One of the Friday Night Concert series’ favorites, Rick Hite will return to the stage this week and will bring something for everyone.
The concert begins at 7p.m. at the Heritage Park Pavilion at First and Main streets.
Hite always sings a variety of music — country, oldies, gospel and folk.
“Rick is a versatile singer and guitarist who has been singing in church since Soun he was 4 and playing the guitar since he was 9,” concert series organizer Ralph Carlson said.
Hite has also played in a wide variety of venues, from Mildred Store, VFW, Eagles, Elks and Old Settlers locally to The White Horse Saloon in Black Mountain, S.C., and Jekyll Island, Ga.
“We’re pleased to welcome Rick back to the stage,” Carlson said. “Come out and enjoy the evening.
Seating is limited, so bring a lawn chair. In the event of extreme heat or inclement weather, the concert will be moved to Common Ground Coffee, Co., 12 E. Wall St.
Sound support is provided by Dave’s Music and Jim Butler. The concert series is sponsored by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce.
Fort Scott, KS — Time is running out to get your tickets for Wahzhazhe: An Osage Ballet being held at the Ellis Family Fine Arts Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College. This memorable stage performance is being offered at 7:30 pm on Friday, July 21 and Saturday, July 22 with a matinee performance at 3:00 pm on Saturday.
The Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site in partnership with the National Park Service is bringing Wahzhazhe to Fort Scott. “This is the story of the Osage people, told by the Osage Nation. It is our responsibility to provide a platform for these stories to be told.” stated park Program Manager, Carl Brenner. Ballet Director and Osage tribal member, Randy Tinker Smith developed the performance with the help of tribal elders and a primarily Indigenous team of professionals. Wahzhazhe has been performed at the Smithsonian’s Museum of the American Indian and for the Pope in Philadelphia, PA among other places throughout the region.
“This riveting stage performance has something for everyone. If you enjoy history, this is for you, if you are curious about Native American culture, this is for you, if you love the arts and dance, this is for you.” stated Kelley Collins, a member of the Friends ballet committee. “This is an especially effective way to introduce children to the arts and history. In additional to 12 professional dancers, there are dozens of children participating in the show. Questions and answers will be fielded by the dancers following each performance making this an tremendous educational opportunity for young and old alike.”
Tickets are $35 for adults and $15 for children (age 15 and below). They can be purchased online from the Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site’s Facebook page or at www.osageballet.com/events. Any remaining tickets will be sold in person starting an hour before the performance. Cash purchases at the door are available. Seating will begin one half hour before the show. For additional information e-mail [email protected].
Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lindsey Madison opens the FS Downtown Meet and Greet.
There are several community projects happening in Fort Scott.
At the Quarterly Downtown Meet and Greeton July 11, facilitated by the Chamber of Commerce, leaders of several of the projects gave updates. The event was hosted by Lyons Realty Group office.
Lindsey Madison, Chamber Executive Director, gave a summary of the upcoming events and promotions:
July 15: Christmas in July Sidewalk Sale
July 18: Patty LaRoche will present a book talk at Hedgehog.INK! from 7 to 8:30 p.m. LaRoche’s new book, A Little Faith Lift…Finding Joy Beyond Rejection will be featured.
August 4-6: Sales Tax Holiday Weekend, where participating businesses give customers a 9.4 percent discount on purchases.
Sept. 8-9: Town-wide Garage Sale
Sept. 9: Art Crawl by the Bourbon County Arts Council, the Artificers and more, from 2-6 p.m.
Sept. 16: Author Miranda Collins, Chanute, writer of Action Detective Mystery will be at Hedgehog.INK! at 2 p.m.
Sept. 21: Downtown Fall Fest, stores open until 8 p.m. for fall food snacks and shopping.
Oct. 28: Halloween Parade. Festivities start at 10 a.m., children’s downtown parade on Main Street at 11 a.m.
Nov. 9-11: Holiday Open House, kick off on Thursday from 5-8 p.m. with continued open house on Friday and Saturday.
Nov. 25: Shop Small Friday/Saturday in Fort Scott.
Nov. 30 Candy land Christmas with parade and festivities downtown.
Bailey Lyons gave an update on the splash pad project: Concrete is being poured this Thursday on the big splash pad. On July 15-16 volunteers are needed to help with landscaping projects: bring gloves and tools. The group has raised approximately $325,000 for the project nearing completion.
The new historic mural that will be created on Skubitz Plaza will be unveiled in coordination with the Gordon Parks Celebration on Oct. 6. The mural was approved by the city’s design review board this week, Jerry Witt, owner of the mural site building said.
The multi-purpose pavilion to be on Skubitz Plaza is in the works, Madison said. The Farmers Market group will use the facility “and anyone else.”
The welcome arch to the city is being worked on by the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team and will go to the city’s design review board.
The Chamber Golf Classic is this Friday July 14 at Woodland Hills Golf Course. They are still accepting raffle items.
The Special Olympic Golf Tournament is July 29 at the same course.
The mountain bike race, the Marmaton Massacre Festival, will be Sept. 16 in Gunn Park.
The annual Naturalization Ceremony at the Fort Scott National Historic Site will be on a Friday in September to be announced.
Bourbon County Commission Chairman Jim Harris said it is asphalt laying season in the county, “please be cautious of workers.”
“Since 2019 we’ve lowered the mill levy by 9.6%…I will not vote for a mill levy increase,” he said.
There is a new format for speaking at the commission meetings, he said: People must sign up and they get 5 minutes each to speak. “We want peoples input,” he said. “It’s OK to disagree but be professional.”
Harris said there is a request for proposals for the overpass project on the south side of Fort Scott. The commission will be applying for state and federal funds for the project.
Rob Harrington, Bourbon County Regional Economic Development Director, said they have been working on a Star Bond and TIF project south of town, and it will be “huge to the community.” His office is at the former Mercy Hospital building, now owned by Legacy Health Foundation.
Kari West, Lead Customer Solutions Manager at Evergy, said the utility company hasn’t had an increase in five years and they are requesting one. Evergy purchased property north and west of their current location on Skubitz Plaza with plans to move to that site.
The Fort Scott Quarterly Downtown Meet and Greet at Lyons Realty Group,, 8 E. Wall, on July 11.
Woodland Hills Golf Course, 2414 S. Horton, Fort Scott.
The 6th Annual Bourbon County Special Olympics Golf Scramble is July 29.
Amy Bockerstette, a Special Olympian from Phoenix, AZ. Submitted photo.
“To date we have raised over $115,00 for Special Olympics Kansas,” Steve Anthony, tournament director said. “Because last year was such a huge hit for us we are bringing back former Major Leaguer Otis Nixon to our event.”
“Otis will be bringing with him Harlem Globetrotter Hollywood Brown, Golf Trick Shot Artist Rocky Shipe, and Olympic Medalist Arthur Culbreath,” he said.
They have a full field of sixty-two teams with 264 players coming from seven different states.
Tee times will start on Saturday July 29 at 7a.m. with the first wave of teams. The second wave will take off at approx 1:15 p.m.
“I want to thank Andrew Defebaugh and Chase Halsey for all of their help to make this tournament a success,” Anthony said. “The community is invited to come out starting at 7 a.m. to purchase raffle tickets for $1 each.”
Time Judy, Ben Cole, Steve Anthony and Nick Rule at the Special Olympics event three years ago. Submitted photo.
“We also have a golf cart we will be giving away that day to the lucky winner of one of our many raffle prizes we will have available,” Anthony said. “I can’t thank the community enough for always stepping up to raise funds for such a great cause.”
For more information please contact him at 620-215-2392.
“Dangerous” Doug Harper will take the stage at 7 p.m. for the Friday Night Concert at the Heritage Park Pavilion at 1st and Main streets.
Harper is a returning musician, bringing many songs he’s written himself. A native of Nevada, Mo., Harper has been singing and playing guitar for many years. His career began with playing in bands, and toured through 38 states with Nevada’s Marci Mitchell, before Harper went solo in 2012.
Harper writes “modern folk songs,” but also performs some traditional songs. He calls his genre “subferior” because he said it’s “kind of country, kind of rock and kind of folk, which means there’s less instruments.”
Currently he performs in many nursing homes and coffee shops and said he likes the close connection to his audience.
Harper self-produces a couple of albums a year. When he’s not working in the theatre department at Cottey College as a technical director, he also produces a podcast, “Lunch With Doug” and a magazine, “Local Ear,” which can be picked up in 12 states.
“We welcome Doug back to the stage,” concert organizer Ralph Carlson said. “It’s always a pleasure to have local musicians bring their original music.”
The concert is free and seating is limited, so bring a lawn chair. In the event of inclement weather or extreme heat, the concert will moved to Common Ground Coffee at 12 E. Wall St.
Sound support is provided by Dave’s Music Gear and Jim Butler. The concert series is sponsored by the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce.
PAWHUSKA, Okla.—When researching Osage history for Wahzhazhe: An Osage Ballet, co-creator Randy Tinker-Smith, founder of Osage Ballet, spoke with around 50 elders. Tinker-Smith is Osage, and she knows that some things are not meant to be shared onstage.
“While doing research for the ballet, I spoke with around 50 Osage elders,” she said. “I did not want to do one thing without permission. I met with some of them numerous times, and by the end of that year we had lost three of them. Now looking back, I am just so thankful that I had that time with them.”
With Martin Scorsese’s film Killers of the Flower Moon being recently filmed in the present-day Osage Nation, Osage history is on the minds of many people. Visitors to Fort Scott, KS have three opportunities to experience 400 years of the rich history of the Osage through artistic dance when Wahzhazhe: An Osage Ballet is presented at Ellis Family Fine Arts Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, July 21 and 22.
Ellis Fine Arts Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2401 S. Horton.
The production is the work of Osage Ballet, a nonprofit organization which seeks to preserve and share the history of the Osage people through dance.
The first half of the ballet depicts life in the Osages’ ancestral homelands, which encompassed much of the middle of the United States, including the entirety of what is now Missouri. One of the earliest diaries chronicling the Osage people describe them as the “happiest people in the world.” Family and ceremony were at the center of culture and moving with the seasons was a way of life. With the arrival of Europeans, many of the ceremonies and the complex Osage clan system were almost decimated by war and disease. Like many Indigenous people, the mighty Osage were forced west onto smaller and smaller pieces of land. Eventually, the Osage bought their own reservation in Indian Territory and settled there in what is now Osage County, Oklahoma.
Tinker-Smith said her own family’s history was on her mind as she researched.
“When our tribe left Kansas in 1871, there had been so much death because of smallpox and starvation and other diseases,” she said. “The buffalo had been slaughtered. Fences had been put up. Everything had changed drastically. Because of that, the elders put away our ceremonies because they did not have the animals, plants, and implements they needed to do them properly. We are a highly organized people: You have a purpose, you learn how to do it, and you pass it on, but that could not be done anymore. My great-grandfather was born at St. Paul Mission in Kansas. I read a diary that said 600 Osage people died in one week while he was living there. This history touches our family so deeply.”
The first act of the ballet chronicles what was lost, while the second act portrays how the Osage survived and continue to thrive despite so much trauma.
“When I started meeting with these elders, I wanted to have permission about what I could tell in the story,” she said. “As long as I am alive, for example, you will never see our sacred ceremonial ways on our stage, but what you will see are the things we still have: Fire, feathers, water. Songs. There is a lot that we can share, and it is exceptionally beautiful.”
The Osage Ballet, Wahzhazhe was created by a predominately Indigenous team with choreography by Jenna LaViolette (Osage) and original music by Osage composer Lou Brock. Dr. Joseph Rivers, chair of the film department at the University of Tulsa, composed original music and arranged the score. Osage artists Wendy Ponca, Alexander Ponca Stock, and the late Terry Wann, designed the costumes and backdrops. Shawnee Peoria artist Roman Jasinski, Jr. served as artistic adviser. (Jasinski is the son of Moscelyne Larkin, one of five Indigenous ballerinas from Oklahoma to gain international fame in the 20th century.) Professional dancers for the production are from ballet companies around the US. Joining the professional dancers are students of Dance Maker Academy in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, representing 19 Native nations.
For tickets and information on the July 21 and 22 performances in Fort Scott, KS visit their website, www.osageballet.com/events and watch for posts
The Fourth of July celebration will continue Friday at the Heritage Park Pavilion – folk style.
The Prairie Sunflower Strings will perform several patriotic songs beginning at 7 p.m. at 1st and Main streets.
The musical group plays traditional folk music and has put together a collection of patriotic music for the season. A few traditional songs will also be added into the mix.
Members of the group are Jean Strader and Cherry Nelson on mountain dulcimers, Marilyn Adcock on autoharp and vocals, Sandy Hemphill on guitar, violin and vocals, and Jack Hemphill on guitar. The musicians have been playing together for about five years.
“This is a group of very talented musicians and vocalists who are always a delight to hear,” concert-series organizer Ralph Carlson said. “Their sound is unique and gets to the heart of what local music is about.”
Sponsored by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, Friday Night Concerts are free. Bring lawn chairs as seating is limited. In the event of rain or extreme heat, the concert will be moved to Common Ground Coffee Co., 12 E. Wall St.
Sound support is provided by Dave’s Music Gear and Jim Butler. The concert series is sponsored by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce.
A fireworks display. Photo provided by Shawn Pytlowany.
The annual community fireworks display will be July 3 at Fort Scott Community College, 2108 Horton Street. Cars will be lined up on Horton for viewing the display.
Shaunn Pytlowany, lead pyrotechnician with Premier Pyrotechnics will be once again be orchestrating the fireworks display for Fort Scott.
“This is our second year of a multi-year contract,” Pytlowany said.
The display will be shorter this year, but more spectacular.
“We have been asked to provide a 15 minute show, to shorten it, so there will be more going off at any one time,” Pytlowany said. “Which will make it more spectacular.”
Fireworks set up for a display. Photo submitted by Shawn Pytlowany.
KMDO, KOMB, 103.9 radio station will be broadcasting music to listen to while watching the display.
There will be 512 aerials exploded with display heights of between 275 to 600 feet, depending on wind speed and humidity, he said.
Pytlowany and his crew will start setting up the display at 7 a.m. on July 3 and under normal circumstances set up will be complete between 8:30 and 9 p.m.
He has provided displays for local football and soccer games, cities, weddings, family reunions, and at the LaRoche Baseball Complex for the Wounded Warrior Project. The Premier Pyrotechnics company has provided displays for the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs, he said.
He has worked at Premier Pyrotechnics, based in Richland, MO for nine years, but has been fascinated by them for 40 years, he said.
“I was always interested in the design, manufacturing process and of course the explosion,” he said.
Sponsors
Advance Bourbon County, a local non-profit, took over the organizing and paying for the display from the Elks Club this year.
This year the cost of the event is $12,000.
Helping to sponsor the fireworks event is Fort Scott Gun and Pawn Shop, the City of Fort Scott, Tall Grass Building System, the American Legion, the Elks Club, Brian Bowman Construction, Engstrom Construction, the Kiwanis Club and A-1 Towing.
Prelude Fun and Food
There will be local vendors selling food and drinks: Juan Some Grub, Fort Scott High School Swim Team-lemonade tent, Valley Flavor, Tiger Ice Sno Cones, Doggone Dogs, and Los Tres Pollitos, Aaron Judy, one of the organizers said.
Additionally, there will be corn hole and other yard games for people to use, he said.
These will be set up in the area between the FSCC John Deere Department (the old armory) and the 4-H Building on the Bourbon County Fairgrounds.
Fort Scott’s Rules For Fireworks
During the event, there can be no fireworks discharged from 18th Street and Horton Street to 23rd and Horton, according to Fort Scott Police Department Chief Jason Pickert.
“They cannot be discharged on the community college campus or on the Bourbon County Fairgrounds,” he said.
Fireworks can be purchased until July 4.
Until July 2 they can be discharged from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. On July 3 and July 4 they can be discharged from 7 a.m. until midnight.
The splash pad project is moving ahead with plans for a summer opening, according to Bailey Lyons, one of the committee members spearheading the project.
The project is located on North National Avenue, across from Brick Street BBQ Restaurant on Skubitz Plaza.
“You may have noticed there has been a lot of recent action at the site of the Splashpad and Sensory Park,” according to a press release from Lyons. “With Playscapes Recreation leading the charge, and the Splashpad and Sensory Park committee heavily involved, much progress has been made in the last few weeks.”
Looking west towards National Avenue, one can see the recent work at the splash pad site. Submitted photo.
The Splashpad and Sensory Park Committee is comprised of Kelly Barr, Katie Hueston, Josh Jones, Lyons, and Meredith Tucker.
They have been actively working on this project for the past year, and have raised over $300,000 in funds and in-kind donations.
From the Fort Scott Splash Pad and Sensory Park Facebook page.
The committee’s mission is to build the first all-inclusive, fully accessible park in Fort Scott, according to the press release.
The full press release is as follows:
“This sensory playground and splash pad will offer children and their families a fun, safe, barrier-free space to play, laugh, interact, and feel like they belong – regardless of their abilities. This project is about community, education, engagement, advocacy, and inclusion.”
“This playground has been intentionally designed with sensory stimulation in mind to maximize play and support the development of all children. The park will include a variety of equipment and activities made to engage as many senses as possible, and appeal to a broad range of ages and ability levels.”
“While the Splashpad and Sensory Park will provide a new, unique, and fun option for able-bodied children to play, it will be the first and only option for many kids in our community who have disabilities and cannot enjoy our other parks. These special kids and their families will no longer be left out or displaced when it comes to enjoying recreational amenities, something that many take for granted.”
The committee has plans to open the splash pad this summer and “is almost to the finish line….through grants, monetary donations and in-kind donations,” according to the press release. “As work quickly progresses towards a grand opening (date to be announced), there are notable changes occuring at the site regularly.”
Here is a list of what has been done:
the pad has been leveled and brought up to grade,
elevations have been set,
water and electric have been laid to the site,
drain lines have been laid,
feature footings have been set,
piping from the features has been laid,
and the vault has been set to house the manifold which will soon be placed.
“Once all of this is wrapped up, concrete will be poured, and the features will be installed after the pads have cured. The committee is still actively working to complete the park with the final piece – an ADA accessible restroom – which they hope will be added in the very near future.”
A portion of the concrete for the splash pad is being poured today, June 27. Submitted photo.
The committee is planning two work days and is inviting the public to help on-site with the project
In the coming weeks, clean up and landscaping will take place on Sunday July 9, and/or Saturday July 15.
Those who would like to help, please contact Lyons at (620)224-7795 so that jobs and tools/materials can be coordinated for the work.
Robert Coon, A-1 Towing, donated his company’s personnel and truck to put a concrete vault in place on June 22 for the upcoming splash pad project. The concrete will house the plumbing for the splash pad. Submitted photo.
“The Splashpad and Sensory Park Committee would like to sincerely thank all of the generous donors who have contributed thus far, both monetary and in-kind donations,” according to the press release. “Donors who have given $500 and above are listed below, and will be featured on permanent signage at the park:
FOUNDERS
Timken Foundation of Canton
Walmart
BENEFACTORS ($10,000+)
Contributors to YAT/Parks Advisory Board
Alta Davis
Evergy
No Limits Rehabilitation/Brad & Meredith Tucker
City of Fort Scott
ADVOCATES ($5,000-9,999)
Advanced Bourbon County
Aetna – Better Health of Kansas
Bourbon County REDI
Bourbon County, KS
Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas
Forrest & Julia Sewell
Fort Scott Area Community Foundation
Healthy Bourbon County Action Team
Key Charitable Trust
Lyons Realty Group
Niece Products of Kansas
Steven & Jessica Tucker
SPONSORS ($2,500-4,999)
Bloomfield Foundation In Memory of Tim Bloomfield & His Grandaughter Olivia Bloomfield
Hammerson Ready Mix
Jayhawk Wind
In Honor & Memory of Lillian Rose Kraft
Modern Woodman Fraternal Financial
O’Brien Ready Mix
Joshua & Terra Tecchio-Baseley
Sheridan Nash
Skitch’s Hauling & Excavation
DONORS ($1,000-2,499)
A1 Towing & Recovery
Advantage Metals Recycling
Big Sugar Lumber
Bourbon County Cars
Bourbon County Garden Club
Cheney Witt Funeral Chapel
DelBrenna Jewelry by Megan Neil & Sebastian Ghezzi
Dreamscape Innovations, Inc.
Fort Scott Recreation Department
Highway 3
In Loving Memory of Marsha Lancaster, Longtime Owner of Marsha’s Deli
In Memory of Angelo-Sondra Dellantonia
Janet Braun
Jeff Allen Electric
Landmark National Bank
Lee Sewell-Painter
Legacy Health
Mid-Continental Restoration
Mitch Welch
Pearson Towing
Pete’s of Erie, Inc.
RII Concrete Construction
Sleep Inn
Sonic
Thomas Concrete & Construction
Valu Merchandisers Co.
W/K Holdings
FRIENDS ($500-999)
Bowman’s NuGrille
Budgetel Inn & Suites – Aaradhya Piyush Mistry
Clifton Chiropractic
Davis & Associates Tax + Consulting
FSHS FFA & Construction Trades
Greyhound Football Legacy Center
The Gugnani Family
The Horton House
John Crain – In Memory of Don & Connie Crain
JW & Diana Endicott
Konantz – Cheney Funeral Home
Labconco
Liberty Savings Association, FSA
Lyons & Lyons
The Meeks Family
Scott and Melissa Meyers
Museum of Creativity
{Re:freshed} Spa
The Reynolds Law Firm
Riggs Chiropractic of Fort Scott
Stewart Realty
Union State Bank
The donors listed above have contributed $500+, according to Lyons. “In addition to these, there have been numerous donors below the $500 level, and their generosity and support is also much appreciated!”
An artist’s rendition of the splash pad from the Fort Scott Splash Pad and Sensory Facebook page.
The City of Fort Scott is supplying the water to the splash pad.
“The city’s part is to get the splash pad the water supply,” Fort Scott’s Water Distribution Supervisor Bill Lemke said.
Fireworks from the Independence Day Celebration in Uniontown 2022. Submitted by Amy Holt.
The Independence Day Bash will be held on Monday, July 3rd in the Uniontown City Park.
“We love celebrating our nation’s independence with our friends and neighbors and hope to see YOU there,” according to Amy Holt, Vice President – Loan Administration at Union State Bank.
The bank has funded the annual event for 18 years.
Events start at 6:30 p.m. with a free hot dog and chips meal, that the bank provides.
Uniontown’s Baptist Church will be selling soft drinks for a camp fundraiser, the Uniontown High School Cheerleaders will have a bake sale and sell glow sticks, and the Old Settlers Day Committee will have a bake sale to raise funds for the annual event in Uniontown on Labor Day.
There will also be inflatables (bounce houses, etc. )for the kids and kids at heart, she said.
There will be live entertainment by Trevor Holman and the Haymakers.
This band is a Red Dirt and Classic Country Band from Southeast Kansas, according to its Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/HAYMKRZ/
The fireworks begin at dusk, this time of year around 9:30 or 10 p.m.
