Due to the herculean efforts of Vice Commander Earl Adams, Post 25 will be able to host an American Legion Baseball team this year.
There is a Legion baseball team meeting for players and one parent on Tuesday, June 4. @ 6:30 pm. All interested players must bring a copy of their driver’s license or learner’s permit OR a copy of their birth certificate with the official state seal on it or a notarized copy. Our team will consist of Fort Scott students who are between the ages of 15 – 19.
It has been several years since the Fort Scott American Legion hosted a Legion baseball team.
Please consider a financial donation to your Fort Scott American Legion Baseball team. The team needs uniforms and equipment, plus money is needed to cover operating expenses such as insurance, umpires and food and lodging expenses when these boys go to other communities to represent Fort Scott in American Legion Baseball.
Fort Scott American Legion Post 25 is registered as a nonprofit entity with the IRS and donations to Post 25 are tax exempt. A tax exempt receipt will be provided upon request.
Donations can be mailed to:
Post 25 Finance Officer Darrell Spencer
PO Box 25
Fort Scott, Ks. 66701
Please indicate that the donation is for American Legion Baseball and let Darrell know if you need a tax exempt receipt.
I will also stop by and pick up your donation if you prefer. Just call me at 620-215-1688 to make arrangements to meet you.
This letter marks the end of our first year in operation! Our students returned home this past weekend and are enjoying reunions with their families. In the meantime the faculty has been hard at work cleaning, packing, and planning for next year…with a few moments here and there for raising a glass in celebration of the successful founding and first year of St. Martin’s Academy. Farm work continues of course, as does our effort to build a strong school through prudent planning, building, and development. These are uncharted waters and we’re grateful to all those who are supporting us materially and spiritually. As an independent Catholic boarding school for boys that is rooted in an ancient liturgy, hard manual labor on a farm, and a poetic mode of education — there is simply not a contemporary model for us to emulate. We are dependent on the grace of God, the generosity of our benefactors and community, and the remarkable families who were bold and committed enough to join us in what must have seemed like a Quixotic adventure.
Duc in Altum,
Daniel Kerr, President
Patrick Whalen, Headmaster
Faculty Hail and Farewell
Several of our staff are moving on this year and though we’re sorry to see them go we’re grateful for their service and look forward to working with their replacements. House Fathers Joseph Free, Simon Webster, and Christopher DeCleene are all heading to various other educational institutions and our Residential Dean Travis Dziad and his family are off to Wyoming Catholic College. Fair winds and following seas!
We will be joined this fall by Ryan Bauer and his fiance Danielle Fuchs (who will be Mr. and Mrs. Bauer by the fall!) Hailing from St. Louis, Ryan will be teaching math and science and will serve as our head soccer coach while Danielle will serve as our very first secretary. We will also be joined by Giorgio Navarini from California who will serve as House Father, Schola Director, and coach. With their combination of intensity and know-how joining our team, we’ve decided to open an astronaut training program…just kidding. But they are going to be a wonderful addition to our community. Stay tuned as for a few more details about them in next month’s newsletter.
Construction Update
Our Mason, Nick Magee, has done beautiful work on the hearth that features in the great dining room in Theotokos Hall. We’re sprinting toward completion as we finalize the plans for our sprinkler system and are preparing to install kitchen appliances, hardwood floors, and trim. The next two months will involve a dramatic transformation of our first and largest building.
Summer Work Plans
In case you were wondering what a summer at St. Martin’s looks like, here is a rundown of tasks we’re working on for the fall:
-Building bookshelves, trestle tables, and cabinets for Theotokos Hall
-Coordinating final logistics for the Junior class trimester abroad
-Fence management for mob-grazing cattle
-Finalizing enrollment for the fall
-Growing our herd of Jersey milk cows
-Finalizing staffing for the fall
-Policy research and revision
-Furnishing Theotokos Hall
-Pushups
-Curriculum development
-Fundraising
-More pushups
Admissions Update
I’m pleased to say that we have nearly reached our enrollment capacity of 30 students for fall 2019! We’ll be joined by a cadre of Freshmen hailing from around the country — their first experience at St. Martin’s will involve a formative (perhaps to some, formidable) expedition to Moab, Utah where they will be canyoneering, canoeing, and climbing together while developing deep friendships rooted in a common love for Christ.
Don Quixote
The Sophomore Class concluded the year by reading Cervantes’ masterpiece Don Quixote and adapting it to the stage for a year-end performance. Many parents and members of the local parish and community attended the play. In this scene Don Quixote (Israel Meyers) stands vigil while Sancho (Mateo Lipic) indulges in a cacophonous round of snoring. Below are a few more pictures from the evening…and if you haven’t read it recently, you’ll find Don Quixote a delight well worth your time.
D-Day Commemoration at Lowell Milken Center Includes Release of New Children’s Book
On June 6, the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes invites all to attend special events at the Center to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of D-Day.The center is located at the corner of Wall and Main Streets in downtown Fort Scott.
There will be an honorary recognition of Andrew Jackson Higgins, the man who invented the Higgins D-Day boats, which were very instrumental in the Allied victory in WWII. Events will include the 8:00 a.m. Chamber Coffee, the 3:00 p.m. presentation and discussion with special guests, Skipper Higgins and Jerry Meyer, the 4:00 p.m. wine and cheese event, and the 10:00 a.m. introduction of the Center’s fourth children’s book, What If Higgins Had Given Up?
The author of the new children’s book, Cathy Werling, will host a book reading and signing event at 10:00 a.m. All children are invited to learn the story of Andrew Jackson Higgins and be encouraged to work toward their goals without letting obstacles hold them back. Higgins never gave up in his quest to design and provide the perfect boats needed for important missions during World War II. That determination and perseverance were evident in his early life, as well, and provide powerful lessons for children today.
There will be two very special guests in attendance during the day. One is Skipper Higgins, the oldest living grandson of Andrew Higgins, who has many stories about his grandfather, whose spirit greatly influenced Skipper and his children. One of Skipper’s stories plays an important role in the story, “What If Higgins Had Given Up?” The other special guest, Jerry Meyer, conceived, designed, and completed The Andrew Jackson Higgins National Memorial in Columbus, Nebraska, which is the birthplace of Mr. Higgins. His knowledge of the life of Andrew Higgins contributed greatly to the details included in the children’s book.
Cathy Werling is an award-winning, retired elementary educator living in Fort Scott, Kansas. Her passion for helping students develop positive character traits and seek out worthy role models led to her part time work at the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes.
The Fun Time Show, Doniphan, MO is located at Third and Main Street this year. The ticket booth is on Third Street.
This evening begins the 39th Annual Good Ol’ Days Festival in downtown Fort Scott.
The Fort Scott Talent Show begins at 6 p.m. at Memorial Hall, Third and National Street, with admission $5, kids five and under are free.
There are 13 contestants that have entered the show, Rhonda Dunn, president of the Good Ol’ Days Committee said at today’s Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Weekly Coffee at Skubitz Plaza.
The carnival is located at the corner of Third and Main Street and offers nine rides. The cost of an armband that covers all rides for that session is $25.
Hours for the carnival are 7 to 11 p.m., tonight, Thursday, May 30. Fridays and Saturday hours are 6 to 11 p.m.
Memorial Hall is where the talent show will be held at 6 p.m. May 30.
The Good Ol’ Days Festival is put together by a committee of volunteers: Rhonda Dunn, Melissa Wise, Kayla Hall, Ally Turvey, Shawn O’Brien, Carl Brenner, Charlotte Thompson, Leah Bowman, Tim Van Hoeke, and Janet Braun.
The committee takes a month off following the festival, then meets together to plan for the next year’s festival in the following months.
The Good Ol’ Days Committee: front from left are Kayla Hall, Melissa Wise, Charlotte Thompson, Leah Bowman; back row from left are Carl Brenner, Shawn O’Brien, Rhonda Dunn, and Ally Turvey. The committee works all year long to bring the town’s annual gathering to fruition.
Our next grief support luncheon will be Wednesday, June 5th, 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 us at 223-1186 if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you!
Ol Boys Tire and Auto owners, Jody and Loretta Chaplin cut the ribbon during a ceremony May 11 to welcome them to the community by Uniontown Ruritan. From left: Ruriteen Luke George, Joe, Lawrence, Raymond George-Ruritan members, Caleb Chaplin-employee, Loretta and Jody Chaplin-owners, Henry Homan and Mark Warren, Ruritan members.
Uniontown has an auto shop called Ol’Boys Tire and Auto, which opened last year.
Uniontown’s Ruritan recently welcomed the business to the community with a ribbon cutting.
“We do auto repair,” Jody Chaplin, the owner said. “Welding, tires, brakes, exhaust, oil changes, tires, windshield wipers, pretty much anything auto product related.”
The shop is located just off Hwy. 3 on the west side of Uniontown, population approximately 300, not counting the dogs.
The hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
Because the Good Ol’ Days Committee is teaming up with both Fort Scott Munitions and the Fort Scott National Historic Site, the parade will be opened to all types of transportation.
Fort Scott Munitions will be hosting a large car & bike show this year, and will be auctioning off a motorcycle for charity.
The Fort plans to do a comparison of ambulances from the early 1900’s through today. They will have a fire truck & ambulance on Skubitz Plaza, an Air Ambulance on parade grounds, possibly a military helicopter, an original ambulance cart from the early 1900’s, re-enactors, and much more.
For a full description of the events, please visit the
Integrity Home Care + Hospice, formerly Mercy Hospice Fort Scott, received grant money from the Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas to purchase a new Broda chair for the services they provide.
A grant amount of $2,500 was given and the chair is to be used in care for Alzheimer’s patients.
The Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas hosts individual charitable funds, created by donors who have a passion for giving back to their community.
Grants from the funds assist people throughout Southeast Kansas and many charities beyond Kansas.
Call the Community Foundation at 620-231-8897 with questions about this group and its many services available for donors.
Broda creates a line of tilt-in-space positioning chairs which are meant to improve people’s quality of life. They provide patients with a higher level of comfort and a higher quality of life. The chair provides ease of use for the caregiver and enhanced safety for the patient.
Integrity Home Care + Hospice is a home care company based out of Springfield, Missouri, who employs over 1100 employees, which includes nurses, certified nursing aides, caregivers, social workers, chaplains, and more. Integrity staff is passionate about helping clients navigate every step of the care process. Your Home. Your Healthcare. Integrity Home Care + Hospice is where proactive care and seamless solutions thrive. Let us help you chart the path to trusted healthcare wherever you call home.
With summer right around the corner, it’s time to think about keeping children eating healthy while school is out, according to a press release from USD 235.
USD 235 at Uniontown will once again provide free meals to children during the summer.
The cafeteria at West Bourbon Elementary School, Uniontown.
“In the two years before this we also had sites in Bronson and Redfield, but sadly we just do not have the staff to operate all three sites so this year it will only be at the WBE school (in Uniontown),” said Michelle DeMott, USD 235 Food Service Director.
“This is a USDA funded program to help provide meals for children 0-18 years of age who may not have access to meals while school is not in session,” DeMott said. “The program is free to any child 0-18 years of age regardless of financial status.”
This summer, meals will be served at West Bourbon Elementary Monday through Friday, June 3 through June 28, 2019.
Breakfast will be served from 8:30 am – 9:00 am.
Lunch will be served from noon – 12:30 pm.
There are no income requirements or registration.
Any child 18 years of age and under may come to eat.
For more information, contact USD 235 UNIONTOWN (Michelle DeMott, (620) 756-4302, [email protected], uniontown235.org).
Each year, the United States Department of Agriculture partners with local organizations like USD 235 UNIONTOWN to provide free meals to children when school is out for the summer.
For more information about the Summer Food Service Program in Kansas, visit www.kn-eat.org, Summer Food Service Program.
The June menu is as follows:
June 3 – WG CEREAL STRING CHEESE PEACHES PORK CHOP MASHED POTATOES BISCUIT PINEAPPLE
4- PANCAKE PEARS CHICKEN NUGGETS WG CHIPS CORN BANANA
5 BISCUITS AND GRAVY ORANGE RIBLET ON BUN BAKED BEANS PEARS
6 EGG TACO FRUIT COCKTAIL MEATBALL SUB CARROTS GRAPES
