Marsha Lancaster died in September 2021 at the age of 54, but those who knew her, want to continue to honor her legacy of supporting community youth sports.
There will be a fundraiser in her honor on Saturday, March 4 at 8 p.m. at the Fort Scott Liberty Theater. Tickets are $35.
“Marsha Lancaster was a Fort Scott native and lived her entire life at 2nd and Hill Street,” said her friend Rhonda Dunn, who is helping with the annual event in remembrance of her. “She was active in many things in school including sports like basketball and volleyball. After attending Fort Scott Community College (FSCC), Marsha bought the Great Plains Deli and her food was legendary in the area.”
Marsha’s Deli was known as a local eatery that offered generous portions and a welcoming, down-home atmosphere.
Today her nephew, Brian Lancaster, owns Marsha’s Deli and strives to continue her legacy.
Marsha’s Deli is located at 6 W. 18th Street in Fort Scott.
“She supported many organizations and teams through the years,” Dunn said. “She fed many teams that traveled to Fort Scott. It was a tradition for the FSCC Coaches to bring prospective athletes to the Deli for a welcome from Marsha and their first meal at the Deli. Marsha didn’t know a stranger and was amazing at making everyone feel welcomed as soon as they walked through her Deli doors. Marsha was a Fort Scott legend.”
A girl who grew up in 1980s, Marsha Fest will have an 80s Hair Band Rock group to entertain the attendees.
“Baloney Ponyz (a naughty 80s joke) is from the KC area and plays 80s Hair Band Rock music,” Dunn said. “Many of the members of Baloney Ponyz are also members of Disco Dick and the Mirror Balls as well as Legends of Rock.”
The event is sponsored by the Lancaster family. Profits from the event are going to support the Fort Scott High School Sports Booster Club, Dunn said.
“Marsha always enjoyed watching sports and made sure to support the area sports teams by donating or making treats for them to enjoy on game days and we want to keep that legacy alive,” Dunn said. “The proceeds from last year’s Marsha Fest went to Care to Share and the Splash Pad.”
For the latest information, view the Marsha Fest Facebook page.
Preview Changes (opens in a new tab)USD 234 School District is seeking family resource providers and community partners for its’ 2023 Early Childhood Spring Fling, according to info provided by Fort Scott Preschool Center Principal Nick Johnson.
This year’s event will be held on Thursday, April 6th from 5:30-7:00 PM at the Fort Scott Preschool Center. All children ages birth-six years old and their families are invited to attend. A grant through the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation is helping support this year’s Early Childhood Spring Fling.
“For this event, we are asking family resource providers and community partners to bring an interactive activity for students and families,” he said. “We will provide space and a table for your activity. During the event, you will also have an opportunity to visit with families and distribute flyers, handouts, giveaways, etc.”
” We had 255 children and their families attend our Trunk-or-Treat event, and we are expecting 250-300 children at this event,” he said. “Our goal is for children and families to interact, be active, and learn about the resources available in our community. If you are a preschool or childcare provider, please share the attached flyer with your families. We also welcome you to set up an activity and table for your program.”
To attend the event, please complete the short form below by Friday, March 24 to have a table reserved for your organization.
Kennedy Gym, a wing of the Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church, is located at 7th and Holbrook.
This evening is the first of six Lenten Fish Dinners that the Knights of Columbus prepare for the community as a fund raiser.
From Feb. 24 until March 31 the community is invited to join the people of Mary Queen of Angels Church for a fish dinner each Friday evening. The event is located in the Kennedy Gym at 7th and Eddy Street.
“Everyone is welcome, there is a free will offering,” Joe (Calvin) Barr, a Knight, said. “We do ask for a minimum of $8 for a to-go dinner. We generally do 75 to-go dinners each week.”
“We’ve had as high as 514 at one time in attendance,” Barr said. “400 is the average. During the COVID Pandemic there was a drive-through meal.”
The Menu
“It’s the same great fish: Southern-fried catfish, baked white fish, baked potato or french fries, coleslaw, drinks and all the wonderful desserts from the women of the church,” Mark McCoy one of the Knights, said. “For those who don’t like fish, we have spaghetti.”
This is the fish fry in Feb. 2020.
The event starts at 5 p.m. and goes to 7 p.m. and is each Friday until March 31. Good Friday is April 7 in 2023.
This year all funds go to rebuilding of the church, which was destroyed by fire in August 2022.
Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church, November 4, 2022
Dave and I, currently living in Mexico, hosted a Super Bowl party for Americans whose teams had been eliminated, leading up to the contest between the K.C. Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. The hype surrounding this event, not just for the game but for the commercials and halftime entertainment, left many anticipating great things.
Perhaps it’s that we are old, but we were disappointed. Some ads asked us to “scan the code” that appeared on the screen. We had no idea what (if anything) we were buying. Others were classic non-sequiturs; did Hellman’s mayonnaise really want us to eat the people lounging in the refrigerator?
Advertisers spent $7 million for each 30 second commercial. Today, I ran into a viewer who made this comment: “Apparently, all that money went into hiring name actors and not into paying writers to come up with anything creative.” David Warschawski from the “Baltimore Business Journal,” agrees: “So many brands are relying on celebrity cache to try and make an impression and win new customers, but that is far from enough. Getting laughs or being silly or simply inserting a celebrity does not a great ad make.”
Please, bring back the Clydesdales.
That being said, there were some commercials I appreciated like the “Jesus Gets Us” ones, even though attacked from the left—who claim that Jesus never would condone spending millions on a Super Bowl ad—and the right who say that showing refugees defends the border crisis. Still, even our atheist friends appreciated the ingenuity of these ads that were, at least, understandable.
The Jesus Gets Us campaign, which first launched in March 2022, is being run by the “Servant Foundation” — a nonprofit based in Overland Park, Kansas. Jason Vanderground, the ad’s spokesman, answered the criticism: “The goal is that the two commercials will not only inspire those who may be skeptical of Christianity to ask questions and learn more about Jesus, but also encourage Christians to live out their faith even better and exhibit the same confounding love and forgiveness Jesus modelled.”
They want to reach the most people they can for Christ.
I love that about their commercials. We all need to be talking more about Jesus. Even if we are criticized.
As for the Super Bowl halftime show, we were left scratching our heads. Again, maybe we can blame our age. What did the dancers in the puffy, white costumes represent? Marshmallows? Zombies? Hazmat suits? Eskimos? Cheap costumes left over from some U.F.O. show? Give me a marching college band any day. Better yet, give me an inspiring praise and worship team. At least then I could share that time with my family. Rihanna’s behavior was anything but child-friendly.
This probably sounds strange, but I began wondering what would happen if Jesus appeared during the Super Bowl halftime performance. Who would garner the most attention? Would screaming, adoring fans still think Rihanna’s inappropriate grab deserved their adulation and be disappointed that Jesus had interrupted their idol’s performance? Or would this be the wake-up call everyone needs?
I pray it would be the latter…but I have my doubts.
The business website is www.fortscottrides.com and for the latest information, view their Facebook page: fort scott rides.
Hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Fort Scott Rides LLC is located at 1202 E. Wall. Submitted photo.
Born and raised in Bourbon County, he is the son of Gary and Jackie Harvey.
He has three children, Kaitlyn-a beautician at Spoiled Brat, Tyler-who is doing social media/website duties for his dad’s business and also works at Bourbon County Corrections, and Jett-a senior at Uniontown High School.
Matt Harvey’s children: Jett, Kaitlyn and Tyler. Submitted photo.
The Fort Scott City Commission approved a resolution to support an application by a Desoto, KS property developer to turn the former Fort Scott Manor Nursing Home into apartments.
Following that approval, Shane Lamb, Rural ReDevelopment Group LLC, sent a Housing Investors Tax Credit application in for the property located on Fort Scott’s west side at 736 S. Heylman.
Lamb and Susan Galemore, who is with Southeast Kansas Economic Development Coalition, appeared together before the commission on Feb. 7. Galemore helped Lamb prepare the application.
Lamb has applied for tax credits from the Kansas Housing Resource Corporation to develop the property into 19 rental units.
“Fifteen will be one-bedroom units, four will be two-bedroom units,” Lamb said. “It is on less than two acres and the building is approximately 20,000 square feet.”
Lamb purchased the Fort Scott Manor property in January of 2022, he said. “It was closed down by the state several years ago, then went through bankruptcy proceedings. I believe it has been closed for three years.”
The Fort Scott property will not be low-income apartment rentals, Galemore said. “They will be standard market, not income based.”
“We focus on rural towns and rural housing,” he said. “Typically, we purchase nursing homes, schools, hospitals…single-use vacant properties we convert to housing.”
“We have 13 projects completed across different states, the closest to Fort Scott is one in Yates Center,” Lamb said. “We have 18 projects in the works.”
The grants are very competitive, Lamb said. “If I don’t get it the first time, we can apply again. I think it is every three months.”
The grants awarded are based on the communities need, he said. “Which community needs housing more than others.”
“I am on their timeline,” he said. “Once I get the green light, I can start and have 18 months to finish.”
Lamb said he always tries to use qualified local contractors and buy materials locally.
“I always try to keep the money local,” he said. “It doesn’t work 100 percent of the time. Sometimes you can’t find local partners to meet those deadlines…because they are so busy.”
Lamb said he should know by the end of March 2023 if he was awarded the grant.
Author Leon Perry will be featured during a book signing this Saturday, Feb. 25 at 1:30 p.m. at Hedgehog INK bookstore, 16 S. Main, Fort Scott.
Leon Perry. Submitted photo.
Perry was a young child when his family came to Fort Scott in the 1950s to look for employment. They were staying in a motel in Belltown, on the city’s north side, when there was explosion in their room that killed his parents and a sibling.
Perry chronicles the kindness and help that he and his remaining sibling received from the community as he recovered from severe burns to his body and the loss of his parents.
He and brother, Ernie, were taken to the Goodlander Children’s Home, where they stayed until they were adopted by a local farm couple.
He tells of the life on the farm, school, 4-H and FFA that allows readers to understand life in Bourbon County during that era of time. He went on to be an educator and school administrator in Kansas and Missouri.
19 S. Main, is on the left, with 23 S. Main on the left. The buildings are located at the corner of First and Main Street.
The City of Fort Scott approved two resolutions for an apartment project at 19 and 23 S. Main.
Currently Spoiled Brat Beauty Salon and Main Street Vintage and Co. are housed on the main floor of the two buildings.
The Project
Justin Pregont, with Pomeroy Development LLC, of Atchinson, appeared before the Fort Scott City Commission this month to ask for and did receive approval for the submission of a moderate income housing grant application to the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation.
In addition he sought and was approved for submission of a Rural Housing Incentive District and an Industrial Revenue Bond issue in support of the project.
The entire process of a project like this can take several years, Pregont said in an interview, and all plans are contingent on the receiving of the funds from the grants. In late March 2023, he will be notified from the state if he is a winner of the first of the grants, which he said is very competitive.
The Van Fossen Apartments is the name of the project. It is a sixteen unit adaptive reuse and historic preservation project approximately 16,000 square feet of the second and third floors of the Van Fossen building at 23 S. Main as well as a comprehensive renovation of the second floor of 19 S. Main, which has approximately 3,000 square feet.
Pregont sought the city’s approval to apply for $1,375,000 in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) category, a federal stimulus bill to aid public health and economic recovery.
It is in the Moderate-Income Housing (MIH) category of the grant. He stated that the city’s responsibility is administrative, because the checks must flow through a local government sponsor.
Pregont told the commission he has similar projects he has done in the past. He stated that he is the sponsor, he is responsible for carrying it through to completion and he is responsible for the compliance, but the funds flow through the city.
“A friend of mine notified me of the real estate listing,” Pregont said. “We like historic buildings, they are superior in architecture to modern.
The historic tax credits are a big piece of the funding of such projects.
The Apartments
The apartments will be “top of the market”, Pregont said, and the rents will reflect that. “It will provide quality housing for people who want something better.”
He said he knows people are concerned about the increased shortage of parking spaces in the historic downtown area.
“Anytime there is a booming downtown, there is parking distress,” he said. “It’s an indication of success.”
The primary entrance will not be on Main Street, but on First Street near the alley, which should help with the parking issue currently on Main Street, he said.
Whether pets will be allowed in the apartments, Pregont said it is uncertain at this time, although therapy dogs will be, according to laws that are in place.
Many business owners and downtown residents have expressed concern over animal feces in the downtown area.
About the Name
The buildings were built in the 1880s by Van Fossen and Wilcox, Pregont said. It was originally a dry goods store, but through the years saw many transformations.
“Van Fossen is a unique name, so we went with that,” Pregont said.
Fort Scott High School Freshmen students will get to practice financial “adulting” on March 8 at the high school and local volunteers are needed to help with the event, FuntureNow: Finance, to that end.
Lewis Dunkeson.
“It is a fun and tangible way to aid students in preparing for their financial futures,” according to Lewis Dunkeson, Communities in School’s Student Support Coordinator at FSHS.
FutureNow:Finance, is an event that helps students understand some of the realities involved in preparing for future adulthood.
At the event, students will receive an adult scenario based on a survey they have completed prior to the event, according to information provided by Dunkeson.
The scenario includes: marital status, number of children, career field, and net monthly income, which is based on choice of career field and current grade point average.
At the FutureNow: Finance event, students will visit a variety of booths to purchase food, housing, transportation, communication services, child care, utilities, insurance, etc.
They can also save money, give to charity and learn about unexpected things that affect daily life such as accidents, unexpected visitors or flat tires. The event is Wednesday, March 8, 2023 from 8 – 11 a.m. in Fort Scott High School’s Auxiliary Gym.
The Fort Scott High School gym. Submitted photo.
Volunteers should plan to report at 8 a.m. and must check-in to the school at the front office. Breakfast and lunch will be provided
Volunteers help the students make wise financial choices regarding the necessities and luxuries they imagine as part of their adult lifestyle, according to information provided by Dunkeson.
Volunteers are provided with detailed information and price sheets for their specific booth allowing them to help the students decide how best to spend their money.
Volunteer need only bring their personal experiences.
To volunteer for the event, contact: Lewis Dunkeson Student Support Coordinator, Fort Scott HS [email protected] 402-212-9826
There is a need in communities to get abandoned and vacant properties to land purchasers that can improve the property.
To this end, the Fort Scott Land Bank was initiated in 2018 and last month a manager for the program was hired.
“Vacant and abandoned properties have negative spillover effects that impact neighboring properties and, when concentrated, entire communities and even cities. Research links foreclosed, vacant, and abandoned properties with reduced property values, increased crime, increased risk to public health and welfare, and increased costs for municipal governments,” according to https://www.huduser.gov/portal/periodicals/
Pat Bishop has been appointed manager of the Fort Scott Land Bank. The appointment was effective as of January 1, 2023.
Bishop now is responsible for acquiring unused properties and maintaining them, pending transfer to a new owner.
His most important responsibility will be the sale or transfer of properties to buyers through setting up the framework for the clearing of title, negotiation of the purchase price and negotiation of the development agreement, he said.
All of the responsibilities are subject to the approval of the Land Bank Board of Trustees.
The City of Fort Scott and Bourbon County government entities share the salary for the position which is $20,000 per year.
“My hours are 1 -5 p.m. Monday through Friday, though I am available at all times,” Bishop said.
Bishop and his wife, Cathy, have lived in Fort Scott for 44 years and he was a practicing attorney in Bourbon County for 29 years.
Bishop has been integral in the preparation of the legal documentation necessary for the last two Bourbon County tax foreclosure sales, working with the Bourbon County Counselor, and therefore is familiar with the acquisition process, he said.
Bishop may be contacted at 620-224-6962. His email address is [email protected].
Bourbon County has provided Mr. Bishop an office in the courthouse located at 210 S. National.
The job requires that he be out of the office quite often, and contact is recommended via phone or email, he said.
What the Fort Scott Land Bank Does
“In 2018 the City of Fort Scott established the Fort Scott Land Bank,” Bishop said. “The purpose of the Land Bank is to acquire title to dilapidated, vacant or unused properties and convert them to productive use.”
These properties do not contribute to the tax base, and in addition create fire and safety hazards and reduce the value of surrounding properties, he said.
Most of the properties are acquired through Bourbon County tax foreclosure sale, though properties have been and may be donated to the Fort Scott Land Bank.
“At this point in time the Land Bank has 49 Fort Scott properties in its inventory,” Bishop said. ” All these properties are either vacant lots or structures in need of repair.”
The Land Bank determines the best usage for a property, he said.
Points considered for the usage for the property are the neighborhood, the size of the lot, and the condition of any structures, he said. And there is an attempt to sell the property for value in accordance with a development agreement between the Land Bank and the purchaser.
The agreement will require the developer to improve the property, such as building a house or remodeling an existing structure, within a given period of time, according to Bishop. If the developer fails to comply with the terms of the agreement, the property reverts to the Land Bank.
When the property is purchased, the Land Bank is required to maintain the premises, such as mowing, and may have to cause an unsafe structure to be removed, he said.
“The decision to sell land bank property will not be determined solely on the basis of purchase price,” he said. “The Board of Trustees will consider the proposed usage,” he said.
The construction of housing on a property is the most important consideration as there is a scarcity of affordable housing in Fort Scott, Bishop said.
“Other priorities in the following order are: protection of properties for historic preservation, government or public use, ownership by non-profits, such as a church, ownership by adjacent property owners for side-lot acquisitions and green or garden spaces for public benefit,” he said.
Fort Scott Land Bank Board of Trustees
The Fort Scott Land Bank Board of Trustees are appointed by the Fort Scott City Commission and presently consists of Craig Campbell, Chairperson; Robert Coon, Vice Chairperson; Bailey Lyons, Treasurer; Josh Jones, (City Commissioner) Jim Harris, (Bourbon County Commissioner), Rob Harrington (Bourbon County Regional Economic Director) and Patrick Wood.
