All posts by Loretta George

Area News, Bourbon County, Fort Scott

New Pastors, New Wing At Fort Scott Nazarene Church

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Tyler and Megan Allen show the new Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene’s children’s wing just completed in September. There are a “cat-walk” area, a multi-story slide and sensory room for special needs kids in the room.

Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene has a heart for youth according to its new youth pastor, Tyler Allen.

In January the church members hired  Allen and his wife, Megan Allen. Megan is the children’s pastor at the church.

Tyler grew up in Parsons, while Megan hales from Stark City, Mo.

They have been in ministry in western Kansas and Ava, Mo. for the last five years.

In September Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene completed a new children’s wing.

Megan Allen stands near the front desk of the new children’s wing of Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene.
The new children’s wing of Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene, completed in September is located on the south side of the church. The church is located at 1728 S. Horton.

“We have a sensory room to accommodate special needs children,” Megan said.

There is a children’s ministry for pre-school through sixth grade on Wednesday nights, she said.

In September Club 56 was launched for 5th and 6th-grade students.

On Sunday mornings the 5th and 6th-graders are part of the kid’s leadership team in children’s church, she said.

“They are helping with technology and lead worship and help younger kids,” Megan said.

Additionally, Tyler has an area specifically for teens, 7th through 12th grade, to meet.

Tyler Allen stands in the worship area of the teen ministry room at Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene.

A college ministry meets once a week at the church as well.

“Fort Scott Nazarene as a church has a vision for kids and teens and their families,” Tyler said.

Lead Pastor Virgil Peck.

The church also received a new lead pastor, Virgil Peck, in July 2016.

“I got a call,” Peck said. “We were looking for a community to allow our kids a place to grow up.”

Peck was a youth pastor for 15 years.

He and wife, Lisa, have two children, Hannah, 11 years-old and Trenton, 13.

The Peck’s spent four years in Carthage, Mo. and nine years in Iowa before coming to Fort Scott.

Peck was born in Fort Scott and still has a lot of relations here, he said.

Other ministries of the church:

The church organized and facilitates the Common Ground Coffee Company, 116 S. Main, in downtown Fort Scott.

Celebrate Recovery meets weekly at the church.

Jeff Dillow has been the worship and administrative pastor for five years.

For more information contact the church at 620-223-0131 or fortscottnazarene.org

The worship center at Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene.
The welcome sign at Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene.
Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene, 1728 Horton.

 

Fort Scott

Schooling at home

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USD 234 Director of Curriculum Nicki Traul, looks over a computer a student turned in.

Options.

Additional options are what Nicki Traul, USD 234 director of curriculum says is a good reason to offer school classes at home for students.

“Students for all reasons; medical, parent choice, multiple reasons find that a brick-and-mortar school isn’t for them,” Traul said. “High school isn’t a good fit for everyone.”

One example Traul gave is supporting a student who had surgery and wasn’t able to attend school, she said.

USD 234 started offering home-school options to junior and senior high students one year ago.

The school district initially looked at home-school options for students who failed a course and had to retake it, she said.

“I had worked at Greenbush (Southeast Kansas Education Service Center), and had a background in virtual learning,” Traul said.

But lest students think this is an easy way out of not having to attend classes at school, Traul says this option is not for everyone.

“You have to be disciplined,” she said. “You have to put in 30 hours per week and at least six classes…about the same as a brick-and-morter school. You can be truant if not putting hours into the school work. ”

“We meet with the student and parents,” Traul said. “I want them to fully understand it’s not easy. They have to be self-driven.”

During an initial orientation, students learn “all the ins and outs of the system,” she said.

Full-time students are provided with a computer on which to do assignments, with internet service to be provided by the student.

The computer is turned in at the end of the year, she said.

The district uses a state-approved system, Edgenuity, which has teachers instructing a lesson.

Edgenuity is a  provider of K-12 online and blended learning solutions including online courses, credit recovery, intervention, and test preparation, according to its’ website.

The system is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, she said.

Parents and students can meet with Traul at any point in the year.

A part of the program is letting students know if “they are on track or behind” in progress during the semester, she said.

Students must pay high school fees that other students are required to pay.

Funding for the initiative is from the U.S. Department of Education, rural and low-income school program.

 

 

 

Area News, Bourbon County, Fort Scott

Brewery Is Coming

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The Boiler Room Brewhaus will be located in the Beaux Arts Center, 102 S. National.

Barbara and Bryan Ritter are turning a  homebrew hobby into a business.

“Over the past year several people have mentioned that we should do this,” Barbara said. “We brew beer at home and enjoy it. So we decided to go for it.”

Barbara Ritter did research and found that microbreweries are opening in small historic towns, she said.

The Ritter’s are leasing the southwest corner of the Beaux Art Center’s basement from owners, Bobby and Denise Duncan.

“We envision that it will bring in people to Fort Scott,”  she said. “They will see these old buildings and start putting money back into this amazing town. We see the brewery as bringing in new tourists.”

Bryan and Barbara Ritter hope to have a microbrewery open by years end.

Bryan Ritter will be the primary brewer.

“It will be craft beer, part of it from the water from Fort Scott Lake and the Marmaton River,” Bryan said. “The other part of the beer is grain and hops. Hops are what gives it flavor.”

The Ritters found a hops farm in Ottawa and other ingredients will be locally resourced, he said.

They will use honey from their farm in producing the beer, along with wildflowers, fruit, and nuts.

The Ritter’s have owned Black Dog Farm, near Garland, for five years.

So far in the process, city, county, and federal approval have been given the Ritters.

“The state has visited the premise,” Bryan said. “A few more things they need to receive from us. Then we can start the brewery.”

Because beer takes time to ferment, it will have to cook for a few months, he said.

“We are hoping around Christmas or New Years to be open,” Bryan said.

Fort Scott

Halloween On Horton

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Community Christian Church and Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene are partnering this year to produce “Halloween on Horton” on October 31.

“We are partnering to do advertising on social media about both churches doing something the same evening,”  Paul Martin, children’s pastor at CCC, said.

“We thought, let’s promote it together,” Jeff Dillow, associate pastor at the Nazarene church, said.

The CCC event is from 5 to 8 p.m., the Nazarene event is from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Halloween evening. Both the churches are located on Horton Street near Fort Scott Community College.

“This is the sixth year we’ve done it on-site,” Dillow said. “A small army gets involved that night.”

Susan Lemon heads up the Nazarene volunteers, Dillow said.

“We want to take the opportunity to let our community know we care about them and their families,” Dillow said.

The Nazarene Church will have their Trunk or Treat event in its parking lot, at the corner of 18th and Horton Streets.

 

Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene, at the corner of 18th and Horton Streets.

Community Christian Church has been doing a Halloween event since Martin came, in the late 1990s.

Community Christian Church, across from Fort Scott Community College on Horton Street.

At first, they did a trick-or-treat event but when the church went through a fall sermon series in 2008, the event changed, he said.

“We were going through a fall series called 40 Days Of Community by Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in California,” Martin said. “We wanted to pull more people from the church to serve. We added more food and inflatables.” They changed the name of the event to Fall-O-Ween at this point.

The church staff and volunteers work with Martin each year to plan and facilitate the event.

“It’s an opportunity to love on the community and provide a safe place on Halloween evening,” Martin said.

“We would love to have people be a part of both events,” Dillow said. “You could easily fill a night of trick-or-treating between both.”

Check out the events on Facebook: Fort Scott Nazarene and  Community Christian Church.

Area News, Bourbon County, Fort Scott

Baby Shower For Community Mothers

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Buck Run Community Center, 735 Scott Avenue, is the site for a baby shower Oct. 30 for new mothers.

New and/or expectant mothers are invited to the Southeast Kansas  Multi-County Health Department baby shower from noon to 2 p.m., Monday, Oct. 30 at Buck Run Community Center’s gym.

Food, gifts, and prizes will be given out to the mothers attending the event.

Prizes to give away are  a breast pump,  a pack and play crib, and car seats, according to Alice Maffett, public nurse in the Bourbon County Health Department.

Gift bags for each participant and free health care resource materials will also be available.

In addition, healthy snacks and refreshments will be provided.

Kayla Tinsley, Mercy RN  will speak about the hospital’s High 5 Program and the benefits of breastfeeding. Sergeant Tim Harper with the Fort Scott Police Department will speak on child passenger safety, and Accent Dental Clinic will present valuable information on the importance of oral hygiene during pregnancy during the event, said Angie Reinking, Outreach Specialist with United Healthcare Community Plan.

For more information contact the health department at 620-223-4464.

The event is provided by the SEK Multi-County Health Department, United Health Care Community Plan, and Mercy Hospital.

 

Bourbon County, Fort Scott

The Future Of Bridal Veil Park Is Weighed

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The view from Second Street looking northwest into Bridal Veil Park.

Fort Scott City Manager Dave Martin is seeking input from the community on what to do with Bridal Veil Park.

The park is located just west of the Marmaton River on Second Street on the west side of town.

It is a low-lying area encompassed by an attractive, low rock fence on the south.

History of the park

Three concrete picnic tables, a pavilion, and numerous large tree stumps, with a meandering dirt road, are all that’s left of an area that was at first two community swimming pools, one for girls, one for boys.

“It began as Napp’s Park in the 1880s,” Fred Campbell, a local historian said. “It had a large artesian water well in the southeast corner of the park, 40 yards from the entrance. It flowed mineral water. As the water shot up about 20-30 feet from the spring, it looked like a bridal veil.”

Three concrete picnic tables that have survived since the 1930s at Bridal Veil Park.

In 1936, the Works Progress Administration of the federal government built a new community swimming pool at the current site on Main Street, said Don Miller, a local Fort Scott historian.

“At that point, the (Bridal Veil Park) swimming pools were turned over to the African-American community,”  Miller said. “Segregation was the law until 1954.”

After desegregation became law the swimming pools were filled in, Miller said.

In 1986, a flood swept away the brick shelter house at the site, he said.

The current pavilion at Bridal Veil Park. The original brick one was destroyed during the flood of 1986.

“After that, it was used for a hang-out place,” Miller said. “There was a lot of illegal activities going on.”

Keep or sell the property?

Fast forward to 2017.

Martin said there is still “suspicious activity” for the Fort Scott Police Department to investigate at that location and it floods easily because of its location near the Marmaton River.

The cost of maintaining the park is approximately $5,000 to $10,000 a year, Martin said.

“Taking care of that park, is it a vision for the future of our city?,” Martin asked in an interview with FortScott.biz.

“There is a vision to have a hookup between Gunn Park and Riverfront Park in the long-term,” Martin said. “We will try to keep an easement for that,” Martin said.

The vegetation overgrowth prevents a view of the Marmaton River, on the east edge of Bridal Veil Park.

Input requested by November 21

“I’m wanting input from the community between now and November 21,” Martin said. “I talked to people who feel it would not be a good idea to sell the land.”

At the November 21 city commission meeting,  a decision will likely be made, he said.

Emails can be sent to [email protected] or call Martin on his cell phone at 620-644-2498.

“I think it will be good for the city to sell the property,” Miller said. “But save the picnic tables. Those were built by the WPA, they have historical value.”

 

 

Area News, Bourbon County, Fort Scott

3rd Saturday Downtown Marketplace Tomorrow

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North Main Street in downtown Fort Scott Thursday afternoon. October 21 is the 3rd Saturday Downtown Market Place when this street will be lined with vendors.

Last month a collaboration of Fort Scott Farmer’s Market, Chamber of Commerce, city personnel and downtown merchants led to the first ever 3rd Saturday Fort Scott Marketplace.

The September event went well, according to Lindsay Madison, executive director of the chamber.

Tomorrow the North Main section of the downtown area will once again be cordoned off for vendors. This will be the last marketplace this year.

“This is the second one,” Madison said. “The plan is to set it up for May to October next year. Which is when Fort Scott Farmer’s Market is open.”

Fresh produce vendors, downtown merchants, and other organizations will take advantage of the warm weather to sell their wares from 8 a.m. to noon.

Papa Don’s Pizza, 10 N. Main will take its turn doing “Breakfast on the Bricks,” which is the breakfast offering each farmer’s market day.  On the menu are breakfast pizza, cinnamon rolls, coffee, and juice.

Breakfast on the Bricks gets its name from the brick Main Street in Fort Scott.

Downtown merchants The Iron Star and J & W Sportshop will be open early for the event.

A free spinal screening will be offered by Hartman Spine and Joint.

Other vendors will be Trinity Lutheran Church, Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries, and Gold Canyon Decor, to name a few.

Continuing from last month, city golf carts will be available to transport people or purchases to their cars, say, for instance, produce vendor Ronnie Brown’s pumpkins.

One of the goals of the chamber is to boost the benefit of the downtown stores and farmer’s market, Madison said.

October 28 will be the last Fort Scott Farmer’s Market for 2017.

 

 

 

Area News, Bourbon County, Fort Scott

Fall Fun At Fort Wise

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Fort Wise Pumpkin Patch will be a hub of activity, this weekend.

Two races and a Fort Scott organization’s social gathering are on the agenda.

The seasonal business has been in operation since 2015 and is owned by Chad and Melissa Wise.

Since the couple opened Fort Wise Pumpkin Company, they have geared up for each weekend in October when they open their property to the public for family fall activities.

Activities such as pumpkin chunking, a corn maze, a corn pit, an obstacle course, a slide, and a hayride on an army truck are available at this fort. Food, pumpkins and Stewart’s Mums can be purchased as well. The large mums are $10 until sold out.

The entry fee to Fort Wise is $5 person, with kids under two-years-old, free.

Fort Wise is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sundays in October.

Patriotic 5K/1 mile fun run

This weekend, there will be a 5k/1 mile competition to benefit Wreaths Across America,  a non-profit organization that puts live wreaths on the graves of military veterans in December each year, to honor those who served in the military.

This is of interest to the couple because Chad Wise just retired from military service in May 2017.

The local group of this organization is hosting a Wreath Ride Patriot Pumpkin 5K/1 Mile Fun Run at Fort Wise for Saturday, October 21. Registration is at 8 a.m. Costumes are requested. The 5K run starts at 9 a.m. with the one-mile fun run starting at 10 a.m. Prizes will be awarded at 10:30 a.m. Preregistration for the event is $20 for the fun run and $30 for the 5K. The day of the race, each race registration fee will increase $5.

The runners/walkers will be traversing the 40 acres of the Wise property, which has some hills.

December 16 is the National Wreaths Across America Day, with Fort Scott National Cemetary as the local site for the ceremony to honor military service men and women.

For more information: 620-224-8933, 620-215-2174 or http://www.fortscottwreathride.com

Young Professional Social

In addition, Fort Wise is hosting a Young Professional League Social  Sunday.

“This is for YPL members and their families,” Melissa Wise said.

From 4-5 p.m. the families will enjoy the activities at Fort Wise. From 5-6 p.m., after Fort Wise closes to the public, there will be a safety briefing on firearms, then a competition on shooting targets.

During both Saturday and Sunday activities at Fort Wise, it is open to the public from 11 a. m. to 5 p.m.

The gate to Fort Wise Pumpkin Company, six miles west of Fort Scott on Maple Road.
Bourbon County, Fort Scott

Gunn Park To Expand

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Fort Scott Parks and Buildings Supervisor Todd Farrell works to subdue the overgrown vegetation on the newly purchased seven-acre property at the entrance to Gunn Park.

Fort Scottian Frank Halsey is a trailblazer.

He has worked in the last decade to mark and prepare trails through Gunn Park so he can mountain bike.

His passion for this sport has led to over eight miles of bike trails for public use.

He has spearheaded construction of trails that meander around the edge of the park and most recently helped the City of Fort Scott purchase more land for public use trails.

The acreage addition to the park began about two years ago when Halsey noticed a “for sale” sign near the entrance to the park.

“I inquired about the property about one-and-a-half years ago,” Halsey said. “Over the last two years, the price has become doable.”

Halsey learned of  Timken Industries grants to communities. The business has a plant in Fort Scott’s industrial park.

“Where they have plants, they have grants to help the community,” he said.

“Gunn Park Trails was able to acquire the grant to help pay for the land,” Halsey said. “We were able to get awarded $10,000 to buy property.”

The City of Fort Scott got on board.

At a recent Fort Scott Commission meeting, the city agreed to allocate $10,000, which along with the grant of $10,000 allowed the purchase of the seven-acres from the owner, Jerry Jackman, Iola.

“The corner lot (of the property) is an ideal location for pump tracks,” Halsey said. “Pump tracks are like a skate park for bikes.”

The six acres behind the corner lot is ideal for more trails, he said.

Halsey will begin work soon.

“Winter is a good time to build trails,” he said. “There is not so much vegetation. We hope to have it completed by the spring of 2018.”

For more information see the website www.gunnparktrails.comhttp://www.gunnparktrails.com

Fort Scott Parks and Building Supervisor Todd Farrell mows the newly acquired acreage Monday.
Area News, Bourbon County, Fort Scott

City/School 2017 Election Forum Oct. 26

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Fort Scott Livestock Market is where the candidate forum will be located Oct. 26.

New council and board members are a possibility in the towns and schools in Bourbon County.

A candidate forum for the November 7 election is slated from 6-8 p.m., October 26, at Fort Scott Livestock Market, 2131 Maple Road. This forum is to let voters learn about the people who are running in the election for town and school positions.

The names of the candidates and the position for which they are candidates are as follows:

USD #234 School Board Positions: Geoff Southwell and David Stewart will vie for position four; Gary Billionis is unchallenged for position five; Jamie Armstrong is unchallenged for position six.

USD #235 School Board Positions: Brian Stewart for position four, Mike Mason for position five, and Tyler Martin for position six are all unchallenged.

Fort Scott Community College Board of Trustees: John Bartlesmeyer, Elizabeth Meyer, Tina Rockhold and Kevin Wagner are on the ballot. The three persons receiving the highest number of votes will be elected.

For the City Commission of Fort Scott, the two candidates receiving the most votes will receive a four-year term. The candidate receiving the third greatest number of votes will receive a two-year term. Those competing for the position are Cheryl  Adamson,  Carol MacArthur, JoLynne Mitchell, and Robert Nichols.

In the City of Bronson, the mayor and the two candidates for council that receives the most votes will receive a four-year term, the next three candidates for council that receives the most votes will receive a two-year term. Those running are Clearsia Botts, Geraldine Reeder, Charlotte Stewart, Kathaleen Stewart and Michael Stewart.

Alan Stewart and Lee Roy Whitcomb are running for mayor of Bronson.

For the mayor and council members of Fulton, Mapleton, and Uniontown, no candidates have filed for these positions.

When no candidates file for a position “it will be a write-in,” Bourbon County Clerk Kendall Mason said. “The most votes will win.”

In the City of Redfield, Clarence “Ed” Guss is running unopposed for mayor, while Michael Beerbower, Wilma Graham, Clarence “Ed” Guss, Kirby Martin, and Richard Smith have filed to run for council.

For the Southwind Extension District Board, Ethan Holly and Terri Williams have filed.

Business, Fort Scott

New Window Dressing

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Eric Atwood, Jennifer LaRoche, and Loren Readinger lay out the cover for the windows of LaRoche’s building at 9 S. National Monday afternoon. The plastic cover is to make the building’s windows more attractive until renovations of the historic building can take place in the future. LaRoche said she will be able to reuse the cover once renovations begin.