John Mason, left, leads a discussion on Gordon Parks’ book A Choice of Weapons, with Harold Hicks, one of the book club facilitators, attending on the Zoom screen. A Fort Scott Community College Book Club had been discussing the book in previous weeks. Mason is a history professor at the University of Virginia. In the book, Parks states that his weapons of choice in the fight against bigotry and poverty were love, dignity, and hard work. The book discussion was on Oct. 8 at the Ellis Arts Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College.Gordon Parks Museum Director Kirk Sharp gives an introduction to the Lunch and Learn speaker on Oct. 8 at the Ellis Fine Arts Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College. The speaker, Angela Bates, is on the left.
The annual Gordon Parks Celebration weekend Oct. 7-9 was packed with events to educate and entertain.
The Gordon Parks Museum is located on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2401 S. Horton.
Parks was an African American documentary photojournalist, photographer, musician, writer and director, with humble beginnings in Fort Scott.
He died in 2006.
There were photo exhibits and a local photo contest, speakers, tours, film showings, entertainment, book discussions, and the opening of the Learning Tree Tourism Trail.
Two African American men were honored as the “Choice of Weapons” annual recipients, Kyle Johnson and Eli Reed.
Kyle Johnson is an actor, performer, and activist. Submitted photo.
Eli Reed is a photographer, author, producer, and director. Submitted photo.
During the weekend celebration, The Learning Tree Tourism Trail was introduced.
The Learning Tree Tourism Trail is a series of signs located at the different locations where the filming of The Learning Tree took place around Fort Scott. The signs include QR codes, to be used with a smartphone, along with a virtual tour of the identified scene locations of the film, according to a Gordon Parks Museum press release.
Angela Bates speaks on Nicodemus, an African American town in Kansas, at a Lunch and Learn as part of the Gordon Parks Celebration on October 8. Nicodemus, KS was a community of African Americans who came following the Civil War to start new lives as free people. Bates said the first year, 1877, the Potowattamie and Osage Tribes of indigenous peoples helped the newcomers with food.
The annual photography contest in conjunction with the Gordon Parks Celebration had the winners on display at the Ellis Arts Center on the campus of FSCC.
Additionally on display were some of Parks’ photos and photos of The Learning Tree, the autobiographical film that Parks wrote and directed.
Winners of the Gordon Parks Celebration “Fashion & Diversity” photo contest, sponsored by Merl Humphrey Photography, are below.
Twenty-six entries were received and the winner of First Place was Johanna Walker (Franklin, KS) with the photo titled “Spotlight.”
Second Place was also Johanna Walker with the photo “Johnny.”
Third Place was Frank Clay with his photo, “Enjoying Each Other.”
First, Second, and Third place winners received cash prizes of $100, $75, and $50 respectively.
There were six Honorable Mentions named: “Diversity.” by (Yasser Alaa Mobarak,( Alexandria, Egypt.); “Skating the Disaster.” by Julie Steck (Merriam, KS); “Jewels of Plenty” by Bareigh Farrell (Fort Scott); “Portrait.” by Yasser Alaa Mobarak, (Alexandria, Egypt); “Queen of Color” by Alexxus Browning, Tulsa, OK and “Baby Blue.” by Adelay Martin (Redfield, KS).
The contest was open to any non-professional photographer and was inspired by Gordon Parks, who started his career in fashion photography and chose a camera to fight against racism, discrimination, and poverty.
Judges for the photo contest were professional photographer, Veretta Cobler, and established make-up artist and hairstylist, Donna Fumoso based in New York City.
The photo exhibit is on display in the lobby of the Ellis Fine Arts Center through October 15. The building is open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
First Place was Johanna Walker (Franklin, KS) with the photo titled “Spotlight.”Johanna Walker, Franklin, KS was second-place winner in the Gordon Parks Photography Contest. The contest winners were one of many artistic displays at the Gordon Parks Celebration.Enjoying Each Other, a photograph by Frank Clay, Overland Park, KS was the third-place winner of the Gordon Parks Photography Contest.
Ralph Carlson introduces the Friday Night Concert musicians May 2019.
DJ Brown and The Bourbon County Revival will be the featured entertainment at this week’s Friday Night Concert. The local four-piece band plays classic rock, country, and Red Dirt. Band members are Danny Brown on acoustic guitar and vocals, Robert Uhler on drums, Jerry Bahr on banjo, electric, acoustic and bass guitars, and vocals, and Randy Brasuell on mandolin, fiddle, bass and electric guitars, and vocals.
“These guys have been playing together for quite some time and are a crowd favorite,” concert-series organizer Ralph Carlson said. “This band is a delight to hear and we are pleased to welcome them back to perform in our downtown pavilion. Bring a friend and join us for an evening of superb musical talent.“
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.
The annual Gordon Parks Celebration in Fort Scott did not happen last year.
“We were not able to have 17th annual celebration last year due to COVID, so we wanted to make up for that misfortune and combine them both for this year and make it the 17th and 18th annual celebration,” Kirk Sharp, director of the Gordon Parks Museum on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, said.
Kirk Sharp is the director of the Gordon Parks Museum on the campus of Fort Scott Community College. Submitted photo
This year there are three full days to look at the past and encourage creativity and activism in the future.
The activities are listed by day:
Thursday, October 7
A photo exhibit in the Lunt Lobby of the Ellis Fine Arts Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2401 S. Horton will feature a photo contest, whose theme was “Fashion and Diversity.” Winners of the contest will be announced at the Fort Scott Chamber Coffee. The contest is sponsored by Merl Humphrey Photography, Fort Scott.
“Also part of the photo exhibit will be some of The Gordon Parks Mercy Foundation Collection with Gordon’s photos and poems, and behind the scenes photographs of the film Shaft and The Learning Tree,” Sharp said. “We will also have a promotional display of the Gordon Park: Homeward to the Prairie I Come Exhibition that is taking place now until May 2022 at the Beach Museum of Art at Kansas State University.”
There will be a sign and mural display featuring Gordon Parks at the Lowell Milken Center For Unsung Heroes, 1 S. Main, and also at the Riverfront Park, 400 N. National.
From 8-9 a.m., the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Coffee will be a Gunn Park, Shelter House 1, hosted by the Gordon Parks Museum. This weekly coffee will announce the grand opening and ribbon-cutting event of The Learning Tree Film Scene Sign Trail.
In case of inclement weather, the event will be in the FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center/Auditorium.
9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m., The film The Learning Tree will be shown at the Gordon Parks Museum, FREE – Introduced by Kyle Johnson.
10 a.m. – 3: p.m., Registration for the celebration opens (Outside of Museum)
10 a.m. – 3 p.m., “Mayhew Cemetery” and “Homeward to the Prairie, I Come Exhibition” table displays will be available at the museum.
11:50 a.m. – 1 p.m., “Gordon Parks: Fort Scott and The Learning Tree Revisited” is a free lunch and learn at the Ellis Center. 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. Schofield will then introduce keynote speaker, John Edgar Tidwell, Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Kansas for a presentation on The Learning Tree legacy, 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.
John Edgar Tidwell. Submitted photo.
Box lunches with sandwich wraps, desserts, and drinks are available in the lobby for $8 – to purchase that day – or bring your lunch and grab available desserts and join the lunch and learn.
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m., There will be a guided trolley tour of Gordon Parks’ Fort Scott & The Learning Tree film scene locations. Meet at the entrance of the FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center to see the places in Fort Scott that are part of Gordon Parks’ history. (Fee: $7)
2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m., Showing of the film Moments Without Proper Names (Gordon Parks Museum, FREE).
“Moments without Proper Names is a film directed by Gordon Parks in 1986,” Sharp said. “This film has a wonderful mixture of Gordon’s iconic photos that he has taken during his career and his most updated photographic work during that time along with some of his musical compositions. It is narrated by actors Avery Brooks, Roscoe Lee Browne, and Joe Seneca.”
6:45 p.m. – 7 p.m., “Gordon Parks: Homeward to the Prairie I Come” Exhibition (FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center/Auditorium, FREE).
Aileen Wang. Photo by Doug Barrett. Submitted.
Aileen Wang, curator at Kansas State University’s Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art will discuss the current exhibition that features photographs that were donated by Parks to K.S.U., in 1973 and work by the photographer, Doug Barrett.
Doug Barrett. Submitted photo.
The social hour starts at 6 p.m. with wine and light refreshments available.
7 p.m., “All things Kansas” (FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center/Auditorium, FREE) – Doug Barrett, photographer and videographer based in Manhattan, Kansas, will share some of his work and show how Gordon Parks continues to inspire contemporary artists. Barrett covers all things in the American Midwest. Some of his recognized work includes his project started in 2018 documenting homeless veterans living on the streets across America. He is currently documenting the black community on Yuma Street in Manhattan, Kansas, and covered the civil unrest last year within black America. This performance was supported in part by the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
Friday, October 8
9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Registration open (outside of Gordon Parks Museum)
Doug Barrett. Submitted photo.
9 a.m. – 9:50 a.m., “All things Kansas, Part 2” (FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center, FREE) – Doug Barrett, photographer, and videographer will continue the presentation of his work and show how Gordon Parks continues to inspire contemporary artists.
10 a.m. – 3 p.m., “Mayhew Cemetery” and “Homeward to the Prairie I Come Exhibition” (Gordon Parks Museum/FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center).
10:05 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., “A Conversation with Choice of Weapon Honorees.” (FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center/Auditorium, FREE) – The 2021 “Choice of Weapons Award” honorees, Kyle Johnson and Eli Reed.
Kyle Johnson. Submitted photo.
Eli Reed. Submitted photo.
11:30 a.m. – noon, “I Needed Paris”(FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center/Auditorium, FREE) – With Michael Cheers, Associate Professor of Photojournalism, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, San Jose State University.
Michael Cheers. Submitted photo.
This will be the 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. These students will reimagine Gordon’s spirit as a fashion photographer while using the same type of camera Gordon used – twin lens reflex film cameras. Student participants will style and photograph their models at some of the same locations chosen by Parks.
12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m., “Children of the Promised Land” (FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center/Auditorium, FREE), Lunch and Learn.
Angela Bates. Submitted photo.
Angela Bates, executive director of the Nicodemus Historical Society, will explore the lives of free-born children after the Civil War. Nicodemus, Kansas, a small unincorporated town in Graham County, is the only remaining western town established by African Americans during the Reconstruction Period following the Civil War.
“Children of the Promised Land” is part of Humanities Kansas’ Movement of Ideas Speakers Bureau, featuring presentations and workshops designed to share stories that inspire, spark conversations that inform, and generate insights that strengthen civic engagement. The program is brought to the community by Humanities Kansas.
Sack lunches are available in the lobby for $8 – to purchase that day, or bring your lunch.
1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m., “Book Club Presentation, A Choice of Weapons” (FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center, FREE) – With John Mason, Associate Professor, Associate Chair, University of Virginia Department of History and Eli Reed, Choice of Weapon Honoree.
Hosted by Susie Arvidson, Fort Scott Community College Librarian. Snacks and drinks will be provided.
John Mason. Submitted photo.
2:30 p.m. – 3 p.m., “Eli Reed, Photography Collection of Works” – Photographer, author, and Choice of Weapons Honoree Reed, will provide a short presentation of some of his photography.
3:30 p.m. – 4 p.m., African-American Suffragists Exhibit Reveal (Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, 1 S. Main St., FREE). Come to the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes for the unveiling of a new panel exhibit featuring Kansas suffragists Mamie Dillard and Carrie Langston Hughes. Also, visit the Unsung Heroes Park, where Gordon Parks is one of the featured signs. (Refreshments available).
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Guided trolley tour of Gordon Parks’ Fort Scott & The Learning Tree film scene locations.
Meet at the entrance of the Ellis Center and see the places in Fort Scott that are part of Gordon Parks’ history. (Fee: $7)
7:30 p.m., “A Night of Hot Jazz and R&B” (The River Room, 3 W. Oak St.) – Featuring, Dominique Hammons, multi-talented contemporary jazz, and R&B violinist.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with a cash bar available. All seats are reserved (fee: $30.00 each or $35 at the door). Supported in part by Peerless Products, Inc. in Fort Scott.
Saturday, October 9th
9: a.m. to 3 p.m., Registration open (outside of Gordon Parks Museum)
9 a.m. – 3 p.m., “Mayhew Cemetery” and “Homeward to the Prairie I Come Exhibition” Table Display (Gordon Parks Museum/FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center)
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m., “Just Talking about Shaft” (FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center/Gordon Parks Museum, FREE).
Kevin Willmott. Submitted photo.
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the film Shaft. University of Kansas film professor and Oscar-winning filmmaker Kevin Willmott will host a conversation with David Parks about the film. David will share his insight and experience during the filming and Kevin will talk about the impact of the iconic film along with some behind-the-scenes clips of Gordon Parks directing and producing the film. (Coffee, water, juice, and light refreshments will be available.)
11 a.m. – noon., Panel Discussion, “Racism, Discrimination and Poverty” (FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center/Gordon Parks Museum, FREE) – Join us for a panel discussion on racism, discrimination, and poverty. Gordon Parks used his camera and writings to fight against bigotry and poverty. People are using the same weapons as Gordon used to fight this same battle. Moderated by John Mason, Associate Professor, University of Virginia Department of History with featured panelists; Michael Cheers, Associate Professor, San Jose State University, Eli Reed, Choice of Weapons Honoree, Kyle Johnson, Choice of Weapons Honoree, Doug Barrett, photographer, and Robin Hickman-Winfield, CEO and Executive Producer of SoulTouch Productions and great-niece of Gordon Parks.
Noon – 1 p.m., “Picnic on the Patio” (FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center) – Join us for some great E3 hamburgers, along with chips, drinks, etc. Sponsored by E3 Meat Co.
1 – 1:30 p.m., “Reflections on the Commemoration and Celebration of Greenwood 2021” (FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center/Gordon Parks Museum, FREE) – The presentation will cover the seven important events as seen by photographer Don Thompson as the historic Tulsa, Oklahoma, Greenwood District move forward from the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre to the future.
Don Thompson. Submitted photo.
2:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m., Showing of the film Shaft (Gordon Parks Museum, FREE) – Introduced by David Parks.
7 p.m., social hour starts at 6 p.m.), “Celebration Tribute Dinner” at the Liberty Theater, 113 S. Main St. This is an evening of celebration, dinner, and tribute; a 50th anniversary retrospective of the release of the film Shaft, and presentation of the 2021 “Gordon Parks Choice of Weapons Award” to Kyle Johnson and Eli Reed. All seats reserved (fee: $30.00 – reserve by Wednesday, October 6th).
Sunday, October 10
10 a.m., Breakfast at Crooner’s Lounge, at one of Fort Scott’s finest, 117 S. Main Street. Check out the menu at: fscrooners.com. Everyone pays for their food.
Schedule subject to change. Please check at www.gordonparkscenter.org for any updates.
The Gordon Parks Museum Board is comprised of Janice Fewins, Elouise Young, Jane Campbell, Latisha Kelley-Cook, Marion Stepps, Angel Wilson, Debra Wood, and ShayLynn Clements.
Ralph Carlson introduces the Friday Night Concert musicians May 2019.
The Prairie Sunflower Strings will be the featured entertainment at this week’s Friday Night Concert. The musical group, consisting of six ladies, play traditional folk music on dulcimers, guitar, violin, and autoharp. A few newer songs will also be added into the mix.
“These talented musicians and vocalists have been playing together for about three years,“ concert-series organizer Ralph Carlson said. “Members of The Prairie Sunflower Strings are Cherry Nelson, Joyce Love, and Jean Strader on mountain dulcimers, Charlena Burns on bowed dulcimer, Sandy Hemphill on guitar, violin, and vocals, and Marilyn Adcock on autoharp and vocals. We are very pleased to welcome these gifted ladies back to the park pavilion. Come out and join us for a fun opportunity to see friends and enjoy some unique 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.
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Women’s Right to Vote, the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes invites all to attend a reception and unveiling for the new exhibit/panel on Friday, October 8th at 3:30pm. The Center will honor unsung heroes and African American suffragists Carrie Langston Hughes and Mamie Dillard with a reception including wine and cheese, fruit and dessert, and music. This event is sponsored by a grant from Humanities Kansas and will be followed up in November with a cultural arts presentation on women’s suffrage and a community book read, Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”
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 conversation 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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?”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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”
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.
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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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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.
