sandra’s experience as a Lowell Milken Center National ARTEFFECT Ambassador and her participation in unsung heroes’ projects are invaluable resources for our team of Fellows. Her belief that art tells a story and connects people and communities supports the LMC’s mission of connecting unsung heroes throughout history with the impact they can have on our world today.”
While in Fort Scott, LMC Fellows gain knowledge, educational resources, and support in helping students cultivate a passion for learning by creating projects that initiate positive change. Fellows will be equipped to develop Unsung Heroes projects with their students, applying and evaluating the stories of these role models who have changed the world throughout history.