Category Archives: Entertainment

Martin Luther King Jr. Lunch and Learn Today

The Martin Luther King Jr. celebration continues today with a noon Lunch and Learn at the Gordon Parks Museum on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton.

This community discussion will be moderated by Rev. George Proctor of the United Missionary Baptist Church.

Lunch will be provided by Luther’s BBQ.

Films will also be shown throughout the day Monday at 9:00 am, 10:30 am, and 1:30 pm.

 

Takin Notes Will Perform Jan. 31

Members pictured are Brian Crites Kyle Crites, Randy Maple, Billy Beckman , Roger Bland, Dr Larry Buck, Terri Louk, Mike Church. Not pictured is our soundman,  Jeff Deal.

A band of friends from the Iola area will perform in Fort Scott at the Fort Scott Community College Round Room, Bailey Hall, on Friday, January 31 at 7 pm.

The public is welcome to come to listen to some old and newer country, rock, along with bluegrass and gospel music.

Special guests are the Matt Kloepfer family.

The Matt Kloepfer family. Submitted photo.

 

The band “Takin’ Notes” has played downtown several times and is looking forward to sharing their talents with you.

These bands have something enjoyable for everyone.

Admission is free so come on over and have a great evening with us!

 

 

 

Boiler Room Brewhaus: A Little Different

Bryan and Barbara Ritter stand in front of the renovated area of the Broiler Room Brewhaus on Jan. 9.

Barbara Ritter, owner of Boiler Room Brewhaus at 2 S. National, has been extra busy since the new year began.

Her sister, Peggy, is a co-owner with Barbara and her husband, Bryan is the brewer.

Bryan and Barbara were doing the final touches of a recent reno last week.

Fort Scott’s first microbrewery is located on the busy corner of Wall Street and National Ave. The Ritter’s feature beer tastings, by the glass and take out.

Since having the business rebranded in the fall, they realized they needed to take some time to do some new things in the microbrewery.

They have expanded their tap selection.

“We are going to have six of our brews on at a time,” Barbara said. “We have been canning our beer since fall.”

They have been doing some decorative changes as well.

“Basically, we did a lot of painting,” Barbara said. “Walls, doors, vanities, tables…in nostalgic colors.”

Nostalgic colors were added to fit with the mid-century design of the building.
The restroom vanity was painted.

Since the building was built in 1960, “we have added some elements from that time period,” to the decor, she said.

The Ritters are looking for vintage photos of the Downtowner Hotel, which now houses the microbrewery.

“If anyone has any vintage photos of the Downtowner or people, that they would be willing to share…to purchase or display,” Ritter said, please contact them at 913.636.4892 or 620-644-5032.

“This building was completed in February 1960,” she said.

A vintage photo of the Downtowner in the 1970s. Paul Milks found the photo and one of the Goodlander Hotel in the Bourbon County Genealogical Society library.
The Boiler Room Brewhaus, 2 South National Avenue, Jan. 9, 2020.
The Goodlander Hotel was the original building on the site. It was demolished for the construction of the Downtowner Hotel, Ritter said.

The Ritter’s moved their business to the new site at the corner of National Avenue and Wall Street on June 1, 2018.

The old logo is gone and has been replaced with nostalgic ones:

Barbara Ritter displays some of the new logos on the glasses, etc.

Taco night is each Thursday at the Boiler Room Brewhaus, catered by Crooner’s Lounge.
Snacks and drinks are served each time the microbrewery is open.

Though the microbrewery doesn’t serve meals, they have menus from restaurants where people can order food and have it delivered or can bring it into the Brewhaus, she said.

“There is also a $5 taco bar catered by Crooner’s Lounge on Thursdays, $5 and you can eat all the tacos you want,” Barabara said.

They will also be offering some new appetizers.

Each Friday is karaoke from 7-9 p.m., and Sundays there are team trivia games from 5-7 p.m.

“We are looking to add a music bingo game, possibly on Saturday evenings,” she said. “We will try it once to see how it goes.”

“We are hoping to have musicians coming once a month,” she said. “There are three in the works so far for the next couple of months.”

Heather Fink did the lettering on the doors of the Boiler Room Brewhaus.

Currently, they have four part-time employees and two full-time.

“We are looking for one more part-time, one day a week,” she said. “Possibly an older employee with a good work ethic, who is looking for something to do.”

“We’ve had a really good year,” Barbara said. “Almost one-half of customers are new to Fort Scott. Fifty-one percent are local people.. We have a variety of people of all ages.”

“People say this is a cool little town,” she said. “This town has a lot to offer.”

 

Downtown Meet and Greet Jan. 28

Join us at the First Quarterly Downtown Meet & Greet, Tuesday, January 28th, 2020!
8:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Held at Papa Don’s
Rita Schroeder, Administrative Assistant
Lindsay Madison, Executive Director
620-223-3566
These informal, quarterly meetings are hosted by the Chamber for downtown business owners, representatives and community members to network and share ideas on events, promotions and anything related to downtown. Coffee, juice and light refreshments will be served.

Quarterly Downtown Meet & Greet Scheduled for January 28

 

The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce the Quarterly Downtown Meet & Greet will be held Tuesday, January 28th from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at Papa Don’s Pizza, 10 N. Main Street.

These informal, quarterly meetings are hosted by the Chamber for downtown business owners, representatives and community members to network and share ideas on events, promotions and anything related to downtown. Coffee, juice and light refreshments will be served.

Our Quarterly Downtown Meetings will be held on that first Tuesday of the quarter.

Please join us Tuesday, January 28th, 2020 for the Quarterly Downtown Meet & Greet. Contact the Chamber at 620-223-3566 with any questions.

Martin Luther King Celebration Begins Jan. 15

Gordon Parks Museum to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration will be held next week, with several events planned in Fort Scott.

The event begins on Wednesday, January 15th at the Gordon Parks Museum. The day will include three film showings at 9:00am, 1:30pm, and 3:30pm. A Lunch and Learn event will also be held at 11:00am featuring a dramatic reading of ‘Letters from Birmingham Jail’ by FSCC students and members of the community. A reception will follow with birthday cake. Participants may bring their own lunch.

On Thursday the community is invited to the Fort Scott High School for a Martin Luther King Jr. assembly program. The program will include presentations by the Project Based Learning students, and the Advance Placement Government class.

The celebration will wrap up with a 12:00pm Lunch and Learn at the Gordon Parks Museum on Monday, January 20th. This community discussion will be moderated by Rev. George Proctor of the United Missionary Baptist Church. Lunch will be provided by Luther’s BBQ. Films will also be shown throughout the day Monday at 9:00am, 10:30am, and 1:30pm.

A full list of film showings can be found at www.visitfortscott.com/events. For more information call the Gordon Parks Museum at 620-223-2700 ext. 5850.

Submitted by Allyson Turvey

[email protected]

(620) 238-4919

Chamber Hosts Coffee Jan. 9

Chamber Coffee
Thursday, January 9th
will be hosted by the
Chamber Board
231 E.Wall St..
8am
Click herefor the Fort Scott Chamber’s website.
Click herefor the Fort Scott Chamber’s
Facebook website.
Chamber Members & Guests are
welcome to attend and pay $1 to make any announcement about their business or organization including events, new products, promotions, or
anything else to share!
Upcoming Chamber Coffee Schedule:
*Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors 1/9/2020
* Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries 1/16
* Walmart, in the Vision Center 1/23
* My1Stop hosting at Empress Center 1/30
* 2/6/2020 – Open! Call 620.223.3566 to schedule today!

Free Concert At Common Grounds Jan. 8: Celebrating Elvis’s Birthday

Common Grounds Coffee Company, 116 S. Main.

Grab a “cuppa coffee” and a cookie at Common Grounds Coffee Shop and prepare to celebrate Elvis Presley’s birthday on Wednesday, Jan. 8.

A group of area musicians are playing in honor of Presley at Common Ground Coffee Shop, 116 S. Main, at 7:00 p.m.
The “Sounds of Graceland” concert will feature a variety of songs recorded by the young man born in Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935.
Vernon and Gladys Presley and their 13-year-old son Elvis moved to
Memphis, Tennessee in 1948, and the rest is history.
Featured on vocals are Danny Brown, Bruce Jameson and his son Colton, and more.  Rob Hunt and Carolyn Tucker on keyboards, Paul Studyvin and Robert Uhler on drums, guitarist Jerry Bahr, and Randy Brasuell on bass. Sound will be provided by Dave Oas.
The evening will conclude with celebrating the gospel side of Elvis as
vocalists and musicians perform some of his most-popular sacred
recordings.
The free concert is sponsored by the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce.
For more information, contact Ralph Carlson.

Jon Kindlesparger Retires As Golf Course Superintendent

Jon Kindlesparger stands in front of the cake that his employer, The City of Fort Scott provided for his retirement reception.

Jon Kindlesparger, 66, retired as the Woodland Hills Golf Course Superintendent as of Dec. 31, 2019.

In his 8.5 years at the golf course, Kindlesparger has seen an improvement in the course that is owned by the City of Fort Scott.

Jon Kindlesparger answers the clubhouse phone.

“The city has put some money into it,” he said. “It takes a ton of money…It was a three to four-year challenge…from not very good to playable.”

The course has been improved from “pretty downtrodden”, Kindlesparger said. “To a decent golf course now.”

“All the turf is better and in playable condition,” he said. “There is a new clubhouse and new cart shed and also playing, membership and revenue has increased.”

Golf carts that can be rented are lined up near the entrance to the Woodland Hills Golf Clubhouse.

“Jon made a ton of difference in his time,” Rex Hall, a member of the golf course and attendee at Kindlesparger’s retirement reception Dec. 30, said.  “He made it actually look like a golf course.”

Following his retirement, Kindlesparger said he will be seeing ” a lot of golf courses and a lot of lakes to fish.”

Jon Kindlesparger looks at the gift card the City of Fort Scott gave him at his retirement reception on Dec. 30 at the clubhouse.

The Fort Scott Human Resources Director Deb Needleman presented a gift card to Kindlesparger during the reception.

Woodland Hills Golf Course, 2414 S. Horton, Fort Scott.

 

Want To Host A Chamber Coffee?

Happy New Year!
We are now booking
Chamber Coffees for 2020! Chamber Coffees take place each Thursday at 8am and are a great way to promote your business or organization with approximately 40-50 people in attendance.
Click here for a current schedule and to view open dates.
Click here to email us your preferred date.
You might include a 1st & 2nd option in case your
choice is full by the time you request a date.
Click here for an overview of hosting a Coffee.
You may also call us vs. email with your preferred date or to go over any questions you may have about hosting.
Rita Schroeder, Administrative Assistant
Lindsay Madison, Executive Director
620-223-3566
Upcoming Chamber Coffee Schedule:
* 1/9Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, at the Chamber office, 231 E. Wall St.
* 1/16 Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries, at their office located w/the Bourbon County Senior Citizen Center, 26 N. Main St.
* 1/23 Walmart, in the Vision Center
* 1/30 My1Stop, at Empress Center, 7 N. Main St.

Holiday Schedule for Fort Scott National Historic Site

 

 

Fort Scott Kan. – The Fort Scott National Historic Site’s Visitor Center and fort buildings will be closed, and no programs will be offered, on Christmas day and New Year’s day (December 25, 2019 and January 1, 2020) to allow staff to celebrate the holidays with their families.

Winter hours are in effect from November 1-March 31 at Fort Scott National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service. 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. To find out more or become involved in activities at the Fort, please contact the park at 620-223-0310 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/fosc.

 

Chamber Coffee at City Hall Dec. 19

Chamber Coffee
Thursday, December 19th
will be hosted by the
City of Fort Scott
123 S. Main St.
8am
Click here for the City’s Facebook page.
Click here for the City’s website.
Chamber Members & Guests are
welcome to attend and pay $1 to make any announcement about their business or organization including events, new products, promotions, or
anything else to share!
Upcoming Chamber Coffee Schedule:
* No Chamber Coffee 12/26/2019 or 1/2/2020
* Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors 1/9/2020
* Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries 1/16
* Walmart, in the Vision Center 1/23
* My1Stop hosting at Empress Center 1/30