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.
Carissa and Alex Bowman, submitted photo.
“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.”
Cindy and John Bowman. Submitted photo.
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.
City permits are posted on the windows of Outpost 13 West.
The new restaurant is at 13 W. Oak St.
Special Recognition of the Brickstreet Restaurant
Brickstreet BBQ is located at the corner of Oak Street and National Avenue on Fort Scott’s northside. The new Outpost 13 West is to the left, behind Brickstreet in this photo. The River Room Event Center is located on the second floor.
” 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!”
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.
Please nominate a Young Entrepreneur for this series, a youth under 18 years old.
The Needham brothers with their first customers of the day on May 25, Dad, Seth, is in the background middle.
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.
Robert and John Needham at their pop-up business in Gunn Park on May 25.
“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.
The logo that Robert, with computer help from his Dad, made for his business.
Robert said he named his business “because it’s famous and also lemonade.”
Robert sells his lemonade in red Solo cup at Gunn Park at his pop-up shop.
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.
John created the logo for his business with computer help from his father.
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.
John shows his product Blue Raspberry Starburst Popsicles.
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.
Follow the Good Ol’ Days Facebook or the Chamber Facebook for updates!
The PARADE IS ON for Friday night, 6pm as planned!
If you are in the parade, the numbers that were marked on the street for the line-up have washed off from the rain, but check in at the Fisher Park concession stand at 7th & Main St. if you need assistance lining up.
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND IN HISTORIC FORT SCOTT!
Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce | 231 E. Wall Street | Fort Scott, KS 66701 US
USD 234 School District halls are quiet right now, but in June some students will be back for more learning.
Destry Brown. Submitted photo.
“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.”
Winfield Scott Elementary School, 316 W. 10th Street, Fort Scott.
“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.
Mi Ranchito Restaurant, 17 S. Main, on May 23, 2024.
Mi Ranchito Restaurant, 17 S. Main, has opened this holiday weekend, according to owner, Rubler De La Torre.
They opened Sunday for family and friends and on Memorial Day to the public.
“The restaurant looks beautiful,” De La Torre said. “We are very happy with how it turned out.”
They are accepting applications for all positions: cooks, servers, hostesses and bartenders.
One can apply in the restaurant to Hernan Pineda, the restaurant’s general manager.
“You can also apply on Facebook Messenger, at Mi Ranchito Fort Scott,” he said.
The restaurant hours will tentatively be Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“That could change, depending on the business,” De La Torre said.
Rulber De La Torre, from the Kansas City area, is no stranger to the restaurant business. He has two restaurants in Olathe, two in Overland Park, one in Lenexa, one in Mound City, and one in Gladstone, MO.
De La Torre said restaurant favorites are street tacos and mango chicken salad. Specialties are cream cheese enchiladas, Jalisco chimichangas, pasta and steaks.
The City of Fort Scott is sponsoring a free community event this Saturday, May 18 from 1 to 10 p.m. called Hello Summer Luau 2024.
The splash pad will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the Fort Scott Farmers Market is under the pavilion from 8 a.m. to noon.
The Fort Scott Sensory Park and Splash Pad is on North National Avenue;.
Starting at 1 p.m. there will be vendors for hot dogs, kettle corn, pork rinds and lemonade. Face painting and hair tinsel will be available.
Free goodie bags will be given to the first 100 kids attending.
In the evening, live music will feature Vinyl Revival and Surfin USA two Kansas City bands.
“The purpose of this event is to have the community come together and be able to kick off summer 2024,” Payton Coyan, the City of Fort Scott Director of Human Resources, said.
Payton Coyan. Submitted photo
“We are excited to host the Hello Summer Luau to strengthen our community bonds. These events help develop a sense of belonging, community, and friendship! This event will be an alcohol and drug-free event. The whole event will be free for all individuals! We hope to see everyone in Downtown Fort Scott to kick off SUMMER 2024!”
The event will be at the Gathering Square in Downtown Fort Scott, on North National Avenue, south the Marmaton River Bridge
The Fort Scott Splash Pad opened in 2023.
“ The City of Fort Scott is so excited to invite everyone to kick off summer with a splash bash at the splashpad on May 18th, 2024,” she said. “The Farmers Market will kick it off that morning and then there will be over 15 vendors that have face painting, hair tinsel, ice cream, lemonade, snacks and we will also have special guest Sparky the Fire Dog. The City of Fort Scott will have gift bags for the first 100 kiddos and then Surfin’ USA and Vinyl Revival will be highlighting the evening from 6:30PM to 10:00PM. All Hit 103.9 will be there with live coverage, and is our platinum advertisement sponsor for this city-wide event. Come join the fun on May 18th, at the Splashpad in Downtown Fort Scott.”
“If we have inclement weather it will be moved to Memorial Hall,: Coyan said. “However, according to the weather forecast, we look like we are going to have great weather!”
Coyan and Mary Wyatt, the city’s Planning, Housing, and Community Development Director, are facilitating the event.
This is being paid for by the city’s Fund 206 – Special Alcohol and Drugs (Prevention). This fund can only be utilized when Alcohol and Drugs are not allowed to be sold in the event space.
The Fort Scott Pavilion Ribbon Cutting on May 4 from the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.
The rain clouds kept away for the Gathering Square Pavilion Fort Scott Farmers Market Ribbon Cutting on North National Avenue today.
Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lindsay Madison thanked the T-Mobile communication business, who, a few years ago gave a $50,000 grant to start the pavilion.
The City of Fort Scott, Regional Economic Development Inc., Healthy Bourbon County Team, the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation, and others helped make this vision a reality, Matthew Wells, FS City Councilman and one who spearheaded the project, said.
Wells said the new pavilion’s land sits where the original Fort Scott Farmer’s Market was 100 years ago.
City Manager Brad Matkin said the pavilion is a wonderful asset to the community….and more are coming.
REDI Director Rob Herrington said it was a collaborative effort and “Together we can make things happen.”
The ribbon cutting was celebrated on the opening day of the Fort Scott Farmers Market (FSFM), May 4.
FSFM President Terri Hamilton said the vendors are “thankful for the covered space.” She noted that there are 24 slots in the Pavillion and 32 vendors, and they are “working hard to coordinate with the new vendors.”
The activities for the day: live music, face painting, children’s games, cotton candy, Bourbon County Garden Club Plant Sale, Breakfast on the Bricks by Scout Troop 114, and of course the vendors with local produce and crafts.
The farmer’s market is open 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays and 4-6 p.m. on Tuesdays from May to October.
The 43rd annual Fort Scott Good Ol’ Days will happen May 31 through June 1 with the theme “Where Our History Comes to Life” said the steering committee chairman, Shawn O’Brien.
The kick-off is Friday, May 31, from 4:30-6 p.m. with the chicken dinner catered by Chicken Marys for $10 for a two-piece dinner including German potato salad, creamy cole slaw bread, and water.
“You can purchase your tickets at the Fort Scott Chamber office, 231 E. Wall,” O’Brien said. ” Pick up will be at the corner of Wall and Main. You can drive through on the east side at Wall Street and Scott Avenue.”
The beginning of the parade in 2019.
“The largest parade of the year starts Friday at 6 p.m. at 6th and Main Street,” he said. “We are delighted to announce that Lavetta Simmons has been selected as this year’s Grand Marshal. Each year, our committee has the privilege of recognizing individuals who stand out and shine in our community, and Lavetta’s unwavering dedication to Care to Share has truly captured our hearts.”
Lavetta Simmons was one of the founders of Care to Share, an organization that supports cancer patients and their families.
“Lavetta’s heartfelt commitment to Care to Share over the years has left an indelible mark on countless lives,” he said. “Her compassion and kindness have provided solace and support to numerous cancer victims, survivors, as well as their families and friends. Though Lavetta has retired from her role at Care to Share, her dedication to service continues as she now attends to her family, serving as the epitome of the best babysitter. Join us in celebrating Lavetta Simmons and her remarkable contributions to our community.”
“This year we will feature some great entertainment on the stage at Skubitz Plaza,” O’Brien said. “Friday night will kick off at 7 p.m. with Nathan Ast Band followed by Blane Howard. Blane returns to Fort Scott for his second show. We are excited to host him again as he always has a great show.”
The stage at Skubitz Plaza will feature free entertainment.
“We will have local artists Jericho Jones and Holly Crays on Saturday, he said. “Then finish out the Saturday evening with Left of Center which will play some great music along with karaoke. Bring your lawn chairs and come out and enjoy live music that features some great artists.
“The Red Garter show will return thanks to Kenny Clary and his wonderful group,” he said. “They always have an energy-packed show. This year they will have their show in the Liberty Theatre. We are excited to partner with a generous sponsor to host this show in the beautiful downtown Liberty Theatre.”
The Red Garter show will kick off Friday at 7 p.m. for one show, then resume Saturday at 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. with a show every hour.
Jared Leek in the Good Ol’ Days parade in 2016.
“Jared Leek, owner of Liberty Theatre, an icon of the parade, will appear on the magical bike and we are so thankful for all the years that he has represented something that dates back to the start of the Good Ol’ Days”.
Many great family activities are planned for Saturday.
“We will have a bounce house at 3rd and Main Street from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for $5 unlimited bouncing. Tulsa Gelly Ball will return this year at 2nd and Main. They have always been a family fun event. There is a cost for each participant, hide, roll, and avoid being shot at through a maze of obstacles. We will also offer free balloon artist and caricature drawings. These have been a great hit over the past few years.”
“We have some new food trucks coming in, and locals that will feature tacos, burgers, chicken, Hawaiian dishes, BBQ, fried fish, fried Oreos, funnel cakes, and much more,” he said.
Good Ol’ Days food truck.
‘The food trucks are always a huge hit as they feature fun options that we can’t get locally. We are excited to feature some new food that we have not had before,” he said.
The steering committee chairman is O’Brien, Vice Chair Charlotte Thompson, Secretary Kayla Hall, Treasurer Cheryl VanHoecke, Fort Scott National Historic Site representative Carl Brenner, and members, Tim VanHoecke, Shaylynn Clements, Angel Wilson, and Trey Sharp.
O’Brien has been on the committee for 11 years and chairman for 5 years.
Shawn O’Brien,
“I want to thank our community for their generous support and contributions,” he said. “Our festival would not be possible without so many volunteers and passionate people. The City of Fort Scott is gracious with their city workers, the Fire department and Police department and so many countless others.”
“This will be my last year as chairman, and I am looking forward to enjoying the Good Ol’ Days as I did 12 years ago strolling down the street and enjoying the food, crafts, and fun,” he said. “If you would like to become a part of the committee, please let me know as we are looking for people to join our fun team.”
