




Be an Active Part of History this Holiday Season
Fort Scott Kan. – Monday, November 1, 2021, tickets for Fort Scott National Historic Site’s 40th 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. They are $8.00 per person and non-refundable, children 5 and under are free. It is recommended that you get your tickets early for your choice of tour times as this event frequently sells out.
The 40th Annual Candlelight Tour is December 3 and 4, 2021. Tours on December 3 will begin at 6:30 pm and leave every 15 minutes until 9 pm. On Saturday, December 4, the tours will start at 5 pm with the final tour leaving at 8:45 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 the terrain, as the entire tour will be outside.
1,000 candle lanterns illuminate the site and reenactors (including you) bring the fort to life. “This year’s tour is about finding peace on the frontier.” said Betty Boyko, Superintendent, Fort Scott National Historic Site. A Solders path to finding peace took many routes. From the Dragoon soldier’s fight as frontier peacekeepers to keeping peace on the Santa Fe and Oregon trails and returning from Mexico and celebrating the peace treaty, experiencing conflict provided their route to peace.
Fort Scott was an active military post from 1842-1853, which was a time of rapid growth and change in the country. As Fort Scott was being built, the nation grew west, expanding all the way to the Pacific Ocean. With this growth, Fort Scott changed, the mission of its soldiers changed, their experience changed, the environment changed, and the nation changed. Soldiers at Fort Scott lived their lives to the fullest despite the constant change.
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.
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Many activities are planned for Fort Scott’s entertainment this Halloween.
Starting Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., the Common Ground Coffee House Fort Scott High School Debate and Forensic Students will be reading spooky stories.
Friday, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., Presbyterian Village Assisted Living staff will be hosting trick or treaters outside the facility.
Also Friday, from 4 to 7 p.m., Briggs Auto Lot will be hosting trick or treaters.
Saturday at Buck Run Community Center from 9 to 10 a.m., kids can make creepy, crawly crafts for $1 and then come back from 1 to 3 p.m. to carve a pumpkin for $3.
At the Butcher Block, one can purchase smoked turkey legs or hot dogs for dinner and enjoy caramel apples at 6 p.m.
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Halloween Parade will be held Saturday, October 30 at 11 a.m. in downtown Fort Scott.
Starting at 10:30 a.m., there will be special activities including pictures with a spooktacular backdrop at the City Scales building on North Main Street, and face painting by Fort Scott High School Thespians.
The parade of children will trick-or-treat merchants along Main Street, starting at La Hacienda Restaurant, south to 2nd Street, crossing the street then heading north back to Skubitz Plaza, according to a Chamber press release.
Any businesses or organizations in the community, not located along Main Street, are welcome to set up a table on the sidewalk also providing treats, coupons, or other handouts for kids, according to the release.
Children are encouraged to bring a sack or bag to collect treats along the parade route.
Following the parade, a free hot dog lunch will be served to kids in costumes, according to the release.
The Chamber wishes to thank the sponsors which include, Briggs, Niece, Empress Center, KTCCU, Sharky’s, Valu-Merchandisers, Fort Scott Inn, Fort Scott Family Dental, Crain Insurance Agency, 3D Alternator, Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, and Walgreens.
For more information contact the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce at 620-223-3566.

On Sunday, October 3, Sonic Drive-In Restuarant will have 50 cent corndogs for sale all day.
On Sunday evening, both Community Christan Church and the Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene will be hosting trunk and treats for the community.

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 55 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. This concert will conclude the 2021 season, so 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. Stephan Moses will serve as sound technician this 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 Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, 1 S. Main, has expanded its’ exhibits into the park south of the building.
On October 8, the center hosted an unveiling of two Kansas black women who were suffragettes in the movement to allow women to vote. The exhibit was sponsored by a Kansas Humanities Grant and featured Carrie Langston Hughes and Mamie Dillard.
In addition, that day several new exhibits were unveiled in the green space area south of the center, named the Unsung Heroes Park.
“The objectives of the park are to provide a place for visitors to enjoy the pleasant outdoor scenery, learn about unsung heroes, and offer a centralized community gathering space for programs and activities, while also complementing the downtown area,” according to a prior LMC press release.
To view the press release on the park:
New Unsung Heroes Park in Downtown Fort Scott

The new outside exhibits in the Unsung Heroes Park are inter-changeable and will be occasionally switched out, Ronda Hassig, LMC Docent, said.
“We are still awaiting murals that will be placed on the north side of the center, facing Wall Street and also on the south side of the center, facing the park,” she said.
The biggest part of the funding for the park was by the center’s founder Lowell Milken. Milken believes “education can awaken the mind, sustain curiosity and strengthen our engagement with others. More importantly, … education has the power to instill in people the impulse to take initiative for the good of others,” according to the LMC for Unsung Heroes website.
Others who helped with the park funding: the American Association of Retired People Challenge Award, The Timken Foundation, and a Sunderland Grant, Hassig said.









The Fort Scott High School Performing Arts Department presents the new musical “Ranked” by Kyle Holmes and David Taylor Gomes.
Performances are Nov. 9 and 11 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 13 at 2 and 7 p.m. at the FSHS Auditorium, 1005 S. Main. Over fifty FSHS students are involved in the acting, singing, dancing, and technical aspects of the show.
“Ranked” presents a dystopian high school where the theme, “Buy your grades. Buy your future. But what happens when the rest of the world finds out?” comes to the surface.
Rankedmusical.com describes the plot this way: “Lily is Above the Average, barely. Soon the giant, and very public, academic leaderboards will update everyone’s class rank, and for another day, everyone will know their place. If you fall Below the Average – say goodbye to college, and pretty much everything else… In the face of an intense and perverse culture of performance, Lily must find her place in the status quo as she watches friends and enemies alike destroy themselves and each other to score their way to the top. When an impossible lie is discovered, the fate of these students’ futures hangs in the balance.”
The new musical was conceived by Granite Bay High School in 2018 and debuted just weeks after the College Admission Scandal took the nation by storm.
“‘Ranked’ offers students the opportunity to shed light on the pressure placed on them to perform to the point of perfection, despite the inequities they may face in society,” Theatre Director Angie Bin said. “This musical has given the students significant buy-in as a way to share the stressors that many of them face.”
The production is also directed by Music Director Whitley Chesney, Choreographer and Assistant Music Director Mary Jo Harper, and Technical Director Alex Chesney.
“This is my first time as a music director for a musical. It’s wonderful to learn with these students. I enjoy working with students that aren’t in choir, as I never see them outside of rehearsal,” said Whitley Chesney. “‘Ranked’ has been a great show for students to experience real world issues. We have been able to have several conversations about how things in the show can relate to our lives. It has been cool to see how the students take their own experiences and incorporate them into their acting choices.”
Lily is portrayed by junior Courtney Shelton. Other lead actors include juniors Ella McElroy and Israel Carreno, senior Ashlynn Bagnall, and sophomores Casey Gomez and Lexi Hill.
Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for those under 18 and are available at fortscotthighschool.ludus.com or at the door. Parental guidance is suggested and seating is limited. Doors open 30 minutes prior to showtime.

Bethel Community Church will provide the music for this week’s Friday Night Concert. “The performing musicians and vocalists represent a diversity of ages and talent. The audience is sure to enjoy their program of gospel music excellence,” concert-series organizer Ralph Carlson said. “I’m very pleased to welcome the Bethel Community Church to the park pavilion. The concert season is nearly over, so we encourage everyone to take advantage of this musical presentation Friday evening.”
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 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.


Parks Choice of Weapons Award Winners Announced
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.
To learn more:
The Learning Tree Tourism Trail Grand Opening is Oct. 7

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.




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.
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