Bourbon County Inter-Agency Coalition general membership meets each first Wednesday of each month from noon to 1 p.m. at the First Baptist Church, 123 Scott. There will be no January 2020 meeting.
The meeting agenda for December 4, 2019
Welcome and Board update by Billie Jo Drake, chairwoman:
Member introductions and announcements:
Program: Gary Miller, Angels Home Care Health
February program will be presented by Meaghan Russell, USD 235. Meaghan will tell us about their Teammates program.
Open Forum:
Adjournment: Next meeting will be February 5, 2020.
The Cheney Witt Chapel grief support luncheon will be Wednesday, December 4, at noon.
Anyone dealing with a loss is encouraged to come and bring a friend. Cheney Witt Chapel will provide lunch at the Carriage House, 301 S. Main. Call 223-1186 if you have any questions. They look forward to seeing you.
American Legion Fort Scott Thompson-Harkey Post 25 is in 1st place in 2nd District membership. This week’s Department membership numbers have Post at 79 members or 103.95%. Post 25 leads 2nd District in membership. Thanks to all the new members and renewals who made this possible. This is our 4th consecutive year in achieving 100% membership at our Post.
If you have not yet renewed for 2020, please consider doing so. What does your membership do? See the attached Membership Impact Report. It’s a new by the numbers monthly report on what the American Legion does nationally to help Veterans and their families. Your membership helps the American Legion reach these Veterans.
You can easily renew your membership online at www.legion.org. It’s safe and secure and takes less than five minutes.
You can also mail in your $40.00 renewal to the Post 25 Finance Officer.
Darrell Spencer
1183 185TH ST
Fort Scott, Ks, 66701.
I can also arrange to meet with you to pick up your renewal. I’m retired so I can easily work around your schedule to meet you, but no 3 AM meetings please!
Upcoming Events
December 2. Post 25 meet and greet starts at 630 pm in Memorial Hall.
December 2. Post 25 general membership meeting starts at 7 pm in Memorial Hall.
January 31 – February 2, 2020. Department of Kansas Midwinter Forum at Fort Scott.
Informational Items
Auxiliary Unit 25 has been collecting items for newborns at the Topeka VA Hospital. Marilyn Gilmore, Myra Jowers and Carl Jowers delivered the collected items to the Topeka VA Hospital last Monday. Marilyn, Myra and Carl are dual members, in that they are members in both the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary.
With the passage of the Legion Act, any honorably discharged Veteran who has served one day of active duty since December 7, 1941 can now join the American Legion. Invite a Veteran to join our growing and thriving Post.
Volunteers are needed to put the Legion Room in Memorial Hall back together, Painting is complete, and your help is needed in setting up the room. Just reply to this email or call Carl at 620-215-1688 to volunteer to help your Post.
American Legion Riders (ALR) Chapter 25 is still accepting new members. To join requires membership in one the American Legion Family organizations, Legion, Auxiliary or Sons, plus own a motorcycle/scooter of at least 250 cc’s. Contact me for additional information regarding membership.
Photo of Auxiliary Unit 25 delivering baby items to the maternity wing of the Topeka VA Hospital. Submitted.
Don’t hesitate to contact me with any suggestions or questions you may have about Fort Scott American Legion Post 25.
Small Business Saturday
Saturday, November 30, 2019 The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce encourages the community to support SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY on November 30th.
For every $100 spent locally, $68 stays in our community. When the same $100 is spent with a national franchise, only $43 is retained locally. Shoppers across the nation are encouraged to “SHOP SMALL” and support local businesses this season.
The Chamber encourages all to take part in a Passport Event as part of Small Business Saturday. This Saturday when shopping at participating retailers, customers may collect stamps by spending $5 or more at a minimum of four stores, then turn in the passport to one of the businesses by 5 pm to be entered in a drawing for Chamber Bucks.
Small businesses promoting the passport event include Bartlesmeyer Jewelry, Bids & Dibs, Books & Grannies, Country Cupboard, Courtland Spa, Fort Scott Munitions, Fort Scott Gun & Pawn, Front Door Christmas Store, Hedgehog.INK, Here We Go Again Upholstery, Hole in the Wall, Iron Star Antiques, J & W Sports Shop, The Lavender Patch, Lowell Milken Center, Main Street Gallery & Gifts, Mayco Ace Hardware, Papa Don’s Pizza, Redbud Farm & Nurseries, Ruddick’s Furniture, Sekan’s Occasion Shop, Sunshine Boutique, The Electronics Store, Trader Dave’s, and Treasure Hunt Flea Market.
Contact the Chamber of Commerce for more information at 620-223-3566.
The Range Beef Cow Symposium was held in Scottsbluff, Nebraska during the week of November eighteenth.
You may be wondering what this has to do with ranching in Southeast, Kansas, but the answer is more than you would think.
Western ranchers face many of the same production problems we have in this area. Cattle prices have been depressed, the weather has been uncooperative, and good labor is in short supply.
If anything, the environment is even harsher out west. Ranches are measured in 640-acre sections, rather than in acres because carrying capacities are so low. Water can be in short supply, and mother nature deals out long, cold, and snowy winters. These factors make it imperative that western ranchers think outside the box for strategies that work well for them.
With a little brainstorming, we can do the same on your farm or ranch. What labor and natural resources do you have? What are you willing to learn how do differently? Have you considered multi-species grazing, or crossbreeding your cows? What about leasing cows out to a younger producer to help them get started in the business? What consideration have you given to alternative forage crops like teff grass or cover crop mixes? Have you thought about growing stocker calves during the spring and early summer, when there may be excess grass growth on your farm? When was the last time you purchased extra fertilizer, or seeded legumes like clover into your pastures?
One of the best things about farming and ranching is that your options are nearly limitless.
Once you determine what your long term goals are, I can help you with strategies to achieve them.
Call me, Christopher Petty, Southwind District Extension Agent for Livestock Production and Forage Management at 620-223-3720 or e-mail me at [email protected]. I’d be happy to visit with you about your options for success.
Christopher Petty, M.S.
Extension Agent
Livestock Production and Forage Management
K-State Research and Extension
Southwind Extension District
210 S. National
Fort Scott, KS 66701
(620) 223-3720 Work
(620)224-6031 Cell [email protected]
Rosie’s Cabin and Event Center, 563 Maple Rd., Uniontown
Rosie’s Cabin Event Center Manager Kelsey Blythe was approached by a local entrepreneur to host a vendor show.
“Kelly Perry from Perry’s Pork Rinds is a very motivated entrepreneur with great ideas,” Blythe said. “She came to me with an idea to have a local vendor show. Since we have space, we were delighted to host.”
The Backwoods Holiday Mart is scheduled for December 7 at Rosie’s Cabin – 563 Maple Road Uniontown, just 20 minutes from downtown Fort Scott.
“Everyone is invited,” Blythe said. “The more support our local vendors get, the better for all of the community in Bourbon County.”
The event is from 9 am – 4 pm on Saturday, Dec. 7.
There will be giveaways, prizes, and samples.
Santa Claus will be available for family photos by Erica George Photography.
“Loads of people will be setting up a booth to sell and advertise their products,” Blythe said. “There are so many different kinds of vendors coming, it’s going to be so fun to look around.”
“There will be hand made jewelry, wines, nuts, knives, Perry’s Pork Rinds, homemade baked goods, homemade dog treats, leather goods, woodworking, Tupperware, homemade Christmas wreaths and many many more. Come support your local business people!! Most of these vendors travel to vendor shows and put their heart into their products.”
Blythe is considering this an annual event and possibly bi-annual
“to give hard-working people a good chance to sell LOCALLY! What would be better than to have one of your best shows be here in Bourbon County,” Blythe said.
Pittsburg Youth Chorale, under the direction of MJ Harper, will perform Christmas Carols at many venues this
holiday season:
Sunday, December 1st , Pittsburg Youth Chorale will provide music for the service at First United Methodist
Church (415 N. Pine), 8:30 AM.
Monday, December 2nd , 6 PM, Root Coffeehouse (402 N. Broadway) will host a Pre-Parade Prelude featuring
Pittsburg Youth Chorale.
Saturday, December 7th , performers will serenade Via Christi Villages (1502 E. Centennial) at 10 AM and
during the Kiwanis Pancake Feed at Memorial Auditorium (503 N. Pine) at 11 AM.
Monday, December 9th , 6 PM, Pittsburg Youth Chorale will sing for the “Remember Me Tree” celebration at Meadowbrook Mall (202 E. Centennial).
Tuesday, December 10th at 5:15 PM, Pittsburg Youth Chorale will host the public at First United Methodist Church (415 N. Pine) for a Holiday Finale Concert, free of charge.
Thursday, December 12th wraps up PYC’s holiday caroling with a performance at 1st Christian Church (705
Centennial Drive), 6 PM.
Area youth in 4th, 5th, or 6th grade meet Tuesdays 5-6 PM at First United Methodist Church (415 N. Pine) and
are available for future bookings.
If you are interested in booking this ensemble or enrolling for Spring 2020, contact MJ Harper at 620-719-6633 or email [email protected] .
Georgia Brown of Sunshine Boutique visits with customers during Fall Extravaganza in a prior year.
FREE childcare and an evening of shopping are offered Nov. 25.
The 10th Annual Fall Extravaganza is next Monday from 5-8 p.m. in the Fort Scott Middle School gym and commons areas. The school is located at 1105 E. 12th Street. The childcare is provided by Fort Scott High School PRIDE.
Don’t miss this opportunity to check out local crafters and businesses.
Homemade articles of cloth and wood, jewelry, locally made food items and other local small business offerings can be found at the event.
With over 60 vendors, there should be something for everyone on the holiday gift list.
There will be a full meal for sale from the 8th-grade Washington Workshop students, and chances to win raffle prizes.
There will also be six $25 cash prize giveaways:
1) Every adult who comes to our event will be allowed to add a middle school child’s name into a drawing. At the end of the night, two student names will be drawn and those students will win $25 cash!
2) Every USD 234 employee who attends will have a chance to be entered into a drawing. At the end of the night, four names will be drawn and those employees will win $25 cash!
The event is sponsored by the FSMS VIPs, which is the parent group at the middle school.
“This is one of about five fundraisers we do every year to raise money for our school,” Stephanie George, coordinator for the event and a middle school teacher. “Teachers and students benefit. Every year we look at the needs of them both and decide what to do with the money.”
” In past years, we have purchased laptops and iPads for student and teacher use, we have given money to the science teachers for lab supplies and to the music teachers for sheet music and instruments, and we give money each year to the teachers to purchase school supplies at the start of the year. We also pay for software that the district wasn’t able to afford when budgets were cut years ago: we have paid for Accelerated Reader (a reading supplement) for over five years now and we pay for video subscriptions that teachers want like Flocabulary and BrainPop.”
“The first year of our event was 2009,” George said. “We had 29 vendors and we held it all in our commons. By year 3, we had so many vendors we had to expand into our gym. This year we have 69 spots sold, plus a few booths manned by middle school student groups (Washington Workshop and the 8th Grade Technology Class), which is bigger than last year by one vendor.”
Approximately 400 people from the community come to shop during the event each year, she said.
