|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
Category Archives: Entertainment
Christmas Fun at the Parade This Thursday, Dec. 1
A Christmas parade is happening in the downtown historic district this Thursday, December 1.
The Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce organizes the Christmas Parade each year with Briggs Auto of Fort Scott sponsoring the prizes for the parade, according to Lindsay Madison, CEO of the chamber.
Deadline to enter a group in the parade is Tuesday, November 29 at 1pm. It is FREE to enter the parade.
What is happening Thursday evening:
> Parade starts 6 pm at Wall and National, goes south to Third Street, east to Main, North on Main to Skubitz Plaza.
> Parkway Church of God Kettle Corn will be setup at 1st & Main before and after parade, box $2, Bag $5.
> Complimentary hot cocoa by Fort Scott Recreation in front of Hedgehog.INK! Book Store
> Lighting of the Mayor’s Christmas Tree immediately following the parade, north end of Main.
> Christmas Crafts by Fort Scott High School Thespians & Visits with Santa and photos by Walgreens at Papa Don’s Restaurant after the parade.
> Make-your-own Ornament Kits free at 110 S Main while supplies last, appropriate for ages 10 and under.
> Bourbon County Revival live music at Hare & Crow Barber Shop with refreshments following parade.
> Sharky’s North Pole Pop-up Bar open 5pm to 10/11pm with festive atmosphere and drinks!
Link to enter parade: https://fortscott.com/events/details/christmas-parade-it-s-a-gingerbread-christmas-in-the-fort-25850
Want to Support Splash Pad Project Coming in 2023?
A splash pad is coming to town, thanks to some leaders who took the initiative.
“This idea has been in strategic plans and will add to the revitalization of downtown Fort Scott,” said Bailey Lyons, who along with Josh Jones and Kelly Barr have spearheaded the drive for funds.
Last week at the Fort Scott City Commission meeting, Lyons announced that with the help of two big donors, they are within reach of the project.
“We plan to break ground in the Spring and open by Summer 2023,” Lyons said. “We thought it would be a wonderful addition to our community. It will be a wonderful outdoor recreational amenity that offers a fun play option for all. It will be a gathering place accessible to people of all abilities, ages, and backgrounds. We saw other communities like ours installing splash pads with great success, and wanted to bring one to Fort Scott.”
For those who might not know, a splash pad is a recreational outdoor play area with sprinklers, fountains, nozzles and other devices that spray water. Also known as a spray pool, there is little to no standing water in the space.
It will be placed at the west end of Skubitz Plaza, off of North National Avenue.
The site was picked because of accessibility, parking, and infrastructure and also is at the north end of the historic downtown area with dining, shopping and other attractions.
Fort Scott Parks and Recreation Department will provide maintenance, with the city also providing water and electricity.
So far, about $180,000 has been raised for the space, with $20,000 more to fund raise.
Two of the biggest donors have been a Timken Foundation Grant of $75,000 and a Walmart Foundation Grant of $40,000.
Chicken Mary’s, a well known restaurant north of Pittsburg, is the latest to help with fundraising.
On Wednesday, Dec. 7, one can pick up a chicken dinner or supper in Fort Scott that must be pre-ordered by Dec. 4. The meal is $10 per plate and tickets must be ordered by calling 620.224.7795.
“We also have the comedy show, and we are about to roll out a fundraiser to raffle off an ATV,” Lyons said. ‘We will be pushing out regular donation giving levels…that will allow people to donate to get us to the finish line.”
The splash pad will not raise taxes, Lyons said.
Interactive Technology Added to Gordon Parks Museum
GORDON PARKS MUSEUM RECEIVES FORT SCOTT AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION GRANT FOR INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGY EXPANSION
Fort Scott, Kan. Nov. 17, 2022 – A grant through the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation has enabled the Gordon Parks Museum to further expand interactive technology in the museum. This includes two tablet kiosks with stands and software. The tablets can be used by visitors of any age.
“We are extremely thankful to receive this grant award from the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation. The interactive technology expansion gives us the ability to not only continue to modernize the museum, but to expand digitally,” said Kirk Sharp, executive director of the Gordon Parks Museum.
Funds from the Dr. Pratt and Pauline Irby Endowment Fund Award – courtesy of the adult children of the benefactors (Janet Braun, Bob Irby and Mary Rio) – were also used to help in the purchase of the tablet kiosks with stands and software.
The Fort Scott Area Community Foundation hosts individual charitable funds created by donors who have a passion for giving back to their community. Grants from these funds assist people throughout Fort Scott and Bourbon County. Call the Foundation at (620) 224-6500 with questions about the Community Foundation or go to https://fsacf.com/.
# # #
Christmas in Gunn Park: December 10
Gunn Park, on Fort Scott’s west side, will be closed the morning of the December 10th in preparation for the annual Christmas in the Park. The event is sponsored by Buck Run Community Center and other donations from the community.
At 5 p.m. the park opens, with parking off site and a shuttle to be provided for park visitors.
At 6 p.m. Santa will arrive at the park to speak with the children who attend. The events will end at 8 p.m.
Included in the park events is a live nativity scene, live music by Bourbon County Revival, the visit with Santa and THE GRINCH, a cookie decorating site for the kids, chili, hot chocolate and popcorn.
The event is free to the public.
The Bourbon County Angels, a local helping organization, will be accepting children’s gifts to distribute to those in need of them.
The purpose of Christmas in the Park is to spread Christmas cheer to the residents of Bourbon County and surrounding areas, according to Josh Jones, one of the organizers.
The planning committee is comprised of: Josh Jones, Suzette Torres, Devin Tally, Craig Campbell, Bailey Lyons, Shannon Johnson.
Star Gazing Parties in the Future For the Lowell Milken Center Fort Scott
A telescope will be an added attraction at the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes at the corner of First and Wall Street in downtown Fort Scott.
“The telescope will be used to educate the community on… amazing unsung heroes of the stars,” Ronda Hassig, funding developer for the center, said.
Hassig wrote the $2,500 grant proposal for the telescope and carrying case and the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation awarded the grant last month.
“The telescope is remote and GPS controlled,” Hassig said. ” We had an astronomer from Nebraska stop by the center and we found out he is the director of the Stargazing Project in Nebraska! He is so excited for us, that he has agreed to come back down as soon as the telescope arrives and help us get used to using it. There’s a definite learning curve but he thinks we can handle it!”
“The telescope will be used in the Lowell Milken Park (adjacent to the center) for viewing of the moon and planets,” she said. “For deeper space, we are hoping to be able to use it at the Fort (Fort Scott National Historic Site) along with their telescope!”
“We hope to get both young and old excited about seeing the stars and the heavens so we will be having star parties here at the center in the Lowell Milken Park,” she said. “The parties will contain stargazing along with guest speakers and expert astronomers from all over the country. Everyone will be invited!”
“I think no matter how old you are, if you have ever looked through a telescope and seen the moon up close, or the actual rings of Saturn, you are hooked forever,” she said.
The telescope has been ordered and the center staff hope to have it sometime this week.
“Then I’ll get to start planning our first star party,” she said. ” I’ll be paying special attention to moonless nights and hopefully cloudless nights and we may get lucky and get to have a party in the next several months. It will be cold but if you’re bundled up you won’t care! There will be warm drinks and treats for everyone!”
“Stay tuned for dates and please plan to come enjoy our newest device at the Lowell Milken Center provided with the gracious funds of the Fort Scott Community Foundation,” she said.
“We are really trying to educate the community on all of the different unsung heroes here at the Lowell Milken Center, by having fun and having educational activities around those heroes,” she said.
Two of the astronomy heroes that are featured at the center are:
“Henrietta Swan Leavitt was born right after the Civil War and was educated at Oberlin and Radcliffe,” Hassig said. “She got excited about astronomy after taking a course on it. When she graduated she began volunteering at the Harvard College Observatory and after 14 years she was paid for her work at $.30 an hour. She was essentially 1 of 20 women computers. Through her work, Leavitt earned graduate credit towards her degree but never completed it. She did however make an amazing discovery – she figured out how to measure objects in space. This discovery led to the launching of the Hubble Telescope and more recently the Webb Telescope! As she aged, her health got worse and a bout with cancer caused her to lose her hearing. She died at age 53, but her dedication to astronomy has given us some of our most advanced knowledge about space!”
“Gene Shoemaker was the founder of astrogeology,” Hassig said. “The first person to determine the origin of the famous Barringer Meteor Crater in Arizona, the first director and creator of the Astrogeology Research Program of the U.S. Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Arizona, and along with David Levy discovered the Shoemaker-Levy Comet.
“Shoemaker worked for NASA preparing himself and the other astronauts to walk on the moon. Gene was to be the first geologist on the moon. But after all his hard work he was unable to go to the moon because he had Addison’s Disease. He commentated the moonwalk with CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite during the live flights. Although he was horribly disappointed not to go, he kept looking for impact craters and space rocks. He searched for craters and rocks all over the world. He was looking for craters in Australia when he was tragically killed in a car accident. NASA wanted to honor this amazing scientist so they called his family and asked for some of his ashes. They put the ashes in a space probe and crashed it on the moon. Gene Shoemaker is the only human buried on the moon and just one of two buried in space.”
FSCC Christmas Play This Friday, November 12th!
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
Firefighters Coming to the Library
Storytime at Fort Scott Public Library will feature special guests from the Fort Scott Fire Department this Tuesday, November 8, at 10 am. Bring your young children to learn about firefighters and fire trucks with a touch-a-truck session, and then stay for stories, crafts, and snacks with Miss Val. Kids will also receive a plastic firefighter hat (while supplies last).
Storytime is a weekly event, with remote options available. In-person storytimes are Tuesdays at 10 am, while virtual storytimes are posted on-demand, with curbside pickup options, on Thursdays at 10 am. For more information, contact Miss Val at [email protected]. Watch the FSPL Facebook page for upcoming events, and fill out this form to order a curbside storytime kit if you want to participate virtually: https://forms.gle/
What’s Happening in Fort Scott Nov. 4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
…
Friday Night Free Concert Changes Venue For Oct. 28
Due to the cooler weather forecast, the Friday Night Concert that
is usually held in the Heritage Park Pavilion will be moved to The
Loading Dock at Common Ground Coffee Co., 12 E. Wall Street.
The finale show of the season will feature Dan Duling, John Duling,
Shanna Stone, and Addi Brown.
FSHS Theatre Performs Addams Family School Edition for Fall Musical
The Fort Scott High School Theatre program performs Addams Family School Edition at 7 p.m. on Nov. 8 and 10 and at 2 and 7 p.m. on Nov. 12 at FSHS.
Theatrical Rights Worldwide says The Addams Family is “a comical feast that embraces the wackiness in every family… and it’s every father’s nightmare: Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family–a man her parents have never met. And if that wasn’t upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before–keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s ‘normal’ boyfriend and his parents.”
Students playing the Addams Family members include newcomer Junie Fisher, a freshman, as Wednesday; junior Casey Gomez as Gomez; sophomore Emma Guns as Morticia; senior Luke Majors as Fester; junior Regen Wells as Pugsley; junior Jaedyn Lewis as Grandma; and junior Jonah Wilterding as Lurch. The Beineke family includes senior Jackson Elton as Mal, senior Karen Primeaux as Alice, and Junior Jericho Jones playing the boyfriend – Lucas. A full ensemble of ghostly ancestors round out the 23-member cast. Another fifteen students serve as crew members for the production.
Cast member Casey Gomez knew he wanted the part of Gomez all along, after all, his name made it his destiny to play the role! He says, “Being in The Addams Family is great! I just love it because the songs are super fun and the jokes are hilarious.”
The Addams Family is directed by FSHS Theatre Director Angie Bin and Music Director Sarah Dunivan, Winfield Scott Elementary Music Instructor. Eugene Ware teacher Abby Stepps is the Choreographer and FSCC student Christina King serves as Technical Director.
Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for students and children. Tickets are reserved seating and available at fortscotthighschool.ludus.com. Tickets may be available to purchase at the door if any remain. Doors open 30 minutes prior to showtime.
The musical is written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa, and Orchestrations by Larry Hochman. It is produced with special arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide, 1180 Avenue of the America. Suite 640, New York, NY 10036, www.theatricalrightsworldwide.
FS National Historic Site Candlelight Tour Tickets Next Tuesday
Be an Active Part of History this Holiday Season
Fort Scott Kan. – Tuesday, November 1, 2022, tickets for Fort Scott National Historic Site’s 41st Annual Candlelight Tour go on sale. Tickets are available by calling the fort at 620-223-0310 (with a major credit card) or by stopping by the Visitor Center on Old Fort Blvd. Tickets are $8.00 per person and non-refundable, children 5 and under are free. It is recommended that you get your tickets early to ensure your choice of tour times, as this event frequently sells out.
The 41st Annual Candlelight Tour is December 2 and 3, 2022. Tours on December 2 will begin at 6:30 pm and leave every 15 minutes until 9 pm. On Saturday, December 3, the tours will start at 5 pm with the final tour leaving at 9 pm. Please arrive 10 minutes early to allow time to park, present/pick up your ticket, and get oriented. Participants are advised to please dress for the weather and conditions, as the entire tour will be outside and on sidewalks.
1,000 candle lanterns illuminate the site and reenactors (including you) bring the fort to life. “This year’s tour is about Milestones of Time.” said Carl Brenner, Acting Superintendent, Fort Scott National Historic Site. “It will commemorate several important milestones of our nation’s history from the bicentennial (200th anniversary) of the Santa Fe Trail to the sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) of the railroad era.” Each of these milestones led to the further growth and development of the nation. As the nation grew, it expanded westward. Rapid expansion and development created many opportunities for Americans moving westward, but to the detriment of others. Discover how each of the milestones depicted in this year’s tour dramatically altered the landscape of 19th century America.
From November 1-March 31, Fort Scott National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service, will be open for its winter hours of operation. The site exhibit areas and visitor center are open daily from 8:30 am-4:30 pm. The park grounds are open daily from ½ hour before sunrise until ½ hour after sunset. For more information about Fort Scott National Historic Site programs or become involved in the candlelight tour, or other activities, please contact the park at 620-223-0310 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/fosc.
NPS Photo: C. Brenner