
110 S. Main Mercantile Reopens Feb. 10



A local eatery known for its’ generous portions, is closed for some aesthetic improvement to the dining area.
“We will be closed February 6-11,” Brian Lancaster, owner, said.
H2 Painting LLC will be painting the ceilings and walls.
“We are wanting to update and improve our dining room area,” Lancaster said. “We are planning to update flooring and the kitchen area at a later date.”
The deli’s owner, Marsha Lancaster, died on September 19, 2021, and on October 13, 2021 , her siblings became the owners of her decades-running restaurant.

In July 2022, Marsha’s nephew, Brian Lancaster assumed ownership of the deli.
Brian Lancaster Assumes Ownership of Marsha’s Deli
Also last year, a Marsha Fest was started in memory of Marsha Lancaster.
Marsha Fest Is March 5: Celebrating Her Life
To learn more about Marsha:
Nevada MO musician Stephan Moses will be playing at Common Ground Coffee shop,12 East Wall Street on Feb. 10 from 7 to 8 p.m.
This is a Valentines Day Concert, so bring a special someone.
“He will be playing Jazz music and performing love songs by Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra,” said Common Ground’s Event Coordinator Stacy Racy. “All age groups are welcome to come out and spend their Friday evening with us.”

Racy’s goal is to utilize the beautiful facility while giving the community something to do on Friday Night, Racy said.
“So often we hear people say they have never been in the building and we would like to change that by offering good coffee, pastries, food, concerts, catering, and by renting out the dock area and conference room,” Racy said.
About Stephan Moses
Stephan Moses was born in rural Northwest Iowa and came from a non-musical family. Since the age of ten, he’s been playing guitar and has a diverse musical background with influences from Crooner’s to Blues greats, according to Racy. As a singer, songwriter, musician, Moses has a love for Gospel music and Delta Blues. Mostly, he just loves to play. Moses currently resides in Nevada, MO.


February 4, 2023, 8 A.M.- 2 P.M.
at First Southern Baptist Church
Children 7 and under FREE
8 to Adult $5.00 in advance
or
$6.00 at the door
for advanced tickets Contact
Ida Ford 417-262-3948,
Fort Scott Chamber
**All proceeds go to the building fund
Great from Freezer to Microwave,
Ready in minutes
To Order contact
Terri Williams 620-223-3202
Ida Ford 417-262-3948
** All proceeds to Church Building Fund
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The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce announces a Love Local Chocolate Crawl shopping event which will take place on Friday, February 10th and Saturday, February 11th. Most stores in the Downtown Historic District and several additional locations will be participating in the fun.
Customers are invited to shop local retailers while sampling a variety of chocolate treats along the way, and many will also be offering drawings and promotions. Locations included in the event will have a Chocolate Crawl poster and red and white balloons displayed at their entrance.
Each retailer will have a Love Local Bingo card that customers can fill out for a chance to win $100 Chamber Bucks!
The Chamber encourages the community to shop local, love local and join the Chocolate Crawl on February 10th and 11th to celebrate Valentine’s Day. “You can’t buy love, but you can buy local!”
Contact the Chamber for more information at 620-223-3566.
Submitted by:
Lindsay Madison, Executive Director, [email protected]
Emily Clayton, Communications & Events Coordinator, [email protected]

This year the annual downtown festival Good Ol’ Days is June 2-3.
“We expanded the street fair on North Main again this year to sell on Friday, June 2nd,” Shawn O’Brien said in a press release. “These street fair vendors will be selected on a first come, first served basis. Limited space is available.”
The event will be rain or shine.
Time for the street fair is June 2 Friday, from 5 PM -10 PM (North Main Street craft and food vendors only) and on June 3 Saturday from 9 AM – 6 PM.
FEES:
CRAFT VENDORS:
The following fees are for Friday and Saturday:
10’x10’ (no tables, or chairs provided; no selling from vehicles) $100
The following fees are for Saturday ONLY:
10’x10’ (no tables, or chairs provided; no selling from vehicles) $75
FOOD VENDORS: There are no tables or chairs provided.No Tables
The following fees are for Friday and Saturday:
Self-contained units – $250
Snack foods, desserts, beverages, etc. not in a self-contained unit $100
The following fees are for Saturday ONLY:
Self-contained Unit – $200
Snack food, desserts, beverages, etc. not in a self-contained unit $75 (10’x10’)
ELECTRIC HOOKUP
Booths requiring electricity will be charged an additional electricity fee – $10
The deadline is May 12, 2023
Late fee of $10 if paid after May 12, 2023
CATEGORY: Indicate on your application what you sell. We fill this show by category so there is a wide variety to offer to the public.
No booth may play music during the street fair hours without consent of the committee.
No booth may sell food or drinks unless it is a food vendor or an approved vendor.
No booth may sell any merchandise that shoots projectiles of any kind.
EVERY booth must always have at least ONE PERSON in the booth.
All applications are subject to the approval of the committee. Each applicant will be notified of acceptance as soon as possible by email when possible. Please include a current email address on your application form. If email is not available, the correspondence will be mailed.
ANYONE NOT COMPLYING WITH THE POLICIES SET FORTH BY THIS COMMITTEE WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE AND WILL
NOT BE INVITED BACK.
To fill out the application:2023 Vendor Application
The first Makers Market, hosted by Mmm Flavor Shop owners Emelia Whiteaker and Addi Foster is this Saturday, January 14th from 10 am to 3 pm. The event is in the Cloverleaf Event Center at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds on South Horton Street.
“This is for people who produce and make things local” to showcase and sell their products, Foster said.
They are hosting these events because they are hoping to establish a spice store and don’t have a business space, Foster said.
In addition they are sponsoring a fundraiser for a new dog agility club.
“Lunch will also be available for purchase with the proceeds going to help purchase dog agility equipment for the newly created Momentum Dog Club,” Whiteaker said. “Those youth interested in joining the Momentum Dog Club can stop by and get more information. They must be at least 7 years of age to join, and no experience is needed.”
The two sisters are planning a market each second Saturday of each month, until May. “Different vendors will be participating each month,” Whiteaker said. “There will be a variety of locally made products for sale including food, soaps, lotions, knitted items, sewed items, and starters for indoor plants.”
“The menu that will be available is chicken and noodles made with locally raised chicken from Freedom Farms in Bourbon County, Mixed Bean Soup with Grains, Butternut Squash Soup, Mediterranean Vegetable Stew with Couscous,” Whiteaker said. “For dessert offered is Citrus Olive Oil Cake with Orange Chocolate Glaze, and Carob Brownies made two ways.”




Common Ground Coffee Shop is a place to sit a spell, have a cuppa and relax. The shop’s specialty is coffee, baked goods, breakfast and lunch.
They sell special order cookie trays as well.
It has been a community gathering place since its inception in 2013 by the Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene.
To view the first story on the business by fortscott.biz:
Common Ground Coffee Co. offers community a gathering place

New Staff
Heidi Dixon, 52, started as the new manager of Common Ground Coffee Shop on Dec. 19.
Dixon grew up in Fort Scott, moved away and moved back.
She has been a general manager for Fort Scott Taco Tico, operations manager for Dave and Buster’s Restaurant in Kansas City and worked at several other restaurants through the years.
The Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene board oversees the coffee shop and selected Dixon as the new manager.
Hired as assistant manager is Samantha Racy, 22.
“I volunteered for about a week,” Samantha said. “There was a period the coffee shop was struggling. Others from the church helped. My whole family volunteered.”
Samantha Racy is an esthetician at Healing Hands Therapeutic Massage and Salon and also works at the coffee shop.
In addition, several high school students work there.
The business is searching for an additional cook.
“There is an assistant manager and a manager to take a load off of one person,” said Stacy Racy.
Racy has taken on the scheduling of the Loading Dock, the big rental room, in the rear of the shop.
The Loading Dock
Stacy Racy is hoping to have an event in the Loading Dock at least once a month, she said. Stacy is Samantha’s mother.
In December they had two events: a 1940s Christmas Concert on Dec. 16 and a Photo With The Grinch event on Dec. 17.
The Loading Dock has a stage area and an outside patio area.
To rent the event center costs $60 for four hours during business hours, eight hours will cost $100. To rent the space during in off- business hours is $150 for six hours, she said.
For small groups there is a conference room with a large table in a private area, and it is free, she said.
Hours of operation are Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Sunday.
To contact the Common Ground Coffee Shop, call 620.223.2499.
Visit the shop’s Facebook page and webpage to see the shop’s latest news.

Kevin “Skitch” Allen purchased Aunt Toadie’s Restaurant in October but officially took over the business on Dec. 12, 2022.

“My heart is on the east side of town,” he said.
Allen started his construction business and car wash on the east side of Fort Scott. Nineteen years ago he demolished a house on the west side of the Aunt Toadie’s restaurant property for the former owners Larry and Mary Jane McHenry.
That started a relationship with the McHenrys. Then two years ago he started dating their niece Alisha Jamison.
“One evening we were talking to Mary Jane and Larry and discovered they wanted to work less hours,” Allen said. “Alisha and I talked about it. She was interested in running the eating business and I am interested in eating.”
“I’ve never owned a restaurant before,” he said. But the McHenry’s have stayed on to help the transition until the end of December.
“Thankfully, Larry and Mary Jane made it a success,” he said. “It’s one more way to help out on my side of town.”
Allen has been doing work on the outside of the restaurant on East Wall since purchasing it.

The west side of the building will have an addition, which will double the size of the eating area.
“It will be called the Lily Pad,” he said. “That will be for people who enjoy watching (sport) games on TV. Possibly with beer, in the future with dining.”
Possible futuristic plans are a pickle ball court to the north of this new addition, he said.
“You’ll be able to walk out to a pickle ball court,” he said. “Playing off the idea of chicken and pickle ball.”
On the east side of the restaurant there will be table and chairs for an outdoor eating area in warmer weather.
Inside, he has purchased a new soft-serve ice cream machine and discovered an old milk shake machine which will be put to use once again.
“We plugged it in and it went,” Allen said.
Alisha Jamison is the new manager and they are keeping the current wait staff. Matt McHenry, Larry and Mary Jane’s son, has decided to stay as cook.
“That’s a blessing,” he said. “He has worked there since he was a child.”
“I’m the taste tester,” Allen said.
The hours and menu will remain the same, but there might be additional hours on Monday and Saturday in the future.
There may be some additions to the menu because “we’ve got some good cooks thinking up ideas,” he said.

“I want to thank the McHenry’s for allowing us to take over their family business,” Allen said. “We are going to work hard to keep the family food atmosphere.”
“And thanks also to Fort Scott customers for the years of patronage, we know they won’t be disappointed,” he said.

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