Pioneer Harvest Fiesta members will be threshing oats and baling hay on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 9 a.m. for the public to view some past farming practices in the county.
“This was meant to be done during the now-cancelled (Pioneer Harvest Fiesta) show. Anyone wanting to see how it was done in the past, or better yet, wanting to assist in threshing the oats, is welcome,” said Jim Kemmerer, a spokesman said. “We expect to be done by or before 11 AM.”
The PHF was canceled due to the COVID 19 Pandemic.
Please use the north entrance by Rogers Body Shop on west 19th Street.
Due to the 2020 Pioneer Harvest Fiesta celebration being canceled, Pioneer Harvest Fiesta is selling the 2020 T-shirts and hats that were printed for the show at a discount. $15.00 gets you both a shirt and a hat.
This weekend in conjunction with the weekend downtown sidewalk sale, citizen organizers will have a blue tent set up at the corner of 2nd Street and South National Ave (former Shining Studio location) to assist anyone with voter registration. The deadline to register is October 13th to be able to vote in the November 3rd National Election.
Also, registered voters who reside within the City of Fort Scott can consider the PETITION FOR PLACING THE CHARTER ORDINANCE 31 ON THE BALLOT.
Additional information will be available for an understanding why consideration by the voters is critical for the improvements needed for our SEWER AND STORM SEWER RESERVE FUNDS to be used as set forth in the Kansas Constitution and not moved to the City’s general fund.
All visitors to the tent will be given a free personal copy of THE U.S. CONSTITUTION as a token of appreciation for your interest.
See the update from Misty Adams at the bottom of this feature.
Raymond Harper, 19, was kayaking at Lake Fort Scott on Sunday, Sept. 13 and went missing. On Sept. 14 a body was taken from the lake, for an autopsy to be performed.
Memorial services are planned for Harper on Sept. 21.
Misty Adams put this on her Facebook page yesterday.
“Chuck and Connie Harper of Fort Scott suffered a family loss no parent wishes to encounter. On the evening of Sunday, September 13th their beloved son, Raymond had an accident at the Fort Scott Lake while kayaking. His family in the past 24 hours have suffered so much, but today their worst fear became reality when Raymond’s body was recovered from the lake.”
“If you know Chuck and Connie you know these two have hearts of gold and both have been foster parents to a lot of children. They love others when others don’t. They help others when needed and give support when needed. They are special people to me and to many others.”
“Connie was recently diagnosed with cancer and has been battling that fight and now has to deal with the loss of a child. So much pain and suffering for one family who have a heart of gold.”
Adams asked the public to pray for the Harper family in the days ahead.
“I am also asking that our community supports this family like I know Fort Scott people can. We need to bless this family like they have other families and children who the Harper’s have been their foster family.”
“A memorial fund account was opened at Union State Bank today to cover funeral expenses. His funeral arrangements are under the care of Konantz Cheney. I ask that you help this family with the funeral expenses they are now burdened with. Our goal is to raise $15,000 for the family in the next few days ahead.”
“Please understand the $15K is just a number that we felt like would cover any and all expenses,” Adams said in an email interview. ” We do not even know if we will raise that much money, but anything we can do to ease the parent’s worry is a blessing. We are so very thankful to those who do contribute to his memorial fund.”
“Any money left over will stay in the memorial fund,” Adams said in the interview.
“Donations can be mailed to Union State Bank
PO Box 546 Fort Scott Ks 66701 or hand-delivered to their location at 1009 S Clark St Fort Scott Ks. Those wishing can also send a donation to Konantz Cheney Funeral Home at 15 W Wall St Fort Scott Ks 66701. Please make checks payable to Raymond Harper Memorial Fund.
“Please donate no amount is too small as every dollar is a blessing to this family. Please share this post to help spread the word and God Bless you all,️ Misty Adams, Tisha Miller and Sara Vaughn Mills.”
UPDATE
“God answered some prayers,” Adams told fortscott.biz “The funeral expenses are covered for the family. The Harper family wasn’t sure how to cover such a large expense unexpectedly, but our God answered their prayers. Connie Harper contacted me immediately yesterday, and we felt like the account needed to continue in his honor. We know we no longer need the goal we set forth for his funeral expenses, but if people are willing to donate towards the scholarship fund, we will accept funds in Raymond’s honor.”
“We will be turning the account into a Fort Scott High School Scholarship fund for cross-county athletes. The funds will be used to award a cross country Senior athlete a scholarship.”
“The Harper family and those organizing this memorial fund appreciate the prayers, support, generosity, and those who have contributed already to this amazing young man we are remembering. Thank you- Misty Adams, Tisha Miller, and Sara Mills.”
Submitted by Adelay Martin, UHS Sports Media Reporter
UHS Football
On Friday, September 11, the Uniontown Eagles’ football team faced the Wabaunsee Chargers. The Eagles were defeated 20-14, bringing their record to 1-1.
Hunter Schaaf rushed 26 times over 118 yards and scored 1 touchdown, and Drew Perry rushed 16 times over 102 yards scored the other touchdown. Perry also completed 4 out of 8 passes over 12 yards.
“The past couple of weeks, we’ve come out and we’ve dug ourselves a hole by turning the ball over to start the game and giving up an easy score. That’s my fault as a head coach for not having the team ready to go at the start of the game,” says Coach Stark. “This past week, we played a pretty poor first half and Wabaunsee really put it to us; they deserve a lot of credit. They’re a well-coached team, and they have some pretty talented players. They wanted to win the game more than what we wanted to the entire first half. After going into halftime down 13-0, I challenged the team and they came out and played the second half with much more heart and passion than in the first half. The second half, we were a different team. Unfortunately, we dug ourselves too big of a hole to get out of.
“One thing I am proud of is how hard we played in the second half. At one point in the second half, we were down 20-7 and we went on a 23-play scoring drive to put ourselves down one score in the fourth quarter. We overcame multiple penalties and we easily could have quit, but we didn’t, and we got into the endzone.
“One thing we have to improve on is how many penalties we’ve been having. I take responsibility for that as head coach for not having the team ready to play a clean, mistake-free game. In order to win in the future, we’re going to have to do a much better job of starting the game off strong and playing a clean game and eliminating our mental mistakes of false starts and holding penalties. I’m confident we’ll get those things corrected and be ready moving forward.”
JV Volleyball
Members of the Junior Varsity Volleyball team competed at the Moran JV Tournament on Saturday, September 12. The tournament was modified, moving to just pool play within each gym. Uniontown swept their pool with three wins!
Uniontown defeated SCC in two matches with scores of 25-17 and 25-23. Kristy Beene scored 9 points, and Skyler Coulter was 3/3 on attacks with 1 kill.
Uniontown also defeated Northeast, with scores of 25-15 and 25-19. Landry George scored 15 points, and Rylee Coulter was 6/8 on attacks with 1 kill.
Lastly, the Lady Eagles defeated Pleasanton with matches scoring 25-10 and 25-18. Hannah Moore scored 12 points and Landry George was 7/7 on attacks with 2 kills.
Section of K-3 to close for pipe replacement project
The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) will close a section of K-3 in Bourbon County to replace four crossroad pipes on Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 21-22, weather permitting.
K-3 will be closed to through traffic between K-39 and U.S. 54 from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. both days. Traffic should use alternate routes.
Persons with questions may contact KDOT Superintendent Derrick Shannon, (620) 901-6550, or Public Affairs Manager Priscilla Petersen, (620) 902-6433.
Tri-Yak-A-Thon winners in a past competition. Submitted photos.
The Gunn Park Trail volunteers are hoping to hold an annual multi-sport competition on Oct. 10 at 10 a.m. in the park.
“We may not be able to hold the Tri-Yak-A-Thon this year,” Penny Pollack-Barnes, spokeswoman for the group, said. “In these uncertain times, we decided to hold the event if we have enough interest in the event. If we have 40 registered participants by September 26 we will hold the event, assuming we don’t experience a COVID surge and the weather cooperates. So far, we have nine registered participants.”
“We will be observing social distancing recommendations at the event,” she said. “We expect participants to help us in our efforts to make sure our event does not result in the spread of the Coronavirus.”
A runner in a prior Tri-Yak-A-Thon. Submitted photos.
Triathalon competitions are multi-sport events that require all-around fitness for the solo participants, Barnes said.
“The variety in activities allows team members with different skills to participate,” she said. “We make the event ‘off-road’ to show off Fort Scott’s wonderful trail system.”
Kayakers in a prior Tri-Yak-A-Thon, navigate the Marmaton River. Submitted photos.
“The Tri-yak-A-Thon is a race where participants run on Gunn Park’s beautiful trails, kayak up and down the Marmaton River, and then tackle the trails again on a bike,” -Barnes, said. “We will donate all proceeds from the 2020 Tri-Yak-A-Thon to Fort Scott Paws & Claws.”
“The goal of the event is to have fun and raise money to support the animal shelter,” she said. “The trail run is a 5K, the kayak portion is another 5K, and the bike portion is a 10K. Participate as a relay team, or if you are tough enough, you can do the entire race as a solo participant. You must bring your own kayak, life jacket, helmet, and mountain bike. Riders must wear a helmet.”
The race starts during a previous Tri-Yak-A-Thon. Submitted photos.
The cost is $35 for individual participants and $75 for each team.
Packet pickup will be from 8:00 to 9:45 AM at Shelter House #6.
Registration will only be available online this year. Participants must register before the event to avoid people congregating at the registration area. Online registration will close on September 26.
Kayaks are lined up waiting for the kayaking leg of the Tri-Yak-A-Thon in a prior competition. Submitted photos.
The race will begin at 10:00 AM.
“Whether you enter the race or just come and cheer, please join us and support our park, our trails, and our animal shelter,” Barnes said. “While much of the race occurs out of view on the trails, the participants go through our staging area multiple times. This offers many opportunities to cheer people on.”
On September 13, 2020, Fort Scott Police and Fire Departments, Fort Scott Rural Fire, Bourbon County EMS and Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office responded to a missing person call at Fort Scott Lake. Kansas Wildlife and Parks along with an Air Methods helicopter also assisted in the search.
Raymond Harper, 19, of Fort Scott, had been kayaking in the lake.
His kayak had been found but friends were unable to locate Harper.
First responders searched until 1:15 a.m. on Sept. 14, when the search was stopped until daybreak.
Kansas Highway Patrol joined in the search today. Sheriff Bill Martin reached out to the Overland Park Dive Team and Fire Chief Dave Bruner to the Newton County Dive Team to assist in the search.
At 1:53 p.m. today, a body was found, that was suspected to be Harper’s. The body was sent to Frontier Forensics for an autopsy.
“At this time our thoughts and prayers are with the Harper family,” Fort Scott Police Captain Jason Pickert, said.
When it comes to aging, it’s been said that if a home transition — or move to another dwelling–is being considered, it is most easily done when individuals are in their 60’s or 70’s. This is especially true if a couple can move together to a new home and adjust to their new surroundings together.
Our homes are familiar to us, they hold special memories, and it may be ‘home’ for other family members to come back to that have moved away. However, our homes that have been safe havens over the years, can become danger zones in our later years.
Every 11 seconds, an older adult is seen in an emergency department for a fall related injury. Yet, many falls are preventable. Next week, September 21-25, is Falls Prevention Awareness Week. It presents a good opportunity to re-evaluate our living situation and take a look at what ‘stumbling blocks’ could be existing in our homes.
Many of us have lived in our homes for numerous years. We’ve learned to navigate the steps and hallways and probably feel like we could do it safely with our eyes closed. Yet, activity limitations can creep in with aging, such as arthritis, high blood pressure, hearing/vision impairments, and heart conditions. Our balance may not be as good, our strength is likely not what it was, and there may be pain involved that can interfere with mobility.
Even if we don’t require the assistance of a mobility device – such as a cane or walker—the need exists to make sure walking areas throughout the house are clear. I find I don’t pick up my feet as far as I used too. Thus, I catch my toe on steps a little more often than I would like.
Look for areas of clutter that can be cleared, cords that may be removed, or furniture that can be rearranged to create a clearer walking path. Pitch the throw rugs that could contribute to a tripping hazard. Make sure light switches are at the ends of stairways and hallways to better mark travel paths.
Yes, we might feel comfortable walking around in our house in the dark. However, it may be that one out-of-place item that takes us down and creates a serious injury. Establish better lighting situations for night time movement throughout the home. Our eyes are slower to adjust to light and dark environments as we age. Our eyes may also find it harder to differentiate between patterns on floors and steps.
Medications, along with reduced strength in arms and legs, can play havoc with our sense of balance — especially if we try to raise or lower our bodies too quickly. Installing grab bars and handrails at proper heights and locations can make those movements safer. Medications should be reviewed with health care providers on a regular basis to make sure they are not contributing to a balance issue.
A basic desire of all of us is to maintain our independence. Many of us want to do that in our current homes. To help assess the safety of your home and areas that can contribute to falls, the National Council on Aging (NCOA) has a room-by-room checklist of areas to more closely consider. To assist in determining your risk for falls, the NCOA also has a free fall risk assessment available online.
Both the home checklist and the personal fall risk assessment can be accessed on the Southwind Extension District website at https://www.southwind.k-state.edu/home-family/adults/. Contact me by phone at 620-625-8620 or by email at [email protected] for more information on falls related information.
MEETING WILL BE HELD IN COMMISSION ROOM. ANYONE ATTENDING THE MEETING WILL BE REQUIRED TO WEAR A MASK PROVIDED BY THE COUNTY. MUST MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING.
9:00 – 9:30 Jim Harris, Executive Session, Discuss Public Works Director Position
9:30 – 9:45 Spark Findings & Greenbush
9:45 – 9:50 Nancy Van Etten, Lake Sewer District #1
10:00 – 10:15 Will Wallis, FEMA Update
10:15 – 10:30 Jim Harris Executive Session, Contract Negotiation
The Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas Clinic, 401 Woodland Hills, just off Hwy. 69 south of Fort Scott.
Mental health is a factor in the COVID-19 Pandemic.
With increased stress due to the virus, the economy, social injustice issues, and the upcoming United States general election, mental health issues are a concern.
Eric Thomason, PMHNP, the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas Behavioral Health and Addiction Treatment Services Clinic Director, answered the following questions in an email interview with fortscott.biz.
Thomason said he is seeing a spike in people needing mental health services.
Eric Thomason. Submitted photo.
Thomason gives a recap of the pandemic, starting with how it began.
” It was this invisible thing, which we didn’t know much about, and it was killing people. This is an anxiety-provoking idea. We started to see the spread through urban areas of the United States. A lot of us collectively held our breath and thought, “How long until it is here?” Instead of carrying a belief that tomorrow can be better today, we removed the hope that tomorrow can provide.
Hope: A Weapon Against Depression
Hope is the single most important weapon in the battle of depression. One of my primary jobs is to restore hope. To restore a very simple idea, that if I get up, get dressed, and keep fighting, today can be better than yesterday.”
Economic Stress
“The economic fallout has been tremendous. I treat a lot of blue-collar hard-working folks from Fort Scott and the surrounding areas. Our community members are some of the hardest hit in the nation due to involvement in livestock operations. I have had patients who lost jobs in the foodservice industry or as a part of other health care clinics. The removal of employment does two terrible things. It reduces our income and it reduces the perception of our value and purpose. Employment gives us a sense of accomplishment. If we did nothing else today, we finished our days’ work. COVID-19 took that away from a lot of the hardworking individuals I serve”
Social Support Systems Needed
“Lastly, social support systems are profoundly important to our wellbeing. Social isolation is often a symptom and predictive factor of depression. COVID-19 increased our isolation, thus increasing our risk of depression.”
Have there been more substance abuse issues during this time?
“Unfortunately, the rate of substance abuse, accidental overdoses, and death related to drug overdose throughout the nation has increased. Some national tracking services such as the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program estimate that drug-related overdose has increased over 40% across the country. This is in part to the removal or lack of coping strategies as well as treatment dropout rates due to social isolation and fear of COVID-19. One of the ways we worked to combat treatment dropout is to offer telephone, telemedicine, and in-person appointments despite COVID-19 spread throughout our communities. This is a testament to our incredible staff who chose to continue to serve and provide support to our communities when we were needed the most.”
What are some practices that people can do to help themselves with their mental health?
“Be honest with yourself or listen to your loved ones. If you aren’t doing well or someone you trust says you aren’t doing well, please get help.
Social distancing does not mean social isolation. Get on Skype, Zoom, Facetime, etc to have social interaction. The telephone is not enough.
Eat a balanced diet and get plenty of exercise. You can socially distance and exercise outside. CHC/SEK offers Wellness Services that includes a Chiropractor, Physical Therapist, Nutritionist, and Fitness Coordinator.
Avoid illicit drugs and alcohol.
Stay away from social media and political radicalism. We should be supporting one another during this difficult time, not tearing each other apart.
Be there for someone. Make a difference in someone’s life and you will feel better for it.”
Is a physician referral needed for mental health services?
“It is very easy to access any of our services. No physician referral is required. You can contact our Fort Scott Clinic at 620-223-8040 and ask about any program or service offered through CHC/SEK. Our goal is to answer your questions as efficiently as possible.”
Does insurance cover mental health services?
“Mental health services are covered under most insurance plans. For any specific questions, please contact our clinic and we can help determine your plan’s coverage. We work with our patients to determine if they would qualify grant-supported treatment and/or sliding scale fees. Always remember at CHC/SEK we treat all individuals regardless of their ability to pay for service.”
Closing Thoughts
“You are worth believing that tomorrow can be better than today. You are worth being a better father, mother, husband, wife, brother, sister, employee and/or boss. You are worth treatment. In a world where everything is outside of your control, you can control whether you pick up the phone and ask for help. CHC/SEK is committed to being that help.”
