The outside pickleball courts are located up the stairs, just north of the water tower at 9th and Burke streets.
It is a cross between tennis and ping pong and was invented in Seattle in 1965.
It’s pickleball.
Played with a short wooden paddle and a whiffle ball, in Fort Scott there are two places to enjoy the sport.
One is indoors at Buck Run Community Center, 735 Scott Avenue, and the other is an outside court at 9th and Burke street, near the water tower. Paddles and balls are available at Buck Run.
The outdoor courts are a first-come, first served basis.
“We are lucky we have two places to play,” Janice Allen, a local player said.
Pickleball is taught as part of the physical education curriculum at Fort Scott Middle School, “And all kinds of kids show up at the water tower to play,” Allen said.
Teams can be found playing at the outside court at 6:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and also at 6 p.m.
At Buck Run, 9 a.m. Monday through Friday people play and also Saturday morning at 8 a.m., she said.
There are four courts at the water tower site.
“You can go and watch,” Allen said. “We have a good time.”
Submitted photo
“I’m 77 years old,” Allen said. “It’s an excellent exercise and social game. And I’ve lost 25 pounds since I started playing a year-and-a-half ago.” The outside court opened in 2017.
Submitted photo.
The pickleball court is two-thirds the size of a tennis court, scoring is like for ping pong, serving is underhanded and a person can only score while serving. There are four courts at the water tower location.
Submitted photo. Pickleball can be played outside at night as well because of lights at the court.
“You don’t have to go with people,” Allen said. “We’ll rotate you in and out of the game. Someone will help you get started.”
“You need to wear shoes with tread, cross-training shoes, not running or walking shoes,” she said.
The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes is hosting the award-winning Life in a Jar: the Irena Sendler Project author Jack Mayer on Saturday, July 28 in the Liberty Theatre at 10 AM for a presentation followed by a performance of Life in a Jar at 2 PM.
These events happen in conjunction with the 2018 Poland Reunion and are free to the public.
The Liberty Theater Patio was the scene of a reunion for the Lowell Milken Center For Unsung Heroes Friday evening.
Taste the glossy red fruit tomorrow at the farmers market to see which is your favorite!
Tomatoes for sale at Fort Scott Farmers Market.
The annual Fort Scott Farmers Market Tomato Festival is Saturday, July 28 at Skubitz Plaza, starting at 8 a.m.
The public is welcome to bring in their tomatoes for the contest as well, Stacey Atkins, president of the FSFM said.
“People can sample tomatoes and vote for their favorite,” Atkins said. “It’s always fun to sample the produce.”
Vendor Stacey Atkins chats with a customer July 21 at her booth. Atkins sells eggs, baked goods, and lemonade.Chet and Linda Bower sell produce from their farm.Linda Murrow changes the billboard of what she sells as she runs out of produce. Murrow sells produce, baked goods, and lemonade.Mary Yoder sells baked goods, homemade jellies, relishes and cherry tomatoes.Roman Shetler sells produce, honey, maple syrup, relish and produce.Ronnie Brown sells nuts, jellies, fruit, produce and baked goods.Micki Kraft sells homemade sewn products.Chet Bower shows some of his carrots he grew on his farm.
“There has been a Title IX complaint against the school district,” USD 234 Superintendent Ted Hessong, said. “There is an investigation currently and the school district is unable to comment more specifically at this time.”
The investigation pending is regarding Title IX Athletics, according to the website.
In June 2018, City Attorney Bob Farmer was asked by the Fort Scott City Commission to send USD 234 a letter to be sent with the school district’s paperwork on the case to the Office of Civil Rights, according to the city commission minutes of June 19, 2018.
In the letter Farmer sent, the city stated it had no plans to build a clubhouse or dressing room at Fisher Park because there is no funding at this time to do so, according to the minutes.
The city owns Fisher Park and allows the USD 234 to use the facilities there for the FSHS girls softball program, Hessong said.
“The OCR wanted a letter from the city stating that the city has no intention of building at Fisher Park,” City Manager Dave Martin said.
“We have been unable to find out who filed the complaint,” Martin said. “The state will not tell the person who turned them in.”
Hewitt Field at Fisher Park. The FSHS girls softball program uses the facilities in the spring.Don Hewitt Field at Fisher Park. The ballpark is three blocks north of Fort Scott High School.The concession building at Fisher Park.Fort Scott High School, 1005 S. Main.
The city of Uniontown’s Council received a grant to replace the natural gas pipeline in the town.
The Uniontown City Council has been active in recent years to improve the town’s infrastructure.
A project to widen and deepen the town’s ditches to keep water going where it should, a water line replacement project and this year a natural gas line replacement project has been initiated by the council. Uniontown’s population is 272.
The city of Uniontown was awarded $201,000 in 2017 with Community Development Block Grant funds to replace a natural gas transmission line, according to kansascommerce.gov/CivicAlerts.
The city will contribute $201,000 in matching funds for this project.
NPL Foreman Pat Wier, Parker, left, tells USIC employee Mason Adams, Sugar Valley, right, where the pipeline project is, on Tuesday morning. USIC locates electric meters for entities.
The Uniontown project started June 12.
“We are trying to get it done by September 1,” NPL(Northern Pipe Line) Foreman Pat Wier, said. “So far, we are up to date, but we have a lot of work to be done.”
The two-man crew is replacing PVC pipe with PE pipe. The crew is comprised of Wier and Edmundo Rodriguez, Lenexa.
“PE is a federal requirement,” Wier said. “PVC is not recognized anymore. We are laying new pipe in portions of the city where the PVC is.”
The crew worked late into the night on Thursday to get resident Bill Griffith hooked back on to gas after a day spent laying pipe on the town’s southeast side.
“Once started, we couldn’t quit,” Wier said. “There are a few late nights.”
The usual hours for the crew is 7 a.m to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, Wier said.
Edmundo Rodriguez, left, an NPL employee, chats with Mason Adams, USIC employee during work on the pipeline just south of Nita Campbell’s property Tuesday morning.
Next for the crew is replacing 3,700 feet of two-inch steel pipe south of town.
“That is exposed,” Wier said. “We’ll be replacing and putting pipe underground for safety.”
Recently, a brush mower in this area ran over the steel riser and “caused a pretty good (gas)leak,” Wier said. “That’s why we are doing all this.”
During the FortScott.Biz interview a Kansas Corporation Commission Inspector, Jon Bolinder, turned up at the work site.
Kansas Corporation Commission Office of Pipeline Safety Inspector Jon Bolinder of Topeka stopped by the Uniontown gas line project Tuesday morning.
Bolinder is with the Office of Pipeline Safety for the KCC, he said.
Bolinder said all projects submit a construction notice to KCC. He was on his way to the Coffeyville area and made a stop in Uniontown to view the project.
“We come out and make sure they are following code when installing,” Bolinder said. He also said it helps him “in my head, when I am doing the paperwork on the project.”
The Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program allows the Kansas Department of Commerce to distribute federal funds to Kansas cities and counties looking to improve their community.
To receive CDBG funds, a project must meet at least one of the following federally mandated criteria, according to the website:
The project benefits low- and moderate-income individuals.
The project removes or prevents slum or blight condition.
The project eliminates an urgent need created by a disaster when local funds are unavailable.
Participants who created a barn wood craft at Presbyterian Village Tuesday evening: clockwise from left, Sara Black, , Tabitha Stults, Josie Stults, Skye Metcalf, Cindy Lashley, Minnie Lou Allen, Glenda Stevicks, instructor Jennifer Cox. Not pictured is Rachel Kellum and Tamra Elsisle .
Fort Scott National Historic Site Youth Conservation Corp Member Reaghan Dowell tells about the garden at the fort. Sara Stepanic, right, a student trainee park ranger, listens.
Two groups of local youth donned the 1840s summer military uniform of soldiers and told stories of life at The Fort Scott National Historic Site on Saturday.
July 21 was Family Day at FSNHS, a new event planned by area youth to gain experience with the National Park Service this summer.
“We picked cooking, gardening and dummy guns for topics,” for Family Day, Reaghn Dowell, YCC member said.
To lead the activities, the youth wore the summer uniforms that soldiers wore in the 1840s.
“The uniforms are canvass,” Sara Stepanic, said. “They are pretty heavy and not cool.” Stepanic is a student trainee ranger this summer at FSNHS.
In the morning, three different stations were available for public engagement: a cooking demonstration, where visitors were instructed in food preparation and cooking methods; a historic garden display, where one could work in the garden and help with the harvest; and firearms drills in the use of 1840s firearms using wooden “dummy guns”.
Afternoon activities included arts and crafts for the family at one station and historic, interactive games and activities for adults and kids at a second station.
Family Day activities were presented by two groups of youth who are working at FSNHS, the Youth Conservation Corps and the Youth Engagement Team. Both groups consist of high school age students who are gaining experience with the National Park Service this summer.
The Youth Conservation Corps is comprised of Kaden Primm, Anthea Montojo, Reaghn Dowell, and Jessden Kiwan, all from Fort Scott. Sara Stepanic, Wisconsin, a college-age student trainee park ranger was the leader of the YCC group at FSNHS.
The Youth Engagement team members are Jacey Bowen, Uniontown and Emily Davenport, Fort Scott.
Jacey Bowen, Fort Scott National Historic Site Youth Engagement member, left, and YCC Member Jessden Kiwan, right, teach how firearms were used int he 1840s.Jase Garrison, Claremore, OK, gets a firearms lesson from Park Ranger Ryan O’Connell, while his extended family looks on.FSNHS Youth Engagement Member Emily Davenport, left, YCC Member Kaden Primm, center; and YCC Member Anthea Motojo helped prep food for the beef stew that was being demonstrated as part of Family Day.Park Guide Paul Goodman makes beef stew as part of Family Day at FSNHS.Park Ranger Robert Thomas leads the Muller Family from Denver, CO in the Junior Ranger Program Pledge.
The Muller Family from Denver, Colorado worked on the National Park Service Junior Park Ranger Program while at the Fort on Saturday. Following the program outline, they were led in a National Park Service Junior Ranger oath by Ranger Robert Thomas in the visitors center.
The children get a book, badge, sticker and five trading cards when they sign up for the program.
The dwarfs in their home in Wychwood. From left: Michaela Morrell, Kaiden Clary, Ana Rupprecht, Joanna Wuthrich, Khris Patel, Brayden Wilkerson
Area youth performed a ‘fractured fairy tale’ of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, entitled Snew White on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon at Fort Scott High School.
The play was a culmination of a Tiger Drama Performance Camp over the last two weeks, with FSHS Thespians assisting Drama Teacher Angela Bin in the production.
Twenty-four youth from six local schools pulled together an entertaining performance. In addition, during the camp, the students explored other types of arts and crafts, and created scenery props for the play.
The directors of Snew White were Brooklyn Lyons and Karina Kantilal. Set designer, Levi Bin; scenic artist, Mary Gladbach; choreographer, Mackenzie Peoples; sound designer, Addy Labbe; sound tech, Dominic Cannon; lighting designer, Alyx Brooks; lighting assistant Lexi Bailey; costume designer, Emmalee Bin; acting coaches, Sage Hill, Gabriel Graham, Kathelra Murray, Mesa Jones, and Jakob Slinkard.
The cast was Brayden Wilkerson, Kaiden Clary, Michaela Morrell, Kyla Korinek, Ana Rupprecht, Joanna Wuthrich, Khris Patel, Reagen Wells, Kodi Casper, Kinsley Davis, Lexi Hill, Avery Marsh, Katy Primm, Jada Malveaux, Keri Crisler, Remy Witt, Kaitlyn Leavell, Abby Wuthrich, Bryn Crisler, Caroline Barnes, Xavier Jeffrey, Cora Studyvin and Ben Davenport.
The evil queen, portrayed by Kinsley Davis, works on a plan to rid Wychwood of Snew White. UPS girl, middle, is Keri Crisle.The magic mirror, portrayed by Remy Witt, chats with the evil queen.The governor of Wychwood, Kaitlyn Leavell, and her assistants, Dean, portrayed by Caroline Barnes, and her assistant, portrayed by Xavier Jeffrey and Deluca, Abby Wuthrich and her assistant, portrayed by Bryn Crisler, deal with the politics of having an evil queen.Sigmond Freud, portrayed by Kodi Casper, counsels Rose Red portrayed by Regen Wells.Gerry, the insurance agent portrayed by Ben Davenport, chats with Snew White, portrayed by Cora Studyvin.
The magic mirror talks to Snew White.The queen gets advice. From left: Katy Primm, Jada Malveaux, Kinsley Davis, Lexi Hill, Avery Marsh
The cast sings Heigh Ho Hip Hop Mix.The cast bows following the last scene.Grandmother Cheryl Adamson looks on while Tuesday Glessner hands her cousin Avery Marsh flowers, following her performance.Cast members line up following the performance to greet the audience.From left: Kodi Casper, Bryn Crisler, Kaiden Clary.A wardrobe malfunction in the audience-greet-line brings Joanna Wuthrich to tears.Family members pose with actresses for a photo. From left: Lexi Hill, Mikki Hill, Regen Wells, Katy Primm, Shawn Hill.
Fort Scott High School Drama Teacher Angie Bin smiles for a photo with a cast member. From left: Shannon Hawpe, Bin, Xavier Jeffrey.Family and friends linger following the performance of Snew White at Fort Scott High School Friday evening.
Jason McReynolds releases water from a hydrant on 2nd Street Wednesday, which is part of the process of cleaning the water system. The flushing gets the chlorine into the system faster and farther, Scott Flater said.
The Marmaton River is the source of drinking water for almost all of Bourbon County, except for the most extreme western portion, which has a private reservoir.
Scott Flater is the superintendent of the City of Fort Scott Water Production Department, who is tasked with providing clean, safe water from the Marmaton River to all of Fort Scott and Consolidated Rural Water District # 2 residents.
“We make water for the city,” Flater said. “But our number one customer is Rural Water #2.”
Over two million gallons of water a day is processed and sent out to the city and the county, he said.
“Everything comes through this building,” Flater said. “We have a river intake on 5th and Short Streets.”
The rural water district then sells and distributes the water from Fort Scott to the small towns in Bourbon County.
The city’s water production employees are in the middle of a cleanout process. It’s called burn out/flushing, and it’s an annual event.
“The water is safe during the rest of the year or during this burnout (cleaning out), it’s safe,” Flater said. “We are sending it out to our family and our community. It’s the highest quality.”
The cleaning out of the system is a maintenance practice for the distribution system, Flater said.
They started July 16, and if all goes as planned the water cleaning process should be completed by the end of next week, Flater said.
“The burnout won’t reach outside of Fort Scott until today (July 20),” Flater said.
Flater commended a small town in Bourbon County for being far-thinking in their water supply.
Flater said Uniontown, in the western part of the county, has been “pro-active to rebuild their water infrastructure” in the last few years. “They’ve done a great job.”
This computer screen is set up in the office of the water treatment plant at Ninth and Burke streets and shows the outline of the water cleaning process, so the plant operators can see what is going on in the plant.Scott Flater shows the water samples that are tested: from left is water directly from the river, the middle is water that has been mixed with chemicals and the right is the water that has been fully processed and is ready to drink. This is so plant operators can do “right now” testing on the water, he said.Brandon Russell, one of four plant operators, does comparative water testing in the water treatment plant Thursday.The turquoise and blue pipe in the center of the photo is located in the lower level of the city’s water plant. The 24-inch pipe is where all the Marmaton River water is piped into the plant. It is then processed in a mixer with chemicals. The water is then transported to a settling basin. Following this step, chlorine is added to the water. It is then run through a filter and goes into a clear well from where the water proceeds to water towers then to the water distribution system.
Workers clear away a tree from a yard at 12th St. and National Avenue Friday morning, following a storm Thursday evening.
Bourbon County wide the Fort Scott Police Department had approximately 25 calls for service that were storm related, according to Cpt. Shaun T. West, Fort Scott Police Department.
Most of the calls were for trees in the roadway, power lines down or alarms due to power issues, he said.
“We did have one non injury vehicle accident in the county which may have been weather related, but I don’t enough information on it as it was worked by Kansas Highway Patrol,” West said.
“There was one accident reported,” Sheriff Bill Martin said. ” That occurred on south 69 Highway at Birch Road. The Kansas Highway Patrol worked that.”
Martin noted there were power outages in the Uniontown area.
The majority of Bourbon County was never issued a severe thunderstorm warning, William Wallis, Bourbon County Emergency Management Director, said.
“This was due to the fact that we didn’t meet one or both of the required criteria that enables the National Weather service to issue a Severe Thunderstorm Warning,” Wallis said. ” When the National Weather Service issues a warning it is sent to CodeRed who then issues a warning to the exact location within our county, per the address that the individual signs up with. That is the reason why no one received a CodeRed especially in the Fort Scott area.”
K-State Extension Agent Joy Miller speaks to the attendees of the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Thursday morning during their weekly coffee in the Open Class Myers Building. She summed up the fair for fair youth: hard work and determination.
Thursday at the Bourbon County Fair started with the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Weekly Coffee and the Open Class Swine Contest. The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office served lunch at the Chuck Wagon eatery at the fair and in the evening was the 4-H Fashion Revue at Fort Scott Community College. There was a corn hole contest fundraiser presented by the Uniontown FFA in the arena.
Friday at the fair includes the livestock judging contest, viewing of open class exhibits, the 4-H Barnyard Olympics, the Buyer’s Appreciation Supper and the Junior Livestock Sale.
Saturday is checking out exhibits and clean-up. There will be a Missouri State Tractor Pullers Contest at the grandstand in the evening.
The Youth Conservation Corp from the Fort Scott National Historic Site were first-time visitors to the Chamber Coffee. They announced Family Day this Saturday at the Fort. Cooking, gardening, and small arms demonstrations will be in the morning session. Crafts and games will be in the afternoon session. Check out what this group planned as part of their duties at the Fort: For Families: Art Show July 28; Scavenger Hunt August 4 at The Fort
From left: Reaghn Dowell, Kaden Primm, Jesseden Kiwan and Anthea Montojo, all of Fort Scott High School, comprise the YCC.
The following are the entries that won Grand Champion in the Open Class Department, housed in the Myers Building.
The Swine Contest was held in the arena.
A crowd filled the bleachers to watch swine and their owners in the FFA, 4-H and Open Class contests.Blaine Pitts is the Duroc Swine Grand Champion.
Personalized DIY Barn Wood Sign Painting Class Offered at Presbyterian Village
Presbyterian Village will be hosting a barn wood sign class at Fort Scott Presbyterian Village at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 24.
Instructor, Jennifer Cox, will demonstrate how to create charming barn wood style signs. Her painted wood signs that she will instruct are hand-crafted by you, using reclaimed weathered wood. The varied combination of knots, cracks, imperfections and natural blemishes of the recycled wood gives your custom-painted sign it’s own unique character and texture. The result is a treasured piece of personalized artwork that coordinates nicely with nearly every style of home decor.
Participants will take home their creations at the end of the class.
Make plans now to join us at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 24, in our community room at 2401 S. Horton in Fort Scott.
A donation per participant is requested to cover supplies.
Class size is limited, so please register by July 20 by contacting Becky Kellum at (620) 223-5550 or [email protected].
For more information about Fort Scott Presbyterian Village, contact Becky Kellum, marketing director, at 620-223-5550 or email [email protected]
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Fort Scott Presbyterian Village has served Bourbon County since 1994 with independent and assisted living. Learn more at FortScottPresbyterianVillage.org. Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization with 18 locations in Missouri and Kansas. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org.
