On Tuesday, October 19, 2021, Mayor Josh Jones of the City of Fort Scott, issued a Mayoral Proclamation honoring the Molly Foster Berry Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, on their 110th anniversary.
The original Fort Scott group was organized on October 19, 1910. Those members who attended the city commission meeting are pictured here outside city hall after the proclamation was received.
Submitted by Martha Scott
Rachel Carpenter, 23, started yesterday as the new program coordinator for the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team.
Carpenter earned an associate degree from Fort Scott Community College and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree from Fort Hays State University in sociology. She has a certification in community development, program evaluation, and grant writing from FHSU and will graduate in the fall of 2022.
“I’ve been working in Honduras (in Central America) and decided to study sociology and am learning how to make data-driven decisions in how to help,” she said.
She interned with Jody Hoener, CEO of HBAT, and then applied for the full-time position when it became available.
“Rachel met all the minimum qualifications for the… position and brought additional skill sets to move our mission forward,” Hoener said. “She is passionate about our work and helping people, that’s the kind of culture we aim to nurture at the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team. With everyone seeking employees right now, we consider ourselves considerably blessed to have an amazing skilled induvial as a part of our team.”
Carpenter’s salary comes from a $560,000 grant which will also provide grants for farmers and ranchers and start-up businesses, she said.
The grant will also help with development funding for the east side of Fort Scott and the historic downtown Fort Scott, Carpenter said.
The grant was from the Patterson Family Foundation, a family-led foundation extending the legacy of Neal and Jeanne Patterson which strives to help lift rural communities through health care, education, economic opportunity, and beyond, according to its website How We Help | Patterson Family Foundation.
Carpenter is married to Jon, a Fort Scott Policeman, and is a nursery volunteer at Faith Church, Fort Scott. She is also the founder of the Carpenter’s Hands, a ministry to Honduras. Her hometown is Wichita, but she has lived in Bourbon County for five years.
The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team has a vision of a community where we feel safe, earn a living wage, find healthy food, have access to sidewalks, ride safe bike routes, have opportunities for recreation, and more according to its Facebook page
The HBAT is currently seeking community input to better fund development projects.
Bourbon County’s Health and Wellness Survey is open at
The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team Board consists of a cross-sector of community organizations, businesses, and governmental entities:
Jody Hoener, President, and CEO, Ex Officio
Craig Campbell, (Chair) Community leader and volunteer, Fort Scott Good Neighbor Action Team Chair
Lindsay Madison (Treasurer), President and CEO Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce
Joy Miller, (Secretary) Kansas State University Extension Office
Sally Johnson, City of Uniontown Clerk, USD 235 Board
Alysia Johnston, President Fort Scott Community College
Chelsea Yount, Fort Scott Community College
Josh Jones, Mayor City of Fort Scott
Kayla Stewart, RN Coordinator Via Christi
Mayra Montanez, Downtown Business Owner, and Entrepreneur
Riverfront Park on the north end of Fort Scott near the Marmaton River, is a work in progress.
As grants have been received, the Riverfront Park Authority Board has put in place many amenities that the public can enjoy: a tree-lined walking trail and lighting for that trail, a pavilion with electricity, several resting areas and a boardwalk, with views overlooking the river.
A recent flood wrecked the boardwalk overlook, so it was disassembled and moved to the south, across the river on higher ground.
“The flood put it on the edge of the riverbank, almost in the river,” Jerry Witt, a member of the Riverfront Park Authority said.
Johnny Walker Construction did the work of moving the boardwalk, he said. The timber for the original project was donated by Evergy Electric and was reused.
The Fort Scott Fire Department washed and cleaned it after it was reconstructed, about two months ago, Witt said.
“It’s shaded in a beautiful spot,” Witt said.
On the horizon for the Riverfront Park Authority is an 8-foot wide asphalt trail that will lead to the boardwalk overlook.
In a circle garden spot on the River Loop Road, from which one can now see the boardwalk, the Bourbon County Garden Club has planted a colorful garden.
“I want to thank them for their work,” Witt said.
This club also plants and maintains the plants in downtown Fort Scott.
“The fire department has been watering the flower bed this summer and we thank them, as well,” Witt said.
There has been added traffic to the River Loop Park because of the murals painted in the Hwy. 69 underpass that segments the park, he said.
The murals were painted by local artist Stephen Toal.
To view a prior story on Toal and see the murals: Art Is Therapy For Toal
The Riverfront Park Authority Board is preparing the write a grant to finish the walking trails on the River Loop Road, Witt said.
The board has also had the engineering done and also permits completed to build a walking bridge across the river, he said.
“We just need the funding to secure that,” Witt said.
The board applied for a grant a few years ago to bring a historic Bourbon County bridge to the park for public use.
“We received a $750,000 grant to move it, but all bids came in over $1,000,000, so we gave the grant back,” Witt said.
The idea to remake Riverfront Park began in 2005 and a group of citizens was commissioned by then-Governor Sibelius in 2007.
The board is comprised of Witt, Bob Love, Danny Magee, Arnold Schofield, Jeff Sweetser, and Allen Warren. Ex-officio members are Dean Mann, Betty Boyko, Penny Barnes, and Kate Sweetser.
To see a prior story on the park:
Overlook of the Marmaton River in Place at Riverfront Park
Douglas Guns, 44, has worked for the City of Fort Scott for over three years and was promoted to Fort Scott Parks Director in June 2021.
“The scope of my duties is to oversee the maintenance and operations of Woodland Hills Golf Course, Laroche Baseball Complex, Gunn Park, Buck Run (includes all little league ball fields in town), Lake Fort Scott, Rock Creek Lake, and The Aquatic Center,” Guns said.
Fort Scott is the third municipality that he has worked for, doing both parks and golf course oversight, he said.
He has worked in the golf industry for over 20 years, Guns said.
“I worked a small golf course as a seasonal employee for the summer in between semesters in college,’ he said. “I learned all aspects of golf operations and changed majors that fall to plant and soil science to pursue a career in the golf industry.”
Guns received his education in plant and soil sciences at West Virginia University Parkersburg, and Penn State University.
His hometown is Elkton, Maryland and he is married with five kids.
In his spare time, he likes to play golf and spend time with his family.
The best part of the job for Guns is being outside and working with the public, he said.
“Providing the public with a great experience for their recreational endeavors that they are happy with, can be rewarding,” Guns said.
That is also the challenge of the job, he said.
A local organization is celebrating 110 years in Fort Scott.
“The Daughter of the American Revolution organization itself is 131 years old being founded in 1890. Our chapter was founded in 1911 and thus we are 110 years old,” Martha Scott, a group member said.
The objectives of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the local Molly Foster Berry Chapter are to perpetuate the memory and spirit of the men and women who achieved American Independence; to cherish, maintain and extend the institutions of American freedom, to foster true patriotism and love of county, (and) to aid in securing for mankind all the blessings of liberty, according to information provided by Scott.
“In selecting a name for the chapter, they chose to honor the first regent, Miss Frances Hall, by selecting the wife of her Revolutionary War ancestor, Samuel Berry,” Scott said. “They chose the name of his wife, Mary Foster Berry, as the name of their chapter.”
Since its founding in 1890, the national DAR has admitted more than 950,000 members.
Currently, the Molly Foster Berry Chapter has 27 members.
Here are highlights of the group’s activities through the years provided by Scott:
On Monday, October 11, at the USD 234 School Board meeting the USD 234 School Board adopted gaiting criteria and a Test to Stay and Learn addendum to the current Operations Guidelines for the 2021-2022 school year that will begin on October 18, 2021.
The gaiting criteria adopted would allow the district to go mask optional if the criteria adopted is met.
The gaiting criteria consists of two areas, the first being the monitoring of new COVID-19 cases in Bourbon County. The threshold of less than 30 new cases in a week in Bourbon County will be the guideline.
A COVID-19 positivity rate of less than 2% for a specific school building will be the guideline for each building.
If these two criteria are met, this would allow the school buildings to be mask optional.
Mask optional would mean the parents/guardians can decide if their child should wear a mask at school.
If the numbers go above the 30 new cases in a week and if there is a COVID-19 positivity rate above 2% for a particular building, the district or specific building would go back to masks being required.
These gaiting criteria will take effect on Monday, October 18, 2021. The district will monitor county cases on a weekly basis and the building COVID-19 positivity rate will be monitored daily.
The district will communicate on the Friday before whether a building or the district is able to be mask optional depending on the adopted criteria for the upcoming week.
The USD 234 School Board also adopted a new mitigation protocol called the Test to Stay and Learn Modified Quarantine.
This modified quarantine will include rapid antigen testing for identified school high-risk (not wearing a mask or not vaccinated or has not had COVID-19 in the last 6-months) or household close contacts where parents/guardians will give consent to have their student tested for COVID-19 daily.
If they test negative, they will be allowed to attend in-person during their quarantine period but will be required to wear a mask while at school.
The rapid antigen test is a nasal swab and will only be performed with parent/guardian consent.
If the high-risk or household contact does not opt-in to the Test to Stay and Learn Modified Quarantine, they will need to stay home during their quarantine.
USD 234 has received a grant from the Kansas Department of Health & Environment (KDHE) and will partner with Community Health Center (CHC) to implement the testing program. The logistics of this testing program are being developed and more information will be released before testing becomes available. It is going to take some time for CHC to hire the staff to implement the testing and to set up the logistics of the testing.
Masks will still be required on school transportation no matter the gaiting criteria. This is a federal mandate school districts are required to follow.
USD 234 recommends that students have a mask with them at all times in case a cluster breaks out in a building and masking needs to be implemented immediately.
Low-risk close contacts, those who are wearing a mask or are vaccinated or have had COVID-19 in the past 6-months, will not be expected to quarantine from school unless they have COVID-19 symptoms.
Click on the link below to see the updated Operations Guidelines:
Click on the link below to see the Test to Stay and Learn Modified Quarantine addendum:
USD 234 Test to Stay and Learn Modified Quarantine
Click on the link below to see an infographic about the Test to Stay and Learn Modified Quarantine:
USD 234 Test to Stay and Learn Modified Quarantine Infographic
The annual Gordon Parks Celebration weekend Oct. 7-9 was packed with events to educate and entertain.
The Gordon Parks Museum is located on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2401 S. Horton.
Parks was an African American documentary photojournalist, photographer, musician, writer and director, with humble beginnings in Fort Scott.
He died in 2006.
There were photo exhibits and a local photo contest, speakers, tours, film showings, entertainment, book discussions, and the opening of the Learning Tree Tourism Trail.
Two African American men were honored as the “Choice of Weapons” annual recipients, Kyle Johnson and Eli Reed.
Parks Choice of Weapons Award Winners Announced
During the weekend celebration, The Learning Tree Tourism Trail was introduced.
The Learning Tree Tourism Trail is a series of signs located at the different locations where the filming of The Learning Tree took place around Fort Scott. The signs include QR codes, to be used with a smartphone, along with a virtual tour of the identified scene locations of the film, according to a Gordon Parks Museum press release.
To learn more:
The Learning Tree Tourism Trail Grand Opening is Oct. 7
The annual photography contest in conjunction with the Gordon Parks Celebration had the winners on display at the Ellis Arts Center on the campus of FSCC.
Additionally on display were some of Parks’ photos and photos of The Learning Tree, the autobiographical film that Parks wrote and directed.
Winners of the Gordon Parks Celebration “Fashion & Diversity” photo contest, sponsored by Merl Humphrey Photography, are below.
Twenty-six entries were received and the winner of First Place was Johanna Walker (Franklin, KS) with the photo titled “Spotlight.”
Second Place was also Johanna Walker with the photo “Johnny.”
Third Place was Frank Clay with his photo, “Enjoying Each Other.”
First, Second, and Third place winners received cash prizes of $100, $75, and $50 respectively.
There were six Honorable Mentions named: “Diversity.” by (Yasser Alaa Mobarak,( Alexandria, Egypt.); “Skating the Disaster.” by Julie Steck (Merriam, KS); “Jewels of Plenty” by Bareigh Farrell (Fort Scott); “Portrait.” by Yasser Alaa Mobarak, (Alexandria, Egypt); “Queen of Color” by Alexxus Browning, Tulsa, OK and “Baby Blue.” by Adelay Martin (Redfield, KS).
The contest was open to any non-professional photographer and was inspired by Gordon Parks, who started his career in fashion photography and chose a camera to fight against racism, discrimination, and poverty.
Judges for the photo contest were professional photographer, Veretta Cobler, and established make-up artist and hairstylist, Donna Fumoso based in New York City.
The photo exhibit is on display in the lobby of the Ellis Fine Arts Center through October 15. The building is open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The men then detailed the entirety of the route along old Highway 54 from Fort Scott to Iola, to the city commission, Leahy said.
“We needed to appear before the (FS)city council because we were seeking final approval of the signs for the Prairie Pathways within Fort Scott city limits,” he said.
“The route has been set in all three counties,” Jody Hoener, Healthy Bourbon County Action Team CEO said.
“Bourbon County will have approximately 23 miles of the total 43 miles from Fort Scott to Iola,” Leahy said.
“We are working on gaining permission through each of the cities (in Bourbon County),” Hoener said. “We have obtained permission for signs from the City of Fort Scott. They will also be presenting to the City of Uniontown and to Bronson City Council to gain permission for sign placement.
“Eric Bailey with Bourbon County’s Public Work will be helping us with installing (sign) posts,” she said. ” Right now they are working hard on getting as many miles as asphalt down as possible. They will help us with installation as soon as they can.”
“In respect to a timeline, Thrive is working with both Allen County Public Works as well as the City of Iola Public Works Department,” he said. “We are trying to coordinate both so the signs are installed along a similar time frame after the…(Allen County Public Works)asphalt season.”
Hoener can be reached at [email protected]
” Funding for the planning stage is from the Sunflower Foundation,” Hoener said. “We have grant dollars from Blue Cross Blue Cross Pathways to Healthy Kansas for signage and posts.”
“Funding for the planning stage is from the Sunflower Foundation,” Hoener said. “We have grant dollars from Blue Cross Blue Cross Pathways to Healthy Kansas for signage and posts.”
Steve Anthony, 49, is the new Woodland Hills Golf Course Clubhouse Manager in Fort Scott. The course is owned and operated by the City of Fort Scott.
He replaces Shannon O’Neil, who left in July.
Anthony feels that he and Doug Guns, the golf course superintendent, are a good team.
“I feel I have a good grasp of things and if things come up that need two heads to make a decision, Doug and I make the decision as we are pretty much on the same page and we make our decision on what’s best for the club and or our member’s,” he said.
Anthony’s hometown is Parkersburg, West Virginia and he is married to Stephanie Anthony.
“I have been an avid golfer since I was a young kid back in West Virginia,” he said. “I have been in Fort Scott for nine years now.”
“I have always had a love for the sport of golf and when the opportunity came to pursue the golf course (position) here, I jumped at the chance to take it on,” he said.
“When I started, I knew I wanted to do some different things that had not been done here,” Anthony said. “For example, having watch parties for National Football League games and it has grown each week. My hope is once the colder weather sets in we will have more folks come out to join us for games as they will be tired of just sitting at home.”
He enjoys coming to work each day, getting to do something that he loves, Anthony said.
“The Woodland Hills Golf Course is in really beautiful shape as Doug (Guns)and his crew do a great job making it look beautiful,” he said.
In the community, Anthony has been involved with Special Olympics, a large sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities.
“I, along with Bourbon County Undersheriff Ben Cole, host a golf tournament each year to benefit Special Olympics,” he said. “I am also on the Board of Directors for Special Olympics Kansas.”
He enjoys coming to work each day, getting to do something that he loves, Anthony said.
Anthony can be reached at 620-223-5060 or his cell phone at 620-215-2392.
At the Fort Scott High School Football Game and the Uniontown High School Volleyball Tournament this weekend, one might think there is a crime being investigated.
But that thinking would be wrong.
Both Fort Scott Police and the Bourbon County Sheriff Officers will be there to mingle with people to “meet the community and let the community know us,” said Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Chaplain Bob Jackson.
The events are part of an organization called Faith and Blue.
“Nation-wide, after the George Floyd deal, things started spiraling downhill for law enforcement,” said Jackson.
Last year following the civil unrest, an organization called Faith and Blue was started nationally.
The following is the organization’s purpose, according to its’ website: Faith & Blue: Partnering for stronger, safer communities (faithandblue.org)
“Communities are stronger and safer when residents and law enforcement professionals can relate as ordinary people with shared values, hopes, and dreams. The partners who are a part of National Faith & Blue Weekend believe we can find ways to work together around our many commonalities instead of being divided by our differences.”
The Faith and Blue weekend nationally is Oct. 8-11, according to Jackson.
The law enforcement officers will be at Frary Field this evening, Oct. 8, on the campus of Fort Scott High School starting about 5 p.m. to “pass out popcorn and give away tickets to the concession stand,” Jackson said.
Then on Saturday, the officers will be at West Bourbon Elementary School for the Uniontown High School Volleyball Tournament from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There, they will be giving away food too, with the help of local food truck (The Sunshine Shack) owners, Shayla and Kyle Knight.
“They are going to set it up inside the school cafeteria,” Jackson said.
The officers are hoping to get to know those they serve a little better in the mingling and also let the community get to know them.
He is hoping the event will be a positive one, he said.
“It will not be to hear complaints,” Jackson said. “But it’s to get to know you and you know us.”
The event is a collaboration of some local churches and the FSPD and the BCSO.
In Fort Scott, Community Christian Church, Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene, Trinity Lutheran and the Seventh Day Adventist Church have provided funds for the event.
In Uniontown, the Uniontown Missionary Baptist Church, along with the Bronson, Hiattville, and Uniontown United Methodist Churches have contributed to the event.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has amended its travel quarantine list to remove the country of Grenada. The state of Alaska and the countries of Bermuda and New Caledonia have been added to the travel quarantine list. An unvaccinated individual should quarantine if they meet the following criteria:
The travel and mass gathering quarantine period is seven days with a negative test result or 10 days without testing, with release from quarantine on Day 8 and Day 11, respectively. Further information on quarantine periods can be found on KDHE’s website.
For those traveling internationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is requiring testing within three days of flights into the U.S. For further information on this and other requirements, visit their website.
For those who are fully vaccinated (meaning it has been greater than two weeks since they completed their vaccinations) they are not required to quarantine regarding travel or mass gatherings if they meet all of the following criteria:
Persons who do not meet the above criteria should continue to follow current quarantine guidance for travel or mass gatherings.
Additionally, people with previous COVID-19 disease are not required to quarantine following travel if they meet all of the following criteria:
Persons who do not meet all three of the above criteria should continue to follow current quarantine guidance for travel.
The travel quarantine list is determined using a formula to evaluate new cases over a two-week period, then adjusted for population size to provide a case rate per 100,000 population. This provides a number that can then be compared to the rate in Kansas. Locations with significantly higher rates — approximately 3x higher — are added to the list.
For more information on COVID-19, please visit the KDHE website at www.kdhe.ks.gov/coronavirus.
Brian Allen, a local historian in his spare time, likes to collect old items and if he can, reunite them with family members.
At a recent garage sale, Allen found some antique glass photo negatives circa, he believes, the 1890s to the 1910s.
“I found the negatives and the photos at a local garage sale two weeks ago,” Allen said. “I have always collected vintage Fort Scott items.”
Along with many items in a box, there were 13 glass negatives, he said.
“I have a scanner that can make negatives into photos,” Allen said. “They were very dark, and without the scanner, it would have been almost impossible to make them out even with a bright light.”
Allen has been sharing photos online for several months now.
“The photos do depict some local scenes,” he said. “One is clearly the old (Fort Scott)High School, and one is taken from the side of a house across the street from the school.”
The photo finds are posted in the Historical Fort Scott and Surrounding Areas group on Facebook, as well as the Bourbon County Historical Preservation Association page, he said.
“The ones on the HPA page belong to the organization,” Allen said. “I have posted well over well over 100 photos. I have been able to reunite about 30 photos with family members during this time, as well as a family Bible to a family in Texas.”
“I love to be able to return these old items to a family,” he said. “If someone wants to contact me about any of the photos, please just send me a message on Facebook.”
