Category Archives: Fair

It’s County Fair Time

As we get to the middle of July, it is county fair time. The Bourbon County fair closed their Fair-y Tale County fair on Saturday, July 19, but Woodson County starts the Barn in the USA County Fair on Friday, July 18th. Come out and catch all the wonders of the county fair, from the beef cattle or dairy cattle to the watermelon feed and free breakfast on Sunday, July 20th.

At Neosho County’s Boots and Bling: it’s a Mardi Gras Thing; Families can watch Ty Ellis and the Flatliners band on Saturday, July 26th at 8 pm or come try their luck at the Horseshoe Tournament on Sunday, July 27th at 10 am. Each time you visit Friday, July 25th and Saturday, July 26th, bring a canned food item to contribute to the canned food drive, a community effort led by Neosho County 4-H Clubs in partnership with the Farm Bureau.

Next, hop on over to Allen County’s Tropical “Fair”adise. You can come see all the baby animals in the Baby Barnyard, open from 8 am to 10 pm Thursday, July 24th to Friday, July 25th. Come out and support the 4-H youth exhibitors and their projects. From Barn in the USA, Boots and Bling to a Tropical “Fair”adise or to a County FAIR-y Tale: You can catch all the wonders from a livestock show to grand champion art works. Come out and make memories.

Today at the Bourbon County Fair

Today, July 15,  at the Bourbon County Fair:
The Uniontown 4H Club will be selling items at the Chuckwagon in the Cloverleaf Event Center starting at this morning.

This is a fundraiser for their club this year.

The Rabbit Judging will begin at 8 am in the Rabbit/Poultry Barn followed by Poultry Judging at 10 am.

The Myers Building is closed until 12 pm for Open Class Judging.

At 12 pm the FCE (Food and Community Education) will be auctioning the Open Class Food entries to raise funds for the scholarships they provide to area students.

The Sheep Show will begin at 5 pm followed by the Meat Goat Show at approximately 6:15 pm.

The Merchant’s Building is Businesses only this year and opens at 5 pm.

Vendors include:
Miller’s Feed and Farm
Sally Kraft
T-Mobile
Flying P
Pretty Notations
Baked by Dylan
Mary Kay – Lauren Wagner
Twig and Berries Cotton Candy
Fizz Factory – Non-alcoholic Dirt Sprites
Uppa Creek Honey
2 Ashley’s Just Crafting Around
Riggs Chiropractic
Leaf Guard
Champion Bath
Kitty’s Kreations
Kaitlyn’ Comely Creations
Seams Sew Nice

Remember to get your Chicken Annie’s ticket by Tuesday, July 15th from the Fort Scott FFA Officers or Aikins Insurance, to support the Fort Scott FFA. Then stay and play some Cornhole supporting the Uniontown FFA.

Bourbon County Fair Has Started!

2024 Open Class Costume – Horse Show.
The Bourbon County Fair kicked off today, Saturday, July 12 at 8 a.m. with the Dog Show.  The Southwind Canine Club members competed in showmanship, obedience, rally obedience, and agility.  Three competitors have moved up to Agility 2 after placing in the top ten of Agility 1 for the last two years.
Nyix the Pembroke Welsh Corgi practicing agility.
On Sunday, July 13th at 6:30 p.m., the Horse Show featuring the Bourbon County Vaqueros will begin.  They will be bringing back a crowd favorite the Open Class Costume Party.
On Friday, July 18th new activities will be happening.  The Fair Field Trip is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will include:
1.  Bubble Dance Party and Vendors in the Merchant’s Building.
2.  Petting Area in the Dairy Barn
3.  Sidewalk Chalk Art in the Poultry/Rabbit Barn
4.  Dog Agility Demonstrations and Obstacle Course
5.  Up Close Look of Vehicles provided by FSCC Truck Driving School and others.
On Friday night, July 18th, during the Livestock Auction, there will be a homemade pie auction in memory of Doris Ericson for all her dedication and service to the Bourbon County Fair over the decades.  Homemade Pie Donations will be accepted at the Chuckwagon in the Cloverleaf Event Center from 4 p.m. until Sale time on Friday, July 18th.
For more information on all the events at the Bourbon County Fair follow the Facebook Page Bourbon County Fair – Fort Scott.  You can find all the events under the events tab.
Photo 1 – 2024 Open Class Costume – Horse Show

Bourbon County Fair In Full Swing

Youth engage in a game of cornhole on Tuesday afternoon at the Bourbon County Fair.

Judging continued at the Bourbon County Fair on Tuesday and in the evening,  sheep and goats were shown in the livestock arena.

Tabor Foster holds “C.J.” and Davina Foster holds “N.J.” two new kids that were born on their farm on July 4th.

The Vendor Mart at the Merchant Building is open from Tuesday through Thursday evening, from 5-8 p.m.

Julian and Dustin Carpenter man the family’s business booth in the Merchants Building at the fair. Emma Carpenter creates goat milk products from the Carpenter farm.

Wednesday starting at 8:30 a.m. judging of dairy cattle bucket calves, dairy cattle, dairy goats, beef cattle, and bucket calves will happen.

Owen Brown leads his sheep “Flair” to the wash area, in preparation for showing in the arena on Tuesday evening.

Thursday, a Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Coffee will take place in the Hubenett Pavilion at 8 a.m. followed by swine judging, Round Robin Showmanship, a public 4-H Fashion Revue at Fort Scott Community College and the Uniontown FFA Cornhole Tournament.

With this dress, Makiah Woods is a grand champion in the textile division. The fashion revue will be at 5:30 p.m. at the Fort Scott Community College Campus in the Round Room in Bailey Hall.

On Friday,  a livestock judging contest, and 4-H Club Barnyard Olympics are highlights.

Reegan McDaniel clips his cow, “Ralph” in preparation for the cattle show on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Saturday is check-out and clean-up day at the fair.

Laura George and Terri Williams look over quilts in the Myers Building on Tuesday afternoon.
Dalayni Foulk is a grand champion in the welding division with this creation.

 

Bourbon County Fair is July13-19: Open Class Check In on July 15

The Welcome Sign at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds.

The 2024 Bourbon County Fair will be July 13 through July 19, 2024, at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds.  Check in time for Open Class exhibits will be Monday, July 15 at the Myers Building, 2pm – 6pm.  King Arthur Baking Company continues to sponsor a baking contest.  The adults will be making a “Sneaky Shortcut Banana Bread”.  Learn a new way to prepare banana bread.  King Arthur flour and recipe can be picked up at the Extension Office July 1 and until the fair.

The Youth will be making Ultimate Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats.  Recipes will also be provided by the Extension Office.

New categories have been added this year in the Arts and Crafts section. The Lego’s categories have been so popular with the youth and also adults.  This year the categories have been divided into age groups with Junior and Senior classes.  This will aid the judges to be able to judge more fairly.

Also, in the Arts and Crafts section a Hooking Division has been added.  Rug hooking has become very popular, so 4 classes have been added including a class for punch needle items.

This year the Table Runner Contest will be making an Easter Egg Table Runner.  The pattern provides the guidelines for the project, but the “eggs” can be your own design.   Contact Jackie Warren, 620-224-8161, for pattern for this project.

Don’t forget the Scarecrow and Hay Bale Contests.  Contact Terri Williams, 620-215-3202 to register.  A hay bale will be provided for you if requested and a bucket of sand for the scarecrow will be provided.

Judging of the open class exhibits will be Tuesday, July 16, 8am till completed.  Remember that the Myers building will be closed during this time for the judging.  The building will be open for viewing the exhibits and for the FCE Bake sale at noon.

More information is in this year’s fair paper with a complete list of the categories.  All volunteers and sponsors are very much appreciated and make each year’s fair a successful one.  If you have any questions, please call Terri Williams, 620-215-3202 for more information.

 

Hamilton’s Artisan Bakery New Offerings 2024

In 2020, Teri and Michael Hamilton moved from the Kansas City area to Fort Scott.

They had friends in the Fort Scott area and fell in love with Fort Scott, she said.

In 2022, Teri opened a new business, Hamilton’s Artisan Bakery.

To view  a prior story:New Bakery in Town: Hamilton’s Bakery

Last year, Hamilton’s Artisan Bakery opened preview subscriptions to a small group of people to test recipes, practice new techniques, and develop a menu, she said.
“We tested a new recipe each week, and our subscribers were able to give invaluable feedback to help us dial in our menu,” said Hamilton.
This year will be a few adjustments.
“Beginning in February, we’ll be testing new recipes each week, and offering a few different subscription choices. You can choose Sweet or Savory, or both!  They’ll still be available at weekly porch pick-ups, and we’d still love to get your feedback!” Hamilton said.
“We will be offering our Spring Sweet and Savory Subscriptions, with the first pick-up beginning February 3rd. Find all the details here. Be sure to browse around our new website and pre-order online to secure your spot!”
“Our Sweet Subscription will be a new treat every week. This is a subscription for those with a sweet tooth! Chocolate, berries, cream, and a decadent treat called ‘Bread is Gold’. We’ll be offering some treats that can’t be sold at the Farmer’s Market, so many of these will only be available here.”
“Our Savory Subscription will be a little more hearty and a little more health conscious. We’re excited to try new flours like rye and whole wheat as well as inclusions such as grains and seeds.”
You can also subscribe for both.
“Double Subscriptions are just that and will include both the sweet and savory offerings. So both dinner and dessert are covered!”
“Mini Subscriptions will have the same great taste in a more manageable size. We will offer mini versions of each of our weekly savory loaves, and just one or two servings of our sweet treats. You can choose Mini versions of each of our subscriptions: Mini Sweet, Mini Savory, or Mini Double.”
This year she will be offering baking parties for groups of 4-6 people, available February through April.
“These will be offered on a date that works for you and your group, here at our home/bakery OR at your home. Bread takes time, so plan on 3-4 hours here with your friends. You’ll get hands-on practice with making a loaf of your choice, we’ll bake a loaf to munch on, and you’ll leave with your own loaf to bake at home. These will be $35 per person, and will fill up fast, so contact us at [email protected] to get on the calendar!”
Teri Hamilton can be contacted at (816) 491-7884

Bourbon County Fair Association awarded $5,000 from Heartland

Pictured from left to right: Heartland REC Communication Specialist Doug Graham; Bourbon County Fair Association board members Mark Brillhart, Laura George, Wilma Hibdon and Mitch Crystal.

Bourbon County fairgoers will have an enhanced experience next year thanks in part to a $5,000 grant from Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative.

 

The Bourbon County Fair Association was one of six organizations to receive a $5,000 award from Heartland’s Concern for Community grant program this month. The Fair Association’s funds will be used to purchase three additional easy-access metal picnic tables for the pavilion and additional speakers for the show barn.

 

“As a cooperative, we understand that our success is directly linked to the well-being of our communities,” said Mark Scheibe, Heartland CEO. “We’re proud to support projects like this that will make a lasting difference in the lives of our members.”

 

The Concern for Community program provides grants of up to $5,000 for capital improvement projects throughout the Heartland service area, which covers parts of 12 counties in eastern Kansas.  Capital improvement projects are those that involve investment in structures or equipment that will last for many years.

 

As a non-profit, member-owned cooperative, Heartland issues capital credits to members each year, but sometimes those capital credits go unclaimed. Because those monies were intended to be returned to the communities from which they came, Heartland’s Board of Directors decided to use those unclaimed funds for community grants and started the Concern for Community program in 2019.

This year, six applications out of 28 received were approved for funding by the Heartland board.

 

The other projects selected for funding are as follows:

 

  • Linn County Historical Museum in Pleasanton was awarded $5,000 for numerous repairs and improvements.
  • Restore the Four was awarded $5,000 to help repair the roof of the small animal building at the Crawford County Fairgrounds outside Girard.
  • Stark 1888 Event Committee was awarded $5,000 for repairs and upgrades at the Stark community ballfield.
  • USD 101 Erie was awarded $5,000 to assist with construction of a new animal science building in the high school.
  • USD 346 Jayhawk-Linn was awarded $5,000 for lighting and sound equipment at the high school auditorium in Mound City.

 

Applications were accepted in the month of July and selected by the Heartland Board of Directors in August. Heartland plans to reopen applications in summer 2024 for the next round of funding.

About Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. powers rural lifestyles throughout more than 11,000 locations in eastern Kansas. Heartland’s service area includes consumer-members in 12 counties, including Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Cherokee, Coffey, Crawford, Labette, Linn, Miami, Neosho, Wilson, and Woodson.

Heartland REC traces its roots back to three original rural electric cooperatives: Cooperative Electric Power & Light Company, Sugar Valley Electric Cooperative Association, and Sekan Electric Cooperative Association. Cooperative Electric Power & Light Company joined with Sugar Valley in 1975 to form United Electric Cooperative; United Electric Cooperative joined with Sekan Electric Cooperative Association in 1996 to form Heartland.