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Category Archives: Food
Ongoing Revitalization of 110 S. Main Has Target of Fall Completion
The former Scottish Rite Temple, 110 S. Main, is in a constant stage of revitalization.
Kathy and Tracy Dancer, who purchased the building at a public auction, plan an “ongoing effort to revitalize the building and increase the useable commercial space. We also want to improve the energy efficiency of the building.”
The work will be a combination of restoration and renovation.
“The first project is new signage for the front of the building,” she said. “We will be removing the blue plastic lettering designating the building as the Scottish Rite Temple and replacing it with a new sign for the cafe and retail store. We are also installing a new ceiling and lighting in the south half of the building.”
“Because the building is part of the historic district, we are working with the Fort Scott Design Review Board,” she said. “Any changes to the exterior of a building in the historic district including painting, windows, and signage must go through the Design Review Board. They have been very helpful during this process and a great source of feedback for our plans.”
New windows, heating, and air conditioning are coming.
“Next, we will be installing glass windows in archways to restore the storefront appearance,” she said. “The new windows mean you will be able to see into the cafe and retail store if you are walking or driving down Main Street.”
” We are also adding several new HVAC… Once HVAC is installed, we will be moving and expanding our retail store into the south portion of the building. Moving the retail store to the south side of the building will more than double the amount of space we have for the Mercantile and Market store. The additional space will allow us to add new vendors and craftspeople to the retail store.”
“New HVAC will also be installed for the Speak Easy space we created on the second floor,” she said. “This will allow us to operate the Speak Easy year round.”
Speakeasy was a term used during Prohibition for drinking establishments and illegal bars, Dancer said in a prior interview. “They were usually hidden away in a building and sometimes you needed a password to be allowed to enter. Fort Scott had several speakeasies including The Green Lantern, operated by J.D. McClintock.”
On the horizon
“The Speak Easy will reopen in the Fall after we have installed new HVAC. We plan on being open two evenings a week for cocktails and light food. We had an excellent response to our soft opening in the Spring so we are really excited to reopen on a regular basis. While we wait for reopen, we have been working on the cocktail menu and working with suppliers to provide additional Kansas made wines, beers, and spirits.”
“We will also be hosting another Murder Mystery Dinner in October. The dinner we hosted this past spring sold out quickly and was very well received. Tickets for the October show will be available in mid-August.”
They are in the process of applying for grants focused on energy efficiency to defray the cost of adding HVAC and energy efficient windows and lighting.
“We might need to adjust the scope of some of the work based on the grant amounts, but we still plan on completing these projects,” she said.
” The new ceiling and lighting for the south half of the building has already started,” she said. “New sign letters for the front of the building have been ordered and should be ready for installation in August. The HVAC and storefront will take a bit longer since we will be ordering equipment and materials for these projects.”
“We hope to have the work completed by late Fall this year,” Dancer said.
“Our other BIG project is the distillery. We are in the final stages of the Federal licensing process to open the distillery and then we will file for state licensing. We do not have a projected opening date yet but we hope to be in production by the end of this year.”
End of Summer Craft Event on Saturday July 27
Fort Scott River Room, 3 W. Oak St., is the site of a Second Annual End of Summer Craft Creations event on July 27 from 10 a.m .to 4 p.m.
Food, Drinks, Crafts are offered for sale.
“We will have tees, hats, purses, wallets, trendy bags, bookmarks, keychains, pens, keychains, lanyards, scarfs, crochet baby booties, scrubbies, ponchos, wooden crafts,” said Cathy Bishop, event coordinator.
“Brick Street will have food and drinks available upstairs and off of their menu.”
“The bake sale is a fundraiser for the High School Volleyball Team selling all sorts of goodies.”
Vendors are still being accepted.
For more info
Email: [email protected]
620.224.8289
Care to Share Golf Tournament: Golf, Auction, Raffle, Live Music on July 27
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HBCAT Receives Grant To Help With Food Insecurity
Last month, the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team (HBCAT) received a $55,000 grant per year over three years to help with food insecurity in Bourbon County.
“We will first need to develop a strategic plan by identifying the gaps within our local food system,” Rachel Carpenter, Executive Director of the HBCAT said. “We will be organizing a Food Summit within the next year where citizens can voice their needs. We also will leverage our partnerships and community members in our coalition, Local Health Equity Action Team, to implement any community changes. This grant also opens up opportunities to network with leaders addressing food insecurity across the State.”
She can be reached at 620-215-2562.
HBCAT is one of eight Kansas community coalitions to be funded to help launch a food secure initiative.
Consistent access to healthy food is important for children to thrive and part of the mission is to address food insecurity.
On June 4, the Kansas Food Action Network, a program of KC Healthy Kids, announced the launch of the Food Secure Communities Initiative, which aims to end hunger in Kansas by addressing the policy, systems, and environmental barriers to food security, also known as “root causes., according to a press release.
The Food Secure Communities Initiative will put results in the hands of community members who are uniquely positioned to understand and address the root causes of food insecurity in their community, according to the release.
Kansas Food Action Network unveiled eight Kansas health and wellness coalitions selected as inaugural members of the Food Secure Communities Initiative. Each member will receive funding of $55,000 per year over three years, plus peer networking and strategic assistance.
Food Secure Communities Initiative Members
- Bourbon County (Healthy Bourbon County Action Team)
- Thomas County Thomas County Coalition)
- Cowley County (RISE Cowley)
- Harvey County (Healthy Harvey Coalition)
- Lyon County (Healthier Lyon County)
- Sedgwick County (Health and Wellness Coalition of Wichita)
- Seward County (Liberal Area Coalition for Families)
- Shawnee County (LiveWell Shawnee County)
The initiative will share best practices, resources, and strategies to advance food security at the local level.
The grant is from the Kansas Health Foundation and United Methodist Health Ministries Fund.
About Healthy Bourbon County Action Team
The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team’s mission is to increase access to healthy food and physical activity, promote commercial tobacco cessation, enhance quality of life and encourage economic growth. The problems of health inequity and social injustice are complex in nature and inextricably linked to key economic indicators. A healthy workforce is a prerequisite for economic success in any industry and in all cities, according to its website.
About KC Healthy Kids
Founded in 2005, KC Healthy Kids is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit dedicated to addressing the physical and mental health challenges impacting children in the Greater Kansas City area, including western Missouri and all of Kansas. Through food policy and local food initiatives, mental health support, and active community initiatives or advocacy, KC Healthy Kids and their partners promote health for thousands of local kids and their families. Find out
more at www.kchealthykids.org.
About Kansas Food Action Network
Kansas Food Action Network, a program of KC Healthy Kids, is committed to creating a Kansas where all residents have dependable access to food for an active, healthy and productive life. The network supports communities as they identify and address local food system priorities by offering support, resources and partnerships. As a result of their efforts, an estimated 73% of Kansans are represented by a local food council, the highest per capita rate in the United States.
Brickstreet BBQ Hosts Americas Best Restaurants TV Program on July 1: Join The Fun
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New Restaurant Opens in July
The Bowman family is opening another restaurant, west of their Brickstreet BBQ and calling it Outpost 13 West.
They opened Brickstreet BBQ in May 2023 and the restaurant has become popular with residents.
To view the story of that opening: Brickstreet BBQ Opens
The Bowman family now owns three restaurants in the historic downtown Fort Scott area.
“We love food!” Carissa Bowman said. “AND it’s another opportunity to continue to grow our community through restoring a historic downtown building and generating more jobs.”
Carissa, Alex, Cindy, and John Bowman are the owners of Outpost 13 West. Carissa and Alex own Brickstreet BBQ.
“John and Cindy own Nu Grille (across the street from Brickstreet),” Carissa said. “They are Alex’s parents; my in-laws. Alex manages Nu Grille currently.”
The new restaurant will feature Southwestern cuisine.
“You can build your own taco, burrito, bowl, salad or nacho,” Carissa said.
They plan to open the new venture at the end of July, she said.
The new restaurant is at 13 W. Oak St.
Special Recognition of the Brickstreet Restaurant
Brickstreet has been chosen to be featured on America’s Best Restaurants Roadshow: https://
” We’re being featured in one of their episodes,” Carissa said. “Filming will take place on July 1st.”
“We hope this builds relationships with the public and surrounding areas to bring people not only to our business but Fort Scott as a whole,” she said. “We want to continue to create a positive image of Brickstreet so we can build our brand and keep growing!”
Bourbon County Fair is July13-19: Open Class Check In on July 15
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.
Young Entrepreneur Series: The Needham Brothers
Please nominate a Young Entrepreneur for this series, a youth under 18 years old.
Robert Needham, 10, and his brother, John, 6, with the guided help of their father, Seth, have developed homemade food products.
They started working on recipes several weeks ago.
On May 25, they set up shop at Gunn Park, south of the first playground area, near where cars are leaving the park.
“They were open for about an hour and 45 minutes,” Seth said. “Around 2:45, I could tell they were getting worn out, so we shut down. They had been working on set-up, signs, and getting supplies loaded since about 10 AM that morning, so it was a long day for them. But they had around $75 in sales between the two of them.”
Robert
Robert is the creator of Robert’s Famous Lemonade.
Robert said he named his business “because it’s famous and also lemonade.”
With supervision, Robert buys the lemons, “juices them out” and then makes a simple syrup, then adds extra sugar, “because it was too sour,” he said.
“It’s super good, costs $2, and you get a red Solo cup with a straw,” Robert said. If you bring your own cup, you save 25 cents.”
Robert is saving up his money for something special.
John
John’s product is homemade popsicles.
He explained how to make the product: “You take blue gelatin, sugar, a Kool-Aid packet, water and a secret ingredient, Blue Hawaiian Punch and heat it up. You cool it. Then you pour it into popsicle molds. You put sticks in before juice. Then Dad puts it in the freezer. It takes 10 hours to freeze.”
They will be making different flavors through the summer, Seth said.
Seth said his boys always taste-test the products before selling them.
The best part of his business, for John, is “You get a bunch of money.”
Marketing Lessons
Their Dad helped them with the marketing of their product.
“We found an online design tool, and then they did all the work themselves,” Seth said. “The websites had some basic templates made up that they customized with their names, choice of colors, choice of fonts, and images.”
They have also learned how to make a marketing video, Seth said.
Taco Azul Will Be At Woodland Hills Golf Course June 5
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Good Ol Days Schedule for This Weekend
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Summer School and Free Food Start in June at USD 234
USD 234 School District halls are quiet right now, but in June some students will be back for more learning.
“Summer school will be held during the month of June for students from preschool through high school,” said Superintendent Destry Brown. “Part of the summer school activities is for students with Individualized Educational Programs. We call this the Extended School Year. The other part for Kindergarten through 8th grade is an enrichment summer school for any student who wants to come. The high school kids will be working on credit recovery during summer school.”
“The elementary students and all the Extended School Year students will be at Winfield Scott. Elementary School,” Brown said. “The preschool students will be at the preschool. The middle and high school students will be at the middle school.”
“Breakfast and lunch will be served daily at Winfield Scott and the Middle School and is free to all students and any other children from birth to 18. We will also be sending food home for the weekends for any student who wants or needs it.”
“Students not attending summer school may come to Winfield Scott or the Middle School at 11 a.m.”
Winfield Scott Elementary School is located at 316 W. 10th and Fort Scott Middle School is located at 1105 E. 12th.
