Cherri can often be found at the Fort Scott Farmers’ Market which is held thru October, Tuesdays 4-6pm
Saturdays 8am-12pm
Gathering Square Pavilion, Downtown See more details & contact information on Tiny Greens & Herbs below!
Tiny Greens & Herbs, LLC. serves Bourbon County by providing year-round access to locally grown nutrient-packed wellness food. After the Walrod family experienced physical and mental health challenges a few years ago, they were looking for a way to increase nutrients in their diet while reducing exposure to toxic chemicals. Tiny Greens & Herbs, LLC. was born out of the need for their family to have year-round access to nutrient dense produce which is free of pesticides and herbicides.
The Walrod’s envisioned starting a small family business so their special needs children could learn to work, acquire transferable job skills and appreciate meaningful gainful employment. One of their goals is for their young children to be able to learn the business as they work towards a more independent life. Growing nutritious, toxin-free food for their family and their community, while also teaching their children the value of work is a triple-play win in their book. They feel the micro-greens taste amazing and invite everyone to come learn more and have samples this Thursday!
Contact the Chamber of Commerce at (620) 223-3566 for more information.
Thank you to our Chamber Champion members shown below…
Governor Kelly Announces $5.6M to
Strengthen Food Supply Chain Infrastructure
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly announced today that $5.6 million has been awarded for 49 projects to strengthen the middle of Kansas’ food supply chain.
“Kansas’ central location and abundant agriculture production are critical to the nation’s food supply chain,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “By investing in our producers and businesses in this sector, we are strengthening economic growth across the state.”
Through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program, administered by the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA), eight grants will improve producers’ infrastructure. The other 41 will strengthen the middle of the state’s food supply chain operations.
The projects selected for funding were informed by engagement and outreach with underserved producers to understand the needs of the agriculture supply chain.
“These grants will help Kansas food and farm businesses and other eligible organizations create diverse local and regional market options and more economic opportunities for our Kansas communities,” said Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam. “With this financial support, we will see improvements across the middle of our state’s food supply chain, including increased food processing infrastructure, producer aggregation points, and product storage.”
“Projects funded through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program are building strength and resilience in Kansas’ food system, diversifying agricultural markets, creating new revenue streams for small and mid-sized producers, and providing economic opportunities for local communities,” said USDA Marketing and Regulatory Programs Under Secretary Jenny Lester Moffitt. “USDA is grateful for Kansas’ support strengthening local and regional agricultural supply chains.”
This awarded funding is part of the $420 million available through the federal American Rescue Plan.
A complete list of the 49 projects can be found here.
Click here for more information about the RFSI program at KDA.
The 119th Annual Old Settlers Picnic is this weekend, starting on Friday evening with a street dance and continuing to the recognition of old settlers to the community on Monday afternoon.
The parade is on Monday, with the Marilyn Holt family as the grand marshalls.
The following information was provided by Sara Roufs, president of the Old Settler’s Picnic Committee.
Friday, August 30
To kick off the weekend, there will be a street dance on Friday evening with live music by No Bad Vibes.
Saturday, August 31
“The 5K Run/Walk will now be in Uniontown as well as the kid’s fishing derby so the town will be bustling and we are inviting the community to have a yard sale if they wish,” said Sara Roufs. “It would be a great chance to make some spending cash for Monday where there will be a variety of food and craft vendors available.
Sunday, September 1
There will be the traditional community church service in the park on Sunday at 10 a.m. starting with a coffee, milk and donuts social. This annual event is a collaboration of the First Missionary Baptist Church and Uniontown Methodist Church.
“Everyone really enjoyed bingo last year, so we will start that earlier on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. Prizes have been donated by local businesses.”
Sally Johnson will be facilitating the bingo game and it will be at the southeast pavilion in the town’s square.
The grand opening of the new pickleball court will be at 5:30 p.m. at the new court on the south side of the town square park.
“Family Fun Night will begin at 6 p.m. at the park and will also include the kids’ games normally played on Monday. The youth rodeo also begins at 6 p.m. on Sunday.”
Monday, September 2
“The car show will be held at the southeast side of the square starting at 9 a.m. so be sure to check out the amazing vehicles and grab some breakfast before the parade begins.”
“New this year for the car show, Dale Jackson’s family will be judging and picking their top 20 favorite vehicles and top 5 favorite motorcycles and overall best of show. Spectators are invited to vote for their favorite as well. Trophies will be awarded by the family at 1:00.”
“Food and craft vendors will mainly be lined up on the north street this year to make room in the park for everyone to stay and enjoy the day.”
“Bring a lawn chair or lay a blanket out on the grass. We will have live music throughout the day performed by Holly Crays and cash prizes, raffle drawings and contests.”
“We will have a baby parade at noon at the gazebo where they can introduce and show off their little ones. All babies that register for the baby parade will be entered to win a prize.”
“We will once again be having free kids carnival games in the northwest corner of the park starting at noon. The Old Settlers Committee has purchased prizes with donations from our generous sponsors to provide free fun for the kids to replace the bounce houses they were allowed to have in the past. Starting last year, the city council now requires that we purchase a special event policy to cover all the weekend events and our policy will not cover bounce houses. The carnival games are a great replacement and we are really excited to send the kids home with some fun prizes.”
Parade
“All kids are welcome to be in the children’s parade at 10:30. Ride a bike, wear a costume or just walk for fun. Line up at the fire station at 10:15.
The parade will start at 11 a.m.
The grand marshall of the 2024 parade is Marilyn Holt and her family. Community members are selected to be honored to lead the parade each year.
“Entries for the main parade will line up starting at 10 a.m. at the football field. We hope every club, organization, business, etc will participate. Our parade theme this year is “It’s a family tradition” and we will have a family float category so we hope to see some families join the parade. There will be cash prizes for the top floats.”
All area families, clubs, organizations, teams, churches and businesses are invited to be a part of the parade. First place prize for a float is $100, 2nd place is $75 and 3rd place is $50.
Kids Sign Up To Win a New Bike
“New this year too, all kids in attendance will be able to sign up (for free) at the Old Settlers tent to win a free bike! We will have multiple bikes to give away, which were paid for by raffle ticket sales this year. Mary Pillion has done an amazing job organizing and selling raffle tickets to make this happen.”
“As the treasurer, she keeps meticulous records and devotes a great amount of time to fundraising and contacting our sponsors. We have an entire circle of people volunteering time or making donations. There are far too many to mention individually but we want to thank everyone who has contributed to this and kept this community tradition going since 1905.”
Mmm Flavor Shop owner Emelia Whiteaker is hosting the business’s first Tea Club Tea Party today, Wednesday, August 21st at 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at Papa Don’s Pizza, 10 North Main in Fort Scott.
“This is the inaugural meeting of the Tea Club,” Whiteaker said. “I started selling herbs and spices in 2021 when a major health diagnosis was made in the family.”
“The Tea Club is a way to bring interested individuals together to learn, socialize, and experience what is out there beyond the box stores, supplement companies, and mass-produced products.”
“This month’s Tea Club Tea Party theme is Iced Teas,” she said. “There will be four loose-leaf teas made as iced tea to sample for free. Everyone is invited to come try tea, ask questions, or just socialize with friends.”
“The health benefits of eating truly natural nutrients in herbs and spices are well documented,” she said. “I added a variety of loose-leaf teas for the same reason. Most of the teas we have offer a wide variety of health benefits along with a delicious taste.”
“This summer we added specialty kinds of rice that have an increase in nutrients due to where they are grown.”
“I have spent hours talking to our suppliers on the phone to make sure the products available are high quality and full of nutrients that the body recognizes and absorbs better. Our suppliers can tell me the exact farm and farmer that each item comes from.”
“I am always researching and taking continuing education courses on nutrition,” she said. “This allows me to continue to work to bring tasty, nutritious ingredients to our rural area.”
She said the business sells its products at vendor’s shows and direct ordering through them.
Family Life Assembly of God Church is partnering with Convoy of Hope in Springfield, Missouri to distribute non-perishable food to the community.
The distribution will be at Fort Scott Middle School on Saturday, August 17 starting at 10 a.m.
“We know that as school starts a lot of families are really struggling with buying school supplies, school clothes, and a grocery bill. This is just a small way we can help be the hands and feet of Jesus,” said Pastor Justin Eichenberger.
Eichenberger, 26, is the new pastor at Family Life Assembly of God Church in Fort Scott, since October 1, 2023 .
Eichenberger said ” I believe Jesus has called me to care for people.”
For Eichenberger, the best thing about being a pastor is “Seeing God move in people’s hearts and lives.”
This church is a satellite of FamilyLife Assembly of God (FLAG), Pittsburg, Kansas.
“We meet on Sunday mornings at 10 am in Fort Scott Middle School-1105 E 12th Street,” he said.
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.”
“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.”
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.