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Fort Scott Public Library Offerings
Youth Services & Programs Provided by Fort Scott Public Library
In the interest of serving the needs of our community whilst making every effort to ensure the safety of our patrons, FSPL is offering the following programs and services through either curbside pickup, virtual programming, or a combination of both. Please call the library at (620)223-2882 or email Miss Val at [email protected]for more information or to sign up.
Storytime: Miss Val films and uploads a pre-recorded video of herself reading two – four books, along with singing a welcome song and demonstrating a craft, each week for a themed storytime. Virtual storytime videos designed for kids of all ages are made available on YouTube (unlisted – email [email protected] for the link) or within the private Facebook group for local Storytime families. The library provides a weekly snack and craft (available through curbside pickup) to go along with each storytime, and one – two months’ worth of kits are created at a time for the convenience of storytime families. Upcoming themes are: Easter, Spring Babies, Gardens, Rain, and Butterflies & Caterpillars. Email Miss Val to sign up.
Program for 6th – 12th Graders: The Dragon’s Nest Library Teen & Tween Group meets virtually, weekly on Wednesdays, from 4:20 – 5 pm. Miss Val hosts the meetings and provides participants with snacks, including both food and beverages, along with any supplies they’ll need for each week’s meeting, through curbside pickup. Activities include: Virtual games such as Pictionary or trivia, book discussions, crafts (such as painting canvases, clay pots, and pumpkins; decorating coffee mugs, or weaving hats with jumbo yarn), parties, and solving virtual escape rooms. Upcoming activities are: Game Night, Making Marshmallow Catapults, Virtual Escape Rooms, Making Ever-Spinning Tops, and playing Codenames & Catchphrase. To sign up for the program and receive the secure meeting link, email Miss Val at [email protected] or call and ask to speak with Miss Val.
Book Bags: Miss Val compiles book bags on popular topics for easy curbside checkout. Each bag contains ten books, plus some stickers and/or a bookmark. The drawstring bag, bookmarks, and stickers are free for the patron to keep, while books check out for three weeks. You must be a card-holder in SeknFind with an unrestricted account in order to check out a book bag. There is no limit on how many bags you may check out at one time. Current topics are as follows
For ages Birth – 1st Grade: Boys’ General Interest, Girls’ General Interest, Careers & Local Heroes, Character Building, Construction, Cozy Books, Early Readers Level 1, Early Readers Level 2, Fantasy, LEGO, Preschool Science, Princesses & Queens, Real Heroes, Silly Stories, Space, Spring, and World Travel.
For Grades 2nd – 5th: Early Readers Level 3, Fantasy, Real Heroes, Space, Tech & Games, and World Travel. Call to order yours!
Maker Kits: Make something cool with Miss Val.
To order & participate:
1. Choose which maker kit you’d like. Currently you may select from:
Kit #1: Paper Weaving (Easy/Preschool)
Kit #2: Yarn Bowls (Intermediate/Elementary)
Kit #3: Paper Cup Towers (Easy STEM)
Kit #4: Straw Structures (Intermediate STEM)
Kit #5: Pipe Cleaner Challenge (Intermediate STEM)
Kit #6: Garden in a Cup (Easy/Preschool)
2. Contact the library to order yours by calling (620) 223-2882 or email [email protected].
3. You may order 1 kit PER CHILD at a time. Once you have finished with the kit, order the same one again or a different one. Available while supplies last. Caution: Some kit items are not safe for young children. Parental supervision is strongly advised for children ages 3 and under.
4. Go to the Maker Kits Playlist on YouTubeto watch the accompanying video so your child can use the items in their kits right along with Miss Val.
1. Choose which maker kit you’d like. Currently you may select from:
Kit #1: Paper Weaving (Easy/Preschool)
Kit #2: Yarn Bowls (Intermediate/Elementary)
Kit #3: Paper Cup Towers (Easy STEM)
Kit #4: Straw Structures (Intermediate STEM)
Kit #5: Pipe Cleaner Challenge (Intermediate STEM)
Kit #6: Garden in a Cup (Easy/Preschool)
2. Contact the library to order yours by calling (620) 223-2882 or email [email protected].
3. You may order 1 kit PER CHILD at a time. Once you have finished with the kit, order the same one again or a different one. Available while supplies last. Caution: Some kit items are not safe for young children. Parental supervision is strongly advised for children ages 3 and under.
4. Go to the Maker Kits Playlist on YouTubeto watch the accompanying video so your child can use the items in their kits right along with Miss Val.
Red Cross Offers Virtual Children’s Preparedness Lessons
Get Prepared Today!
The American Red Cross is offering FREE, interactive virtual preparedness presentations to Kansas and Oklahoma Children! March forward with us into preparedness by inviting the children in your family and their friends to join one of our interactive learning sessions in 30 March – 29 April 2021.
The Presentations being offered are:
Prepare with Pedro: Kindergarten-2nd grade students
In this 30-minute presentation, a Red Cross presenter will read students a storybook about Pedro the Penguin who learns how to prepare and respond safely to home fires. Students will learn about smoke alarms, evacuating a home safely, and reuniting at a designated meeting location outside their home. This virtual storybook presentation is interactive and engaging to students.
The Pillowcase Project: 3rd-5th grade students
In this 60-minute presentation as part of The Pillowcase Project, students will learn what the American Red Cross does in their communities, and how to prepare for local hazards (tornados, home fires, and general emergency preparedness). Students will also learn emotional coping skills to help them become more resilient and navigate stressful situations. This virtual presentation is interactive and engaging to students, incorporating core curriculum standards.
Attached is a list of the dates/times and platforms that are being offered. If you are interested in any of the presentations, please send an email to [email protected] and we will send you a link to the presentation.
Come and learn to be safe with us! Hope to see you soon! (virtually, of course)
Barbara Martin
Youth Preparedness Program Volunteer Coordinator
American Red Cross I Kansas and Oklahoma Region
Restoring the Family Table by Carolyn Tucker
Keys to the Kingdom
Carolyn Tucker
I didn’t grow up in a home with a formal dining room, so when Jimmy and I built our house 40 years ago, we customized the original plans. Raised in the country, I changed the dining room into a utility room and opted for a big comfortable kitchen. Early in our marriage, we purchased an antique walnut drop-leaf table that would seat ten when expanded with two additional leaves. This table was in mint condition and beautiful.
There’ve been a few times when I’ve considered getting rid of the table and chairs because they’ve been run through the mill and have seen better days. But when I get right down to it, there are simply too many memories in that table. We’ve spent hundreds of hours sitting at that table praying, talking, laughing, playing games, and sharing meals with family and friends. Nope. The table stays — it just needs to be restored.
The other night I was praying and, after a few sentences, my own words seemed to fail me. I then began to pray the words of the young shepherd boy. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He restoreth my soul. He restoreth my soul.” I could not get past the revelation of what those four words meant. The definition of “restore” means to return something or someone to a former condition. Just like the kitchen table, some of us have some boo boos in our soul that need to heal.
The soul is our mind, our will, and our emotions. The soul processes our circumstances, thoughts, emotions, and decisions. God has made a wonderful promise that in tough times He will restore our soul back to its former joyful condition. God has a unique path designed for all His children. If we will allow Him to be our Shepherd, He’ll guide us by His Holy Spirit to complete restoration.
I memorized Psalm 23 either in Sunday School or Vacation Bible School. I’m thankful for the teacher that realized the importance of children memorizing this valuable chapter. “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11 NKJV). God’s Word is a powerful and precious gift to treasure. You can pull it out when you need it if it’s as close as your heart.
It’s interesting that David mentions a table later in the chapter: “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over” (Psalm 23:5 KJV). For me, the kitchen table represents happy times sharing food with those you love. Even though David was a mighty warrior and had enemies, God prepared a banqueting table for him. There was no worry or confusion even though his enemies were lurking just outside the door. Likewise, God prepares a table for us right in the middle of storms and sorrows and we can choose to sit down, rest, and eat as if everything is in God‘s hands.
The Key: If your soul has been run through the mill, give it to the Shepherd and He will restore it.
Aging With Attitude Expo April 29-30
People tend to act like getting older is the worst thing in the world, but it certainly doesn’t have to be. There are plenty of reasons to be positive about older age, live life to the fullest, and have a good time along the way. As Senator John Glenn has put it, “Too many people, when they get old, think that they have to live by the calendar.”
For the 10th year, K-State Research and Extension is joining with community partners in bringing the Aging With Attitude Regional Expo to the Southeast Kansas area. This event promotes positive attitudes about aging and provides inspiration, answers questions and delivers information to older adults, their families and caregivers about making the most of life.
The expo will be presented in a virtual format in 2021 and will be held from 9:00 am to noon on April 29th and April 30th with different programs presented each day.
Marci Penner of the Kansas Sampler Foundation will present an upbeat keynote address on some of the lesser-known attractions in southeast Kansas.
Other topics to be presented as part of the expo include
Telemedicine and You – Understanding new healthcare options; Fraud Awareness — Protecting yourself from scams; Hemp Culture; Valuable Records and Advance Health Care Planning conversation; and Smart Homes – How to make your home safer and more efficient through technology.
There will be some get-up-and-move exercises and fun brain-stretching activities during breaks between sessions.
Other community partners engaged with the expo planning include Angels Care Home Health, Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice, Integrity Home Care + Hospice, Medicalodges – Fort Scott, Southeast Kansas Area Agency on Aging, Southeast Kansas Library System, and interested community individuals.
While the virtual presentation may be easily accessed from the comforts of your own home, four host sites have been reserved for those without internet access. Host site locations where individuals may attend one or both days of the expo include:
Chanute: First Baptist Church Good News Center,
118 N. Forest
Fort Scott: Community Christian Church Gym,
1919 Horton St.
Parsons: Southeast Area Research & Extension Ctr.,
25092 Ness Rd.
Pittsburg: Homer Cole Senior Center,
2003 N. Joplin St.
Host site reservations need to be made by calling ahead to 620-625-8620.
Space is limited, due to social distancing.
Masks will be required.
A goal of the expo is to empower older adults and their caregivers –with information and education that is shared throughout the expo–to make more confident and proactive decisions that influence how they age.
Partial funding is provided by a grant from the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation and the Southeast Kansas Area Agency on Aging to support the 2021 Aging with Attitude Regional Expo.
Virtual vendor booths for aging services and information available in the southeast Kansas area will be shared as part of the webinars.
There is no participant registration fee this year, however, registration is required to receive the webinar link. For more information, program details, and online registration, go to www.agingexpo.k-state.edu or call 620-625-8620. The registration deadline is April 23.
K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Bourbon County Commission Agenda For March 30
Agenda
Bourbon County Commission Room
1st Floor, County Courthouse
210 S. National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
Tuesdays starting at 9:00
Date: March 30, 2021
1st District-Lynne Oharah Minutes: Approved: _______________
2nd District-Jim Harris Corrected: _______________________
3rd District-Clifton Beth Adjourned at: _______________
County Clerk-Kendell Mason
MEETING WILL BE HELD IN THE COMMISSION ROOM. ANYONE ATTENDING THE MEETING WILL BE REQUIRED TO WEAR A MASK. MUST MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING.
Call to Order
- Flag Salute
- Approval of Minutes from previous meeting
- Eric Bailey – Road and Bridge Report
- David Luke – KCAMP Overview (785) 338-1504
- Clint Anderson – Ratio for Last Year
- Lynne Oharah – Radio Spot
- County Counselor Comment
Multi-County Health Board
-
- Public Comment
- Commission Comment
- Lynne Oharah – HR Director
Webinar For Drug Endangered Children Awareness Day
The Kansas Alliance for Drug Endangered Children is presenting webinars each Wednesday in April from 10:00 am-11:00 am for Drug Endangered Children Awareness Day.
These webinars are free and certificates of attendance will be provided for continuing education.
KANSAS DEC AWARENESS MONTH INFO-REGISTRATION FLYER
Please see the attached flyer for more information on each webinar and registration details. Please feel free to send this to your agencies and to anyone who might be interested in these training opportunities. Thank you!
Timken Job Fair April 9-10
FS City Commission Special Meeting March 30
Kansas Travel Quarantine List Update
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Kansas Phase 5 of COVID Plan Begins March 29
Governor Laura Kelly Announces Kansas to Move to Phase 5 of Vaccine Distribution Plan
~Starting Monday, March 29 all Kansans (16+) Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccine~
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly today announced that starting next Monday, March 29, 2021, the State of Kansas will make the COVID-19 vaccine available to all Kansans (16+), entering the final Phase 5 of the Vaccine Prioritization plan.
“With the anticipated increase in supply from the federal government, we must get every dose of vaccine into arms quickly,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “I strongly encourage every Kansan to get the COVID-19 vaccine so we can get back to school, back to work, and back to normal.”
Kansas will become the 8th state to make the vaccine available to all adults, joining Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Utah, and West Virginia.
As of March 26, 35.1% of the adult population in Kansas had received at least one dose of the vaccine.
In the early part of the vaccination program (December 2020 – February 2021), limited federal supply led to demand for vaccine consistently outstripping supply. However, the supply increases of recent weeks have reversed this situation. Local Health Departments (LHDs) and providers have started reporting a decline in demand despite the state opening to Phases 3 and 4 populations. To ensure no vaccine goes to waste, the Kelly administration decided to open eligibility to all Kansans.
Kansans are encouraged to use the Vaccine Finder tool to find the nearest location with available vaccine.
About the COVID-19 vaccines:
- COVID-19 Vaccines work: New England Journal of Medicine published a study on Feb. 24 that found researchers in Israel and the U.S. report that the vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech was highly effective in protecting against infection with the COVID-19 virus, lowering people’s chances of getting sick with the disease—especially severe disease—and dropping COVID-19 hospitalization rates.
- Scientists have been researching mRNA technology, which makes it possible to create a vaccine faster, for years to prepare for potential infectious viruses. This research and the high supply of volunteers for clinical trials led to the relatively quick development of the COVID-19 vaccines.
- COVID-19 vaccines must meet rigorous standards and have undergone the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. The three COVID-19 vaccines had to meet safety and effectiveness standards to be approved for Emergency Use Authorization and have been evaluated in tens of thousands of participants in clinical trials.
Obituary of Frank Crystal
Frank Richard Crystal, age 83, a resident of Devon, Kansas, passed away Friday, March 26, 2021, at his home.
He was born December 19, 1937. Frank was born and raised in the Pawnee/Cato area.
Frank enjoyed Friday nights with his family, fishing and taking care of his cows on the farm. You could always find Frank on Wednesday nights playing cards with the guys or on Saturdays at the Sale Barn or attending a farm auction.
Frank married Patricia Sue Krull in November of 1959. Frank and Pat together had five boys; Mark and wife, Trish, Marty and wife, Jolene, Mickey and wife Theresa, Matt and Mitch Crystal.
Frank later met Yvonne Beck and her daughter, Susie, and they became part of the family. Frank got to handpick his daughter, Susie, and later got a son-in-law, Chris Arvidson.
Yvonne Beck survives of the home along with his five boys and his daughter.
Also surviving are his grandchildren, Matthew, Jordin, Brooke, Devann, John, Jackie, Raylene, Kaylyn, Callie, Dyllian, Tate, Garrett, Cord, and Cody, and great-grandchildren, Evan, Neva, Josie, Finnley, Olivia, Kannon, and Kennedy his sister, Carolyn Crystal, and several nieces and nephews.
Frank was preceded in death by his father, Joe Crystal, his mother, Elva and step-father, Lester Hunt, and infant sister, Darlene Crystal, a brother, James Crystal and sister, Wilda Insley as well as a great-grandson, Thomas “TJ” Burton, Jr.
The family would like to give a special thank you to all his doctor’s and nurses that have cared for Frank over the years and a special thanks to his dialysis nurses Patti and Nancy.
Funeral services with Masonic rites will be held at 10:00 A.M. Tuesday, April 6th at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
Following funeral services, there will be cremation and a private family burial will take place later in the Large Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 P.M. Monday, April 5th at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
Memorials are suggested to the Xenia Masonic Lodge and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.