Despite many months of planning, the Old Settler’s Picnic event is a no-go.

Late last month the planning committee met to discuss the plans for the annual event that has happened every year since 1905.

Uniontown,  with a population of 300 people in western Bourbon County, usually sees a large crowd visit the event each year.

Traditionally, it is a weekend of rodeos, a fishing derby, a community church service, a baby contest, craft and food vendors,  parades, family picnics, and games in the town park.

“We decided we couldn’t go ahead with our plans because of Gov. Kelly’s COVID-19 restrictions,” said Becky Shinn, secretary/treasurer of the planning committee said.

“The committee was unsure what we could and couldn’t do,” she said. “If she declared only 45 people could be in an area, we couldn’t do it.”

Many of the key people were not comfortable coming to the event which is normally held on Labor Day weekend, the first weekend in September, Shinn said.

The grand marshalls of the parade, the car show organizer and in addition, the Uniontown  High School student organizations would not be there.

“The FFA students were not going to be able to do their BBQ dinner, the band wasn’t going to be able to be 6 feet apart in marching, and the Methodist Church wasn’t sure they were going to (supply their chicken dinners),” Shinn said.

“Only one or two food trucks were coming,” she said.

The final decision was because of the lack of these key components for the weekend activities.

The committee is comprised of Shayla and Kyle Knight, Hope Workman, Tammy Davidson, Rhonda DeWitt, Nancy Holt and Shinn.

Rodeo Events Still On

There are still rodeo events this weekend at the Uniontown Rodeo  Stadium, west of town on Hwy. 3.

A team roping event is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4; a co-ed ranch rodeo at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5, and the 53rd Annual Old Settlers Youth Rodeo which starts at 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Even though there will be no traditional Uniontown Old Settlers Picnic activities in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be rodeo events at the arena west of Uniontown.

“This virus has things shut down,” Wayne Hall, contact for the rodeos, said. “The rodeos are an outside event. We have hand sanitizer in the bathroom. We encourage people to not get too close. We find families stay together.”

Team Roping

On Friday, September 4, there will be a team roping contest at the Uniontown arena.

“It’s open to anybody that wants too,” Levi Motley, contact for the team roping said. “They’ll enter with people when they get here, find a partner and enter up,” although he added, “This isn’t a spectator sport.”

Teams compete for a jackpot prize, he said.

“Team roping begins at 7 p.m. and lasts about two hours,” Motley said.

Contact Motley at 620-768-9166.

Ranch Rodeo

The 34th Annual Co-Ed Ranch Rodeo will happen on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 7 p.m.

There are four people on a team.

“Two people on the team have to be a woman or kids,” Hall said. “The crowds enjoy it.”

“Last year we had eight teams,” Hall said. “Local teams mostly. But I’ve had calls from up around Topeka (this year).”

Each team pays $200 to compete.

“There is a 100 percent payback other than a stock charge,” Hall said. “The person who provides livestock for the events gets paid a fee.”

Contact Hall at 620-363-4206 for both rodeos.

Old Settlers Youth Rodeo

The 54th Annual Old Settlers Youth Rodeo begins on Sunday, Sept. 6 at 6 p.m. with the registration of events at 5:30 p.m. It is also located in the arena west of Uniontown on Hwy. 3.

Youth who are high school senior age and younger can register to do barrel racing, pole bending, steer riding,  ewe busting, a “little kids stick horse race”, calf roping, team roping, goat tying, and a flag race, Hall said.

Costs to enter each contest is from $4 to $10 per person, per event.

The Old Fort Genealogical Society, along with help from the Historic Preservation Association of Bourbon County and the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce are presenting a social distancing history event for Bourbon County residents, on August 1.

It is a guided carpool tour around the county with local history lovers leading and speaking at designated spots. It is the first of many by the group of local history enthusiasts.

The title of the inaugural car tour is Ghost Towns and Early Legends of Northern Bourbon County.

Stops will be the Barnesville Cemetery, Fort Lincoln and Freedom Colony, Wagon Road Bridge,  Guthrie’s Mound, U.S. National Cemetery No. 1, and Eugene Ware Elementary School.

The tour will begin at 8:50 a.m. at Old Fort Genealogical Society located in Memorial Hall, Third Street and  National Avenue, and end at approximately 11:50 a.m. at the National Cemetery.

Park vehicles on National Avenue in front of the Bourbon County Courthouse or across the street in front of Memorial Hall. The Old Fort Genealogical Library is located in the basement of Memorial Hall on East National Avenue.

The event costs $5 and registration is at fortscott.com. There is a limit of 45 participants.

For more information: 620-223-3300 or [email protected].

It was happenstance that the tours are beginning.

“Pete Allen comes to visit the Old Fort Genealogical Library and we talked,” Ann Rawlings, the librarian said. “He said I should contact Fred Campbell…..The next thing I know we had a meeting to set up a tour again.”

Historial Preservation of Bourbon County did bus tours years ago, she said.

“Bourbon County is fortunate to have local men and women presenters whose love of history and the preservation of that history for future generations drives them to work endless hours to fulfill their mission of historic preservation,” Pete Allen said.  “Fred Campbell and Don Miller started the tour years ago. They are being joined now by Reed Hartford, Brian Allen and Ralph Carlson. Ann Rawlins, whose enthusiasm sparked the revival and Lindsay Madison has offered invaluable help in getting the tour organized.”

The following is from an email  interview with Ann Rawlings:

What is the plan for future tours?

“The tours will change each month covering the whole of Bourbon County,” Rawlings said. “There are many places to show and tell the stories all over the county and this is the way to get first-hand information from well-seasoned historians.”

“Some of the areas we plan on visiting are Bronson and the aluminum statue; Hell’s Bend Railroad, engine and cemetery; Garland and the coal mines on the Old Hwy; Cato, the town that moved; the west side of Bourbon County where ‘Africa Colony’ once thrived; cemeteries – those that are active and those forgotten; travel the path of the Military Highway, and more to be defined,” she said.

Who is invited to attend?

“Anyone who has an interest in history. Most sites will be handicapped accessible as long as they can get in and out of vehicles,” Rawlings said.

Why a car tour offering?

“The plans in the future will be bus tours, but due to the six-foot distancing of the COVID guidelines, we felt the attendees would be willing to go via carpool,” she said. ” Families can still attend and not be concerned about contamination.”

“We will require all to have a mask when out of their vehicles, observe the six-foot distancing protocol and make sure all are healthy before coming on the tour.”

What is the history of the genealogical society?

“Old Fort Genealogical Society (OFGS) started in 1984 and has expanded over the years until it is a large Library packed with original documents, newspaper microfilm, hundreds of researched history notebooks and self-published works, old and new printed works, several filing cabinets full of family histories and topic histories as well as computer access to newspapers.com and ancestry.com and many other sites,” she said.

“We have researchers working on several projects at this time. Some are working on genealogy, others on local history. We have so many projects we need help. Anyone who would be willing to research at the Library or at home is welcome to contact us”

“We can be reached at [email protected] or 620-223-3300.”

What is the history of the HPA?

“This from their website,” Rawlings said.

“The purpose of the Historic Preservation Association of Bourbon County, Inc. is to preserve historic sites.

“We promote public interest in matters of historical importance to Bourbon County and each year, we match several $500 City of fort Scott grants to downtown Fort Scott business owners for the purpose of restoring their historic building facades. In addition, we sponsor and sometimes co-sponsor history-related events and invite an entertaining and information speaker to each of our annual meetings.”

“We can be found on facebook by typing in HPABC or online at hpaofbourboncounty.weebly.com.”

Give a brief history of the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce

“The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce is a membership organization serving Fort Scott and Bourbon County with a focus on being a support to our members including businesses, agri-businesses, non-profit organizations, and individuals who belong to and support the work of the Chamber and are engaged in the community.”

“The Chamber strives to be a valuable resource in many ways including referrals of members, supplying relocation packets, housing options, event information and promotion of job opportunities.”

“We can be contacted via our website fortscott.com, call 620-223-3566 or come by and visit at 231 E Wall St just west of the Hwy 69/Hwy 54 interchange.”