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Thank you to our Chamber Champion members shown below… |
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Category Archives: Business
Outpost 13 Ribbon Cutting is Oct. 17
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Thank you to our Chamber Champion members shown below… |
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Tea Club Meets Oct. 16 at Papa Don’s
Mmm Flavor Shop’s Fall Tea Club will be Wednesday, October 16 at 6 pm. It will be held at Papa Don’s Pizza in Downtown Fort Scott.
The topic will be Herbal Teas.
Free Samples will include Chai Water, Homesteader’s Coffee (Dandelion Root and Chicory blend), Elderberry Water, and Tulsi (Holy Basil) Tea.
Come enjoy a cup and learn how herbal teas can help keep you healthier this coming winter season.
Fun Events on the Horizon For Fort Scott
The Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce sponsored a quarterly Downtown Meet and Greet on Oct. 2, during which attendees shared information about upcoming community events.
Frank Adamson, owner of the Courtland Hotel and Spa, hosted the event and said that he and his wife, Cheryl, have owned the building for 20 years this year. He commended all the owners of the downtown historic district for the revitalization that is going on.
“Look around, it’s amazing,” he said.
Comments from other attendees:
- Fort Scott Tourism Director Jackson Tough listed all the avenues he is taking to get Fort Scott’s many assets to the public in surrounding areas. In addition, The Kansas Museum Association Conference will be coming in a few weeks, The Military Preservation Convoy toured the town on Oct. 13-14. His office is once again in the Chamber office, 231 E. Wall St.
- Diane Striler, the event organizer, spoke of the 2nd Annual Christmas on the Bricks, the first weekend in December. Fundraising for the new skating rink has started in the community and another addition will be costumed Christmas characters walking around the festivities. This year there will be a big Christmas tree near the First Colored Infantry mural on Skubitz Plaza. Volunteers of all kinds are needed for the event. She is looking for a business to provide free gift wrapping for the festival shoppers.
- Fort Scott National Historic Site Supervisor Jill Jaworski said that two new employees have been hired and the fort will be open full-time within two weeks. She thanked the community for supporting the recent Naturalization Ceremony conducted at the fort, with over 1,000 visitors that day. The Dragoon Barracks is being renovated and the fort is preparing for the annual Candlelight Tour, the first weekend in December. Tickets will go on sale for this event in the 1st part of November.
- Mary Wyatt, Fort Scott Community Development, said the city is “putting together a housing committee to do a housing needs study.” She is also working on a mini-golf project for the community, looking at updating the city’s comprehensive plan and introduced the new Housing and Community Development Coordinator, Lisa Dillon. Dillon told the group of some ideas she has for the position.
- Kari West, spokesperson for Evergy, the electric company, said there is a Kansas Business Energy Program available.
- Bailey Lyons, a spokesperson for the splash pad that was opened this summer, told the group that in this off-season they are putting up shade structures, building an ADA bathroom and installing a new sprinkler system for the landscape around the facility.
- Kathy Dancer, whose building at 110 S. Main, houses a cafe, retail store, and bar is undergoing facade renovation. The bar, called The Green Lantern, added a murder mystery dinner and was sold out for that, but will offer another in the spring, she said. The bar, which they call a speakeasy, is open on Friday and Saturday nights and can also be booked for special events. The distilling of bourbon should be operational by the end of this year, with bourbon tastings in the future.
- The building at 23 S. Main, Main Street Vintage and Co. is for sale, FS Chamber Executive Director Lindsay Madison said.
- Upcoming Chamber events:
- The Community Connection Panel luncheon is Oct. 19 at the Empress Event Center.
- Outpost 13 West Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting is Oct. 17, 5:15 to 6:30 p.m.
- Bourbon County Clay After-Hours is Oct. 24, 5:15-6:30 p.m. at the Artificers.
- Manufacturing Day is Nov. 13 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. with tours of local manufacturers.
- Christmas Light Trolley Tours are Dec. 12-23 nightly.
- Christmas Light Contest is in December with cash prizes, contact the Chamber for more information.
Name Change For Mortgage Business at 1 E. Wall Street
Open Mortgage has a new name: Guild Mortgage
The business, located downtown at 1 E. Wall Street, started with Guild Mortgage on June 17, 2024.
“We wanted more opportunities to help more clients,” said David Vonfeldt, branch manager. “With us moving to Guild Mortgage we are able to offer more loan programs to assist more clients. The company itself has been in business for over 63 years and is ranked in the top 10 for mortgage companies.”
The services the business offers the community are home loans, Home Equity Line of Credit HELOC loans, bridge Loans, refinancing.
“Bridge loans are short-term loans using your home’s equity to put money down on a new home before selling your current home,” he said.
To Buy A House
The process of getting a mortgage is complex, Vonfeldt said.
Here is a flyer for new home buyers wanting to know the process: #3204155_Homebuying Process_Flyer_C
“The information needed to start the process is name, date of birth, two-year residence history, two-year work history, income, and assets. Most of all this information is entered into the loan application and then the appropriate documents are provided to prove the entered information.”
“Interest rates change every day and for me to quote an actual rate I would need to have an actual application for a mortgage. I can tell you that we are very competitive on interest rates and that they are starting to come down,” he said.
“We are the number one U.S. Department of Agriculture lender in the country which gives us the ability to give great interest rates and favorable terms. A USDA loan is a no-money-down loan for low to moderate-income families and is a very popular loan in rural areas, which makes it a great option for the residents of Ft. Scott.”
For more information call +1 (620) 268-2945.
David Vonfeldt – Branch Manager
Joe’ Fritter – Loan Officer
Monica Creighton – Originating Loan Officer/Assistant 
Downtown Quarterly Meet and Greet Tomorrow at 8:30 a.m.
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Fort Scott Broadcasting Celebrates 70 Years On The Air
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Fort Scott Broadcasting Celebrates 70 Years In Business
Seventy years ago, KMDO1600 Radio signed on the air in Fort Scott.
From October 7 through 11, the station will celebrate its 70th anniversary featuring the music of the 50s through the 90s.
The McKenney family has owned and operated the local radio business for the past 70 years, providing contemporary hit music, news, weather, sports, and public service announcements to the community.
Celebration Week at The Radio Station Oct. 7-11
In October 2024, music of the different decades will be featured, and some former disc jockeys will be on the air in the studios again.
During the week of October 7-11, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., the radio station will play special music from the different decades in which it has served the community.
On Monday, music from the 1950s will be featured, Tuesday will feature 60s music, Wednesday, 70s music, Thursday, 80s music and Friday, music from the 1990s.
The Trading Post is a daily program where one can buy, sale, trade or give away items.
Special Trading Post program for the anniversary celebration will be Tim Mckenney and Ron Palmer on Monday, Oct. 7; Charlene Keating, Becky Allen, and Kirby Ham, on Tuesday Oct. 8; Gary Palmer and Deb Mckenney on Oct. 9th, and Larry Gazaway and Pam Hutchison on Friday Oct. 11th.
The Beginning
Lloyd James (Jim) McKenney built several stations in the late 40s and early 50s, including the first stations in Carthage, Monnet, Cassville, and Branson, MO, and Iola, KS.
Jim McKenney built KMDO-AM radio station in Fort Scott, signing on for the first time on Oct. 7, 1954, in the vicinity of where Tractor Supply is today, with six employees.
“Jim had five sons and a daughter,” Deb said. “Several of the sons worked at KMDO in the early years, however, Tim, after starting on- air in 1969, worked there on and off until 1980, when he returned full-time and built 103.9FM (KOMB). Tim has been manager of the radio stations since 1980 and owner since 1996.”
“The studios and transmitters were south of town on Hwy. 69 originally in the area of Tractor Supply,” Deb said. “In 1990, we moved the studios and offices to the building we are now located in at 2 N. National and moved the tower and transmitters to a site where Walmart is presently located. In 2006, we moved the towers from that site to two separate sites. The KMDO tower is now located south of town in the industrial park and the 103.9FM tower is located about seven miles northwest of Fort Scott on 7 Highway.”
Deb started on the air at the station in the early 1980s and has worked with her husband in almost every function of the business since that time.
Serving the Public
They regularly broadcast city, county, and school talk shows in the Fort Scott area to keep people informed about current happenings in the area.
The radio station’s goal has been to serve the public interest, she said.
“We do that by broadcasting things of interest and/or service to our listeners,” she said. These include local news, weather, sports, music and public service announcements. We air weekly programs that inform listeners about what’s going on in our school systems, talks with our city manager about things going on in the city and talks with our county commissioners about what’s going on in the county. Broadcast Tiger games! And of course, we play music for folks too!”
Through the years, technology has changed, “but our clients and staff have been faithful,” she said.
The rest of the current broadcast crew besides Deb and Tim is Darla Ramsey, the office manager; Deana Wade, Angie King, and Angie Martin, sales executives; on-air personnel include “Downtown” Keith Brown, Charlene Bolinger, Carlos Muniz, and Jonah Cooke and they also have contract engineers.
Fort Scott Broadcasting is located at 2 N. National in Downtown Historic Fort Scott and can be reached at 620-223-4500.
State Recognition
In 2023, Fort Scott Broadcasting Co. Inc was recognized as the Southeast Kansas Regional Winner in Retail and Service by the Kansas Department of Commerce.
To The Stars: Kansas Businesses Awards is an annual awards program that recognizes businesses across the state for the valuable contributions they make to the Kansas economy and to the well-being of their communities, according to https://www.kansascommerce.gov/kansasbusinessawards/.
Opening Day of the Kitchen C & C
Snapshots of the first day open of The Kitchen C & C.
To learn more:
Susan Eldridge Retires After 41 Years at Union State Bank
Union State Bank announces the retirement of Susan Eldridge, who has been an integral part of our team since May 1, 1983. Susan, who has served primarily as the bank’s Cashier, will be retiring after an impressive 41 years of dedicated service.
Susan Eldridge’s tenure with Union State Bank has been marked by her unwavering commitment to excellence, customer service, and community involvement. Her extensive knowledge and steadfast dedication have greatly contributed to the success and reputation of our institution. Her retirement marks the end of an era and the beginning of a new chapter in her life.
To honor Susan’s remarkable career and celebrate her contributions, Union State Bank will be hosting two special receptions in her honor:
- Uniontown Reception: Tuesday, September 24th, 2024
- Time: 1 – 3 pm
- Location: Union State Bank, 204 Sherman Street, Uniontown
- Fort Scott Reception: Thursday, September 26th, 2024
- Time: 1 – 3 pm
- Location: 1009 S. Clark Street, Fort Scott
Both receptions will offer an opportunity for friends, colleagues, and community members to extend their best wishes to Susan and to join us in celebrating Susan’s remarkable career and to wish her well as she embarks on her well-deserved retirement.
For further information, please contact Stevia Ratcliff at (620) 223-0066.
About Union State Bank
Union State Bank has been a cornerstone of the Uniontown and Fort Scott communities, offering personalized banking services and financial solutions for decades. Our commitment to exceptional customer service and community involvement remains at the heart of our mission.
Outpost 13 West Opening on September 23
The Bowman family, Cindy and John and their son Alex and his wife Carissa, own both Brickstreet BBQ and across the street, the NuGrille Restaurant, at the corner of National Avenue and Oak.
In 2021 they purchased the property west of Brickstreet BBQ to save it, Cindy Bowman said.
On September 23, they will open Outpost 13 West, a Southwestern cuisine restaurant at 13 West Oak Street.
The Bowmans found after they purchased the it, that it is a 152-year-old historic building.
The oldest record found for the building was 1862, according to records found with help from personnel at the Old Fort Genealogical Society of Southeast Kansas Inc, located at 221 S. National.
The Oulds family built it as a livery stable that was used by the government military, at Fort Scott, and was the corral, used to contain the animals that the U.S. federal fort needed.
The 3,000 square feet building by 2021 was in “pretty bad shape,” said John Bowman.
The arches are a noticeable architectural feature in the renovation.
“The arches are original, but they were closed in and we reopened them,” Cindy said.
The venture will be a build-your-own Southwestern cuisine food line, “you pick it, we will build it,” Alex said.
Southwestern cuisine includes tacos, burritos, etc. with choices of meat and toppings.
In addition, there is a separate bar that serves ice cream, slushes, and desserts.
There will be 15 employees in the new business, with some being moved from Brickstreet BBQ to help.
September 23 will be the official opening of Outpost 13 West.
Hours of operation will be 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
To contact the restaurant: 620.224.2419. or outpost13w@gmail.com
About the original building owner
The Bowmans found that before S.A. Oulds came to Fort Scott in 1852, he went to South Australia to the gold mines and made $150,000 there. “He returned to his family in Ohio where he farmed, then traveled south and west to this location where in 1862 he started this livery stable in Fort Scott,” Carissa said.
Cindy said that concrete posts have been added to the front of the building, so vehicles can’t get too close, as a safety measure.
Chamber Coffee Hosted by Brickstreet BBQ on September 19
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