Ecker lives in Fort Scott and is a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church.
In his spare time, Ecker enjoys a variety of activities.
“I love to golf, gardening, bike riding, hiking and watching almost any sport,” he said. He has two daughters, Sarah in Durham, NC and Amy in Centerton, AR and two grandchildren.
Bailey Lyons. Submitted photo.
Lyons Realty Group recently announced Ecker’s hiring on its Facebook page:
“Bill is no stranger to rural living, in fact, that’s what he prefers. He moved to Fort Scott in 1994 from a rural community in Central Illinois, and has enjoyed building a life in this community ever since.
“While Bill is new to real estate, he is not new to customer service and helping people. He has worked in sales and service his entire life, and is passionate about exceeding his customer’s expectations.
Coming originally from the farm lands in Illinois, Bill has working knowledge of agricultural properties and their uses.
“Bill’s father was a carpenter giving him knowledge of general construction. His diverse background makes him well-qualified to help with any facet of real estate whether it be agriculture, residential, or commercial.
“Bill entered the real estate business in hopes of helping others achieve their goals of property ownership, and he gets great satisfaction out of helping others succeed. Finding the right property for the right person is his newest passion.”
Tara Soloman-Smith, Family and Wellness Agent, Sunflower District of Kansas State University’s Extension Office. Submitted photo.
May is mental health month and there are some great events coming up to assist self-care. While it may not be an obvious part of your self-care action plan, it’s the perfect time to reflect on how we are doing in setting boundaries with relationships, work, and even social media.
Not always an easy task, think of setting boundaries as a way to practice self-care, gain self-respect, and to honor your closest relationships. Here are some simple ways to get started.
Recognize your feelings/wants/needs and write them down.Take some time to identify your feelings as they come and what causes your reaction. What specifically causes you stress or frustration?
You might try a boundary circle exercise in which you write down inside a circle the things you need to be supported and what you want in relationships. Place items that distract from this on the outside.
Recognize what boundaries need to be set. Once the above is identified, you can work to resolve any issues by setting a boundary. Set your limits and stick to them. For example, if answering work items in the evening is interfering with family time, let your co-workers know you will be responding to items between 8am-6pm, Monday through Friday.
Make boundaries clearly known.Kindly, honestly, and directly let others know your boundaries so they may be respected and understood. Assertive language can help by not allowing room for debate and not blaming who you are communicating with. Use “I” statements, active listening, and eye contact for a more positive interaction.
Practice and take care of you. Fear and guilt are natural feelings and barriers to boundaries. Learning to say ‘no’ at times will be challenging. Practice with a safe friend. Remember that working on your boundaries can lead to a healthier, happier lifestyle and is not a selfish attitude.
Today’s article was adapted from Michigan State University Extension’s Tips for Setting Boundaries, and University of Arkansas Research and Extension’s Boundary Setting Worksheet.
For more information, contact Tara Solomon-Smith, tsolomon@ksu.edu, or by calling 620-244-3826.
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Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service
K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director of K-State Research and Extension, Kansas State University, County Extension Councils, Extension Districts.
Robert Earl “Bob” Daylong, age 94, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away early Friday, April 28, 2023, at his home.
He was born May 19, 1928, on the family farm north of Moran, Kansas, the son of Sile R. Daylong and Violet L. Hayes Daylong. At the age of two, the family moved to the Dry Ridge Community where Bob attended the Dry Ridge School. The family later moved to Bronson, and Bob continued his education there until he enlisted with the United States Army Air Force.
He proudly served his country from 1945 to 1953 where he was stationed in both Germany and Korea. Following his military service, Bob married Ruth Joan Cochran on November 14, 1954, in Denver, Colorado.
Bob and Joan settled into their home in Ft. Scott. Bob worked as a mechanic for Ray Shepherd Motors for twelve years. He later took a position as a heavy equipment operator for P & M Coal Company which later became Chevron. He worked there for twenty years and retired in 1991. Bob took great pride in what he did.
Bob enjoyed working in his yard and tinkering in his shop. He often did mechanic work for his friends and neighbors. He was a longtime member of the Masonic Lodge, Scottish Rite Consistory and the Mirza Shrine of Pittsburg as well as the V.F.W. and the United Mine Workers.
He will be dearly missed by his family and friends.
Survivors include his wife, Joan, of the home in Ft. Scott, his daughter, Kathy Drenick (Mike) of Pittsburg, Kansas and two granddaughters, Amy Maksimovich (Alex) of Wildwood, Missouri and Kelsey DeGraff (Lucas) of Carl Junction, Missouri and two great-grandchildren, Ayla and Arlo Maksimovich. Also surviving are a sister, Marie Saville of Lenexa, Kansas, two brothers-in-law, Jerry Cochran (Shelly) and Dale Cochran and numerous special nieces and nephews.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, James Daylong and an infant sister, Hazel Daylong.
Pastor Tim Woodring will conduct funeral services at 11:30 A.M. Tuesday, May 2nd at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
Burial with military honors will follow in the U. S. National Cemetery.
The family will receive friends on Tuesday from 10:30 A.M. until service time at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
Memorials are suggested to the Mirza Transportation Fund or St. Jude’s Hospital 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.
Fort Scottian Jennifer Michaud attended a seminar several years ago where Deborah Factor spoke about the Core Community program, her husband Bill said.
Factor started with a youth mentorship program and then added the Core Communities program, to help families as well,
Bill Michaud, said in an interview with fortscott.biz.
Bill Michaud. Submitted photo.
“I have been in contact with and getting to know Deb for…several years,” Bill said. “I recognized that poverty is an issue that is well documented and often discussed in southeast Kansas but I’m not aware of any programs that work so directly to hit the issue head-on. I believe that this is a program that has great potential to help change peoples lives so I brought it up a few times during different community-focused conversations in which I was involved over a several year period.”
Submitted graphics.
A small group of people came to see the potential that Bill Michaud saw, so there were a couple of follow-up informational meetings.
“In February Jennifer and I, Rachel Carpenter, Lindsay McNeil, Lisa Robertson and Destry Brown traveled to Greensburg, Kansas to attend one of Deb’s regular Monday class sessions and were able to see the program in action and hear more stories of lives impacted first-hand,” Michaud said.
“In March we asked Deb to come to Fort Scott to present to a larger group of church representatives, social service organizations and anyone else we thought might have an initial interest in learning about the program,” Bill Michaud said. “(Bourbon County Commissioner) Clifton Beth was in attendance at that presentation and at the conclusion, asked Deb to set a time to do an abbreviated presentation to the county commission.”
Submitted graphics.
In April, Bill Michaud and Deb Factor(on a Zoom call) presented to the commission on the Core Community Ministry.
Factor stated she started in 1998 in Greensburg, doing ministry for youth, according to the commission minutes. During the process she had kids she worked with for years walk into adulthood and follow in the cycle of poverty.
Factor said that her goal was to help the kids grow into healthy, thriving adults who can give back in their community and not be under the constant burden and struggle of poverty, according to the commission minutes.
Submitted graphics.
In 2015, after modeling a program that had been successful elsewhere, she launched the poverty program, Core Community.
They have 13 programs in Kansas and one in Illinois currently.
The program consists of weekly meetings, 48-50 weeks per year, and will continue to meet with the individuals for two to five years. The program tries to educate the community on what poverty really is, according to the county commission minutes.
Factor told the commission the program identifies barriers and helps people push through them, with 70 % increasing their income.
Core Community is tracking those that are out of poverty for ten years to gather data to see if they are maintaining the upward trajectory.
The first step in bringing the program to the community is fundraising. Then a community coordinator would be hired and reside in the county with CORE Community being their employer, and an advisory board formed.
Michaud said this is a fundraising-based organization and would not ask the county for money to sustain the program.
Bourbon County Commissioner Clifton Beth said he worked in home health and hospice in southeast Kansas and saw first-hand the poverty that residents are facing and would like to see the school district, college and city government come together to make this program happen, according to the commission minutes.
Michaud stated about five churches in Fort Scott have been asked to become involved.
The Bourbon County Commission in a vote of 2-1 voted to give Core Community program $50,000 to get it started in this community.
Nelson Blythe voted against it, stating that “he doesn’t believe charity is the role of government, and there is nothing stopping others in the community from writing a check.” Nelson stated “This is taxpayer’s money that should go toward making the courthouse run and roads better”, according to the commission minutes.
The county’s Chief Financial Officer Susan Bancroft, stated the money would come from PILOT funds received from the windmill money to the county for economic development, according to the commission minutes.
There is a requirement to have approximately the first years budget raised before launching the program, Michaud said in an interview. This could take up to 18 months.
“Before we launch our program in Bourbon County we are going to work to identify what sustainable funding sources we think we will be able to count on to fund the program in future years,” Michaud said in an interview.
The City of Fort Scott and the Bourbon County Commission have approved money to help with start up costs.
The city has approved $15,000 and will be meeting with the Core Community representatives on May 18, FS City Manager Brad Matkin said.
“The City and County funding that has been approved are remarkable gifts that will allow us to get this program launched and accelerate the time frame for this program to begin helping people, but this program is not one that we anticipate will require future city / county funding,” Michaud said. “We have developed an advisory board that consists of representatives of several church and social service organizations so that we have input from a very broad base of representatives. This…board will also guide the organization once we launch the program.”
The Fort Scott Presbyterian Village Fundraising Public Auction will be held this year at the Bourbon County 4-H building, located on 2109 S. Horton street, about 3 blocks north of the Presbyterian Village.
The auction will start at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 29th.
Submitted photos of auction items.
“Bring a truck and a friend we have lots of great items too numerous to list and picture,” PV Executive Director Ginger Nance,said . “Lots of surprises on auction day, as we have been gathering items for about 2 years and much is still in storage!”
Submitted photos of auction items.
“All proceeds are kept local in Fort Scott to benefit the Presbyterian Village Good Samaritan program, designed to assist seniors who outlive their resources through no fault of their own, as well as other Life Enriching Programs that directly benefits our local seniors,” Nance said.
Submitted photos of auction items.
” We have been doing the auction annually for many years,” she said. “COVID got us off course for a couple of years, but we hope to build this back to return this to an annual event and this year promises to offer great items for people to bid on.”
Submitted photos for auction items.
“There is truly something here for everyone!” she said.
“We have everything from great, clean, household items, furniture (antique, vintage and new—some like new or never used), we have décor (some specialty artwork from local, K.C. and other artists), we have really nice washing machines, costume and other jewelry (some gold), handicap equipment (some new), we even have collectible coins this year that were donated from an estate!”
Submitted photos of auction items.
Feel free to contact Ginger Nance at (620) 224-6173 or Joe Redden (620) 644-8417 with questions or to make an appt. to preview.
Submitted photos of auction items.
Fort Scott Presbyterian Village is a faith-based, not-for-profit senior living community dedicated to serving residents with a culture inspired by our Christian values and heritage, according to its website: https://www.fortscottpresbyterianvillage.org/
The meal was catered by Great Western Dining and Twigs and Berries.
The number of women attending the Fort Scott Community College Women’s Appreciation Luncheon was doubled from last year.
“Pre-pandemic, we had a women’s luncheon every year with between 150 and 200 women in attendance,” said Allie Birket, one of the organizers. “We didn’t have a luncheon in 2020 or 2021, but began again in 2022. Last year’s luncheon numbers were low ,around 70 women attended, but we saw a better turnout this year. We had 114 women attend!
“We plan on having one every year,” she said. ” And we hope attendance continues to rise.”
“This was the first women’s luncheon I’ve planned, so it was a completely new experience,” she said. “The very best part was seeing so many smiling faces! We’re getting a lot of great feedback from the food to the vendors to the décor. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it, and that makes it all worth it! A HUGE shoutout to: FSCC’s Community Relations Committee, who helped plan the event and who volunteered at the event; Great Western Dining who catered the wraps and drinks; Twigs & Berries who catered the sides and desserts; and all of our vendors who helped complete the event. The whole luncheon came together wonderfully, and it wouldn’t have been possible without each and every one of these amazing people.”
“The best part of the luncheon was being able to interact with the community, be that luncheon attendees or vendors,” said Susie Arvidson, one of the organizers. ” It’s wonderful to see women of our community visiting, enjoying a wonderful lunch, and shopping local businesses.”
There were 16 vendors who displayed their services and products at the luncheon:
FSCC Nursing
FSCC Cosmetology
Mary Kay
Jbloom Jewelry
Riggs Chiropractic Fort Scott
Red Aspen
BBCO Health Dept
CHC
Rite On
The Baby Stitch
Erika George Photography
The River Room
Flying P Ranch
Kimberly Demko
SEK Mental Health Center
Desert Blooms Boutique
Business women lined the entrance lobby of the Ellis Art Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College. Women could shop on their way to the serving table.Women visiting during the luncheon.Woman enjoying the meal and conversation at the FSCC Women’s Appreciation Luncheon on April 26.
The Fort Scott Hurricanes team, 2022. Submitted photo.
Fort Scott Hurricanes is a competitive summer swim team for youth who range in age from 5-18 years.
The group started around 1980, said Tara Holt, who is the Parent Board President of the swim team.
This year the team is part of the Tri-State Swim Conference.
The local club petitioned Tri-State at the fall conference meeting in 2022 to become a permanent member.
“Full, official membership gives our team the right to vote at conference meetings and to be on the rotation to pick invitational swim meet dates,” she said. “The conference approved our permanent membership… at the first of the month. Being a part of the Tri-State Swim Conference has given our swimmers more consistent competition.”
The head coach of the Hurricanes, in her fourth season, is Samantha Short.
Hurricane’s Assistant Coach Claire Holt, Eli Holt and Coach Samantha Short at the 2022 Tri-State A Championships. Submitted photo.
“We are fortunate to have her back coaching for us this season! The kids and parents love her!” Holt said “Our new assistant coach will be Claire Holt. Claire is joining us as a coach after having been a swimmer for the Hurricanes for 13 seasons. She graduated last year.”
One way to support the youth swim team is to order Papa Don’s Pizza on Wednesday, May 17 from 10:30 A.M. to 8 P.M.
“Papa Don’s will be giving the Hurricanes 10% of the proceeds that day!” Holt said. “The Hurricanes thank Papa Don’s for their generosity!”
“The Hurricanes will have a meeting for the parents of new swimmers on Wednesday, May 3 at 5:30 P.M. in the small gym at Buck Run Community Center,” Holt said.
Ellis Fine Arts Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton.
Fort Scott Community College’s Women’s Appreciation Luncheon is April 26 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Ellis Fine Arts Center, 2108 S. Horton. Please RSVP today, April 25 by 3 p.m.
In addition to lunch, catered by Great Western Dining and Twigs & Berries, there will be door prizes and product displays.
The menu for the event:
Choose one wrap from two selections: Southwest or club (Great Western Dining)
Traditional salad (Twigs & Berries)
Caprese pasta salad (Twigs & Berries)
Sugar cookie fruit pizza (Twigs & Berries)
Rainbow fruit salad (Twigs & Berries)
Cost of the lunch is $5. One can also pay at the door.
“The purpose of the event is to provide a luncheon of good food, great company, and to support local businesses owned by women,” Allie Birket, a Community Relations Committee member said. Birket, who is the assistant to the college president and Susie Arvidson, director of library services, are on the committee.
Vendors are FSCC Nursing Dept., FSCC Cosmetology Dept., Better in Bourbon Clothing, Tupperware, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Jbloom Jewelry, Riggs Chiropractic Fort Scott, Red Aspen, Bourbon County Health Dept., The Baby Stitch, Erica George Photography, The River Room (event center), Flying P Ranch, Kimberly Demko, Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center, Desert Blooms Boutique, Locust Hill Lamanches (goat milk products).
Locara Inc. is a new business partner with Healthy Bourbon County Action Team, HBCAT.
“Locara is a platform that supports small businesses by expanding their local customer base beyond word of mouth channels,” according to Tylor Hunn cofounder. “We offer a cost-effective and user-friendly e-commerce solution for these business owners to connect with local buyers.”
HBCAT has paid for up to 80 local businesses to have their products and services listed on the Locara platform for a year, which is a value of $60 per business, Hunn said.
Tylor Hunn. Submitted photo.
They launched their website on April 5, https://www.locara.us in partnership with HBCAT and their Dare to Dream event.
“Through our partnership with HBCAT, we are piloting our startup in the Fort Scott area, helping local businesses display their products and services and expand their reach,” Hunn said. “We believe that this partnership is a great opportunity to support the growth and success of small businesses in the community.”
Hunn is chief executive officer of the business and Ali Zia is his technical partner.
They are registered in a small town in upstate New York, Chittenango.
They have been in business for two months and have five employees.
“Locara provides a location-based platform for small businesses to list and showcase their products and services online,” he said. “This means that these businesses can create a digital storefront where they can display pictures, descriptions, and pricing of their products or services, just like in a physical store.”
“We realized that small, local businesses face a range of difficulties including limited resources, limited visibility, and challenges competing with larger corporations,” Hunn said. “We have also noticed a large movement towards people wanting to support local, but very few actually do because there is no easy way to discover all the businesses around them, but more specifically, discover what they are selling.”
Locara’s internet platform centralizes all the small businesses in a community into a single storefront where local buyers can more easily find and purchase what they need, Hunn said.
Locara search results graphic, submitted.
“For example, imagine a local mother who makes and sells crafts from home but, from her experience sewing her kid’s clothes back together, she also wants to offer clothing repair services,” he said. “This woman can list each of the crafts and services she wants to sell. The community is then able to visit our website and browse through this mother’s products and services like they would be browsing on Amazon or Walmart’s website with the exception that everything listed on the website is from a local business. Our goal is to create an easier experience not only for small, local businesses to showcase what they sell, but also for buyers to find and make purchases from local businesses.”
Fort Scott School District USD234 staff have been working on standards and best ways to teach them as they have met on Wednesdays this school year.
“Our early release days have provided our teachers to work to identify the essential standards that every student needs to be successful at the next level or the next course,” Superintendent Destry Brown said. “Our teachers have mostly finished this process and are now at the refinement stage. We will be working next year on identifying the resources that we will use to teach those standards and identifying the best practice in teaching those standards.”
Destry Brown. Submitted photo.
The district is changing the days the teachers gather to collaborate in response to staff and parents input.
Next year the days will be once per month.
“We decided to change to once per month in response to parent and staff input,” Brown said. “Staff believed they could have more concentrated and focused time to do the things we need to do next year while parents felt it would be easier for them to plan for a full day rather that an early release every week.”
“The time spent this year has been very successful and we are well ahead of where we were,” he said. “Teachers have seen the value in the time to collaborate and work together on curriculum, assessment and instruction.”
USD234 Preschool Update
The Fort Scott Preschool, at 409 S. Judson.
The preschool is going to remain at 409 S. Judson for the time being.
“We have six sections of preschool currently with enough for two more sections on the waiting list,” Brown said. “Our plan going forward will be to do some remodeling of the current space and reconfigure the space to better meet our needs.”
“We will also look at purchasing a mobile unit to place on the grounds at the preschool site,” Brown said. “This would allow us to bring all of our preschool students and classes to one location as well as expand our preschool to include more students.”
There are currently three teachers at the preschool.
“I believe that if we open more sections to the public, we will probably be able to expand to five teachers,” he said. “One thing we are considering is having a section for all-day students to help with some childcare needs in the community.”
The community needs quality childcare.
“Our community has a great need for childcare; especially for working families,” Brown said. “For our community to grow economically and to attract and expand business in Fort Scott, we need to be the kind of community that provides ways to make it possible for parents to work and trust that their children are being cared for safely.”
Fort Scott City Commissioner Josh Jones, right, and FS Water Distribution Supervisor Bill Lemke discuss the splash pad project on April 19 at the site on North National Ave. Jones is one of the initiators of the splash pad project, as well.
Fort Scott City Commissioner Josh Jones was on the site of the future splash pad and sensory park on April 19. Jones is also one of the organizers of the project.
Dirt work has begun on the Fort Scott Splash Pad and Sensory Park looking southwest towards National Avenue.The Fort Scott Splash Pad and Sensory Park Committee from it’s Facebook page. On the committee: Bailey Lyons, Kelly Barr, Katie Hueston, Meredith Tucker and Josh Jones.
“It has started,” Jones said. “You’ll start seeing water lines and concrete, the above ground (part) in three to five weeks.”
The crews will be working around the annual Good `Ol Days events, the first weekend in June, he said.
Looking south from the Lunette Blair Blockhouse on Skubitz Plaza. This is the proposed site of the sensory park.
The splash pad will be a 50 by 50 foot multiple feature water site and the sensory park will be two pads, roughly 24 by 24 foot for children’s equipment that is easily accessed, with no physical barriers.
Looking north from the Lunette Blair Blockhouse to the splash pad site.
The splash pad and sensory park will be located on Skubitz Plaza at the north end of downtown Fort Scott, on North National Avenue.
Fort Scott Splash Pad and Sensory Park rendition from their Facebook page.Poster explaining the sensory park from the Fort Scott Splash Pad and Sensory Park Facebook page.
