Eugene Ware Youth Choir, a vocal ensemble made up of 4th and 5th grade performers, will sing at the Friday Night Concert at the Heritage Park Pavilion (1st and Main) this Friday, October 18th from 7-8PM. In case of rain, the performance will take place at the Presbyterian Church
It is almost time for 63rd Annual Pioneer Harvest Fiesta which is held on the Bourbon County Fairgrounds, across the street from Fort Scott Community College on South Horton Street, each year.
October 18, 19 and 20 are the show dates with a parade downtown on Thursday, the 17th at 6 pm.
“We are using equipment 50 to 100-years-old to demonstrate how our forefathers annually harvested their farm crops,” Allen Warren, president of the Pioneer Harvest Fiesta board said. “We also demonstrate how our forefathers crushed rock for the early gravel roads.”
Vendors with some of everything, including old tools will be positioned around the fairgrounds.
Tractors will be on display and also gas engines.
The featured tractor this year is the Ford and the featured engine is a Hercules.
Also included in the harvest fiesta are quilt shows along with arts and crafts vendors. They will be housed in the buildings on the fairgrounds.
Quilts to be exhibited should be brought to the Myers Building from 10 a.m. to noon on Oct. 17.
“If these times do not work for you, please let me know or if you have any questions,” Jackie Warren, quilt event coordinator said. She can be reached at 620-224-8161.
“The quilt show is always fun, viewing the beautiful quilts and visiting with the vendors who are always ready to help you chose a new project,” she said. “This year’s vendors are Erica with Nine Patch Quilt Shop of Nevada, Carolyn with Heavenly Kneads & Threads of Humboldt, Cassino with Country Creek Peddlers, John Newland with Hot Fix products and Bobbi Schroeder with her quilting machine.”
“Bring some handwork with you and join the others who are hand quilting and embroidering and maybe, there will be someone crocheting and knitting. Lots of visiting and learning new procedures going on.”
Don’t forget the Arts and Crafts that will be in the 4-H Building.
Any questions about the Pioneer Harvest Fiesta, please call Allen Warren, 620-224-7761
The 2020 dates of the show will October 2, 3, and 4.
The Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Coffee will be held in the 4-H Building at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds Oct. 17.
The Pioneer Harvest Fiesta officers are Allen Warren, president Larry Richard, vice president; Delphine Parks, treasurer; and Betsy Readinger, Secretary.
The mission of the Pioneer Harvest Fiesta is:
“To create and maintain an organization of persons who are interested in all aspects of equipment, machinery, and other technology characteristic of rural American culture particularly during the period encompassing the first half of the twentieth century; to provide for the collection, preservation, display and management of artifacts and/or documents contemplated above; to provide and/or promote educational and charitable activities and programs which fulfill the above purposes, and thereby advance the cultural betterment of humankind; and to receive, administer, and distribute funds in connection with any activities related to the above purposes; provided, however, that the organization shall only engage in activities that are in the purview of Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 amended.”
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the school’s founding, the Fort Scott Community College theater department is bringing a powerful modern classic to the stage as its first production of the season.
“To Kill a Mockingbird” opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center on the FSCC campus. Additional performances are at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.
Show times are Friday, October 18, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, October 19, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, October 20 at 2 p.m.
Based on Harper Lee’s all-time best-selling novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which is required reading in many middle- and high-school classrooms, the stage play (by Christopher Sergel) is an equally searing indictment of society in the 1930s as it pertained to race relations in this country.
“It is not a pretty story,” said Allen Twitchell, FSCC’s director of theater, “but it is a story that needs to be told and re-told until we, as a society, get it right. The entire play is a protest; a protest against racism, hatred, bigotry, intolerance and inequality.
“I wanted to offer something meaningful for our centennial year celebration, and they don’t come any more meaningful than this. In fact, it’s probably the most important play I’ve ever had a hand in staging.”
The story centers on Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of assaulting a white girl in a small Alabama town in 1935, and Atticus Finch, a white attorney and the only person willing to defend him.
Playing the role of Atticus is Anthony Oneri, a freshman from Gardner, while sophomore Marcus Robinson of Paola portrays Tom.
The cast also includes Cadence Tuck as Scout and Andrew Lyon as Jem, the children of the widowed Atticus, and Ben Davenport as Dill, a runaway who befriends them. All three attend Fort Scott Middle School.
Other cast members are: Jazmin Havens, freshman from Pittsburg, as Calpurnia, the Finch maid; Colton Hofer, sophomore from Fort Scott, as prosecuting attorney Mr. Gilmer and down-street neighbor Boo Radley; Grace Springer, senior at Jayhawk-Linn high school, as Mayella Ewell, the “victim”; Meaghan Hay, sophomore from Fort Scott, as nosey neighbor Miss Maudie; Annabelle Moore, freshman from Lyndon, as self-righteous neighbor Miss Stephanie; Abby Sweat, freshman from Pleasanton, as mean-spirited neighbor Mrs. Dubose; Mikiylah Gonzales, freshman from Fort Scott, as the kindly Rev. Sykes for the Friday performance and Connor Chiarelli, freshman from Belton, Mo., in that role Saturday and Sunday; and Isabella Loyd, freshman from Fort Scott, as the court clerk and the understudy for all female roles.
In addition, the cast includes guest artists Tony Wagner as Sheriff Heck Tate and Harold Hicks as Judge Taylor and townsperson Walter Cunningham. Twitchell is playing the role of Bob Ewell, the accuser’s venomous and vengeful father.
Phoenix Burk, freshman from Pittsburg, is stage manager for the production and fills the roles of several minor characters, and Michael Woodward, sophomore from Fulton, serves as sound designer and engineer for the production.
Designing and running the lights for the show is Jason Huffman of Pittsburg.
The play does contain offensive language.
“I guarantee you that no one in this cast wanted to use words like that to disparage fellow human beings,” said Twitchell. “But, you really can’t tell this story without doing that. To water it down in any way would subvert the truth and minimize the message that racism is wrong – on every level .”
Pioneer Harvest Fiesta will take place October 18-20, 2019 at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds, kicking off with the Pioneer Harvest parade through Downtown at 6pm on October 17th.
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce announces that participating retailers in the Downtown Historic District will be offering a 10% discount to shoppers who have a Pioneer Harvest button which is the same as a ticket to the weekend steam engine and tractor show festival.
Buttons may be purchased for $5 at the gate of the Pioneer Harvest
Fiesta, or at the Chamber of Commerce, 231 E. Wall St.
This cross-promotion is a great way to support a local festival while enjoying a discount on books, apparel, antiques and more in the Downtown Historic District.
Shoppers mayl ook for a shopping discount flyer in the window of participating stores.
For more information on Pioneer Harvest Fiesta visit fortscott.com.
LET’S WARM UP WITH A CHILI AND CORNBREAD COOKOFF!
Event Date: Thursday, Nov. 7, 11:30am
Paper Pre-registration of your recipe is required by November 4th at Presbyterian Village, 2401 S. Horton, Fort Scott, KS or contact Ginger Nance at [email protected] for more information.
Day of the event: All Pre-registered cook-off participants will bring a covered crock-pot portion of chili &/or pan of cornbread with a focus for the “experienced” senior palate. All food entered will need to be delivered to the Presbyterian Village for judging no later than 11:00am.
Top three winners in both categories will be awarded prizes. Additionally, first prize winning recipes will be published in local Fort Scott news and the community newsletter.
*After judging, at approximately 12:30 pm bowls of chili and cornbread may be purchased by donation while supplies last.
All proceeds will go toward a local holiday fund drive
The annual Gunn Park race, the Tri-Yak-A-Thon, scheduled for tomorrow, Oct. 12 has been moved to the next day, Oct. 13 This move is to allow a dry-out of the trails that have been inundated with rainwater lately.
The race has been postponed to Sunday, October 13 and will begin at 2:00 PM and on-site registration will begin at 12:00 PM.
“The Tri-Yak-A-Thon is a race where participants run on Gunn Park’s beautiful trails, kayak up and down the Marmaton River, and then tackle the trails again on a bike,” said event coordinator Penny Pollack-Barnes. “The trail run is a 5K, the kayak portion is another 5K, and the bike portion is a 10K. You may participate as a relay team, or if you are tough enough you can do the entire race as a solo participant. You must bring your own kayak, life jacket, helmet, and mountain bike. Riders must wear a helmet.”
The event is located in Gunn Park, on the west side of Fort Scott.
“We will have a tent in the open field in the northwest corner of the park,” Barnes said. “The race will begin on the road at the back of the park near the spillway.”
Currently, there are 20 entrants, “but most will enter the day of the race,” Barnes said.
“We do this to have fun and to raise money for a local charity,” she said. “This year the net proceeds will go to Fort Scott Paws and Claws Animal Shelter.
Our sponsors are UMB Bank, Briggs Auto, Peerless, Ft. Scott Veterinary Clinic, Landmark National Bank, City State Bank, Smallville Crossfit, Mid-Continental, Brock Electric, Key for Business and the City of Fort Scott.
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WEEKLY CHAMBER COFFEE REMINDER
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This week’s Chamber of Commerce sponsored Friday Night Free Concert will feature David Prickett on the guitar and vocal.
David performs gospel, classic country and old standard pop tunes.
“David is one of the concert series favorites,” Ralph Carlson, event coordinator said.
In addition, there will be an open-mike period for walk-on musicians.
The show will start at 6:30 pm due to the earlier sunset times.
The show will take place indoors at the Common Grounds Coffee Shop, on Main Street in downtown Fort Scott.
The outside temperature is predicted to be in the low 50s at showtime.
Tours, reenactments of historic Cato to be held Sat., Oct. 12
Tours of Cato, the first town in Crawford County, are hardly new.
Susie Stelle, president of the Cato Historic Preservation Association, said she started helping John Spurling organize the annual Cato fall tour as far back as 1985. For several years prior, Spurling had given informal tours of the town, which is located northwest of Arcadia, KS.
This year, the Cato School will be celebrating it’s 150th Anniversary.
Organizers of the upcoming Cato Tour, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 12, plan to take visitors back to the mid-1800s through music, history and re-enactments.
Activities on Saturday begin at 9 a.m. with registration in the Cato Christian Church and will continue throughout the day.
Ralph Carlson, a member of the Old Fuss and Feathers musical group and Cato member from Fort Scott, will perform at 9:30 a.m. in the Cato Church.
Presentations by Anna Portwood Swank and her sister, Elizabeth Portwood Thompson and husband, Jaime Thompson, will take place in the restored 1869 rock school.
Various souvenirs and homemade baked goods will be available at the “Cato Store,” headed up by Stelle.
Proceeds from the tour will benefit the continued restoration and preservation of the Cato School and Cato Christian Church, as well as a newly-constructed cabin donated by the Coonrod family.
At noon, ham and beans cooked by Bob “Buck” Rowland of Arma, will be served along with corn bread.
There will be an open fire for attendees who wish to cook their own hot dogs.
Drinks will also be provided, all for a nominal fee.
After lunch, at about 12:30., a quilt donated by Sue James of Galveston, Texas, will be given away as part of a drawing. James’ husband, Dale James, attended all eight grades at the one-room Cato School.
At 1 p.m., Cato member Joe Bournonville will offer hayrides to area cemeteries and other sites related to Cato’s history.
On Friday, Oct. 11, over 600 youngsters from area schools will have a field trip to Cato.
The trip is organized by Cato member Katharine Spigarelli. Schools attending from Bourbon and Crawford Counties will be Uniontown, Fort Scott, Girard, Arma, Frontenac, and Pittsburg. New from this year also will be students from Liberal, Mo.
A tour guide will direct groups of kids to various stations to observe living history exhibits such as blacksmithing, wagons, and farming, schoolhouse games, area history, Civil War weaponry and Native American culture.
For more information: visit www.catoschool.com
Short sleeve t-shirts and long-sleeved t-shirts will be on sale at the Cato Store
Any questions – contact:
Marilyn Flagg
794 190th St.
Ft. Scott, Ks. 66701 620-223-2541
The Gordon Parks Celebration began its annual event, Oct. 3 with the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Coffee.
Winners of the Gordon Parks annual photo contest were given their awards during the coffee.
First, second, and third place winners received cash prizes of $100, $75, and $50 respectively and all finalists received a set of prints of Gordon Parks photos.
There were five honorable mention awards given: “In Death Lies The Erosion of Truth.” by Alexis Michalski (La Cygne, KS ); “Finding Joy in your Friends.” by Alexis Marchiano (Fort Scott); “The Master and the Apprentice.” by Jezeriah Simpson (Fort Scott); “Escape.” by Lawson Hall (Fort Scott); and “Lots of Trust.” by Julia Allen (Fort Scott).
The contest was open to any non-professional photographer and was inspired by a quote by the Gordon Parks-directed film The Learning Tree.
“We received a lot of great entries this year and the judges were very impressed by the skill level of the photographers. It was very difficult for the judges to determine the winner with all of the great entries,” said museum director Kirk Sharp.
The photo exhibit is on display in the Lunt Lobby of the Ellis Fine Arts Center at Fort Scott Community College through October 14. The building is open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Merle Humphrey Photography sponsored the photo contest.
There were 65 entries in the contest that was themed: “My Learning Tree, Life Lessons Learned.” Judges for the contest were Kassie Feugate-Cate, Tammy Helm and Merl Humphrey.
Also on display were some of Park’s photos and poems and in addition a section of behind-the-scenes photos of the film “The Learning Tree”, which was filmed in Fort Scott in 1969.
Below are scenes from the morning coffee:
To view the events of this weekend’s celebration events, click below:
https://files.constantcontact.com/599f8b4d001/45
c25fe4-471d-46b6-93ca-e18ffd9879a7.pdf
Eugene Ware Elementary 3rd Graders will present a Music Program, “Autumnal Equinox” on Monday, October 7 at 6:30 PM at Ellis Family Fine Arts Center at Fort Scott Community College, 2401 S. Horton.
This performance meets state and national standards of music education and highlights seasonal music.
All are welcome to this free performance!
Submitted by MJ Harper
