Submitted by the Fort Scott National Historic Site

In 1918 the sun was out, then like magic it disappeared behind the moon, day turned to night and stars were visible in the sky. This crazy phenomenon was a Total Solar Eclipse which passed just to the south of Fort Scott. Now 99 years later, Fort Scott has the opportunity to see a similar total eclipse. The 2017 Total Solar Eclipse will pass across the continental U.S. and its complete totality will be within 100 miles of Fort Scott.

Fort Scott National Historic Site invites everyone to experience this momentous occasion with the Rangers on the Fort’s parade ground. Join us on Monday, August 21, as we watch the sun hide behind the moon. From 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., explore the science behind an eclipse, create your own eclipse, earn an Eclipse Junior Ranger Badge, learn about proper eye safety and much more! You might even consider having a moonlight lunch on the parade ground.

The moon will begin blocking the sun at about 11:45 a.m., with the eclipse ending around 2:30 p.m. The peak of the eclipse will occur at 1:05 p.m., when the sun will be almost completely covered. A limited supply of free protective eclipse glasses will be available to view the sun during the eclipse.

Never look directly into the sun, even during an eclipse. The sun’s rays can cause permanent damage to your eyes. When viewing the eclipse, you will need to use special eclipse glasses that have a specific solar filter; sun glasses will not work. Also, do not look through smart phones, cameras, telescopes or binoculars without the proper sun filters. For those not visiting the Fort on August 21, or to ensure you will have your own pair, eclipse glasses can be ordered online from several sources.

Call the Fort at 620-223- 0310 with questions about the event, or visit eclipse2017.nasa.gov for more information about this eclipse.

Submitted by Angie Bin

The Fort Scott High School Drama Department announces auditions for “Disney’s High School Musical.”

Auditions are Aug. 29 and 31, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the FSHS music room and are open to FSHS students in 9^th through 12^thgrades. Students do not have to prepare anything in advance and should plan to attend on one night for the entire duration of the audition. Auditions consist of singing, dancing, acting exercises and cold readings from the script.

Performances are at 7 p.m. on Nov. 7, 9 and 11, and at 2 p.m. on Nov. 11, and rehearsals are held Monday through Thursday from 6:30-9 p.m.

In addition to performers, the Drama Department is seeking students interested in technical positions. These include:  stage management, lighting, sound, costuming, make-up, backstage crew and set construction and design.

The musical is directed by FSHS Drama and Thespian Director Angie Bin with music direction from Eugene Ware Music Teacher Mary Jo Harper. Taylor Schilling, a music education student at PSU, serves as the Assistant Music Director and Choreographer. The musical is published by Music Theatre International.

Community Champion Event:

Roast and Toast to Frank Halsey

 “Build a new playground at the Mercy of Frank Halsey”

Presented by The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team

Underwritten by Janet Irby Braun & Family

Time is running out to get your tickets to the Community Champion Event on Saturday, August 19, at Liberty Theatre! You can purchase tickets at FortScott.com or at the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce. The deadline is August 15.  You can expect an evening full of fun and entertainment for your $50 ticket. The social hour starts at 6 p.m. with a cash bar and background music provided by Kansas City’s Private Stock. This will give attendees the opportunity to have pictures taken and buy a raffle ticket for a chance to win a $500 gift certificate to Tailwind Cyclists! Raffle tickets are only $3 each or four for $10. Crooner’s Lounge will provide a buffet of heavy hors d’oeuvres at 7 p.m. followed by entertainment and comedy in the form of a roast co-hosted by Larry Gazaway and Gregg Motley. Attendees are welcome to stay for music and dancing with Private Stock until 11 p.m.

Frank Halsey has been selected as the first Community Champion due to his commitment to the Gunn Park Trails. Returning home from a bike ride in another town, Frank was determined to build a trail for himself and his friends to enjoy. From this simple idea came a project several years in the making. Frank did not take, ‘No,’ for an answer. He also didn’t take cease and desist orders, requests from the City, or opposition of any kind. Thanks to his efforts, Gunn Park now boasts 6.5 miles of biking and hiking trails and the growth continues today. The trails added more life to this century-old park with several annual events attracting visitors from other states to ride the Gunn Park Trails.

One hundred percent of ticket and raffle sales will be going to fund a Multi-Sensory Playground at Ellis Park. Your community members, neighbors and friends will all benefit from the inclusive playground. One such family, The Walkers, has told the story of how a playground will benefit their family:

No one wants to be excluded from fun. Even more important, no parent wants their child to be an observer to play instead of a participant.

Play is a child’s work and it is very important for their development. Children learn about themselves, the people around them, their environment and their community through play. Our family loves the community we live in. Fort Scott is an amazing place! We would love to see all children have the ability to thrive within this community. 

We used to take for granted the opportunity to take our children to the park to play on the playground, that is, until our youngest child, Ella, was born. Ella was born with a birth defect called Spina Bifida. This is where her spine did not form completely so she has spinal cord damage. There are varying degrees to this birth defect. This affects Ella’s ability to walk, amongst other things. She requires assistance by the use of braces on her feet, crutches, a walker or the support of another person for distances and on uneven surfaces; while many persons with this disability require the use of a wheelchair.

Ella struggles in some way or another at most of the parks in town, mainly with unstable surfaces or inability to climb. Most playgrounds have rocks, mulch and/or hills. Often ones with smooth surfaces are not accessible by wheelchair or walker. For safety, smooth surfaces and ground level equipment are essential to all those with this need in mind.

Her challenges are increasing as she becomes older. Ella has turned four years old and is becoming heavier for us to carry. Crawling, her preferred method of travel, is not a safe alternative for her on the playground. Her peers are now walking most of the time, so she is viewed as a baby to many children her own age, and even children younger. Her feelings are often hurt when her peers view her as something less than themselves.

We always welcome questions from children as well as adults as to why Ella walks the way she does, what her equipment and braces are for, and any other questions they might have. By giving Ella the mobility she needs she will learn how to be an active member of society.

Play environments designed to be fair allow everyone to participate as equitably and as independently as possible with their siblings, neighbors, caregivers and friends. (inclusiveplaygrounds.com)  It is a positive thing to have playgrounds for children of all abilities—physically able and disabled—to play together. By being inclusive to all children, the able-bodied children learn how to interact with disabled children, as well as the other way around.

This gives all children the opportunity to grow confidence in their abilities—socially and physically. All four of our children have played on inclusive playgrounds and enjoyed all of the equipment together, without realizing it was intended for less able-bodied persons.

God creates each of us with different purpose, intent and design; but He loves us all equally! We know that in the future there will be others that will have the same, or more needs for these opportunities in our community. Placing inclusive playgrounds in our community will have a positive impact for generations to come.

Submitted by Fort Scott National Historic Site

Fort Scott NHS has rescheduled its Scavenger Hunt to this Saturday, August 12, at 1 p.m. Intense thunderstorms and lightning caused the event, originally planned for last Saturday, to be cancelled for safety reasons.

Fort Scott National Historic Site hopes everyone who planned to attend previously will participate on the new date. Hopes are high that the weather will cooperate. The event will be fun for all ages and prizes will be awarded for the first and second place teams.

All participants are encouraged to show up 10 minutes early with their cell phone or camera. Contestants will be given a list of clues directing them to certain items that tell a story about the rich history of the site. Participants will then take photos of the corresponding items. The winning team/individual will receive a $50 gift card, with $25 awarded to the second place finishers.

This fun event is being hosted by the Youth Engagement Team at Fort Scott National Historic Site in partnership with the Friends of the Fort. Thanks go to the Friends of the Fort for sponsoring the prizes. Call the Fort at 620-223-0310 with questions or for more information.

Submitted by Tina Rockhold, Mercy Hospital

Dave Phelps M.D. retired from Mercy Hospital Fort Scott on August 1. He has been on staff in various capacities since July 1, 1979, when he and Dr. Randy Nichols joined the medical staff and the Basham-McKenna clinic after completing Family Practice Residency training at Wesley Medical Center.

Dr. Phelps practiced Family Medicine with Obstetrics and also developed his practice with an emphasis on Geriatrics, having Additional Qualifications in Geriatrics certificates granted. In 1996 when Fort Scott Family Physicians integrated with Mercy Health System, he served first as Medical Director, and later Chief Medical Officer for both Fort Scott and Independence. To be effective in that role he earned a Masters Degree in Medical Management from Tulane University. In 2003 he returned to active practice in Fort Scott fulltime as an Emergency Physician and was Physician ER Director until just recently as he made plans to retire from practice. As such, his career has concluded after 38 years of service to the Fort Scott community.

“When Randy Nichols and I came with our spouses, Karen and Deb, to Fort Scott to see the opportunity here, we just fell in love with the community,” Dr. Phelps says. “It was a very good idea. I remember when Dr. Basham retired in 1981, the Tribune asked him in an interview to list the greatest changes he had seen in health care in his practice. He practiced from the mid 1940s to 1980. I remember he named three: the development of vaccination and winning the fight with polio, the development and use of antibiotics including Penicillin, and finally, the practice of delivering babies at the hospital rather than at home.”

Dr. Phelps went on to say, “That got me thinking how I would answer the same question, with my practice from 1979 to 2017. Naturally there have been many advances in surgical technique and treatments, but I think what has changed is how we do things rather than what we do. Three things come to my mind about this: first, the development of the system-wide Electronic Medical Record allowing us access to a more complete information base regarding a patient, wherever we see them. This often includes their visits to other health facilities in Kansas.

“Second is the idea of Evidence-Based Medicine. Treatment choices now are based on scientific studies based on patient’s outcomes, rather than just ‘expert’ opinion in the field. This has changed a lot of medical practices. Such information is immediately available to doctors on line and updated every six months.

“Finally, the last is I think a mixed blessing. At the beginning of my career, individual and small group practices were the way to go. People usually identified a particular physician as ‘my doctor.’ But now, small practices are very hard to make successful, especially for primary care doctors. I firmly believe the development of health systems and taking care of patients in a team approach is absolutely necessary these days. It can be very effective. But, I kind of miss the relationships I had with so many fine people and the sense they thought of me as their doctor. That relationship could be powerful medicine sometimes.”

Upon his retirement Dr Phelps plans to spend more time with his wife Deb, do some sailing, a little fishing with friends and travel around a bit.

He said, “I’ll never forget Fort Scott and my friends there. It’s been a great place to practice.”

Mercy administration is currently recruiting a replacement for Dr. Phelps. In the interim, the Mercy Fort Scott’s Emergency Department is staffing with contractual physicians trained in emergency medicine.