Category Archives: Entertainment

Live Jazz Performance at Gordon Parks Museum on March 21

Sending on behalf of Chamber Member Gordon Parks Museum…

Live Jazz Performance!

Join the Gordon Parks Museum for a night of character and story of Gordon Parks expressed through LIVE Jazz Performance!

The Honorary Gordon Parks Quintet Featuring:

Nate McClendon – Saxophone

Paul Hunt – Trombone

Desmond Mason – Piano

Nsiko Dieu-aime – Bass

Robert Rodriguez – Drums

Free and Open to the Public

Thursday, March 21st, 2024

Danny & Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center

7:30pm

For more information contact the Gordon Parks Museum at 620.223.2700 ext. 5857

Thank you to our Chamber Champion members below!
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Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce | 231 E. Wall Street, Fort Scott, KS 66701

Gordon Parks Self Portrait  “Live Jazz Event” Is March 21: Free and Open To The Public

Gordon Parks: Self Potrait  “Live Jazz Event”

 

Fort Scott, Kan. Friday. March 14, 2024 – Beach Museum of Art Specialist and Musician Nate McClendon will be at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center Theater on Thursday, March 21, 2024, to present his Gordon Parks: Self Portrait in music and narration with a live jazz band. The performance starts at 7:30p.m. and doors open at 7:00p.m. This is a free community event.

 

This performance was inspired by the exhibition Homeward to the Prairie I Come: Photographs by Gordon Parks from the Beach Museum of Art at Kansas State University organized by the Beach Museum with support from Art Bridges, a philanthropic organization dedicated to expanding access to American art. This music and narration event is free and open to the public of all ages courtesy of Art Bridges. It is part of the Gordon Parks Convening at the Ellis Fine Arts Center, March 20 – 22, a collaboration with the Beach Museum of Art and the Gordon Parks Museum funded by Art Bridges. The convening will have over twelve museum professionals from across the nation at Fort Scott learning more about Gordon Parks and his works.

 

For information on the Gordon Parks: Self Portrait Live Jazz event, contact Kirk Sharp, executive director, (620) 223-2700, ext. 5850, or at [email protected].

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Par Tee Girls Start Their Third Golf Season

Some of the Par Tee Girls. Submitted photo.
The Par Tee Girls Golf League is a group of women who look forward to getting together regularly, enjoying companionship, and playing a little golf while they are at it, said organizer Diane Striler.
Diane Striler. Submitted photo.
“This will be the third year for the Par Tee Girl league at Woodland Hills,” Striler said. “Last year we had roughly 55 women sign up for the league from Fort Scott, Nevada, and the Mound City area.”
“We are a very casual league encompassing women of all skill levels,” she said.  “I encourage women to come out and play, even if they have never played before. A lot of our members are beginners. I always tell women if they want to learn to play, this is a great way to start.  If you don’t set the time aside to play regularly, it’s hard to improve.”
Submitted graphic.
Striler has golf lessons scheduled for April, before the league starting.
“So women can get a little more comfortable before hitting the course,”  she said.  “The lessons are only $20 each and are perfect for beginners and a great refresher for avid players.”
Their season goes from May 1 to July 31.
“Each week we have a different game that we participate in, whether it’s for the longest drive, straightest drive or longest putt, etc. Women can keep track of their scores if they want, but that is not required. I ask members to keep track of their putts though.”
“At the end of the night, we tally our putts and pay ten cents for each,” she said. “The winner of the game that night receives half of the putt money, and I save the rest for our banquet tournament on July 31.”
On July 31 there is a four-person best ball scramble.
“Afterward, we have a catered dinner and give out prizes for the top three teams, for games on each hole and we each receive a league gift.”
Submitted graphic.
“This year our league will also host three different dates when a restaurant or food truck will serve dinner at Woodland Hills,” she said. “Along with our league, the community will be invited to join us at the course for a night of good company, food, and some music.”
The dates scheduled are:  May 8th – Brickstreet BBQ,  June 5th – Taco Azul,  and July 10th- Aunt Toadies.
Striler will post more information as the dates get closer.
Some of the Par-Tee Girls. Submitted photo.

Blane Howard Will Perform at Fort Scott Good ‘Ol Days

 Ft. Scott’s Good Ol’ Days welcomes back Nashville recording artist Blane Howard for a performance on Friday, May 31st on Skubitz Plaza. Howard is a three-time Male Vocalist of the Year winner at the Arkansas CMAs, and is nominated again in 2024 for Male Vocalist of the Year, as well as Video of the Year for “Boot N Rally.”
  Born in KS, raised in AR, and living in Nashville, TN, as an independent artist he has released three full albums, and EP, and two, 2-song CDs. His biggest success is with a song he wrote for his wife as a wedding gift, “Promise To Love Her,” which has over 150 million streams; however, many new fans are finding him through his songs and parodies he writes and creates for the Kansas City Chiefs. He has three original Chiefs songs, which have all been hits with Chiefs Kingdom, but his playoff parodies are continually having the fan base asking for more.  This playoff season, his Chiefs playoff parodies, which included songs from Luke Combs, Garth Brooks, Brooks & Dunn, Willie Nelson, and Toby Keith, raked in over 20 Million views across social media platforms in about a four-week period.
Howard has eight new songs coming out this spring and summer; his show will include some of the new songs, his country originals, some country covers, a little classic rock, and of course a little Chiefs section for the die-hard fans in the area! You can check out Blane’s music on your favorite music site, or head over to his website www.blanehoward.com, to connect with all of his social sites, and to check out his music and videos.
Sent from my iPhone

Preparing for prom: Fairy Godmother Boutique set for March 16

PITTSBURG — Thanks to generous donors and the Fairy Godmother Boutique, area high school students can pick out new and gently used dresses. Many don’t look forward to prom
because they can’t afford to purchase a dress and accessories.

“The Fairy Godmother Boutique was created to help these students get the prom experience we all dream of — the perfect dress, the hair, the shoes,” Patient Education & Support Manager
Julie Laverack says.

The pop-up boutique is set for Saturday, March 16, at CHC/SEK in Pittsburg, at 3011 N. Michigan (Pittsburg). To shop for a free dress, prom goers must book an appointment by calling 620-231-
9873 and ask for a Family Resource Specialist.

Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas staff and community recently gathered their lightly used and nearly new prom dresses to give to the Fairy Godmother Boutique. Additionally,
sponsor Sara Loree’s Bridal and Formal, donated many dresses as well.

“We’ve had tremendous community support,” Laverack says. “Thank you all for donating these beautiful dresses. Another huge thank you to those who signed up to be volunteer stylists during the event.”

There will be dresses sizes 0-20 in a variety of styles. Personal stylists, makeup consultants and private dressing rooms will be available.
There are still opportunities to sign up and volunteer by reaching Laverack at 620-231-9873.
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Bourbon County Arts Council 32nd Annual Fine Arts Exhibit is Feburary 29-March 9

 

 

The Bourbon County Arts Council will present its 32nd Annual Fine Arts Exhibit from February 29th through March 9th, at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center, on the Campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton.

The Arts Council will host the Chamber Coffee at 8:00 am on Thursday, February 29th, at the Ellis Center.

The Exhibit will be open to the public beginning Thursday, February 29th through Saturday, March 9th, on weekdays from 12:00 pm to 7:00 pm, and on Saturdays, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.  A reception to honor this year’s Juror and artists will be held on Thursday the 29th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm; the public is invited to attend and enjoy the opportunity to meet and visit with them about the art.

Artists will have their work on display and for sale in this multi-media exhibit, in categories including Ceramics, Drawing & Graphics, Fiber Arts, Glasswork, Jewelry, Mixed Media, Painting, Pastel, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Watercolor.

A “themed” category was added to the Exhibit, with this year’s theme being “Art of Everyday Life”.

An artist may create a piece in any of the above categories, in relation to the theme.

This year, artists from Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma will participate in the Fine Art Exhibit.

Local artists entered include Kathryn Allen, Maggie Brenner, Rylee Coulter, Jewel Endicott, Steve Floyd, Kate Freeman, Lucy Gladbach, Bobbi Kemna, Millie Karleskint, Julie Kibble, Steve Kibble, Terry Koester, Connie Neil, Kadra Nevitt, Eri Popp, Susan Porter, Elisabeth Ross, Kaitlynn Sampson, and Addison Smith.

Cash prizes awarded for category winners are given by the Bourbon County Arts Council in memory of E.C. Gordon, and by the generous sponsorship from these local businesses:  the Artificers, Buerge Art Studio, Citizens Bank, City State Bank, Edward Jones-Jamie Armstrong ,  H&H Realty, Landmark Bank, Lyons Realty, Mid-Continental Restoration, Osage Timber LLC, State Farm Insurance, Union State Bank, and Ward Kraft.

Bill Wilson will serve as this year’s Juror. He is a retired art educator with more than forty years of experience encompassing early elementary through college-level instruction. Most recently having taught visual art for Marmaton Valley, he also spent some time teaching at Allen County Community College. Mr. Wilson states “as an artist, I choose to work in a wide range of media that will allow me to best express my thoughts and ideas”.  He is currently exploring metal forging techniques and creating primitive-fired ceramic jewelry.

There is no admission charge for this event, and all are encouraged to come and enjoy an exciting collection of original artwork.

 

 

Kansans encouraged to celebrate Talking Books Week, March 3rd-9th

TOPEKA – Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed a proclamation declaring the week of March 3-9, 2024, Kansas Talking Books Week. According to the proclamation, the federal Pratt-Smoot Act, enacted on March 3, 1931, established free library services for blind adults, administered by the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) in the Library of Congress.

During Talking Books Week, the State Library of Kansas is celebrating services that Kansans with a print impairment can enjoy with a Talking Books account. Governor Kelly’s proclamation highlights the variety of more than 150,000 accessible reading materials and additional information services, including a new statewide sponsorship by the agency of NFB-Newsline. A service of the National Federation of the Blind, NFB-Newsline provides library patrons access to hundreds of newspapers, magazines, emergency weather alerts, job listings, and more by phone, internet, an iOS app, and an Alexa skill.

The Director of the Talking Books Division Michael Lang noted, “we encourage our current and potential patrons to explore the variety of services offered and the options for customization available through Kansas Talking Books. We want every user to find their perfect fit of service to meet their needs.”

Talking Books Week programming will be shared on social media at facebook.com/kansas.talking.books.service. Special events during the week will include an online patron open forum with division staff on Wednesday and a roadshow event at the Emporia Public Library on Thursday.

Kansas Talking Books, a division of the State Library of Kansas, proudly serves patrons who are blind, visually impaired, physically impaired, or otherwise print disabled in all 105 counties across the state with the assistance of outreach centers in Norton, Great Bend, and Iola. All services are provided at no cost to the patron. To learn more about services from the State Library’s Talking Books Division, call toll-free 1-800-362-0699 or visit kslib.info/Talking-Books.

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Blue Collar Awards Event March 9 Will Benefit Local Trades Scholarships

The 2023 Blue Collar Awards, 2023. Submitted photo.
Advance Bourbon County is sponsoring a Blue Collar Awards event on March 9 at Memorial Hall, located at Third Street and National Avenue.
“The purpose is to raise money for scholarships for local students going to college in the blue-collar trades field,” said Josh Jones one of the organizers of the event. The scholarships will be awarded to Fort Scott and Uniontown students who apply and are eligible
For students wishing to be considered for a scholarship in the trades field see the application below:
According to the scholarship requirements, students must be high school seniors and will attend a college/trade school within 180 miles of Bourbon County. All scholarship monies will be paid directly to the school. Qualified trade programs re: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, construction, welding, fabrication, automotive and diesel mechanics. commercdriver’svers license, auto CAD/drafting, manufacturing technology, machining, masonry, robotics/drones, lineman, railroad training, carpentry, and major appliance technology.
The student must also write a paragraph describing their plans upon completing the program.
The awardee must present proof of enrollment to Josh Jones to claim their scholarship award.
Some of lyear’sears recipients. Submitted photo.
Local tradesmen are on a ballot for a community vote with winners recognized during the March 9 event.
“We are in the voting process now and on March 1st we will tally the votes and give out awards based on each category to local businesses,” Jones said.
The event will also feature a comedian this year, the Copenhagen Bandit.
The Copenhagen Bandit from his Facebook page.

To view a prior feature on Advance Bourbon County’s beginnings:

Advance Bourbon County: New Non-Profit

FSCC Spring College Rodeo is March 8-10

To see how cowboys and cowgirls compete and hone their skills, the community is invited to Fort Scott Community College from March 8 to 10 to see, among other events,  calf roping, barrel racing, and bull riding in the rodeo arena.

The 45th FSCC Spring College Rodeo is this Friday through Sunday.

There are currently about 40 students on FSCC Coach Chad Cross’s rodeo team.

The FSCC Rodeo Team from its’ Facebook page.

“Our rodeo team is a group of student-athletes who came here to earn scholarships to rodeo just like a baseball or basketball player would,” Cross said. “They travel to 10 rodeos a year to hopefully earn enough points to qualify for the College National Finals Rodeo in June each year. They spend a lot of their own hard-earned money traveling to rodeos, paying fees, and taking care of their own horses to compete at these rodeos.”

“Our rodeo will showcase student-athletes from over 20 schools in our Region (Kansas and Oklahoma) in events like Calf Roping, Barrel Racing, and Bull Riding to name just a few,” Cross said.

The students don’t necessarily come from rural America, but the majority do, Cross said, but they learn skills that will help in life.

“The skills we hope to instill in them include responsibility, hard work, determination, and the ability to be humble, and we hope to mold respectful young adults who can become outstanding members in this community or wherever they choose to land in the future,” Cross said.

The events are Friday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. then Saturday, March 9 at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m., and the ‘short-go’ at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $5 for students and children under 5 years old are free.

Tickets are only sold at the door, according to the Facebook page.

At a recent rodeo competition, Bryce Eck was the  Bareback Riding Champion according to the FSCC Rodeo Team Facebook page.
and Blake Steuck was the Saddle Bronk Riding Champion.
Quintonn Lunsford, Dylan George and Jence Griffith all finished in the top five.
From the Fort Scott Community College Facebook page, Nov. 2023.

Splashpad Bash: May 18 at the New Downtown Pavilion

The Hello Summer Luau is May 18 at the new pavilion on North National Avenue. Submitted graphic.

The City of Fort is sponsoring a community event at the new Fort Scott Pavilion on North National Avenue, next to the new splash pad, on Saturday, May 18.

“The purpose of the event is to promote drug and alcohol (prevention) awareness while kicking off the summer for the grand opening of the Pavilion and the Splash Pad- which will be open the day of the event,” said Mary Wyatt, Planning, Housing, and Community Development Director  for the City of Fort Scott.

“The City of Fort Scott is sponsoring the event and is using the Drug and Alcohol Tax Fund which goes to spread awareness to the youth (and adults) to pay for the expenses, plus there are local businesses handing out free stuff and selling their items at the event,” said City Manager Brad Matkin.

“We are in the beginning stages of the project, and currently putting together a committee for the event,” Wyatt said. “After the committee’s first meeting, we will have more details and specifics confirmed that we can share, and will start reaching out to vendors (mostly, if not all, local) to determine their availability. It is the City of Fort Scott’s goal to help provide a safe and fun family-friendly event to start off the summer together as a community.”
There will be live music, vendors, and free activities for the kids Matkin said.

“The vendors will be starting at 3 pm with the bands starting at 6:30 pm,” said Matkin.

 

The northern end of the Gathering Place is seen from National Avenue and Stanton Street. The splash pad is behind the pavilion to the left in this photo.

“The plan is to have the splash pad open,” for this bash, Bailey Lyons, one of the committee members of the splash pad said.

The Gathering Place is the venue of the new pavilion and splash pad on North National Avenue at Old Fort Boulevard. Here are the rules for the splash pad.

“The Hello Summer bash will feature Beach Boys tunes under the pavilion from the live tribute band, Surfin’ USA,” Matkin said.

“Surfin’ USA features seven musicians from the Kansas City area. Their collective dedication to quality musicianship and soaring harmonies will be on full display as they are committed to accurately recreating the music of The Beach Boys,” according to https://www.surfinusashow.com/

Before Sufin’ USA, Vinyl Revival will be playing at 6:30 p.m. at the pavilion.

“Comprised of six professional musicians near the Kansas City area, members of Vinyl Revival have opened for artists such as: Little River Band, Doobie Brothers, Eddie Money, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Firefall, Badfinger, The Guess Who, Joe Bonamassa, Blood Sweat & Tears, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Edgar Winter, Pure Prairie League, The Romantics, and Peter Frampton,” according to   https://vinylrevivalkc.com/

 

To view prior articles on the two new additions to downtown Fort Scott:

A new Downton Pavilion Is In the Works For Fort Scott

Construction of the Downtown Splash Pad Is Moving Forward

 

Looking northeast from National Avenue and Old Fort Boulevard.  The splash pad is in back of the pavilion.

Portrait of Gordon Parks: An Evening of Interpretive Jazz Event

Beach Museum of Art Specialist and Musician Nate McClendon will be at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center Theater on Thursday, March 21, 2024, to present his portrait of Gordon Parks in music and narration with a jazz band.

The performance starts at 7:30 p.m. and doors open at 7 p.m.

This performance was inspired by the exhibition Homeward to the Prairie I Come: Photographs by Gordon Parks from the Beach Museum of Art at Kansas State University organized by the Beach Museum with support from Art Bridges, a philanthropic organization dedicated to expanding access to American art.\

This music and narration event is free and open to the public of all ages courtesy of Art Bridges. It is part of the Gordon Parks
Convening at the Ellis Fine Arts Center, March 20 – 22, a collaboration with the Beach Museum of Art and the
Gordon Parks Museum funded by Art Bridges. The convening will have over twelve museum professionals from across the nation at Fort Scott learning more about Gordon Parks and his works.

For information on the Portrait of Gordon Parks: Interpretive Jazz event, contact Kirk Sharp, executive director,
620) 223-2700, ext. 5850, or at [email protected].
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