Category Archives: Entertainment

Rural America Celebration this Weekend: Pioneer Harvest Fiesta

From the Pioneer Harvest Fiesta website.

The 65th Annual Pioneer Harvest Fiesta is a time of remembering all things rural: tractors, farming practices, arts and crafts, and food.

This year it is this weekend, starting with a parade Thursday, Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. on Main Street in downtown Fort Scott.

Friday, Oct. 1 starting at 9 a.m. people can walk the Bourbon County Fairground, across from Fort Scott Community College on South Horton Street in Fort Scott to view the activities offered.

A quilt show, corn husking, and shelling, oat thrashing, straw baling, rock crushing,  sawmill operation, arts and craft show and end the day with a free bean feed at 5 p.m. A large flea market and swap meet runs throughout the multi-day event.

“The flea market is one of the largest in the four states,” Larry Richard, vice president of the Pioneer Harvest Fiesta Board, said. “And it’s an instructional arts and crafts exhibit.”

Saturday from 9 a.m to 8 p.m. also offers those activities and adds musicians to entertain throughout the day and also an antique and classic tractor pull at 1 p.m.

Sunday morning starts with a worship service at 9 a.m. and more demonstrations and activities, with a tractor pull at 1 p.m.

Others serving on the board are President Allen Warren, Secretary Betsey Reeder, and Treasurer Delphine Parks.

 

Pioneer Harvest Festival Music Schedule
    October 2 – 3,  provided by Ralph Carlson
Saturday, October 2
11 a.m.         The Millers
11:30 a.m.  Wallase & Wolfgran
Noon            Steve Fortenberry
1 p.m.            Stephan Moses
 2 p.m.           The Millers
 2:30  p.m.    Ralph, Don & Mim Carlson
 3 p.m.            Tammy Helm & Floyd Feezell
 3:15 p.m.      David Prickett
Sunday, October 3
  9 a.m.           Apostolic Christian Church Service
10:30 a.m.   Open Jam Session
11:30  a.m.   Ralph, Don & Mim Carlson
Noon               Lunch Break
12:30 p.m.    David Prickett
  1 p.m.            Stephan Moses

Family Fun at Care to Share Fall Festival This Saturday

Sign provided by Melissa Wise for the Care to Share Fall Festival. Taken from its’ Facebook page.

The annual Care to Share Fall Festival is this Saturday, October 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Simmon residence at 2480 Limestone Road, Fort Scott.

The event is hosted by the Simmons family in support of cancer fighters and their families/caregivers.

“This is the 15th annual and final fall festival,” Lavetta Simmons, spokesperson, said. The family has grown and scattered some distances, making it more difficult to host the event, she said.

The organization is a 501-C3 non-profit ministry. “We are 100 percent volunteers and 100 percent funded by fundraisers and donations and community support,” Simmons said.

There will be all categories of vendors at the festival as well.

“If you are interested in having a booth, there is still room,” Simmons said. “We have boutique items, bummies, bell bottoms, leggings, fall decor, earrings, homemade fudge, pies, cakes, candles, fresh flower bouquets. Join the fun!”

Last year the non-profit started the $10 wristband for all the activities that are offered.

“The many activities are pony rides, big bubbles, obstacle course, maze, photo booth, corn hole, garden craft, face painting, train ride, wagon ride, bowling, and a petting zoo, featuring kangaroos- Stella Lou’s Zoo by Amy Gorman,” she said.

And come hungry because there are many fall festival foods to purchase:  caramel apples, apple cider, funnel cakes, snow cones, cinnamon rolls, chili-including Frito pie, and chili dogs, pies by the slice along with Butcher Block Smash Burgers.

“The food is available at cost,” Simmons said.

Simmons is the contact person for the organization and can be reached at 620.224-8070.

Lavetta Simmons.

About Care to Share

The mission statement of Care To Share is “To provide friendship and support through emotional and financial assistance to individuals who are cancer fighters and their caregivers.”

They provide fuel and motel accommodation assistance for those going to cancer treatments, and also help with utility assistance as needed for the cancer fighters, Simmons said.

The next quarterly cancer support group meeting is on November 6 at 10:30 a.m. at the Care to Share Office, 902 S. Horton.

This office space was donated to the ministry organization by Mercy Hospital in 2008 and Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas has continued the in-kind donation, she said.

In the office, they keep wigs, special bras, and Ensure products-nutritional protein drinks, as well as use it for the quarterly support groups.

The board is comprised of Dona Bauer, Fort Scott; Donna Beerbower, RN, Fort Scott; Kathy Clark, Fort Scott; Teresa Davenport, Farlington; Denny Heidrick and Nancy Hofer, Girard;  Carol Hill, CPA, Fort Scott; Randy Holt, Fort Scott; Richard Long, Mound City; Dr. Boban Mathew, Pittsburg; Lavetta Simmons, Jerry Witt, Sidney Maycumber, BSN/RN; and Financial Advisor Larry Davenport, Fort Scott.

 

 

 

 

SEK Library Newsletter Sept. 2021

The SEKnFind Newsletter
September 2021

This newsletter about new books is distributed to people who are registered adult users at a southeast Kansas library participating in the SEKnFind catalog. We hope you find it useful, but if you don’t wish to receive this anymore, you can click on the “Manage Subscriptions or Unsubscribe” link at the bottom.
All the books included in this newsletter are new additions in one or more SEKnFind libraries–and since the catalog is shared, that means they are available to you whether they are in your local library or not!  Just place a hold on the item(s) you want.  If you don’t know how, your librarian can show you.

New Fiction

Cloud cuckoo land : a novel
by Anthony Doerr

Follows four young dreamers and outcasts through time and space, from 1453 Constantinople to the future, as they discover resourcefulness and hope amidst peril in the new novel by the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of All the Light We Cannot See.

The reading list : a novel
by Sara Nisha Adams

Working at the local library, Aleisha reads every book on a secret list she found, which transports her from the painful realities she’s facing at home, and decides to pass the list on to a lonely widower desperate to connect with his bookworm granddaughter. 75,000 first printing.

The heron’s cry
by Ann Cleeves

While looking into the murder of Dr. Nigel Yeo, who was investigating the suicide of a young man who was a member of chilling online group, Detective Matthew Venn, as the body count rises, must wade through the lies at the heart of his community. 150,000 first printing.

How to kill your best friend
by Lexie Elliott

When their close friend and former swim teammate, Lissa, drowns while on vacation with her husband, Georgie and Bronwyn attend a celebration of her life at Kanu Cove and discover danger lurking in the water and beyond.

Sisters in arms : a novel of the daring black women who served during World War II
by Kaia Alderson

The first Black women allowed to serve in the army, Grace Steele and Eliza Jones, helping form the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, navigate their way through the segregated ranks, finally making it overseas where they do their parts for the country they love.

Witch please
by Ann Aguirre

A fully modern witch who keeps her heart protected, Danica Waterhouse meets her match in Titus Winnaker, who’s been cursed to be alone, and wonders if she can find love with an old-fashioned mundane who refuses to settle for anything less than forever. Original.

Murder most fowl
by Donna Andrews

When a filmmaker takes footage of Macbeth, which her husband is producing, that reveals dark secrets about the major players, Meg Langslow, with the filmmaker’s electronic devices destroyed, must uncover the darkest secret of all to expose a killer. 40,000 first printing.

My heart is a chainsaw
by Stephen Graham Jones

Protected by horror movies—especially the ones where the masked killer seeks revenge on a world that wronged them—Jade Daniels, an angry, half-Indian outcast, pulls us into her dark mind when blood actually starts to spill into the waters of Indian lake. 100,000 first printing.

Holdout : a novel
by Jeffrey Kluger

Walli Beckworth refuses to leave her post at the international space station after an accident forces her colleagues to evacuate in the hopes of using her position to save her niece working as a healthcare provider in the Amazon jungle.

Shards of earth
by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Idris, an enhanced human, and his crew, 50 years after the destruction of the earth by alien aggressors, the Architects, discover some strange in space that many people would kill to obtain—and could herald the return of the enemy. 40,000 first printing.

The great glorious goddamn of it all : a novel
by Josh Ritter

Filled with heart, humor and magic, this lyrical, sweeping novel about the last days of the lumberjacks is told by of one of the greatest lumberjacks of all who recounts tales rife with murder, mayhem, avalanches and bootlegging in the tiny timber town of Cordelia, Idaho. 75,000 first printing.

Fork in the false trail
by C. M. Wendelboe

“Tucker Ashley returns to his Black Hills ranch only to find that Indians have raided it. They’ve killed livestock and taken his best friend and business partner Jack captive. Tucker has no choice but to head out after the Indians. Meanwhile, Hack Reed, his nemesis from his recent prison stint, has just broken out of jail, and his gang of cutthroats is hot after Tucker. The Reed gang attacks the posse, killing everyone except their tracker, who narrowly escapes with a gunshot wound. The fact that Tucker was not with them only fuels Reed’s fury. Tucker, tracking the Indians who kidnapped Jack, sees they have taken others captive. Among the familiar faces are a murderer of miners, and a rancher and his daughter. Suddenly Tucker has more pressing issues. The gang springs an ambush that Tucker should have seen coming. Still, he manages to kill some of Reed’s men and make his escape. Resuming the hunt for Jack, his pursuit of the Indians is more difficult now that Tucker is on foot. In a desperate act, the captives cut their bonds and flee the Indians. The murderer and the rancher are killed right off. The posse tracker that was left for dead catches up with Tucker. Together, they follow the Indians, unaware that the rancher’s daughter and Jack escaped. They made it far enough away to hide out in the forest, safe for now. It’s a tight line Tucker walks between surviving himself and saving his friend. Will Tucker find Jack before he is killed by the Indians, or will Reed and his killers find Tucker first?”

New Nonfiction

The quiet zone : unraveling the mystery of a town suspended in silence
by Stephen Kurczy

An award-winning journalist takes us deep into the Appalachian Mountains where the last truly quiet town of America exists and where its residents live a life free from constant digital connectivity, challenging us to rethink the role of tech in our lives. 50,000 first printing.

Breaking the stress cycle : 7 steps to greater resilience, happiness, and piece of mind
by Andrew Bernstein

Using a program developed by the author called Activinsight, this simple seven step guide can help you through some of the most challenging experiences of modern life in a matter of minutes. Original.

Pastoral song : a farmer’s journey
by James Rebanks

The author of the New York Times best-selling A Shepard’s Life returns with a chronicle of his family’s farm in England’s Lake District across three generations and how he restored the viability of its future. 25,000 first printing.

Can I recycle this? : a guide to better recycling and how to reduce single-use plastics
by Jennie Romer

This practical guide to recycling includes a look at how recycling actually works, how to better handle the waste we produce, the way rules differ in every municipality and which common household objects can or cannot be recycled. Illustrations.

Arriving today : from factory to front door–why everything has changed about how and what we buy
by Christopher Mims

An investigative look at how the demand for convenience and instant gratification has changed online commerce, caused huge shifts in transportation and supply chain management and led to massive shifts in how industry uses labor. 50,000 first printing.

Easy crafts for the insane : a mostly funny memoir of mental illness and making things
by Kelly Williams Brown

The New York Times best-selling author of Adulting describes how she used crafting to help her cope with a series of negative events in her life, including a failed marriage, unrelated bodily injuries, and her father’s cancer diagnosis. Illustrations.

The heirloom gardener : traditional plants & skills for the modern world
by John Forti

An award-winning heirloom specialist, garden historian, ethnobotanist and writer offers this wood-block illustrated, alphabetical compendium of heirloom flowers and artisanal crafts like distilling and wreath-making to help inspire gardeners to connect with the natural world. Illustrations.

Sheet cake : easy one-pan recipes for every day and every occasion
by Abigail Johnson Dodge

A baking guru and award-winning cookbook author teaches home bakers how to build spectacular sheet cake creations with her three techniques for assembly—classic, stacked and rolled—along with everything else you need to turn your cake into a masterpiece. Illustrations.

52 weeks of socks : Beautiful Patterns for Year-Round Knitting
by Laine

“52 Weeks of Socks is a modern collection of sock patterns from Nordic knitting experts Laine. That’s 52 sock patterns contributed by 46 leading knitwear designers from across the world, suitable for knitters of all abilities. Each uses different yarns and techniques, including projects with stunning stitch definition and classic slippers for beginners. From sole to toe, these easy-to-follow patterns will sweep you up with stunning photography and styling that evokes the inspiring Nordic landscape and slow living”

Travels with George : in search of Washington and his legacy
by Nathaniel Philbrick

Written at a moment when America’s founding figures are under increasing scrutiny, the author, retracing George Washington’s journey as a new president through all thirteen former colonies, paints a picture of 18th-century America as divided and fraught as it is today. Illustrations.

Even more reading suggestions

NextReads Sneak Peek
Looking for something else to read? Try subscribing to our free NextReads newsletters. Newsletters are divided into a variety of genres and topics so you can get recommendations tailored to your interests sent directly to your inbox every month to two months.
Each issue contains around 9 to 10 reading suggestions. If we don’t have a copy, make a purchase suggestion or ask your library about interlibrary loan. Here’s a sneak peek of titles from this month’s

Gordon Parks Immersive Educational Experience Oct. 8

The Gordon Parks Museum is located on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton.

Professor Duane “Michael” Cheers: “I needed Paris Launch Event” at the 2021 Gordon Parks Celebration

Fort Scott- Gordon Parks Museum in Fort Scott, KS, will host “I needed Paris Launch Event,” a presentation and discussion by Professor, Duane “Michael” Cheers during the 2021 Annual Gordon Parks Celebration events on Friday, October 8th at 11:30 A.M. at The Ellis Family Fine Arts Center at Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton St. Fort Scott, KS.

Members of the community are invited to attend the free presentation. Contact Kirk Sharp at 620 -223-2700 ext. 5850 for more information.

Duane “Michael’ Cheers, Associate Professor of Photojournalism, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, San Jose State University will provide a presentation and discussion launch event for the immersive educational experience that will take a group of diverse American and Parisian student photographers through Paris, traversing the same streets and neighborhoods as Gordon Parks. Prof. Cheers will help these students reimagine Parks’ panache as a fashion photographer and will help them recreate his black and white film photo techniques while using the same type of camera Gordon used – with twin lens reflex film cameras.

In 1948, Life magazine sent Gordon Parks who was 36 years old at the time, to Paris. He was to cover the French collections during fashion week. Not long after this, Parks was given a coveted assignment: two years in Life magazine’s Paris bureau. He would focus on photographing the latest fashions in the world’s fashion capital, Paris. Parks would more specifically take pictures of Americans in Paris. He would also be the magazine’s correspondent, using the lens of his camera to reveal scenes of a post-war Europe.

Contrary to many fashion photographers who did fashion shoots in studios, at that time, Parks, whose fashion photography had graced Vogue and Glamour magazines, photographed his fashion models mostly outdoors.

This project will showcase the diverse hues of women and men fashion models, unlike the Paris publications of the 1940s and early 1950s in which Black people were rarely seen. Student participants will style and photograph their models at some of the same locations chosen by Parks.

Part of this travel experience will be foundation of a book, “Blacks in Paris”, and it will feature some of our best photographs. This book will honor Parks as a documentary photographer. This project will also explore a close-knit community of the Black diaspora, known as “Little Africa”, mostly west and north African immigrants whose neighborhood area is now threatened by gentrification, much like the neighborhoods of Harlem, New York.

This print-on-demand picture book will be created in partnership with the Gordon Parks Museum, Fort Scott, Kansas, and with Ricki Stevenson’s Black Paris Tours. It will be published the latter part of 2022, the 30th anniversary of Songs of My People: African Americans, A Self-Portrait. Gordon Parks wrote the introduction to Songs of My People, and it was a best-selling coffee table picture book.

The student-photographers will receive academic credit for their published work. The proceeds from the sale of the book will assist the Gordon Parks Museum in their ongoing programming to promote cultural awareness and diversity in a global society.

The book launch and exhibition are scheduled for February 2023, at Fort Scott Community College.

The diverse pool of student-photographers will come from the photojournalism and photography departments
at San José State University, The George Washington University, and The Corcoran School of Art and Design.

For and other information email [email protected] or by phone call 223-2700, ext. 5850.
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Friday Night Free Concert: Stephan Moses

Ralph Carlson introduces the Friday Night Concert musicians May 2019.

Stephan Moses will be the guest performer at this week’s Friday Night Concert. Moses is a songwriter vocalist and musician who plays guitar, banjo, and mandolin. He will perform a variety of classic country, southern gospel, and the gospel songs of Elvis.

Formerly from Kansas City and now residing in Nevada, MO, Moses began playing music at age ten,” concert-series organizer Ralph Carlson said. “Moses has a strong family heritage in music, as his grandfather played banjo, and an uncle played guitar and sang. Hearing this music as a young boy left a strong impression and influence on Moses. We are happy to welcome Stephan Moses back to the park pavilion. We invite you to bring a friend and join us for an evening of great music.“

The concert begins at 7 p.m. at the Heritage Park Pavilion at First and Main streets. The shows, sponsored by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, are free and open to the public. Dave Oas of Parsons serves as sound technician each week. Due to limited seating, attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.

In the event of inclement weather, the concert will be moved to the Common Ground Coffee Co., 12 E. Wall Street.

Jazz and R&B Violinist Performs on Oct. 8

GET YOUR ADVANCED TICKET NOW!
“DOMINIQUE HAMMONS”
“I AM STRADIVARI”
Multi-Talented Contemporary
Jazz & R&B Violinist
PERFORMING AT
The River Room
3 W. OAK ST., FORT SCOTT, KS 66701
Doors open at 6:30 pm
Performance at 7:30 pm
Tickets: $30 in advance, or $35 at the door.
Tickets are available at the Gordon Parks Museum or over the phone (620) 223.2700, Ext. 5850
Click HERE to visit the Gordon Parks Museum website.
Click HEREto view the Press release from The Gordon Parks Museum and learn more about his amazing and talented performer who is coming to Fort Scott!

Uniontown Saddle Club Ranch Rodeo 2021 Results

The annual Old Settler’s Co-Ed Ranch Rodeo was postponed from Labor Day to Sept. 13 because of the weather.

On that date, 15 teams of cowboys and cowgirls competed at the Uniontown Arena, just west of the town on Hwy. 3.

“We provide and promote horse-related events for the community,” Wayne Hall, president of the club said. “An each year we give a Warren McKinnis Scholarship to high school students. These are rural kids involved with agriculture.”

The club was established in 1967 as a family-oriented club that provides a large arena that hosts horse shows, rodeos, and roping practices, according to its’ Facebook page.

The 2021 the winners are:

Cutter Stevens, Fredonia, was the winner of the Uniontown Saddle Club Ranch Rodeo Top Youth award. Submitted photos.
Tristan Hensen, Lamar, MO, was the winner of the Uniontown Saddle Club Top Female Participant award. Submitted photos.
Trenton Umphenour, Pleasonton, is the winner of the Uniontown Saddle Club Top Male Participant award. Submitted photos.

In the team competitions:

May be an image of 5 people and horseBig Creek, comprised of Michell LaRue, Trent Eck, Cassidy Furhman, and Will Harding earned first place. Wayne Hall is on the right.  Taken from Uniontown Saddle Club Facebook page

 

Second place winners: Brock Hall, Julia Hall, Karlee Boots, Trenton Umphenour,  with Kactus K Trucking. Wayne Hall is on the right. Taken from the Facebook page.

 

May be an image of 5 people, people standing, horse and outdoors

Third place winners: Diamond S Cattle comprised of Kolby Boo, Britt Michaleis, Colby Brownrigg, and Mindi Holloway.

 

All prizes were purchased with sponsorship from the community.

 

Pioneer Harvest Fiesta Oct. 1-3

The 65th Pioneer Harvest Fiesta will be held on the Fairgrounds October 1, 2, and 3.

The downtown parade will be held at 6 pm Thursday, September 30.

As the show begins on Friday there will be many exhibits for you to enjoy such as a sawmill, rock crushing, threshing machine, wood planning, corn shelling, a blacksmith, an antique tractor pull, quilt show and many other activities. There will also be antique engines and tractors on display.

Please bring your quilts for the Quilt Show to the Myers Building Thursday, September 30, 10 am -noon. If this time does not work for you, please contact Jackie Warren at 620-224-8161. The Quilt Show will also have vendors and other activities.

Included with the purchase of a Show Button will be a bean feed Friday evening 5 pm. For more information, check the website Pioneerharvestfiesta.org. or contact Larry Richard 620-724-6501

Pioneer Harvest Parade Entries Needed

We Need Entries!
Pioneer Harvest Parade
Register Today!
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce invites you to register for the Pioneer Harvest Parade that will take place on Thursday, September 30th at 6:00 pm.
This parade of antique and classic farm machinery & implements through the streets of Fort Scott’s historic downtown kicks off the weekend’s Pioneer Harvest Fiesta!
All types of entries are welcome and encouraged to enter ~ floats, foot units, horses, antique & classic cars, trucks, golf carts!
Click HERE to download the
parade entry form.
THE DEADLINE TO ENTER IS
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH
THE FORT SCOTT AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
231 E. WALL ST., FORT SCOTT, KS | 620.223.3566
See below or click here for the
full schedule of events
for the weekend Fiesta!
Quilt Show
Arts & Crafts Show
Engine & Tractor Exhibits
Live Demonstrations
Musical Entertainment
Food Vendors
And more!

Kansas Stories: Humanities Hotline

Head down to Flavortown on September’s Humanities Hotline

Topeka – Humanities Kansas (HK) announces four new stories now available on the Humanities Hotline.

Topics on the toll-free hotline feature unique Kansas stories about Wichita’s Keeper of the Plains sculpture,
podcasting, John Brown, and poetry. The Humanities Hotline is free and available anytime, day or night, to
anyone with a landline or smartphone at 1-888-416-2018. Hotline topics change monthly.

The Humanities Hotline offers a menu of short Kansas stories, both serious and lighthearted, that are
researched and presented by experts from across the state.

This month, the Museum Director and Curator
of the Mid-America All-Indian Museum, Erin Raux, shares the story of Blackbear Bosin, the artist behind
Wichita’s iconic Keeper of the Plains sculpture. David Tamez, Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of Lawrence
Talks shares the inspiration for his podcast series Charla de Merienda–or “snack talks.”

Natalie Vondrak
from the Watkins Museum gives us a brief history of legendary Kansan John Brown in preparation for their
new national traveling exhibit, Encountering John Brown.

Danny Caine, poet, and owner of The Raven
Bookstore in Lawrence reads his poem The American Kid West from his new book, Flavortown.

These
hotline selections are available through September 30, 2021.

The Humanities Hotline provides an accessible alternative to today’s Zoom culture and encourages the
people of Kansas to participate in lifelong engagement with the humanities. The hotline was developed as
a way to combat social isolation and bridge the technology divide with stories that could be easily
accessed without the need for internet.

The Humanities Hotline is free and available to all Kansans and can be especially helpful to those without
access to broadband.

Statewide partners include Abilene Public Library, ArtsConnect Topeka, Augusta
Public Library, Clearwater Public Library, Coffey County Library System, Dorothy Bramlage Public Library
in Junction City, Emporia Public Library, Finney County Public Library in Garden City, Garnett Public
Library, Goddard Public Library, Hays Public Library, Lawrence Public Library, Lowell Milken Center for
Unsung Heroes in Fort Scott, Museum of World Treasures in Wichita, Norton Public Library, Ottawa
Library, and Wamego Public Library.

Contact HK if your organization would like to be considered as a
Hotline partner.

Call the Humanities Hotline at 1-888-416-2018. For more information visit humanitieskansas.org.

About Humanities Kansas
Humanities Kansas is an independent nonprofit spearheading a movement of ideas to empower the
people of Kansas to strengthen their communities and democracy. Since 1972, HK’s pioneering
programming, grants, and partnerships have documented and shared stories to spark conversations and
generate insights. Together with statewide partners and supporters, HK inspires all Kansans to draw on
history, literature, ethics, and culture to enrich their lives and to serve the communities and state we all
proudly call home.
###

The Learning Tree Tourism Trail Grand Opening is Oct. 7

A panel in the Gordon Parks Museum.

The Gordon Parks Museum is pleased to announce the grand opening and ribbon-cutting event of the Learning Tree Film Trail and the “Lunch and Learn” presentation
“Gordon Parks: Fort Scott and The Learning Tree Revisited”.

The grand opening and ribbon cutting of the Learning Tree Film Trail will be Thursday, October 7, 2021, at 8:00 a.m.

The grand opening will be at Gunn Park, Shelter House #1, 1010 Park Ave. Fort Scott.

This is one of the locations that was used during filming in 1968.

Brochures with maps will be available to help locate the other signs on the trail.

This will be the kickoff event of the 17th & 18th Annual Gordon Parks Celebration events and will also be held in conjunction with the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Coffee.

The film trail is a series of signs located at the different locations where the filming of The Learning Tree took place. The signs will also include QR codes along with a virtual tour of the identified scene locations of the film.

There will also be a “Lunch and Learn” presentation later the same day Thursday, October 7, 2021, with keynote speaker, John Edgar Tidwell, Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Kansas.

The presentation titled “Gordon Parks: Fort Scott and The Learning Tree Revisited”.

This will be held at Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center from 11:50 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The event is free to the public and participants are able to bring their lunch and drinks with them. Box lunch and drink are available for $8. Dessert will also be available.

Local historian Arnold Schofield will open with a short presentation on the history of Gordon Parks and his return visit to his hometown of Fort Scott, Kansas, in 1950, as documented in the book Back to Fort Scott.

Mr. Schofield will then introduce keynote speaker, John Edgar Tidwell, for a presentation on Gordon Parks’ The Learning Tree legacy in comparing and contrasting the book and film.

The presentation will also cover the importance of the cultural and historical impact of them both, along with the story and subject matter compared to today.

The Gordon Parks Museum has received a grant from the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation and Humanities Kansas to assist with funding support for this project.

The Gordon Parks Museum extends an invitation to the public to attend both of the events, especially the citizens of Fort Scott, Bourbon County, and the four-state area.

About Humanities Kansas
Humanities Kansas is an independent nonprofit spearheading a movement of ideas to empower the people of Kansas to strengthen their communities and our democracy. Since 1972, our pioneering programming, grants, and partnerships have documented and shared stories to spark conversations and generate insights. Together with our partners and supporters, we inspire all Kansans to draw on history, literature, ethics, and culture to enrich their lives and serve the communities and state we all proudly call home. Visit humanitieskansas.org.
###

Friday Night Free Concert by Steve Fortenberry

Ralph Carlson introduces the Friday Night Concert musicians May 2019.

This week’s Friday Night Concert will be presented by local musician Steve Fortenberry. The one-hour concert begins at 7 p.m. at the Heritage Park Pavilion at First and Main streets. Fortenberry plays light classical and Christian songs on guitar.

Steve is an accomplished musician with unique guitar stylings, using special effects,” concert-series organizer Ralph Carlson said. “The last time he performed in the pavilion was 2019, so we are glad to welcome him back to the show. We are looking forward to an enjoyable evening of great guitar music from Steve Fortenberry. Bring a friend and join us.” Accompanied by Carlson, vocal soloist Floyd Feezell will also perform some favorite tunes.

The shows, sponsored by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, are free and open to the public. Dave Oas of Parsons serves as sound technician each week. Due to limited seating, attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.

In the event of inclement weather, the concert will be moved to the Common Ground Coffee Co., 12 E. Wall Street.