Two travel authors will be autographing their books Thursday, May 5 from 4-6 p.m. at Hedgehog.INK bookstore, and then on Friday, May 6, from 2-4 p.m. at the Lowell Milken Center, 1 S. Main, Fort Scott.
Roxie Yonkey, Goodland, Kan., author of 100 Things to Do in Kansas Before You Die, and Amy Piper, author of 100 Things to Do in Lansing Before You Die, Lansing, Mich., will have their books available to sign at both locations.
Submitted graphic.
“I visited Fort Scott National Historic Site in 2018, and am excited to return back to the site and bookstore,” Yonkey said.
“I first heard about the Lowell Milken Center at Kansas Tourism Conference,” Yonkey added. “At the end of the presentation, all of us were at least misty-eyed. I knew then that I must visit. When I visited, I stood in awe of the heroes enshrined within. And their tales keep growing as the center’s programs recruit more storytellers.”
In December 2021, Yonkey’s publisher asked her to write the book “Secret Kansas: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.” It will come out in the spring of 2023. Yonkey has been writing about Kansas for over 30 years. One Hundred Things to Do in Kansas Before You Die is her second book
In 2020, both travel writers co-authored, along with several other writers, the book Midwest Road Trip Adventures. That book includes road trip guides for 12 Midwest states.
Additional signings are scheduled throughout the state. Check the schedule at RoxieontheRoad.com/Signings.
We hope to see you in one of these Fort Scott attractions, May 5-6.
Ralph Carlson introduces the Friday Night Concert musicians May 2019.
Students of Saint Martin’s Academy will be the featured entertainment at this week’s Friday Night Concert. The school currently has an enrollment of 56 boys, ages 13 to 18. The music department is under the direction of Dave Agee and Daniel Kerr.
“This lively group of young men will warm your heart with their endearing performances of folk, country, and gospel songs,“ concert-series organizer Ralph Carlson said. “In addition to their musical talent, these students have proven to be an asset to the community with their willingness to help out in various areas. We are pleased to welcome Saint Martin’s Academy back to perform in our downtown pavilion. Bring a friend and join us for an enjoyable evening of 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 an indoor venue.
American Legion Post 25 will be having Bingo games on Thursday April 28 at 7 pm at Memorial Hall, Third Street and National Avenue. The public is invited.
Patty LaRoche is a former Fort Scott High School teacher and a regular contributor to FortScott.Biz and other media outlets.
For the past decade, she has been writing and re-writing a Christian book: A Little Faith Lift…Erasing the Lines of the Enemy.
The book is directed toward those who doubt their worth and encourages them to take risks and was initiated while working with teens as a school teacher.
The school of life has also prompted LaRoche to write.
Married to major league baseball pitcher Dave LaRoche in 1973, Patty spent most of her adult life in the world of professional baseball where wives are subject to much of the same public scrutiny and comparison as their husbands, she said.
“My 30+ moves in 48 years of marriage have given me van loads of humorous illustrations for this ‘Rejection-Collection,'” she said.
“Using humor and candor, no doubt from teaching high school for 20 years, I share not only my spiritual journey,” she said. “One mapped by faithfulness—yet detoured by faithlessness, while also retelling many individual stories of those who have, and have not, refused to let their circumstances or others’ opinions have any power to destroy who they are in Christ.”
The humor in her book has a serious message and is written for all age groups, she noted.
“A Little Faith Lift is for everyone who doubts their worth, to help them move past the pain caused by others that has left them insecure or bitter, to teach them to accept the potential (that) humor has over rejection,” LaRoche noted. “My objective is to convince them to take risks and refuse to give anyone or anything the power to make them less than God desires, to know that He’s the C.E.O. of the ‘Beauty from Ashes’ business.”
“My intended audience is adult women, the majority of people I meet, who have memories of betrayal by teachers, coaches, family members, friends or bullies who used them as their personal punching bag,” LaRoche said. “They have a hard time understanding that hurt people hurt people, thanks to a spiritual enemy who passes out stogies any time he can manipulate their self-worth.”
“These individuals measure themselves against others who have the looks, talents, or personality traits they think they lack,” she said. “Walking into a room full of strangers produces enough sweat to frizz their hair, and if asked to spearhead the church social, they hyperventilate.”
“I taught public speaking to high schoolers for 20 years, but when a group of senior girls asked if I would lead them in a Bible study, the message became clear: if my students could recognize from Whom their value came—challenging in a public-school setting—and not from what others thought of them, their lives forever would be changed. An organizing principle of A Little Faith Lift focuses on the teens in that study,” she stated.
“Nearly one in three teens meet criteria for an anxiety disorder by age 18, and 70% of them describe anxiety as a major problem for people their age, a number exacerbated by Covid,” LaRoche said. “My counselor friends tell me that, because of the pandemic, they are overwhelmed by young adults who feel hopeless. But it’s not only our youth who are affected. Too many people go to the grave never feeling like they were valued or used the talents God gave them, all because they never bought into the truth of how precious they are to their Creator.”
When will the book be ready?
“Probably when my social media numbers impress a publisher,” she said. “Right now, I have a very respected agent who will be pitching it to different Christian publishers.”
To support LaRoche in this new venture of book publication go to her Instagram posts patty_laroche, which is called PATTY’s PITCH
PATTY’s PITCH will appear on Instagram on Mondays and Fridays.
Ralph Carlson introduces the Friday Night Concert musicians May 2019.
This week’s Friday Night Concert will be presented by David Prickett of Deerfield, Mo. The concert begins at 7 p.m. at the Heritage Park Pavilion at First and Main streets. The vocal and guitar performance will feature a variety of gospel favorites and country classics.
“Prickett is no stranger to the stage,” Ralph Carlson, event organizer said. “After his first live performance in Fort Wainwright, Alaska, in 1962 at the All-Army Talent Show, he got hooked on music. He later moved to Texarkana where he had several bands and then eventually began doing solo gigs. After returning to Alaska, he and his wife Midge moved to Deerfield, Mo. in 2005.”
Prickett has played Good Ol’ Days, Bushwacker Days, churches, healthcare facilities, our Friday night concerts, and many other events,”Carlson said. “Join us for the kickoff concert of the season and enjoy some great music. We’re pleased to welcome David Prickett back to the park pavilion.“
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 First United Methodist Church, 301 S. National; enter the lower-level north door.
will be held May 5-8, 2022 in Bourbon, Cherokee & Crawford counties.
Order your BKRT shirt by 8am on Monday, April 18th to help promote BKRT & help welcome all the visitors!
(Any shirts ordered will be available for pickup at the
Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce by May 5th)
About the Big Kansas Road Trip
The Big Kansas Road Trip was created to be active, to be fun, to bring people together AND to make an economic and social difference in the showcase counties. It was designed to help people understand rural culture and to bring urban and rural folks together.
The Big Goal is to get people addicted to exploring Kansas so they’ll want to do it year-round in a way that will help sustain communities.
Kansas communities are bolstered by people who love to explore.
The idea is to get people onto the back roads and into Kansas towns to actually SEE PLACES. To actually EAT IN LOCAL CAFES and to talk to and GET TO KNOW THE LOCALS.
To order a BKRT
t-shirt by 8am, Monday, April 18th, click Order Now below, $12 each plus tax.
A state league mountain bike race will be in Fort Scott on April 23.
Kansas NICA is coming to Gunn Park Trails!
The primary goal of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) is to get more kids on bikes, according to information from NICA. NICA provides opportunity for student athletes, 6th through the 12th grade, to compete in the growing sport of mountain biking, and develop the life-long skill of cycling.
Submitted photo from NICA.
Gunn Park will be closed April 23-24 to the Public
On April 24, Fort Scott’s wooded and hilly Gunn Park Trails will be one of the venues this year for the Kansas League of NICA. Setup will begin on Saturday, April 23, and Gunn Park will be closed for the weekend except to spectators, volunteers, and obviously participants.
Mountain Biking
Mountain biking IS for flatlanders too.
Mountain biking is synonymous with off-road biking/trail-riding, as opposed to paved or gravel trails. As long as you have elevation, rocks and dirt, you can have a trail, according to information provided by Frank Halsey, who is the liaison between the race organizers and The City of Fort Scott.
Halsey is an avid mountain bike rider and hosts other local mountain bike races in Gunn Park during the year. He initiated the trails in the park and started the Gunn Park Trails organization several years ago.
He was contacted by Tina Kahn, Director for Kansas NICA, about eight weeks ago, for permission to host a mountain bike race on Gunn Park Trails. He approached the city commission about “this great opportunity to showcase our local trails as well as the awesome hospitality of Fort Scott,” Halsey said, and the city commission approved.
Submitted photo from NICA.
“To host this type of event is an honor for our team of volunteers and tremendous opportunity for Fort Scott”, said Halsey. “The whole thing is very, very organized, and follows a 200-page rules and regulations book produced by the NICA. It’s kids, so they are ultra-careful about doing things safely and professionally”.
“It is quite the production,” he said. “Their infield/staging area is awesome with vendor and sponsor tents set up, everything fenced off, creating a pro-sport atmosphere. It’s all about the experience for the athletes.”
New Fort Scott Team Next Year?
“The nearest team is currently from the Pleasanton-Louisburg area, but I hope we can field a team next year,” Halsey said. “There are currently about 140 (Kansas) student athletes, making up eleven different teams from across the state.”
to the Gordon Parks: “Homeward to the Prairie I Come” & Doug Barrett: Find Your Voice Exhibition
Join us for a one-day shuttle trip to the Parks exhibition, in the Marion Pelton Gallery at the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art featuring photographs donated by Parks to Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, in 1973. Also view the ”Doug Barrett: Find Your Voice,” Exhibition.
Kirk Sharp is the director of the Gordon Parks Museum on the campus of Fort Scott Community College. Submitted photo
The Gordon Parks Museumwill host aPhotographyMeet & Greet SeminaronWednesday, April 27 at 5:30p.m.to 6:30 p.m.Come meet and greet Veretta Cobler, professional photographer, who will give a presentation on working with film and digital photography. Veretta has moved back home to Fort Scott after over four decades of living in New York City where she maintained her fully–equipped commercial photography studio. Throughout her career she transitioned from the classic photographic film and darkroom expertise to the complexity of today’s digital photography technology. Her experience expands to studio lighting and graphics computer skills. She is looking forward to sharing her knowledge in her home community. This in–depth seminar is designed for all levels of photographers from the beginner to the more experienced. She is looking to help improve and enhance their shots. While in New York City as a professional photographer, she worked in fine arts, fashion, portraiture, still life and journalistic cultural study. Her fashion images were published in various U.S. magazines including Bride, Modern Bride, Bridal Guide, Elegant Bride, Martha Stewart Living, The Knot, Seventeen, Prom, and New York Magazine. Her New York clients now use her images for their social media accounts. Veretta’s fine art photography has resulted in exhibitions and publications of her work throughout her career. Published works include New York Underground (2004), a coffee table photography book depicting the nightlife inNew York City in the late 1970’s. She has recently completed a book about the life and teachings of a Lakota spiritual man, and is in the process of seeking a publisher. Herworkcanbeviewedatherwebsiteatwww.veretta.com. Free registrationis available at the Gordon Parks Museum, online or over the phone, at 620–223–2700 ext. 5850.
A Fort Scott 4×4 Mud Run to benefit a local recreation center is coming to town on April 23-24 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.
Spectator’s cost is $5 person, or $10 for carload (6 and under free).
Participating Mud Run entries are $20.
All proceeds are being donated to the Fort Scott Recreation Center, according to the event organizer Michael Hayden.
“We really appreciate him doing this, the additional funds really help out,” Tom Robertson, director of Fort Scott Recreation Center, said. “This assistance will help with scholarships for kids and families that can’t afford to sign up for a program such as baseball, swim lessons or cooking class, anything with a fee attached.”
Bourbon County was chosen to have the event because leadership was welcoming, Hayden said.
“We wanted to have a mud run somewhere in the southeastern Kansas area to give our members a larger event to attend in a part of the state that is often overlooked for bigger cities,” said Hayden. “After contacting a few different counties, the leaders in Bourbon County and the City of Fort Scott seemed most open and welcoming to the idea.”
Submitted photo.
The event will be at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds, located on South Horton in Fort Scott, just across from the community college.
“Mud Runs involve a mud pit dug to a specific depth and length in which a vehicle attempts to power through and reach the other side in the shortest time possible,” Hayden said. “Heavy equipment is standing by to pull out those that get stuck before reaching the end.”
There are typically several different classes of vehicles to keep competition fair, he said.
“We will have two different mud pit depths and three different classes, based on tire size,” Hayden said. “The vehicles need to be registered and street legal, with the exceptions of a few minor modifications. The intent is to allow the average person to be able to come out and have fun! We we have trophies and door prizes in all classes.”
The mud run is organized by the Kansas Ram Club.
“Our major sponsors are Ron’s Tire and Service in Fort Scott, Simon’s Dirt Work in Fort Scott and Buddy’s Home Furnishings in Pittsburg,” he said.
“Also, we have added an additional exhibition night for Friday night at 6 P.M. in which the Kansas Gambler 500 vehicles are going to be coming through the mud pit as part of their annual cruise,” Hayden said. “They plan to have somewhere around 100 eccentric vehicles and should be an exciting time!”
The Easter bunny, in 2018 portrayed by Carmen Flater, gets a little help before appearing to the children from her husband, Scott.
The Kiwanis Club Easter Egg Hunt has been going on for about 50 years, John Crain, president, said.
The tradition continues when the Kiwanians will be in Gunn Park this Saturday, April 9 distributing the eggs and getting the hunt areas set up before the hunters are released to search for their eggs.
The hunt starts at 11 a.m. sharp, on that day, and at11:05 a.m., “It’s all over,” chuckled Bob Eckles, who is the chairman of the annual hunt.
The Kiwanis Easter Egg Hunt in 2018.
“We hope everybody brings their kids and enjoys the morning,” Crain said.
Each child needs to bring their own basket to collect the eggs, which will have coupons from area businesses or candy in them.
Preschool children should go to the area below #2 Shelter House, kindergarten through second grade children will meet south of the #2 Shelter House and third, fourth and fifth grade children will meet on the north side of the entrance road to the park, Crain said.
Parking is by #1, #2 and #3 Shelter houses.
The Easter Bunny will be there and photos can be taken with the bunny by parents, Eckles said.
Fort Scott High School Key Club and the Mud Turtle Softball Team helped stuff the eggs with coupons and candy, Eckles said.
Some Key Club students will help the morning of the hunt as well, he said.
The annual event is funded by donations from the community that includes cash from Diehl, Banwart and Bolton CPA, R & R Equipment, Heidrick’s Hardware, Big Sugar Lumber, Don’s Spirits, Iron Star Antiques and Such, Merle Humphrey Insurance and Photography, Max’s Way Station.
Coupons for the eggs are provided by the following businesses:
Fort Cinema, Marsha’s Deli, Leanna’s Flowers, Nu Grille, McDonald’s Restaurant, Dairy Queen, Papa Don’s Restaurant, Bids and Dibs Resale Shop, and HedgehogInk Bookstore.
