This Friday night, September 20th, the concert at Heritage Park will present four different musical couples: Larry and Judy Snow from Mound City, Allen and Connie Edgerton from Kincaid, Kevin and Kathy Woods from Prescott, and Jack and Sandy Hemphill from Fort Scott.
The featured emcee will be Floyd Feezell and the featured drummer will be Kristen Weeks.
The concert will start at 7:00 at the pavilion and will include a range of country and gospel music. It will be a couple’s jam session! Each performer will select songs to sing for the crowd. It should be a fun time for all present.
The Friday night concert in the park series, headed by Ralph Carlson, has limited seating so please bring a lawn chair. In case of bad weather, the concert will be moved to Common Ground Coffee Shop. Come out for a fun night of entertainment!
I am writing to highlight the significant achievements of Bourbon County REDI over the past several years. Our organization has played a crucial role in driving economic growth, enhancing infrastructure, and fostering community development throughout Bourbon County—all while operating at a much lower cost than previous efforts.
One of our key accomplishments was taking over the Pavilion project after the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team (HBCAT) stepped back. We formed a dedicated committee that ensured its successful completion, transforming it into a vital community space that hosts local events and fosters civic engagement.
We also played a pivotal role in revitalizing the KRES building by securing Mr. Robert Coon as its new owner and working with him to bring in Mi Ranchito that has greatly enhanced our downtown dining options, created jobs, and boosted sales tax revenue.
In addition, we secured a $400,000 grant for the Eagle Block building, which was essential for clean-up efforts and the preservation of neighboring historic structures. This initiative has spurred business expansion and economic activity, further strengthening our downtown.
Our efforts were instrumental in revising and securing the Horton Street grant, nearly $1 million dedicated to improving one of our most traveled city streets, connecting our community college to the downtown business district. We also facilitated the development of a new office building on the site of the former Brew Haus, which has enhanced the aesthetics of downtown Fort Scott and increased foot traffic to local businesses.
REDI has been a key player in the sale and redevelopment of the professional building adjacent to the hospital, which will be renovated to house new businesses and create jobs. We also supported the transition of the MacDonald Hall building, actively assisting the new owners in securing grants for an incubator kitchen that promises further economic growth in Bourbon County.
Our collaborative efforts helped bring Freeman Health System to the county, working with multiple stakeholders to navigate regulatory and financial hurdles to restore critical healthcare services.
We have also worked diligently on marketing the Value Merchandiser building, exploring innovative uses and engaging prospective buyers to ensure it remains a valuable economic asset.
In 2022, we conducted housing, labor, and retail studies that have guided numerous investment decisions, attracted businesses and driven development across Bourbon County. Our work helped bring Kansas Renewal Institute (KRI) to the community, creating around 100 new jobs at wages above the county average—the largest business attraction in recent memory.
We hosted the first-ever countywide strategic planning session, which identified key issues facing our community. From this, we spearheaded several initiatives, including working with the City of Fort Scott Commission to revitalize the Landbank board, leading to the productive use of several previously vacant lots, and forming a housing committee that has been working hard to create an incentive plan with the City of Fort Scott and Bourbon County to help bring more housing developers to our communities.
Additionally, we have been instrumental in awarding grant funds to various organizations and communities within Bourbon County, totaling over $150,000. These funds supported quality-of-life projects, including updates to the rodeo arena, park amenities in Uniontown, baseball field improvements in Bronson, a new playground at Kansas Rocks, bike course funds at Gunn Park, and new sidewalks in Mapleton.
We were also instrumental in the awarding of grants to the city of Fort Scott for a new ATV for their fire department and for AEDs that are being placed in several city owned properties to help save lives. Additionally, we supported the Bourbon County EMS by not only writing and helping them be awarded with grants for much needed equipment.
We have also been working closely with BNSF on major infrastructure improvements that would address traffic flow issues between the west and east sides of Fort Scott, crucial for emergency access and overall community connectivity.
Finally, our efforts to support the solar farm developments in Bourbon County will lead to an estimated billion-dollar increase in tax assessments over the next thirty years, providing vital funding for local schools and potentially lowering taxes by up to 80%.
In summary, Bourbon County REDI has achieved a great deal, often where others have struggled. Our work has driven economic growth, improved infrastructure, and enhanced the quality of life across the county. We remain committed to our mission and look forward to building on our successes for the benefit of our entire community.
The public is invited to attend the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site (FSNHS) being held TONIGHT at the Herbert House located at 512 S. Judson.
This meeting will feature a program “The Greatest Test of Courage: A Story of WWII and the Philippines”, presented by Ronda Hassig. The program begins at 6pm. Light appetizer refreshments will be served.
Join us to learn about the Friends work on behalf of FSNHS and a little known WWII story in one of Fort Scott premier historic homes.
The Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site is a non-profit organization established in partnership with the National Park Service to support and promote the preservation and interpretation of FSNHS.
September 16, 2024
512 S. Judson St.
6pm
Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce | 231 E. Wall Street | Fort Scott, KS 66701 US
The Kitchen Collective+Collaborative is at 12 S. Main, The Parlor at Eighteen 65 is at 10 S. Main.
Two of the storefronts that have been in a renovation period for a few years are about to open.
The facility is not a restaurant. The renovated space will be the first of its kind in Southeast Kansas.
12 S. Mainwill be a culinary business incubator, said Rachel French, co-owner and operations manager of The Kitchen Collective + Collaborative
An incubator firm is an organization engaged in the business of fostering early-stage companies through the different developmental phases, according to investopedia.com
Bailey Lyons, Rachel French and Angie Simon are the owners of the Kitchen Collective+Collaborative. Submitted photo.
French, along with co-owners Bailey Lyons and Angie Simon are local business owners who have a passion for cooking.
A few years ago they were involved with the Dare To Dream, a local women’s entrepreneurial event. They saw many women who had a dream of a culinary business.
“We hope with our business knowledge we can come alongside and help springboard new or existing culinary businesses,” French said.
To that end, the two side-by-side businesses in Fort Scott’s Historic Downtown District were created to develop food businesses.
A view of two of the four food incubator pods in The Kitchen at 12 S. Main. Submitted photo.
12 S. Main: The Kitchen
At 12 S. Main, there are four incubator pods in The Kitchen Collective + Collaborative side. These are four sections in a kitchen, each all-inclusive in what a culinary entrepreneur would need to start their business.
“Our incubator kitchen allows food entrepreneurs, food growers, or producers to start or scale their business in a licensed commercial kitchen,” she said. “The cost of starting a business is astronomical. Our facility helps relieve that burden.”
“You must be licensed to launch your business from here, but we will help with that process.”
She said with a standard license, one can sell it directly to consumers, but can’t sell it to another business for that business to sell it, which requires a wholesale license.
Each food incubator pod has a stove, fridge, mixers, measuring utensils, and just about everything a culinary business needs, except the ingredients for the person’s cooking/baking.
“Our kitchens are available for rent to the general public. For instance, if you are hosting a large family dinner, but your kitchen is too small, you can rent one of our kitchen pods to prepare your meal,” she said.
“If renting to launch your business, in addition to the kitchen pod you would have access to special dry good storage and additional refrigerators and freezers. You could also sell approved products on-site in our market area, still retaining your business’s branding. “
Even though not a restaurant, their vision is to sell grab-and-go food items, and take-and-bake items for dinner.
“Our goal is bringing healthy, convenient food options to Fort Scott and Bourbon County,” French said. Meals will be sold in 2 servings or 6 servings sizes.
The Kitchen will also offer culinary classes to the community and if anyone is interested in teaching a class, they can complete a form on their website.
For example: Jake Gross is planning on teaching how to smoke and prepare meats, she said.
With the pods at the back, at the front of 12 S. Main is the retail food area which has glass-front refrigerators to keep the food products that will be for sale. There will eventually be curbside pickup in the back of the business.
Hours will be Monday through Thursday 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Fridays they will close at 5:30. Saturday hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Contact French at 620.418.9284.
10 S. Main: The Parlor by Eighteen 65
At 10 S. Main, there is an event center, called The Parlor by Eighteen 65 for wedding receptions, birthday parties, etc.
Ribbon Cutting and Opening
The ribbon cutting for The Kitchen Collective and Collaborative is Thursday, September 19 at 4 p.m.
“On September 20, you can come in and get breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” French said. Opening day will be chicken/noodle with mashed potatoes and homemade snickerdoodle cookies by Jamie Beckham.”
Employees
All staff will be cooking, baking, catering, and also teaching classes at any one time in the facility.
Beckham was a restauranteur and baker in Fort Scott’s recent past.
Also hired by The Kitchen is Melissa Houston, a graduate of California Culinary Academy who has 30 years of experience and will be doing recipe development and cooking classes.
Madelyn Martin will be helping with catering and is locally known for her charcuterie boards.
Dawna Krebs will be taking care of the retail section and also baking, as will Grace French.
Diehl Banwart Bolton CPA, 7 1/2 East Wall Street, Fort Scott. This is a file photo from 2019. The business occupies the second floor (the red brick building), which faces Wall Street.
In 2024, Diehl Banwart Bolton CPAs PA is celebrating 75 years of service to the community.
At the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Coffee on September 12, James Wood, one of the partners in the firm, said they have had a “long history” in the community because of the “great leadership, amazing team, and this community and everything that goes on in it.”
The business is a full-service accounting firm located in Fort Scott and Pittsburg,
They help both businesses and individuals succeed financially through accounting services, with expert, professional and confidential service, according to their website.
Current and past employees of Diehl, Banwart, Bolton CPAs at the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Coffee on September 12, 2024. Submitted photo.
The business story begins just after the Second World War.
John Diehl came to Fort Scott in 1948 with his wife Ina Mae, after serving in the United States Marines as a pilot in World War II.
He worked for the Winchell Manufacturing Company, and soon after, opened an accounting office in Fort Scott for a Kansas City firm of Senderson, Little, and LaChelle, according to James Banwart Jr., who is currently a partner in the business.
In 1949, Diehl purchased the business and renamed it John E. Diehl and Company.
Maurice Fletcher later joined the firm and it was renamed Diehl and Fletcher. The company was located in several buildings
in what is now the Fort Scott Downtown Historic District.
In the Fall of 1963, James L. Banwart Sr. joined Diehl and Fletcher.
James Regan, the long-time Information Technology “guru”,
joined the firm in 1971.
In 1973, Mark Bolton joined Diehl and Fletcher and in 1976, the firm became Diehl, Banwart, Bolton, CPA’s.
The firm’s shareholders purchased the Milrose Block at
Wall and National in 1974 where the business continues today.
Mr. Diehl died in 2017 at age 99.
“He was an involved member of church and community and a loved and respected employer and partner.” James Banwart Jr. said.
Currently, there are five partners, James L Banwart Jr., Daryl Eagon, Amanda Lancaster, Matthew Keys, and James Wood.
“CPAs Randy Phillips, Carol Hill, and Donna Banwart round out the list of supervising accountants and we have 10 staff accountants doing IT, payroll, accounts payable, and other client service,” Banwart said.
The business currently has offices in Fort Scott and Pittsburg and “are always on the lookout for additional talented people,” Banwart said.
The firm offers municipal and commercial auditing, preparation of general ledger and financial statements, payroll, estate planning, tax planning, income tax, retirement planning, business analysis
and coaching, and assisting clients with Accounting CS, Quickbooks, and other software.
“Not many small businesses survive and thrive for 75 years,” Banwart said. ” But because John Diehl founded the firm on the
principles of integrity and prompt client service and we strive to uphold his high standards in the present, we plan on being a member of the Fort Scott business community for a long time to come. He
would be pleased to know his firm continues his traditions.”
The business is located at 7 1/2 East Wall, in Fort Scott’s Historic Downtown. They can be reached at 620-223-4300.
“As a teacher, I love this unit because it is an awesome way to get kids involved and to grow a love for gardening and planting their own food,” she said. “I love gardening and this is a neat way to integrate that into the curriculum. I’d love to get a greenhouse going at some point.”
The hydroponics farm container on the campus of Uniontown High School. Submitted photo.
USD 235 was the recipient of a hydroponic shipping container farm through a grant awarded to the Kansas Division of Children and Families, USD 235 Superintendent Vance Eden said in a prior interview.
The Community Green Farms of Pittsburg, KS announced on September 11, 2023, that they would receive over $1,000,000 to bring seven southeast Kansas counties a vertical hydroponic container farm.
“The project is called a Leafy Greens Unit,” Weston said.
“The purpose is to help kids appreciate the food they eat and to help kids want to eat healthier by having the chance to grow their own food- there is a correlation between kids growing their own food and then wanting to try it,” Weston said.
Six botany students are involved in the production of greens, and eight students help in the Science Technology Engineering, and Math education class.
From left to right students Bradley Brown, Gus Welch, and Lily Robinson plant Swiss chard in STEM class. Submitted photos.
“The botany students are basically in charge. We are still coming up with a job schedule for them. Every day we take 10 gallons of Culligan Water into the reserve tank. Our city water has a pH that is inadequate, so this was the option chosen to get better quality water to the plants.”
Botany students work on the seedlings. (left to right) Jesse Jones, Colby Herring, Tater (Timothy) Ames, Kassen Woods. Not pictured in the horticulture class is Heston Stewart and Joseph Robinson. Submitted photo.
“We have seedlings that are watered twice a week by bottom-watering, upfront in the unit. They are planted in compressed coconut husks in trays- all soilless. No soil is used. After they have matured, about 3 weeks, they are transplanted into the towers, which are the vertical hanging towers. There is wicking material that as the watering system from above drips down on the towers, the wicking material soaks it up and drains out of the bottom of the tower. There is a drainage system below the tower so as the whole unit is at a bit of a tilt, the water drains into the reservoir.”
Twice a month someone comes from Leafy Greens in Pittsburg to check on the fertilizers and pH solutions.
” They are diluted into the water and given to the plants throughout the day. The whole system is on an automated timer so it waters every couple of hours and the grow lights are turned on every couple of hours,” Weston said.
The plants are grown vertically. Submitted photo.
The students harvest twice a week and the two cafeterias serve them to the students at lunch.
They have been growing Monte Carlo Romaine and Swiss Chard for a few months.
“Mr. Eden, Officer Trim, and the custodians were taking care of the unit over the summer before I took it over with the botany/horticulture class. We also grow large-leaf basil, and oakleaf lettuce.”
“We are just now starting some experimental plants: eggplant, kale, marigolds, violas, onions, spinach, radishes, beets, and various lettuces.”
They are supplying to the school kitchen currently, but plan to branch out to other businesses soon.
Bourbon County Senior Citizens, Inc., which helps facilitate the Meals on Wheels program in Fort Scott and surrounding areas, was awarded $5,000 for repairs to their distribution center in historic downtown Fort Scott.
The funds will go toward the cost of installing helical masonry ties to secure the building’s brick veneer to the structural frame, which had begun separating due to missing or deteriorated brick ties. With these repairs, the facility can continue to serve as a safe base of operations for the staff and volunteers that package and deliver hundreds of meals each month.
The project was among six selected for a total of $29,300 in funding by the Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative Board of Directors through the cooperative’s Concern for Community grant program.
“We had a great batch of proposals this year,” said Mark Scheibe, Heartland CEO. “We look forward to working with some outstanding partners to put these funds to work for the good of Heartland members and their communities.”
As a non-profit, member-owned cooperative, Heartland issues capital credits to members each year, but sometimes those capital credits go unclaimed. Because those monies were intended to be returned to the communities from which they came, Heartland’s Board of Directors decided to use those unclaimed funds for community grants and started the Concern for Community program in 2019.
The Concern for Community program provides grants of up to $5,000 for capital improvement projects throughout the Heartland service area, which covers parts of 12 counties in eastern Kansas. Capital improvement projects are those that involve investment in structures or equipment that will last for many years.
Applications were accepted from June 1–July 31 and selected by the Heartland Board of Directors at their August 23 meeting. Heartland plans to reopen applications in summer 2025 for the next round of funding.
This year, six applications out of 30 received were approved for funding by the Heartland board. The other projects selected are as follows:
Cherokee County Kansas Fair Association, Inc. was awarded $5,000 to help purchase cooling fans for the show barns at the fairgrounds in Columbus.
Dream Big Little One Association was awarded $4,300 for repairs and renovations at their distribution center in Columbus.
Sugar Valley Lake Homes Association, Inc. was awarded $5,000 toward a playground project at the Sugar Valley/Hidden Valley clubhouse in Mound City.
USD 362 Prairie View was awarded $5,000 toward a new childcare center in La Cygne.
USD 413 Foundation was awarded $5,000 toward a new animal science learning center at Chanute High School.
About Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.
Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. powers rural lifestyles throughout more than 11,000 locations in eastern Kansas. Heartland’s service area includes consumer-members in 12 counties, including Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Cherokee, Coffey, Crawford, Labette, Linn, Miami, Neosho, Wilson, and Woodson.
Heartland REC traces its roots back to three original rural electric cooperatives: Cooperative Electric Power & Light Company, Sugar Valley Electric Cooperative Association, and Sekan Electric Cooperative Association. Cooperative Electric Power & Light Company joined with Sugar Valley in 1975 to form United Electric Cooperative; United Electric Cooperative joined with Sekan Electric Cooperative Association in 1996 to form Heartland.
Bourbon County Community Theatre Announces Auditions for Voices from the Grave
Bourbon County Community Theatre is holding auditions for Voices from the Grave, an original production based on stories from Bourbon County’s history.
Auditions are 6-8 p.m. on Sept. 19 or 20 at the Ellis Fine Arts Center at Fort Scott Community College. Those who audition must be age 14 or over and only need to attend one evening of auditions. Rehearsal times will be scheduled in small groups with the Director, Regen Wells.
Voices from the Grave takes place from 6-9 p.m. on Oct. 26 at Riverfront Park in Fort Scott, KS. Guests will enjoy a guided walking tour of short acting vignettes centering around stories of murder and mayhem in Fort Scott. Scenes were written by the students in the Advanced Drama class at Fort Scott High School and are based off of stories from local author Brian Allen’s books about Fort Scott.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students and are available from bcct.ludus.com in Fort Scott. Tour times must be pre-scheduled and run every 15 minutes. Parents must accompany children under the age of 14.
More information can be found on the Bourbon County Community Theatre Facebook page or by contacting Wells at 620-215-3510.
