September 8, 2023 – The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes received a grant from the Fort Scott Community Foundation in October of 2022. The grant provided the Lowell Milken Center with a Celestron NexStar 8SE fully automated telescope that can locate and track 40,000 celestial objects!
The Lowell Milken Center is planning its first Star Party on Saturday, September 16th at 7:00 p.m. The evening will begin in the Lowell Milken Unsung Heroes Park with a short program about Unsung Hero Henrietta Swan Leavitt, whose very early discoveries in the field of astronomy made it possible to map out the stars in the universe. Next on the agenda, NASA Ambassador Jamie Davis will be inside the Lowell Milken Center to give a presentation about the Webb Telescope and its findings.
Refreshments will be served at the Center before attendees move to the parade grounds at Fort Scott National Historic Site to star gaze. All are invited to help use the Center’s telescope for the first time. There will be additional telescopes set up that can be used for space viewing and star gazing. The views will be worth it!
ALL ARE WELCOME!!
Don’t forget to dress for the weather and bring a lawn chair and flashlight.
About the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation: The FSACF’s goal is to partner with and be a resource to organizations whose goals are to improve the quality of life in the Fort Scott, Kansas area. FSACF strives to create connections between donors and a variety of worthwhile causes.
About the Lowell Milken Center: The Lowell Milken Center is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) that works with students and educators within a range of diverse academic disciplines, to develop projects focused on unsung heroes. Once their projects are finished, we advocate the student’s unsung heroes by sharing them in our Hall of Unsung Heroes or our website so people all over the world discover their individual influence and obligation to take actions that improve the lives of others.
The past couple of years the attendance has been growing for the Downtown Trick-or-Treat parade with 600+ kids in attendance! At the end of the parade, we serve a hotdog, chips, and drink to each child who is in costume. We have been very thankful for the gracious donations from you all in the past!
If your business is interested in making a donation, please contact us! Click here to email us or call the
Chamber at 620-223-3566.
We will accept monetary donations or other items such as hot dogs, buns, individually packaged chips, or drinks.
Saturday, October 28, 2023 @ 11:00 AM
10-11am: Walgreens will be taking pictures with a Halloween Backdrop & providing a free 4 x 6 print. The backdrop will also be available throughout the event for pictures with your own camera.
Face painting will be offered by the Fort Scott High School Pride and Thespian Clubs!
11am: Parade will start at La Hacienda, down the west side of Main Street to 2nd, then back down the east side of Main Street to Skubitz Plaza.
Following parade: Hotdog, chips & drink will be served to the kids in costume provided through the generous donation of local businesses!
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***Businesses along Main Street will be handing out candy during the parade, and businesses not on Main Street as well as any community organizations are welcome to set up a table along Main to pass out candy, coupons, promo items, etc.***
Please email the Chamber if your business or organization will be passing out candy so we can plan accordingly.
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Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce | 231 E. Wall Street, Fort Scott, KS 66701
On October 21st Harley Race “World League Wrestling” is coming to Fort Scott.
World League Wrestling Showdown airs on 15 stations across the United States.
In 1999, professional wrestling legend Harley Race created WLW. The sport had lost many fans across the world and this company was his way to try and give fans an alternative to what they see on television. WLW takes modern wrestling and traditional wrestling and brings it to a place where everyone can enjoy it.
Jason Scott and The High Heat along with B.J. Pruitt and the Barnstormers will be performing on November 4.
Too loud for folk music and too textured for Red Dirt, this is the sound of a genuine band rooted in groove, grit, and its own singular spirit, led by a songwriter whose unique past— a Pentecostal upbringing, years logged as a preacher-in-training, and an eventual crisis of faith — has instilled both a storyteller’s delivery and a unique perspective about life, love, and listlessness in the modern world. Their first full-length album Castle Rock, independently released in February 2022, spent two months in the top 50 reaching all the way to #36 with the help of Angela Backstrom and Rek Room Media.
The band is composed of Jason Scott (guitar, vocals), Gabriel Mor (guitar), Taylor Johnson (guitar, keys), Alberto Roubert (drums), Ryan Magnani (bass), and Garrison Brown (keys).
The Almost Kiss Tribute Band will be in Fort Scott on November 18.
Considered talented enough to be placed on the world-famous “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” in front of an international audience, Almost Kiss caught the eye of the Family Jewels Producers and Executives in 2010 and was one of six tribute bands to be endorsed by Gene Simmons.
Since then this amazing group of four musicians has continued to excite crowds all over the country, growing substantially in popularity.
On December 16th Copenhagen Bandit Live will be entertaining in Fort Scott.
Right now Advance Bourbon County is offering a 2-for-1 special: Buy tickets to Harley Race World League Wrestling event and get free tickets to Copenhagen Bandit.
The 117th Old Settlers Picnic continues today with a kid’s carnival, lunch, games, and car show.
Here are some moments caught before the parade:
The kid’s carnival area is being set up by Old Settlers Picnic volunteers.Vendors fill the Uniontown Park Square.Cars and other vehicles gather at the West Bourbon Elementary School parking lot for a car show. Winners are announced at 2 p.m. today.Children begin to line up for the children’s parade, which is a half hour before the regular parade.
Onlookers line the streets of Uniontown Square before the parade begins.The children’s parade was at 10:30 a.m.Uniontown Cheerleaders gather to walk in the parade at the staging area in the high school football parking lot.Football boys wait at the staging area for the parade.The Fort Scott Community College parade entry waits at the staging area for the parade.Uniontown High footballers wait on their float for the parade to begin.The class of 1973 waits on the back of Steve William’s trailer, in line for the parade.
The Missourians In His Service will be at First Southern Baptist Church, 1818 S Main, on September 9th at 6:00 P.M. at the Church. Come one, come all. Free will offering will be taken.
The First Southern Baptist Church, 1818 S. Main.
Tight harmonies, upbeat concerts, soul touching songs & the love of Jesus Christ is what The Missourians are best known for. For over thirty years they have been spreading the message of Jesus Christ through song.
During that time they have recorded 18 albums and 2 videos including their latest release “Say Amen”.
The Group based out of Joplin Missouri, is comprised of talented vocalists who have a true desire of spreading the good news to people of all ages and locations.
In 2018 the guys received the honor of being voted the
“FOUR STATES FINEST” in two categories.
Whether it’s a rural church or city auditorium The Missourians have one purpose…to share the love of Jesus through music.
The Missourians have shared the stage with such greats as Gold City, Brian Free & Assurance, Legacy Five, Ivan Parker, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers and many others.
Don’t miss this opportunity to see The Missourians LIVE in concert .
www.themissourians.com
This is the schedule of activities for the 117 Annual Old Settlers Picnic in Uniontown.
There will be various foods to choose from at the annual Old Settler’s Picnic on Monday.
The Uniontown FFA will be selling BBQ food, the Uniontown United Methodist Church will be selling chicken dinners and in addition, there will be a taco truck, hot dog truck, burger truck, BBQ vendors, shaved iced, homemade goodies by Mary Ridge, and Uniontown High School Seniors baked goodies, according to Sara Roufs, president of the Old Settlers Picnic committee.
Starting over in a small beach community on the east coast, Kathleen Deane discovers this picturesque town is not what it seems but just what she needs as she finds herself in an all-out war with her neighbors who are building a huge monstrosity next to her tiny cottage.
While investigating the disappearance of 22-year-old Oliva, Julia, the detective heading up the case, discovers, to save her own family, she must not find out what happened to Oliva and must frame somebody else for her murder. 150,000 first printing.
“This summer, meet your neighbors. The residents of the exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal utterly unknown to the outside world, and even to each other. On the night of the annual Summer block party, there has been a murder. But, who did it and why takes readers back one year earlier, as rivalries and betrayals unfold–discovering that the real danger lies within their own block and nothing–and no one–is ever as it seems”
Two teens in 1960s California grapple with the unconventional path of their mother, who defies societal expectations as a talented female surfer, in the new novel from the New York Times best-selling author of The Children’s Blizzard.
When she literally crashes into Jack one Friday morning, Gemma Peters gets a funny feeling of déjà vu until he tells her the unbelievable truth: they’ve lived this day over and over 147 times and to break the loop, she must fall in love with him in 24 hours. Original.
Reuniting 30 years after a tragic accident ended their show Mister Magic, the five surviving cast members, who hold the secret of their close circle, the mystery of the beloved magical host and what really happened on that deadly last day, soon wonder if they’ve been lured into a trap.
When her lover is assassinated and her sibling is kidnapped by Imperial solders, Enitan, using her fledgling tea business as cover, moves undetected through the Vaalbaran capital where she will learn just how far she’ll go to exact vengeance, free her sibling and secure her homeland’s freedom.
When her husband Lewis, a few weeks after their wedding, receives a rare diagnosis—his physical body will gradually turn into a great white shark—Wren, struggling with his fate, finds his developing carnivorous nature activating long-repressed memories which forces her to make an impossible choice.
While collecting overdue drug money in a rundown Portland, Oregon apartment complex, Hutch Holtz discovers a severed hand in the client’s refrigerator and quickly realizes the body part induces uncontrollable madness and violence and sets catastrophic forces into motion.
In a down-and-out Pennsylvania town, Nathan, a volunteer fireman who finds a secret stash of money; Callie, a nurse who risks her career to grant her young patient a final wish; and Andy, a recovering heroin addict who doles out vigilante justice, must face their troubled pasts—and their crimes—to have a future.
Discovering a small band of rustlers are hiding stolen cows from other ranches among their herd, former lawman Ty Brannigan and his son Matt, while investigating, are drawn into the biggest heist in history and must race against time to stop it before innocent people die. Original.
Two siblings, one an AWOL marine working off the grid for Evel Knievel and the other a star reporter, deal with the culturally weird events of 1977, including the Summer of Sam and the death of Elvis. 150,000 first printing.
“William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he’s been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter, Avery, unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper. Hours later, Avery’s family declares her missing. Who took Avery Wooler?”
“One brilliant June day when Mia Jacob can no longer see a way to survive, the power of words saves her. The Scarlet Letter was written almost two hundred years earlier, but it seems to tell the story of Mia’s mother, Ivy, and their life inside the Community–an oppressive cult in western Massachusetts where contact with the outside world is forbidden, and books are considered evil. But how could this be? How could Nathaniel Hawthorne have so perfectly captured the pain and loss that Mia carries inside her? Through a journey of heartbreak, love, and time, Mia must abandon the rules she was raised with at the Community. As she does, she realizes that reading can transport you to other worlds or bring them to you, and that readers and writers affect one another in mysterious ways. She learns that time is more fluid than she can imagine, and that love is stronger than any chains that bind you. As a girl Mia fell in love with a book. Now as a young woman she falls in love with a brilliant writer as she makesher way back in time. But what if Nathaniel Hawthorne never wrote The Scarlet Letter? And what if Mia Jacob never found it on the day she planned to die?”
A New York Times best-selling journalist shares an explosive new understanding of heat in this searing examination of the impact that rising temperatures will have on our lives and on our planet.
“ChatGPT For Dummies demystifies the artificial intelligence tool that can answer questions, write essays, and generate just about any kind of text it’s asked for. This powerful example of generative AI is widely predicted to upend education and business. In this book, you’ll learn how ChatGPT works and how you can operate it in a way that yields satisfactory results. You’ll also explore the ethics of using AI-generated content for various purposes”
“In 2021, women represented 54.3% of the US workforce but only held 35% of senior leadership positions. Of that percentage, only 2.7% of Asian women were seen in management roles. While there have been great leaps for women in the workplace in the last decade, women of color still fall behind. The Tao of Self-Confidence book sets a foundation to help Asian Women start being seen as leaders in work and life rather than by our stereotypes. In order to move forward with true confidence, we must learn the lessons our challenges have taught us and heal our trauma. With an honest and vulnerable approach, Yap Chan discusses and explores the specific challenges our community faces, historically and now in the midst of the pandemic, intergenerational and historical trauma, false stories we tell ourselves, and how we can rise above stereotypes. We’ll tap into our inner joy, celebrate our authentic self, and awaken the leader within.”
A global humanitarian born with spinal muscular atrophy—and the first-ever disabled African awarded a full scholarship at Oxford University—shows how he broke through every barrier put in front of him—a queer, black wheelchair user—challenging the bias at the highest echelons of power and prestige. Illustrations.
Drawing on interviews with marine geologists, marine biologists and oceanographers, a premiere chronicler of the aquatic world and New York Times best-selling author provides a fascinating history of deep-sea exploration and shows how urgent it is that we understand the ocean in a time of increasing threats from climate change. Illustrations.
“A brief examination of how new and advanced technologies can change the world of medicine for the better. Future care is virtual care: sensor-aided, digitally enabled, and powered by predictive analytics. Like most facets of modern life, human organs, too, are being digitally monitored. Sensors are well on their way to helping us proactively capture the information needed to predict and prevent disease. Paired with the medical world’s growing emphasis on wellness and prevention, the digital revolution will help us effectively monitor and address the chronic diseases that have been the Achilles’ heel of the health care system to date. This large-scale transition is not only going to reshape the patient-physician relationship but also dramatically changehow hospitals and the business of medicine operate”
“Drawing on decades of gardening experience, and illustrated with vibrant photography from her own home and garden, popular gardening lifestyle influencer Allison Vallin Kostovick offers sage advice on growing bountiful harvests of favorite vegetables, herbs, and flowers”
The Tucker Family Band “70s Elvis: Hawaiian Style” Concert
held at The Fort Scott River Room
Raised on good music with a lot of soul, the Tucker Family Band (TFB) will present their “70s Elvis: Hawaiian Style” show at 7 p.m. on Friday, September 8, at the River Room (upstairs with elevator access), 3 W. Oak. Doors open at 6 p.m.
The band is comprised of Carolyn Tucker (keys and vocals), daughter Mariam Tucker Self (vocals and saxophone), son Aaron Tucker (drums and vocals), Stephan Moses (lead guitar and vocals), and Jessica Bergen on the electric bass. Everyone in the five-member band has many years of experience playing and singing in a variety of venues.
Elvis Presley made entertainment history in 1973 with his global “Aloha from Hawaii” live via satellite television special. The TFB show will feature several songs from Elvis’ Hawaiian concert such as See See Rider, Burning Love, Steamroller Blues, I Can’t Stop Loving You, Hound Dog, Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On, A Big Hunk o’ Love, plus more of the Band’s favorites such as Proud Mary, Little Sister, Never Been to Spain, Polk Salad Annie, Moody Blue, and more.
“All these individuals have been making music since they were youngsters. So when all that experience, talent, and family unity joins together musically, the band is really tight,” concert-series organizer Ralph Carlson said. “You won’t want to miss this unique show of lively, classy Elvis covers. The show is free (tips appreciated) and sponsored by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce.”
Sound is provided by Dave’s Music Gear and Jim Butler.
Fort Scott Kan. – Saturday, September 2 through Monday, September 4, 2022, Fort Scott National Historic Site will take you on an exploration of the labors and leisure on an 1840s frontier post. Throughout Labor Day weekend enjoy live music, historic yard games, and a variety of living history demonstrations, and interpretive programs. Visit with soldiers, officer’s wives, laundresses, the post Sutler and find out about the labors of the fort and some of the leisure activities. All programs are free and open to the public. And enjoy ice cream, while it lasts, on Saturday at 11:30 am courtesy of the Friends of Fort Scott NHS, Inc.
On Saturday and Sunday, volunteer Katelyn Dancer will be playing the violin on Officer’s Row and volunteer Mathew Wells will be playing the guitar on the porch of the Dragoon’s Barracks. Monday September 4 at 11:00 am, the Prairie Sunflower Strings will be presenting a concert of folk music out on the parade ground.
Guided Fort Tours will be offered daily at 10 am and 1 pm. Ranger Charles will be presenting a program about Native American storytelling at 11 am on Saturday and Sunday.
Fort Scott National Historic Site’s, a unit of the National Park Service, exhibit areas and visitor center are open daily from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. The park grounds are open daily from a half hour before sunrise until a half hour after sunset. To find out more or become involved in activities at the Fort, please contact the park at 620-223-0310 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/fosc.
The fall lineup of youth and family programming for the Fort Scott Public Library.
Submitted by
Valetta Cannon
Fort Scott Public Library
Youth Librarian & Assistant Director
Tuesdays at 10 a.m.: Storytime with Miss Val – Enjoy themed stories, songs, crafts, snacks, and playtime in the library’s event room. Our upcoming themes are: Camping on August 29, Grandparents on September 5, and Apples on September 12.
Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m.: 4th – 12th grade group meets for game nights, movie nights, crafts, book discussions, community service projects, and more. Snacks are always served. Our next event is Blanket Fort Movie Night on August 30.
Marvelous Monday Homeschool events are monthly on the 2nd Monday at 4 pm. Our first event of this school year will be our Back to Homeschool Party on September 11. Meet at the library to explore robotics, STEM, local history, writing, photography, web design, and much more. The library is seeking special guest speakers to cover various topics related to homeschooling. Interested? Email Miss Val at [email protected].
Coding Club: The 6th-12 grade group meets on the 1st & 3rd Thursday of the month at 4:30. The 3rd-5th grade group meets on the 2nd & 4th Thursday of the month at 4:30. The program is sponsored in part by Girls Who Code, and the library uses their curriculum and Club Funds program to help facilitate the meetings. Participants will learn basic elements of coding and explore robotics, enjoy snacks, and use a variety of technology to work on group projects.
Book Club for 4th – 12th grades:Meet Miss Val at Common Ground to discuss books, play bookish games, and enjoy free treats, courtesy of the FSMS VIP’s.
Star Wars Reads Day on October 23, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Celebrate all things Star Wars at the library. Snacks, games, books, crafts, movies, prizes, and activities are provided. All ages welcome.
Literacy Reward Programs:The library offers three literacy reward programs year-round: 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten for ages Birth to K; 500 Books Before Middle School for grades 1st to 5th; 100 Books Before Graduation for grades 6th to 12th. Prizes and milestones vary.
All library programs are free and open to the public. Find out more about the library’s programs and sign up at fortscott.mykansaslibrary.org.
Jackie Warren at the memorial , a labyrinth path, at Riverfront Park for her late husband, Allen Warren. Her husband was on the Riverfront Authority Board until his recent death. Jackie and Allen volunteered labor and equipment to help construct the park, according to Jerry Witt. Submitted photo.
The Belltown Trail in Riverfront Park continues to be popular, even though Fort Scott is under a heat advisory, according to Jerry Witt. “Many exercise enthusiasts continue to walk the trail under the shade of the tree lined path.”
“A lot of people use the park,” he said.
Witt is chairman of a board called the Riverfront Authority that has been improving the park on North National Avenue in Fort Scott since 2005.
There is a new addition to the park added this summer.
The Fort Scott Area Community Foundation awarded a $1,500 grant to construct a labyrinth path, according to Witt. A labyrinth concrete pad has been completed next to the west side of the half-mile Belltown Trail. A labyrinth is a complex and circuitous path that leads from a beginning point to a center.
“It was Allen Warren’s idea to construct a labyrinth path in Riverfront Park,” he said. “He met with his Methodist minister, Christopher Eshelman, and Riverfront staff to talk about the possibilities of this being placed in Riverfront Park. But before the final plans were in place, Allen passed away.”
For the many hours of volunteer labor and use of his tractor equipment donated to the park construction, Witt decided to go ahead with the project and dedicate the labyrinth to Allen’s memory.
“The 24 ft. by 24 ft. concrete pad structure can be used by citizens to walk it’s path for meditation or just as a playful path for exercise,” Witt said. ” A plaque to honor Allen will be placed by the structure.”
History of Riverfront Park
Members of Fort Scott Bourbon County Riverfront Authority discuss updates on construction projects at Riverfront Park in 2017. From left clockwise: Dan Magee, Bob Love, Allen Warren, Jerry Witt and Jeff Sweetser.
The park began as an outshoot of a town wide visioning event in 2005, when citizens wanted to develop the Marmaton River as an asset to the community.
“Dean Mann saw the vision of a riverfront park and he was the original chairman, until he retired several years ago,” Witt said.
The Fort Scott Bourbon County Riverfront Authority was formed in April 2007, with approval from then Kansas Governor Sebelius.
Their mission was to purchase and develop land along the river to create a park and they also created a master plan.
“We had to have property owners buy in to the vision of the park,” Witt said. “Most donated land to the Riverfront Park.” That process took years.
The Belltown Trail information kiosk at Riverfront Park.
Since then the following has been put in the park: a lighted walkway, parking spaces, an observation deck at rivers edge, a pavilion and a loop drive on the south side of the river which goes under Hwy. 69.
Riverfront Park’s overlook structure in 2021.
Local artist Stephan Toal has beautified the inside of the underpass with historical murals.
Murals by Stephen Toal. Submitted photo.
The Fort Scott Garden Club has planted and maintained a flower garden on the south side, with the Fort Scott Fire Department watering it. The City of Fort Scott put in a facility in the southwest part of the trail for people to fill their water bottles.
“The city has plans to build a walkway from the north side of the bridge to the Bell Town Trail, probably this fall,” Witt said.
Paul Ballou, who works for the city helps maintain the park and does “a great job,” Witt said.
The park has been used for weddings, business meetings on nice days, car shows and many other events..
“There will be a festival in the park on Sept. 30,” Witt said. “It will be all day and feature Bluegass music and a car show.”
To reserve the pavilion, one must call the city offices at 223-0550.
Members of the Riverfront Authority at the ribbon cutting of the pavilion in 2018. From left Allen Warren, Arnold Schofield, Danny Magee, Jerry Witt, Dean Mann and Betty Boyko.
Current members of the Riverfront Authority board: Penny Barnes, Dan Magee, Bob Love, Arnold Schofield, Jeff Sweetser and Witt. Mann remains an ex-officio member, and Kate Sweetser is a part of the group as well, Witt said.