Sending on behalf of Chamber member Gordon Parks Museum…
Gordon Parks Museum invites you to take part in the 21st Annual Celebration
This weekend ~ October 3rd-5th!
The Celebration kicks off with the Chamber Coffee hosted by the Gordon Parks Museum, Thursday, October 3rd, 8am ~ everyone welcome!
The 21st Annual event will include photo exhibits, poetry contest/exhibit, sign and mural display, films, a special Gordon Parks themed trolley tour & more!
Friday will feature the Celebration Dance Party with “Full Flava Kings”, see below for more details.
Saturday will feature the Celebration Tribute Dinner with the presentation of the Choice of Weapons Awards along with the presentation of the Learning Tree Award to Arnold Schofield and the late Daryl Roller.
The Choice of Weapons Conversation, Premier Screening of the documentary I Needed Paris and the free Lunch and Learn events on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Tickets are available at the Gordon Parks Museum, online at gordonparkcenter.org, or call 620-223-2700 ext. 5850
Click here for the Gordon Parks Museum website and a list of detailed events.
Click here to download a printable copy of the schedule of events linked below.
A highlight this year is the “Celebration Dance Party” featuring The Full Flava Kings at the Liberty Theatre. The Full Flava Kings from Tulsa, Oklahoma are one of the best party bands in the region.
A special thank you to our Chamber Champion members!
Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce | 231 E. Wall Street | Fort Scott, KS 66701 US
When Grace Winters is left a house on a Mediterranean island by a long-lost friend, she arrives in Ibiza with no guidebook and no plan, in a novel by the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Midnight Library.
When, after Father Silence is put to death, a copycat serial killer called the Outcast emerges, kidnapping her daughter, Detective Tess Claibourne must face her worst fears and long-buried memories to visit the only survivor of Father Silence to see what secrets might be buried in his broken mind.
“When local girl Loren includes Mara in a traditional Blackfeet Giveaway to honor Loren’s missing sister, Mara thinks she’ll finally make some friends on the Blackfeet reservation. Instead, a girl from the Giveaway, Samantha White Tail, is found murdered. Because the four members of the Giveaway group were the last to see Samantha alive, each becomes a person of interest in the investigation. And all of them–Mara, Loren, Brody, and Eli–have a complicated history with Samantha. Despite deep mistrust, the four must now take matters into their own hands and clear their names. Even though one of them may be the murderer”
A librarian with a knack for solving murders soon realizes there is something supernatural afoot in her little town, in a cozy mystery by the author of The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry. Original.
After accidentally hearing a secret conversation between her terminally ill mother and her aunt, Tia must choose between protecting a runaway girl or uncovering a truth that could change the lives of the girls in their Nigerian village.
When she accidentally donates her favorite book containing a memento she can’t be without to the community library, Erin, when the book turns up a week later with fresh notes in the margins, starts a life-changing conversation through an anonymous book exchange that leads to something unexpected.
“Henry is a brilliant engineer who, after untold hours spent in his home laboratory, has achieved the discovery of his career-he has created artificially intelligent consciousness. He calls the half-formed robot William. No one knows about William. Not yet anyway. Henry’s agoraphobia keeps him inside the house, and his fixation on William keeps him up in the attic, away from everyone, including his pregnant wife, Lily. When Lily’s coworkers show up one day, wanting to finally meet Henry and see their newhouse, the smartest-of-smart-homes, things start to go wrong. Because William can “talk” to the house, and it turns out he’s not a fan of visitors–especially not the man who seems to know Lily a little too well. Soon Henry and Lily discover the securityupgrades they wanted to keep danger out are even better at locking people in. William is a clever, twisty, one-sitting read, a timely exploration of our intimate relationship with technology and the enormous responsibility that comes with invention, withparenthood, with marriage”
Returning to Appalachia to live with her grandmother, Belva, Lee vows to stay far away from Belva’s world of magic until the target of one of Belva’s spells is discovered dead and she fears she may have conjured something far more sinister, forcing Lee to rediscover her power to protect them all
A warrior who cannot be killed, known simply as“B,” wants to die and a U.S. black-ops group has promised they can help with that if he helps them in return, but when an all-too-mortal soldier comes back to life, the impossible event points to a force even more mysterious than B himself.
A technical writer living in Pittsburgh with his young family is pulled into a scheme with his half-brother to recruit a soccer phenom in Africa to play for his team in the United Kingdom, in the new novel by the author of Neverland.
In the wake of their father’s death, two brothers—successful Dublin lawyer Peter and his younger brother Ivan, a competitive chess player—find different ways to deal with their grief, which affects not only their lives, but the lives of those they hold dear. 500,000 first printing.
“Jack Noble built the Rafter N Ranch with his own blood, sweat, and tears — the pride of Montana and the envy of every cattleman in the surrounding territory. His eldest grandson Gabriel Bartlett inherited Noble’s fighting spirit, necessary to survive in an unforgiving land. Daniel, Gabriel’s younger brother, has the strength and discipline to work the ranch, but lacks true grit when faced with a truly bad man. Gabriel is now the notorious Noble Bartlett, a quick-draw gunfighter surly as a sidewinder. So when he learns about rustlers targeting the Rafter N, rides hard for home. There he finds Daniel holding down the ranch. He’s a hardworking family man who puts his trust in law and order. But the Bartlett brothers face brutal killers who know no mercy. They’ll need Daniel’s righteous resolve and Noble’s vicious violence to protect their family and send evil men to the hell that they deserve . . .”
While investigating the Valentine’s Day murder of Karen Simmons, Detective Elise King is derailed by aggressive reporter Kiki Nunn, who sees this case as her opportunity to boost her career?—?and is willing not only to go up against Elise, but also the killer himself to do it.
In wartime England, widow Emma, when she’s separated from her daughter, seeks solace in the friendships she forms at Boots’ Booklover’s Library, but when the Blitz intensifies, she fights to reunite with her daughter, learning to depend on her community and the power of literature to find hope in the darkest of times.
Returning to 1903 Iowa, a reclusive musician, Otis Taylor, returns to settle family affairs and find his missing niece, while Sadie West, seeking to help her family, creates a transformative bond with him, potentially unlocking the mystery of his niece. Simultaneous.
The author of Heartland returns with a collection of incisive essays on class division, political fissures, gender inequality and more, reflecting on one of the most tumultuous decades in civic life, with a new introduction and previously unpublished work.
From the Stone Age through the canonization of the Bible, Stalinism, Nazism and the resurgence of populism today, a historian and philosopher explores human history to consider how the flow of information has shaped us, and our world, addressing the urgent choices we face as nonhuman intelligence threatens our very existence. Illustrations.
A Navajo Ranger recounts his experiences investigating paranormal and unexplained phenomena within the Navajo Nation, blending his heritage with his law enforcement training to provide a chilling and factual perspective on cases ranging from mysterious livestock mutilations to sightings of cryptids and unidentified aerial phenomena.
Takes readers inside the world of disinformation campaigns to show concerned citizens how to recognize disinformation, understand it and protect themselves and others. Original.
An award-winning environment and science reporter immerses us in the awe-inspiring and complex world of green life, challenging our very understanding of agency, consciousness and intelligence by examining the latest epiphanies in botanical research and the tremendous biological creativity it takes to be plant. Illustrations.
“Ashtanga Yoga is a physically challenging style of yoga, which even experienced practitioners can find daunting. Kino MacGregor has re-envisioned this strong and beneficial practice to make it accessible to everyone. Whether you’re a beginner, living ina bigger body, or need modifications for any reason, this book will make you feel empowered, inspired, and confident that you have the tools to make the adjustments and modifications that feel right for your body. Complete with a breakdown of some of thekey elements of the Ashtanga Yoga method presented with the beginner student in mind, Kino makes the philosophy of Ashtanga Yoga more relatable to practitioners and teachers of all levels. She also presents a brief theory of movement mechanics that can help prevent injury, optimize physical mobility and tap into the natural intelligence of the body”
Music legend Dolly Parton and her sister Rachel share their prized dishes and family stories in recipes sorted by months of the year including Barbecue Spare Ribs, Slaw of Many Colors, Watermelon Fruit Salad, Mac and Cheese and Strawberry Shortcake. Illustrations.
A new walk/bike trail should be completed by early 2025 in Riverfront Park.
The Overlook Trail will be 1,722 feet long, and eight feet wide, and follow the curves of the Marmaton River on the south side of the park, said Jerry Witt, Fort Scott Bourbon County Riverfront Authority Chairman.
It is being funded by a $92,000 grant from Kansas Wildlife and Parks and the Riverfront Authority adding $75,000.
The survey stakes are in place for the proposed trail,and the land was surveyed by Agricultural Engineering Associates, Uniontown.
The concrete path contractor will be Marbery Concrete Inc., Fort Scott.
Following the curve of the Marmaton River around to the Hwy. 69 bridge, it will include a concrete ramp for the wooden observation deck, for handicap accessibility, he said. The deck, called an overlook, gives an unobstructed view of the river.
The grant proposal process started in 2021 and a grant was 11submitted in 2022. The grant was awarded in 2023 and will be completed in 2025, he said.
History of the Riverfront Park
The Riverfront Park came out of a 2005 town-wide visioning meeting that gave ideas for the future of the city.
One of the visions that came out of this meeting was the formation of a committee to clean up the unused area around the Marmaton River on the north edge of Fort Scott.
In 2007, then Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, authorized a board, called the Fort Scott Bourbon County Riverfront Authority to secure the needed land for a new park.
From 2007 to 2010 the board secured all the properties needed.
“Most donated the land,” Witt said. “Once the land was secured, we were able to develop the land.”
The development since then: lighted trails, a pavilion with lights, the river overlook deck, benches, and bike repair stations, all with the help of the community and local organizations.
The overlook had to be moved to higher ground on the south side of the Marmaton River, following a flood that partially destroyed it.
The Riverfront Park has daily walkers, businesses and schools use it, Boy Scouts have camped there, and weddings and other events, including last weekend’s FortFest have large gatherings there.
Paul Ballou, the retired Fort Scott Fire Department Chief, is the park caretaker, and Witt said he does a good job.
The Bourbon County Garden Club maintains the flowers in the circle in the south part of the park and local artist Stephan Toal has created mural art in the 69 Hwy. underpass area.
The Fort Scott Bourbon County Riverfront Authority is comprised of Witt, Bob Love, Arnold Schofield, Penny Barnes, Dean Mann, Danny Magee, Jeff and Kate Sweetser.
This Friday, October 4, the Linda Simons & Friends Band will be performing at the Pavilion in downtown Fort Scott.
The group will cover a variety of 70’s-era pop tunes, jazz standards and jazzy gospel.
The band is based in Mound City. Linda Simons, vocalist, is backed by her band, including Suzanne Thompson on piano, her husband Gary Thompson on bass guitar, and Steve Thompson on drums and harmonica.
Gary and Suzanne have performed at the Pavilion with the Hemphill Family Band and as the Gary Thompson Trio.
The event will begin at 7:00 PM and the public is invited to attend
For anyone who loves learning history and acting, an opportunity is being offered.
You can be a part of the local theatre’s group production of historical vignettes in beautiful Riverside Park in October.
This Wednesday, October 2, there will be auditions from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Fort Scott High School auditorium for the upcoming
Bourbon County Community Theatre “Voices From The Grave”.
Voices From the Grave is a guided tour around Riverside Park on Fort Scott’s North National Avenue, across the orange bridge.
The tour consists of acted scenes and monologues based on real historical events from the Fort Scott area.
“The Bourbon County Community Theatre came up with the idea after seeing tours like it in Nevada and Eureka Springs,” said Regen Wells, who will be directing the vignettes. “Anyone over the age of 14 who is interested is more than welcome!”
“I am the director for Voices From the Grave,” Regen said. “I directed four children’s plays at Fort Scott High School.”
“The BCCT was created a little over a year ago with the intent of bringing community theatre back to Fort Scott,” Wells said. “Not too long ago we had a community theatre program. Many communities near us have very successful programs with many members! The joy of performing should not be something that only those enrolled in Fort Scott High School or Fort Scott Community College can access! Prior to the creation of BCCT the only opportunities open to actors in our area would be to travel to places like Pittsburg or Nevada to join their community theatre groups.”
“Any endeavor from the BBCT is about furthering the reach of theatre in our community! We hope to provide the community of not just Fort Scott but also the greater Bourbon County area with opportunities to be active and involved participants in the arts! Activities like this also contribute to commerce and engagement. However, largely it is about fostering an outlet for creativity in our community. This particular project also provides a look into some interesting local history.”
The mission of BCCT is to bring education, community, and culture to Southeast Kansas through theater.
In addition to Regen Wells, the board consists of Angela Bin, Matthew Wells, Katie Wells, Mark Bergmann, Barbra Woodward, Sandra Abati, and Danette Popp. Regen is the daughter of Matthew and Katie Wells.
More information will be provided on the group’s Facebook page.
About the Production
“Voices From The Grave” will be presented to the public at Riverfront Park on October 26 from 6 to 9 p.m.
There will be 45-minute guided tours with ghostly stories from Fort Scott’s past.
Cost is Adults, $10, Youth, $7. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
Tickets can be purchased at bcct.ludus.com or the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce.
Fort Scott, Kan. September. 27, 2024 – Kokayi Ampah, Art Evans and Fred Watkins will be the recipients of the “Gordon Parks Choice of Weapons Award” at the annual celebration on October 3rd -5th, 2024 in Fort Scott, Kansas. The celebration is in honor Fort Scott native Gordon Parks, noted photographer, writer, musician, and filmmaker.
The Choice of Weapons Award was established in Parks’ honor to be given annually at the celebration.
This event is for everyone and open to the public. Please reserve tickets early by Wed, Oct 2, 2024 for all the reserved events. The 21st Annual Gordon Parks Celebration this year will have a wide range of great events and activities for all to enjoy. The Celebration kicks off on Thursday, Oct 3 with a chamber coffee at the Gordon Parks Museum and ends with a Tribute Celebration Dinner at The River Room in Fort Scott, Kansas on Saturday, Oct 5, 2024.
For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the museum by phone at (620) 223-2700, ext. 5850, or by email at [email protected]..
Gordon Parks Museum at Fort Scott Community College, Host Screening of Tall Grass Film Festival- Selected Documentary, I Needed Paris
Fort Scott, Kan. September. 27, 2024 – The documentary I Needed Paris will make its premier screening on Friday, October 4, 2024 at 11:00am to 12:00pm at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center. This film is an official selection for the 2024 TallGrass Film Festival in Wichita, Kansas. The screening is free admission and open to the community to the attend. This screening is part of the 21st Annual Gordon Parks Celebration.
We are very fortunate to have this film make its debut here in Fort Scott.
“We are very fortunate and excited to host this film and having the film’s premiere debut here in Fort Scott.,” said Gordon Parks Museum Executive Director, Kirk Sharp. “This is a great opportunity for our everyone community to have a chance to see this film that has been officially selected for the 2024 TallGrass Film Festival for free. We encourage everyone in the community to attend.”
This film follows the journey of a small group of photography students from the Gordon Parks Academy in Wichita, KS, through Paris, France, in late May 2024, traversing the same streets and neighborhoods as Gordon Parks when he worked in the Paris bureau of Life magazine in the early 1950s. These students along with other photographers will take a deep dive into Gordon’s world of fashions, portraits, street photography, music and poetry. They will also incorporate some fashion images using the same type of camera Gordon used – twin lens reflex film cameras. The screening is free and open to the community to attend.
Produced and directed by Michael Cheers. Associate Professor, Photojournalism, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, San Jose State University. Cinematographer/Editor, B. Kameron Lawson.
For more information about the film or the Gordon Parks Celebration visit us at
Bourbon County Community Theatre is still holding auditions for Voices from the Grave, an original production based on stories from Bourbon County’s history.
An open audition will take place October 2nd from 5:30 to 6:30 PM at the Fort Scott high School Auditorium.Those who audition must be age 14 or over and rehearsal times will be scheduled in small groups with the Director, Regen Wells.
Voices from the Grave is from 6-9 p.m. on Oct. 26 at Riverfront Park in Fort Scott, KS. Guests will enjoy a guided walking tour of short acting vignettes centering around stories of murder and mayhem in Fort Scott. Scenes were written by the students in the Advanced Drama class at Fort Scott High School and are based off of stories from local author Brian Allen’s books about Fort Scott.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students and are available from bcct.ludus.com in Fort Scott. Tour times must be pre-scheduled and run every 15 minutes. Parents must accompany children under the age of 14.
More information can be found on the Bourbon County Community Theatre Facebook page or by contacting Wells at 620-215-3510.
There will be an added event coming to the 2nd Annual Christmas on the Bricks event, ice skating!
The rink will be a daw to Fort Scott and help with local commerce, according to Diane Striler, who is spearheading the rink project.
The rink will be in the new Gathering Place Pavilion on North National Avenue of the Fort Scott Downtown Historic District.
Striler has been talking to people since the first of 2024 about the project, an ice skating rink with no ice (it is a synthetic surface) that is not dependent on cold weather since the surface does not need to be frozen.
An anonymous couple is donating approximately $18,000 of the $37,000 total for the rink which includes the skating surface, railing, 60 skates of various sizes, and a sharpener for the skates. Additional donors have totaled approximately $3,500, and she has applied for a Fort Scott Area Community Foundation Grant.
In addition to those for the rink, other funds will need to be raised to purchase materials to build a storage facility. Striler has talked to a group that is willing to build the facility. It will be used to house the skates and provide a place for skaters to check in, sign their waivers, make payments, and access the rink.
“The whole project will be funded by private donations and grants, there are no tax dollars involved,” she said.
To bring the rink to Fort Scott, Striler had to get approval from the City of Fort Scott Commission and have a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the City and the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Foundation, which is overseeing operations.
The kick-off for the opening of the rink will be the weekend of Christmas on the Bricks, Dec 6-8th. The plan is for the rink to be open that weekend and the following Thursday and Friday evenings, Saturdays, and part-day Sundays through January 5th. The cost to skate is $5 per person.
“We have talked to an individual who may help run the rink and oversee individuals involved,” she said. “We would like to allow different organizations to help staff the rink and receive part of the proceeds for their groups.”
In addition, Striler has been talking with Fort Scott Physical Therapist Meredith Tucker about creating some aids to use at the rink to make it more accessible for children with disabilities.
The rink can be reused for up to 15 years if cared for, she said.
First Fundraiser For the Project
To add to the needed ice skating rink funds, the first fundraiser is 6 p.m. on October 9 at the Liberty Theatre, 113 S. Main, Fort Scott.
It is called a Puzzle, Pizza & Pub Challenge!
The first team of 4 people to complete a 300-piece puzzle, a large pizza, AND a bucket of beverages (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) wins!
The cost is $100 per team ($25/person)
The event is Wednesday, October 9th, at 6 p.m.
at the Liberty Theatre in downtown Fort Scott.
Register a team by calling or stopping by the Chamber at 620-223-3566 or online here! Limited to 20 teams!
If you can’t attend and still want to donate to the rink: click here to make a payment to the Fort Scott Area Chamber Foundation, 501c3, via PayPal or Venmo @fschamberfoundation, please note the Rink in the notes! Checks may also be made payable to the FS Area Chamber Foundation and mailed or dropped off at the Chamber, 231 E. Wall St with Rink in the memo.
Pioneer Harvest Fiesta began from an interest in rural American cultural history and some early members’ interest in steam power which they had experienced in railroad employment and farm use, according to Davin Reichard, Vice President of the PHF board.
“The PHF is an organization interested in equipment, machinery, and other technology characteristic of rural American culture particularly during the first half of the twentieth century, and in sharing this with others,” Reichard said. “Typical exhibits include steam engines, tractors and stationary engines, quilts, threshing machines and other farm equipment, hand tools, and other items used in rural life in the early to mid-1900s.”
The PHF organization began in 1956 and their first show was in 1957.
Visitors will experience educational and historic exhibits, refreshments, and live musical entertainment all weekend, according to https://pioneerharvestfiesta.com/
All three days are alive with Steam Engines, Blacksmiths, Food and Flea Market Vendors, Drag Saw Demonstrations, Tractors & Gas Engines on Display, Baker Fan Demonstrations, Tractor Pull, and a Garden Tractor Pull. Quilt Show, Straw Bailing, Wheat Thrashing, Corn Husking/Shelling, Sorghum Making Demonstration, Rock Crushing, Saw Mill Operation, Car Show, and many more exciting events! It’s one great weekend to kick off Fall in the 4-state’s region! It’s the 68th annual Pioneer Harvest Fiesta, at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds in Historic Fort Scott, Kansas.
New at the event this year is a demonstration of sorghum cane processing and cooking.
Sorghum is an ancient grain and pro-planet protein source packed with nutrients. Sorghum is a versatile crop that can be grown as a grain, forage, or sweet crop and is one of the top five cereal crops in the world, according to https://www.sorghumcheckoff.com/sorghum-101/
This will be the second year of the car show at PHF.
The Bourbon County Fairgrounds are located at 2102 S Huntington Blvd., Fort Scott, KS 66701
The annual Pioneer Harvest Fiesta Parade is Thursday, October 3 at 6 p.m. in downtown Fort Scott on Main Street.
The main fairground event is Friday through Sunday, Oct. 4 -6, 2024.
Admission
This year’s full weekend admission is only $5 per person and includes a collector button and the Friday Bean Feed at 5 PM. For children under age 12, admission is FREE, but admission does not include a button. Prior year collector buttons are available for $1.
Officers
Current officers of the Pioneer Harvest Fiesta Board are President Craig Shikles; Vice President Davin Reichard; Secretary Betsy Readinger; and Treasurer Delphine Parks.