Loren and Regena Lance, owners of Mildred Store in Allen County. Submitted photo.
Loren and Regena Lance are contemplating duplicating what they have done to the Mildred Store in Allen County, in downtown Fort Scott. They have a grocery store in the town of Mildred, population 26.
See the end of this feature for how to give input to the Lance’s.
The Mildred Store in Mildred,KS, population 26.
“Loren and I purchased the Mildred Store six years ago this coming June,” Regena Lance said. “We purchased the existing store because we saw a community need. We have taken a store in the middle of basically nowhere and made it a hub to the community and developed it into a destination business.”
Produce offered by the Mildred Store. Submitted photo.
“We feel after nearly six years in business we have an idea of how to be competitive and provide a great service to our community,” she said. “We would hope to be able to duplicate this in Fort Scott, if we decide to pursue this opportunity.”
Mildred Store is known for sandwiches and live music that happens monthly.
Submitted photo of the Mildred Store.
” Several people from Fort Scott visit our Mildred Store, especially on the third Saturday of the month which is our ‘Music Night’ and had commented on how nice it would be to have a store like this in the downtown area of Fort Scott,” Regena said.
“After thinking it over and discussing it with employees of the city of Fort Scott, we have decided to give it further consideration,” she said.
Submitted photo of the Mildred Store.
“The situation in Fort Scott is similar to what we saw in Mildred,” Regena said. “There is a need in a community that could be fulfilled by a small store that stocks all the basic goods and a few specialty items. We are not trying to compete with any other existing businesses in Fort Scott just hoping to fill a void that has become apparent in the downtown area.”
Submitted photo of the Mildred Store.
Location
No location has been determined yet, she said, but the future grocery store would be in downtown Fort Scott.
When
“If we do decide to move forward with this venture we will be looking a late spring start up,” she said.
Submitted photo of the Mildred Store.
Community Input Sought
“We are looking for community input on what they would like to see in a future store, as far as staple goods, store hours and any other possible suggestions,” Regena said. ” We would like to invite anyone interested to come visit the Mildred Store to see how we could model a new store off of our existing one. Mildred Store is open seven days a week Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.”
“Music night is this Saturday night starting at 6:30 if anyone is interested in coming to see what’s happening in Mildred,” she said.
To comment ideas for staple goods and store hours, use the store’s Facebook page: Mildred Store or call the store at 620-439-5424.
From left: Elaina Koppa, Rebekah Houser, and Bethany Johnson pray together. Photos courtesy of Kenny Felt Photography.
IF, a Christian women’s ministry conference, is planned for Saturday, February 29 at 9 a.m. at Fort Scott Middle School, 1105 E. Twelfth.
IF God is real, then what? That is the premise of the ministry to women.
Area women are asked to join others from local churches to look into God’s Word through teaching, conversations, worship of Jesus, and hearing stories, according to information provided from organizers.
Bible Study. Courtesy of Kenny Felt Photography.
Presentations from popular Christian leaders, including Beth Moore, Sadie Robertson, Jennie Allen, and Bianca Olthoff will be from the IF: Gathering 2020 Livestream.
Also included is live music from local artists Madison Christian and KaLisa Veer.
The cost is $25 and includes a coffee bar, light pastries, lunch, and snacks, plus receive a free notebook and pen.
A few local IF participants were interviewed by FortScott.Biz:
How has IF impacted your life?
Rebekah
“Last year was my first time attending an IF event…and I don’t know why I waited so long to join,” said Rebekah Houser, who will be the photographer for the 2020 event. “I loved the event so much that I’ve done every IF: Equip study we’ve held since then. It has filled the hole I’ve had since I graduated out of my high school youth group and has seriously been a huge blessing. Some of my closest friends now are the women who have also participated in these studies alongside me.”
Rachel
“After suffering the loss of my brother four years ago, I decided to attend a Christian women’s event at a local church, one that I didn’t attend,” Rachel French, IF: Fort Scott Steering Committee Member said. “It was totally a God move. Over the years, the Lord has laid on my heart to promote unity throughout the body of Christ here in our community. Since that initial gathering, I have seen our IF: community put aside our differences and focus on the core common beliefs that we share.”
Bethany
“When I first attended the gathering in 2017, I was new to Fort Scott and was still trying to find my place in the small town scene, having grown up in a larger city,” Bethany Johnson, IF Steering Committee Member said. “I was asked to serve at the IF: Gathering and I came excited to learn and worship with other women. I quickly realized how much I needed to be there. I soaked up teaching from God’s Word and powerful and encouraging stories. That was just the beginning of how God has used this ministry to impact my life and connect me to other Christian women in my community.”
What is your favorite part of the event?
Rebekah
“My favorite part about IF is the building of a community with women from other churches and denominations. I love that IF isn’t about putting one denomination over another. It’s simply about creating a community with other women in your town and forming relationships with them. Then, the opportunity to join an IF: Table or participate in the short six-week IF: Equip studies can continue to build and solidify those relationships. No matter what age or denomination you are, we just get together to love each other and lean into each other. I love that,” Rebekah said.
Rachel
“I love that IF: Fort Scott doesn’t end when the gathering is over. We have weekly and monthly opportunities for the women of the community to get involved and continue to learn and grow more in their faith. We offer weekly Bible studies that start every six to eight weeks, with our next study starting on March 10th. We also offer monthly IF: Tables, where six women meet for two hours over a meal and have a conversation over a topic provided by the IF: Gathering team,” Rachel said.
From left: Rebekah Houser, Elaina Koppa, Brodi Dare, Jessica Majors, and Suzanne Griffin, during an IF small group event. Photos courtesy of Kenny Felt Photography.
Bethany
“This event is unlike any other women’s conference or retreat I have ever attended. We come together and watch recordings of other women and Christian leaders share powerful teaching from God’s word and testimonies of what He is doing in their lives. Since I volunteer as a youth sponsor and spend time with teenage girls each week at my church, my favorite part is gathering with women from every age and background to be united in one purpose. I am encouraged because it is an opportunity for teenage girls to see other girls their age leading women much older than them,” Bethany said.
How has attending challenged you personally?
Rebekah
“Since attending IF, I’ve felt compelled to not only get to know other women in my community better but get to truly know them. I have so many new close relationships with women now that one year ago I did not! I needed that desperately, and they have truly been a lifeline for me on so many occasions. I have the best and most understanding husband, but sometimes you just need a great group of ladies to lean on too,” Rebekah said.
Rachel
“This will be my fifth gathering and after each event I feel God stretching me to grow deeper in my faith and rely on him more. We get to hear from so many amazing speakers who communicate the word of God in a way that is different than a regular Sunday morning service. Through the IF: Equip app the speakers provide more content which has allowed me to continue learning from these godly women,” Rachel said.
Bethany
“Through attending this event, I have had the opportunity to study the Bible with other women, serve in many ways out of my comfort zone, and lead alongside new friends. I am challenged to grow in my relationship with Jesus through this event. There are many free resources available to study Scripture and dive deeper into your faith through the IF: Equip App,” Bethany said.
Fort Scott Police Department Officer Derick Burke. File photo.
Violence in America is a threat, and the Fort Scott Police Department is scheduling a training session to help local entities deal with the possible threat.
“The FSPD will be hosting this training with certified trainers from ALICE coming to Ellis Fine Arts Center to do the training for us,” FS Police Officer Derick Burke said.
“Our local businesses, churches, schools, and hospitals are often where there is a larger gathering,” Burke said. “Most recently we have been seeing more and more churches being the target. In the past, it had been seen more in schools. This training is being offered so people in our community can take what they learned from certified ALICE trainers back to their church, business, school, and be able to hold their own training. Job turnover is always a possibility and when a new employee is hired, you shouldn’t have to call around to schedule a training with someone else, simply put the person you had trained by a certified ALICE trainer to good use and keep the drive for workplace safety alive.”
“ALICE is an acronym for a systematic approach to combat an active shooter or violent intruder situation by using proactive response strategies,” Burke said. “This type of training is set up for all ages, young and old, male or female.”
ALICE stands for:
Alert- Notification and recognition of the possibility of danger.
Lockdown- If evacuation is not the safe option, barricade entry points and prepare for evacuation or the possibility to counter the threat.
Inform- Communicate on the shooter location with clear and concise information by any means possible.
Counter- If evacuation is not possible, counter with noise, movement, distraction and distance, making it more difficult for the shooter to shoot accurately.
Evacuate- When it is possible to evacuate, run from the danger and exit quickly.
“The training is open to anyone willing and wanting to learn, and then take what they learned, and teach it to others,” Burke said. “Age, gender, strength, size….does not matter. This training is tailored to fit anyone. ”
Registering for this class by visiting the website www.alicetraining.com, look for the dates, June 16- June 17, 2020.
The training will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m, in Fort Scott at the Ellis Arts Center on the Campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2401 S. Horton.
The cost is $595.00 for early bird registration, $695.00 for anyone after the first 10 registrants.
Please note that the meeting will begin at 1:30pm in the Commission Room at the courthouse. At 6:00pm meeting will be at the Ellis building on the FSCC campus for Windfarm discussion.
Nancy Johnson, a licensed esthetician, moved her office uptown to 5 E. Wall.
Nancy Johnson, a licensed esthetician, has moved shop.
“I wanted to be downtown,” Johnson said.
Formerly on the south end of Fort Scott, she has moved her business, Visage Skin Care Spa, to 5 E. Wall.
The move took place in November 2019, but then Johnson and her husband took an extended vacation.
Johnson has been in the business for 13 years and received her training at the Euro Institute of Holistic Skin Care in Renton, Washington.
The services she provides are facials, waxing, lash and brow tinting, sugaring, body and foot treatments and she sells Niko Organic Skin Care products.
She can put together a gift basket for a loved one for Valentine’s Day or any special occasion.
Johnson is hosting the weekly Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce coffee on Feb. 13 at 8 a.m., with a ribbon-cutting for the business to follow the coffee at 8:30 a.m.
Johnson works by appointment and can be reached at 620.224.6455.
The lobby of Visage has been transformed into a modern waiting space.Johnson’s facial spa area.
Moe’s Breads Bakery is having a grand opening on Feb. 15 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“We will have drawings for merchandise and coupons,” said owner Melissa McCurry. “Seventy-five cents coffee, $1 single biscuits and gravy and are giving away 100 mini-muffins for a door prize.”
“We are doing a raffle for the 3rd-grade boys’ basketball to go to state, tickets are $1,” McCurry said. “We will draw at the grand opening for a full pan of cinnamon rolls.”
Hours of the bakery are from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday and Sunday hours are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
To place an order, call 620-768-8009.
Every morning McCurry makes homemade biscuits and homemade gravy and starts selling it and other breads, cookies, muffins along with hot and cold drinks at 5 a.m.
There is a lounge area in the bakery with a couch, table, and chairs in an adjacent room.
The list of food items sold:
The fruit loaves include banana, pumpkin, blueberry, and zucchini. They sell for $6. Apple cinnamon and caramel pecan swirl loaves are $7.
Cookies include banana chocolate chip, peanut butter, chocolate cream for $4 a dozen, no-bake cookies sell for $6.
Yeast bread orders must be placed 24-hours prior and start at $5: white, wheat, French, challah, jalapeno cheese, ciabatta, cinnamon rolls, and sourdough.
Coffee can be purchased for $1.25 and tea for75 cents. Soda, milk, orange juice, and energy drinks are also sold.
My1Stop employees, from left: Kevin Collins, Sioux City, Iowa, national sales representative; Rozemma Perry, Fort Scott, inside sales; Tina Wilson, Cato, inside sales; Brice Leonard, Nevada, MO, sales representative.
Local business, My1Stop, is an online print company that makes promotional items for other businesses.
The business creates plastic cards, key tags, forms, envelopes, shipping labels, gift card carriers, medical ID forms and wristbands, industrial labels, among other items.
“We started in 2005 when we saw the need to sell print online and also to sell nationally and internationally,” according to Tina Wilson, who works inside sales and customer service.
“We want to make businesses in Fort Scott grow,” she said.
The business has been family owned and operated all those years.
“In 2020, we decided we needed to be involved more in the community,” Wilson said.
The staff: Kevins Collins, national sales; Rozemma Perry, inside sales; Wilson, and Brice Leonard, sales representative, are taking part in the community through involvement in the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce, Young Professional League, mentoring and local youth and church organizations. Other staff are marketing, graphic design and accounting.
They recently hosted a Chamber Coffee to tell their story.
To contact, call 1.800.MY1STOP.
They are located at 3200 Liberty Bell Road, Suite 300.
The hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST.
Orders can be placed online 24 hours a day online.
Attorney Andrew Bolton, left, Christian Cox, office manager, right.
Attorney Andrew Bolton moved his office to a downtown location in November 2019.
He specializes in family law.
“Divorce, custody, adoptions,” Bolton said. “I also do estate planning and other help. A general practice, like small-town lawyers do.”
Bolton said he enjoys helping people and the profession allows him to do that. He often works with people at a low point in their life.
” It’s nice that in a small town I usually know the person,” he said.
He can be reached at 620-644-9210.
Bolton said he is usually at his Fort Scott office on Thursdays and Fridays.
Bolton graduated from Fort Scott High School in 1999, went to Pittsburg State University and then earned his law degree from Notre Dame University in 2006. He worked for with a firm in Lawrence until 2012 when he started his own firm.
In 2015 he opened an office in Fort Scott and Louisburg, and just recently moved his office downtown, 14 S. Main.
Modern Woodmen Financial and Bolton Law Firm are housed in offices at 14 S. Main.
Jerry Eugene Nafgzer, 83, of Fort Scott, Kansas, formerly of Lancaster, Ohio, went to be with his Lord peacefully, Monday afternoon, February 3, 2020 at the Guest Home Estates of Fort Scott.
He was born November 23, 1936, in Obetz, Ohio, the son of Burl Monroe and Hazel (Dewey) Nafzger. He married Judy Arlene Kilbarger on March 6, 1959 in Sugar Grove, Ohio, she survives of the home.
Jerry was a man who loved the Lord and was loved by all who knew him. He and his wife, Judy, moved here from Lancaster, Ohio, five and a half years ago to be near their son and his family.
In addition to his wife, Judy, he is survived by a son and wife, Jerry and Debbie Nafzger, of Fort Scott, daughter and husband, Victoria and Mark Alten of Lancaster, Ohio, a grandson and wife, Matthew and Stefanie Alten, and 3 granddaughters, Sarah Beth Alten, MacKenzie and husband, Ricky Salgado and Shelby and husband, Kenny Shaw and eight great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Tom Nafzger.
Pastor Adam Reynolds will officiate graveside services for Jerry Nafzger at 10:30 a.m., Friday, February 7, 2020 at the Maple Grove Cemetery under the direction of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home, 15 W. Wall Street.
Condolences may be emailed to the online guestbook at konantz-cheney.com.
Kansas Property Taxes have increased 164% from 1997 to 2018, while inflation was 49.5%. during the same time-frame. And we have some whose property taxes have increased 15% or more just in the last year.
Senate Bill (SB) 294 and SB 295 were introduced to promote transparency and fairness in our property tax system. SB 294 would require a vote of local government to increase your property taxes. Taxpayers deserve to know why their taxes are increasing. SB 295 would stop your property tax from increasing for normal maintenance. When you need to paint your house or need a new roof it shouldn’t increase your property tax. Especially when the person who doesn’t take care of their property receives a lower tax bill.
There is an effort by some who are funded with property taxpayer dollars to try and kill or weaken the bills. It appears they want business as usual.
Value Them Both (mother and child) Constitutional amendment, Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR) 1613, passed the Senate on a vote of 28 Yes to 12 No. The SCR would allow Kansas voters the opportunity to amend our State Constitution and clarify the authority to enact laws on abortion is with the legislature and not the courts. The next step is for the House to debate and vote on the SCR. It must pass the House with 2/3 majority before it can be on a ballot for Kansas voters. If the amendment passes the House and goes on a ballot, a yes vote would keep Kansas abortion laws already in place. This is required because the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that our founding fathers allowed for abortion in our state constitution.
The amendment would help in stopping the courts from legislating abortion laws from the bench. The Court opinion is posted online at:
Legislating from the bench needs to be stopped. Last year a Kansas Supreme Court decision blocks the state from prosecuting illegal immigrants who use a fake Social Security Number (SSN). The majority of justices ruled Kansas has no right to prosecute an “alien” for using a stolen SSN. Two justices dissented and understood how disastrous it is to not be able to prosecute whomever breaks Kansas laws.
A loud and clear message must be sent to the justices that we will not tolerate judges rulings based on personal opinions rather than on law. SCR 1613 will help send that message.
It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your 12th District State Senator.
Scott Gander and Jolynne Mitchell in front of the new office of Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial, 14 S. Main.
Another business has moved uptown.
Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial employees rented an office space at 14 S. Main in December 2019.
Modern Woodmen Financial and Bolton Law Firm are located at 14 S. Main.
“It’s a better location,” Scott Gander, managing partner for the business said. “It’s more exposure.”
“The business helps people with all financial planning,” Gander said. “Anything with protecting money and making money grow.”
“Scott and I both feel the best part of our job is helping families and their loved ones achieve their financial security through all stages of their lives,” Jolynne Mitchell, financial representative, said.
“The fraternal side is giving back to the community,” Gander said.
“We do $2,500 in matching funds every year, and
$1,000 in three service projects each year,” she said. “We plant trees, do Hometown Hero and provide educational events for our members.”
“As a Premier Chapter, we are awarded additional funds to participate in additional activities in the community to show our Modern Woodmen support,” she said.
Business hours are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
