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Category Archives: Entertainment
Fort Cinema Gets Creative In Offerings
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on movie theaters throughout the nation.
It has also impacted Fort Cinema, located at 224 W. 18th.
“We have lost 70% of our revenue during the same time frame from a year ago,” Brent Cavin, who has worked and managed the theater since 2007, said. “Blockbuster movies continue to be pushed back by studios.”
In spite of this, the cinema owners have had community support.
“The community has been great about supporting us with purchasing of concessions and gift cards. We take it as a sign that our citizens want to make sure the theater remains in Fort Scott.”
Cavin is co-owner of Anderson and Cavin LLC, with his brother-in-law, Chris Anderson, and they have been in talks with the current theater owners, Des and Amanda Hale, about purchasing the theater, he said.
Recently they introduced video game rentals on the big screen.
“It is $100 for two hours, $50 per additional hour,” Cavin said.
Participants must bring in a console that has wireless control to use on the big screen.
“We’ve hosted multiple parties already for: MarioKart, FortNite and Super Smash Brothers,” he said. “The parties are a great way to gather with family and friends.”
The business has been practicing measures to ensure safety for its customers.
The theater requires employees to wear masks during customer interaction, they have put seating gaps in the viewing parties and they “deep sanitize” all heavy traffic areas in-between shows and while open, he said.
“The (gaming) initiative was created as a means to provide a safe environment to gather and have fun during a pandemic,” he said. ” We have had a few parties already that asked privately if they could connect a console to our projectors. When we realized that the content looked incredible on our screen we decided to go public with the idea. We have had a lot of success with opening our theater to private movie parties in the last few months and wanted to expand upon that premise.”
Rentals take place outside of normal business hours, Monday through Thursday. A theater can be rented anytime before 4 p.m. or after 8:30 p.m. On Friday through Sunday, they can be rented anytime before 1:30 p.m. or after 8:30 p.m.
Video game rental prices are $100 for two hours, with additional hours at $50 an hour.
Any wireless controller console can work, and WiFi is available for online gaming.
The cinema also offers theater rentals for movies: Classic movies are $100, new releases are $200.
“I would also like the public to know that we are open every day of the week with new movies again,” Cavin said.
Contact on Fort Cinema Facebook page via Messenger, or call (620) 223-3366 during the business hours of 6:00 to 9:00 nightly.
View Old-Time Threshing and Baling This Saturday
Pioneer Harvest Fiesta members will be threshing oats and baling hay on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 9 a.m. for the public to view some past farming practices in the county.
“This was meant to be done during the now-cancelled (Pioneer Harvest Fiesta) show. Anyone wanting to see how it was done in the past, or better yet, wanting to assist in threshing the oats, is welcome,” said Jim Kemmerer, a spokesman said. “We expect to be done by or before 11 AM.”
The PHF was canceled due to the COVID 19 Pandemic.
Please use the north entrance by Rogers Body Shop on west 19th Street.
Due to the 2020 Pioneer Harvest Fiesta celebration being canceled, Pioneer Harvest Fiesta is selling the 2020 T-shirts and hats that were printed for the show at a discount. $15.00 gets you both a shirt and a hat.
Tri-Yak-A-Thon Competition Scheduled For Oct. 10
The Gunn Park Trail volunteers are hoping to hold an annual multi-sport competition on Oct. 10 at 10 a.m. in the park.
“We may not be able to hold the Tri-Yak-A-Thon this year,” Penny Pollack-Barnes, spokeswoman for the group, said. “In these uncertain times, we decided to hold the event if we have enough interest in the event. If we have 40 registered participants by September 26 we will hold the event, assuming we don’t experience a COVID surge and the weather cooperates. So far, we have nine registered participants.”
“We will be observing social distancing recommendations at the event,” she said. “We expect participants to help us in our efforts to make sure our event does not result in the spread of the Coronavirus.”
Triathalon competitions are multi-sport events that require all-around fitness for the solo participants, Barnes said.
“The variety in activities allows team members with different skills to participate,” she said. “We make the event ‘off-road’ to show off Fort Scott’s wonderful trail system.”
“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,” -Barnes, said. “We will donate all proceeds from the 2020 Tri-Yak-A-Thon to Fort Scott Paws & Claws.”
“The goal of the event is to have fun and raise money to support the animal shelter,” she said. “The trail run is a 5K, the kayak portion is another 5K, and the bike portion is a 10K. 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 cost is $35 for individual participants and $75 for each team.
Packet pickup will be from 8:00 to 9:45 AM at Shelter House #6.
Registration will only be available online this year. Participants must register before the event to avoid people congregating at the registration area. Online registration will close on September 26.
Registration is online at https://www.trireg.com/tri-yak-a-thon.
The race will begin at 10:00 AM.
“Whether you enter the race or just come and cheer, please join us and support our park, our trails, and our animal shelter,” Barnes said. “While much of the race occurs out of view on the trails, the participants go through our staging area multiple times. This offers many opportunities to cheer people on.”
What’s Happening in Fort Scott
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Rinehart Church Corn Maze On Saturdays in October
Rinehart Christian Church will be offering their Corn Maze event again this year the first four Saturdays of October (3, 10, 17, & 24) from 11 AM-4 PM. This is an event for the whole family to enjoy together with activities including the maze, hayrides, a corn pit, lawn games, pumpkin painting, duck races, and fire pits. Admission to this event is completely free, with a hot dog lunch included from 11 AM- 1 PM.
We have a heart for families, and that is what drives this event. We want to provide an opportunity for families in our community to enjoy time together. We believe serving families is one of the best ways we can serve God.
To make this event as safe as possible, we have moved every event outside this year.
Rinehart Christian Church is located at 9443 S 900 Rd in Richards, MO.
Here are directions from Fort Scott: Take 69 Hwy. north to the Hammond exit. Then go east two miles on Soldier Rd. The road turns to the north; follow the blacktop (245th St.) to the stop sign (Valley Road); then go east. This becomes Hwy. D in Missouri. Continue on Hwy. D through Stotesbury to 900 Rd. Go South 0.5 miles to the church.
Fort Scott Public Library Program News
Submitted by Valetta Cannon
Fort Scott Public Library
Youth Librarian & Assistant Director
End of Summer Statistics
From the end of May through the middle of August, 112 Fort Scott children and teens read a combined total of 2,984 books, 204 chapters, 28,562 minutes, and 4,688 pages as a part of the library’s summer reading program. Additionally, 33 children and teens took the 1,000 Minute Reading Challenge from August 1 – 31 and read a combined total of 29,867 minutes. Seventeen local volunteers, most of whom were retired or current educators, read or demonstrated craft projects for live and pre-recorded videos, which were shared with the community. Nine local restaurants and grocery stores donated gift certificates or coupons for free food and goods. The library won a $500 grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and a $250 grant from the Walmart Community Grant program. Hammond United Methodist Church also supported the summer reading program with a $25 check. Thank you to our amazing community for their commitment to literacy, our library, and local families!
Weekly Virtual Storytimes:
Join Miss Val on Facebook or YouTube at 10 am on Tuesday mornings for Virtual Storytime! The library offers storytime packets filled with craft supplies and pre-packaged snacks, and those may be picked up through their curbside service. Email Miss Val at [email protected] to schedule a storytime packet pickup.
Weekly Teen & Tween Program:
Teens and Tweens, meet with Miss Val weekly on Zoom – Wednesdays at 4:20 pm! Meetings include book discussions, online games, crafts, virtual escape rooms, and other educational activities. The library provides curbside pickup at least once monthly of supplies for teen program participants. These include craft supplies, pre-packaged snacks, games, and paper activities. To participate or to order supplies email Miss Val at [email protected]. You’ll also need to email her for the Zoom password. The Zoom link is:
Teens may take the ongoing reading challenge and earn prizes for every 200 minutes or pages they read. For more information, contact the library.
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten
Join the library’s free early literacy program and help steer your child toward academic success! To sign up, email Miss Val at [email protected]. Tell her your child’s name and age (children from birth to Kindergarten qualify), the parent’s name, and contact information. Then keep track of your child’s reading. Every 100 books read earn a free book, sticker, and printout of your child’s photo. The library currently offers program rewards through its curbside service. Participants may send a photo of their child to the library for each 100 book milestone reached, and choose from a list of reward books. Then they may schedule a pickup time for their goodies. Photos are posted to the library’s Facebook page (with parental permission).
Book Lending Services
Wondering what books to choose for your children? Check out a grab bag! Each bag contains 10 books, along with goodies such as stickers or bookmarks. They are a curated assortment of books chosen by Miss Val, according to a topic. To check out a book bag, you must have an active library card in the SEKnFind system with no restrictions, and must call or message the library to reserve the bag, and then set up a day & time to pick it up from the curbside service (or coordinate with someone else to pick it up, using your card). Once you have the bag, you may keep the goodies and the bag itself. The books will be due back in the library’s dropbox in 3 weeks. There is no limit to how many bags you may reserve at one time. Each book bag is created for a specific age range, either Birth – 1st grade or 2nd – 5th grades. When you reserve one, you should specify which topic(s) and age range(s) you want, as well as providing your library card number. Current topics are: Bears, Boys’ or Girls’ General Interest, Cats & Dogs, Character Building, Classics, Community Helpers, Dinosaurs, Disney, Dragons, Fall, Fantasy, Farm, Food, Jungles, LEGO, Magic, Ocean, Pirates, School, Silly Stories, Superheroes, Vehicles, and Zoo Animals.
Looking for books by a specific author but don’t know or want to think up which titles to choose? Let the library staff be your personal book shoppers! Just call 620-223-2882 and tell them you would like to do a 10 book grab. Provide your library card number* and the author’s name, and they will pick out 10 books by the author.**
*Active, unrestricted library account required with Fort Scott or a SEKnFind
library.
**If not enough books are available from FSPL, they may order some from other libraries by that author, choose books by similar authors to make up the difference, or choose as many as possible, up to 10.
For more information on programs and services, visit the library’s website at:
Public Bike Repair Station: New Resource For Gunn Park Trails Users
A public bike repair station is available at Gunn Park, located on Fort Scott’s west side, off of Park Street.
The bike repair station is located in the parking lot adjacent to the Gunn Park entrance. This is where most of the Gunn Park Trail riders park, and is available to the public, according to Frank Halsey the organizer of the Marmaton Massacre Bike Race event that funded the station.
“It provides a public location, and tools necessary for basic emergency bike repairs such as tire repairs with an air pump. Retractable tools are also available for the tightening of loose parts,” Halsey said. “It is constructed so the bike can be elevated while being repaired.”
“This new Fort Scott asset was made available from the proceeds of the hugely successful Marmaton Massacre Mountain Bike Race hosted by Gunn Park Trails on July 11th and 12th,” he said. “Credit goes to the race volunteers, sponsors, and of course the participants.”
Volunteers completed the installation of the bike repair station on Sunday, Sept. 6. The City of Fort Scott poured the concrete pad for the station.
“Fort Scott is fortunate to have Gunn Park Trails providing fun exercise and attracting visitors to our community,” Halsey said. “This new feature simply adds more value to this important asset.”
Iola’s Bowlus Center Features Smithsonian Institute Museum Until Oct. 10
The Bowlus Fine Arts Center announced today, that they will be the first stop in Kansas
for the “Smithsonian Crossroads: Change in Rural America Exhibit.” The “Crossroads” Kansas tour is
sponsored by Humanities Kansas in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street
program.
The Smithsonian’s traveling exhibit will be housed in the Large Rehearsal Hall from August 29-October 10, 2020. Admission is free.
“Crossroads: Change in Rural America,” offers small towns a chance to look at their own paths to highlight the
changes that affected their fortunes over the past century. The exhibition will prompt discussions about what
happened when America’s rural population became a minority of the country’s population and the ripple effects
that occurred.
The exhibit covers themes such as: Identity, Land, Community, Persistence and Managing
Change with photographs, hands-on activities, and audio and video clips provided by the Smithsonian in the
“Crossroads” exhibition to tell the history and culture of local rural life in Kansas and spark conversations about
our state’s future.
“Through a partnership with the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street program, Humanities Kansas
is able to bring the resources of the nation’s premier cultural institution to Kansas,” said Julie Mulvihill, executive
director of Humanities Kansas. “The six communities were selected because of the inspired plans provided by
local organizations to use the national exhibition as a springboard to explore local stories of innovation and
adaptation.”
As a requirement for selection, a local companion exhibit was to be established. “Allen County: From Trails
to Rails to Highway and Back,” will take you on a journey with a fictitious family who found their way into the
South East Kansas territory in 1856. The historical fiction is told by way of the diary writings of Jerimiah Wilson
and his subsequent children in the later years. Working with the local newspaper and the writings of local
historian, Larry Manes, this diary will be printed in the format of a special newspaper section in the proceeding weeks of the exhibit opening, along with extra prints to be available at the exhibition. The exhibition layout will bein the chronological order of the diary. Certain passages highlighted in the printing will be displayed on the walls with surrounding supportive photographs, articles, and artifacts. The diary writings take patrons through the
many crossroads experienced throughout Allen County’s history and will invite the viewing patron to imagine
what will be the next chapter for the Wilson family as the next generations come to their crossroads.
The Allen County Historical Society (ACHS) and the Bowlus Fine Arts Center submitted a joint proposal in
April 2019 to Humanities Kansas to be considered for selection as one of six Kansas communities to host
the nation-wide exhibit. With 32 communities from across Kansas submitting proposals, our proposal was
selected, as were five other Kansas communities: Alma; Independence; Greensburg; North Newton; and
Norton.
In addition to the six sites hosting the Smithsonian, ten communities will create their own exhibitions and
programming to explore what it means to live rural in the 21 st century, the relationship between rural, suburban,
and urban, and the progress and persistence needed by communities of all sizes to thrive. Participating
communities include Colby, Council Grove, Dodge City, El Dorado, Ellinwood, Hays, Lebanon, Olathe, Onaga,
and Satanta.
Humanities Kansas sponsors the “Crossroads: Change in Rural America” initiative in partnership with the
Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street program, a one-of-a-kind cultural project that serves small
towns and residents of rural communities. To learn more about the “Crossroads” statewide tour visit
humanitieskansas.org.
For more information about “Crossroads” at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center visit www.bowluscenter.org or call
620.365.4765.
ABOUT HUMANITIES KANSAS
Humanities Kansas is an independent nonprofit spearheading a movement of ideas to empower the people of
Kansas to strengthen their communities and our democracy. Since 1972, our pioneering programming, grants,
and partnerships have documented and shared stories to spark conversations and generate insights.
No Old Settler’s Picnic Event This Weekend
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.
Pittsburg Youth Chorale Fall Enrollment Open
Area singers in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade are invited to join Pittsburg Youth Chorale, directed by MJ Harper.
The purpose of this vocal ensemble is to further grow vocal abilities, musical knowledge, and choral repertoire.
Performers will prepare music for community events and music festivals. COVID guidelines will be observed.
Rehearsals are Tuesdays from 6-7PM at First United Methodist Church, 415 N. Pine, Pittsburg, KS and begin September 8th.
There is a fee of $25 per session (Sept-Dec/Jan-May) to cover the cost of music.
Scholarships are available.
To enroll, contact MJ Harper at 620-719-6633 or email [email protected], deadline September 8th.
What’s Happening in Fort Scott
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