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Category Archives: Fort Scott
The Beacon Food Pantry sign up for 2024 EXTENDED TO NOVEMBER 3RD
The signup period has been extended to November 3 for the Beacon Food Pantry.
Hours will be on the following days Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday through November 3rd.
Normal business hours from 9:15 am to 12:45 pm
Sign-ups must be done by November 3rd No Exceptions
You will need to call in advance to the Beacon to set an appointment for one of these days. We will start taking calls for appointments beginning October 2nd our phone number is 620-223-6869.
You will need to bring with you to qualify for a food card:
Picture ID for all adults in the household
Social Security card for all in the household and Birthdates, all dependent children with different names must show full-time parental custody, and adoption papers, and must live with you to be on your card.
Proof of income, pension, retirement, social security disability, VA benefits, unemployment, child support/alimony and any other income
If you receive any services from DCF please bring the verification letter.
Please have your information with you when you come or you will be turned away and will have to reschedule an appointment
WE WILL ALSO BE DOING SIGN-UPS FOR THE ADOPT-A-CHILD AND THE ELKS FOOD BASKET AT THAT TIME.
PLEASE WEAR A MASK IF YOU HAVE A COUGH OR COLD OR HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO COVID-19 FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR VOLUNTEERS AND STAFF. WE ARE ASKING ONLY 1 PERSON PER FAMILY IN THE BUILDING AT THAT TIME.
IF YOU ARE ALSO GETTING FOOD THAT DAY YOU WILL NEED TO CALL IN ADVANCE AND YOUR ORDER WILL BE PUT ON THE BACK PORCH FOR PICKUP
Adopt a Child pick-up and food baskets will be at Community Christian Church on December the 15 from 10 am to 1 pm. Pick-up will be a drive-thru like last year.
Elk’s baskets will be delivered the Sunday before Christmas.
PLEASE CALL TO SET UP YOUR APPOINTMENT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
THANK YOU, THE BEACON STAFF
Voices From the Grave Tour Postponed to Nov. 4, Due to Weather
The Voices from the Grave Tour produced by the Bourbon County Community Theatre scheduled for Oct. 28 has been postponed to Nov. 4 due to the possibility of inclement weather.
Bourbon County Community Theatre Presents Voices from the Grave Tour
The newly formed Bourbon County Community Theatre, LLC presents their inaugural production entitled Voices from the Grave.
Voices from the Grave takes place from 6-9 p.m. on November 4 at Riverfront Park in Fort Scott, KS. Guests will enjoy a guided walking tour of short acting vignettes centering around stories of murder and mayhem in Fort Scott. Scenes were written by the students in the Advanced Drama class at Fort Scott High School and are based off of stories from local author Brian Allen’s books about Fort Scott.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students and are available from the Chamber of Commerce in Fort Scott. Tour times must be pre-scheduled and run every 10 minutes. Parents must accompany children under the age of 14.
More information can be found on the Bourbon County Community Theatre Facebook page or by contacting Angie Bin at 620-729-9622 or [email protected].
What’s Happening in Fort Scott
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Kiwanis Pioneers Host Drive Through Chili Feed Fundraiser
The Kiwanis Club of Fort Scott Pioneers will hold their 35th annual Chili Feed on Tuesday, November 7th at the United Methodist Church at 301 South National in Fort Scott. A meal of the Pioneers’ signature chili with crackers and a homemade cinnamon roll will be served from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. for a free will donation (suggested minimum $8.00 donation per meal) to be collected at the door.
This is the Kiwanis Pioneers’ major fundraiser for the year. In keeping with the Kiwanis motto of “Improving the world one child and one community at a time”, the Pioneers support more than 40 community projects including College scholarships, CASA, the Backpack food program, FSHS Key Club, Head Start, the Beacon, Foster Kids, Feeding Families in his Name, Care to Share, and school reading and arts programs. “All of the funds raised stay in Bourbon County” stated Kiwanis Pioneer President Kelley Collins.
“The annual fundraiser will be drive through only.” according to Collins. Pick-ups will be available under the canopy on the National Avenue side of the church. Please take care not to block private driveways as you are waiting in line for service.
Deliveries will be available for orders of ten or more by calling 620-224-0563 during serving hours.
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Design Review Advisory Board Meeting is Nov. 6
The Fort Scott Design Review Advisory Board Meeting
When: November 6th, 2023
Time: 4:00 pm
Location: City Hall
Topics for discussion:
- Certificate of Appropriateness for storefronts of 6 S. Main and 8 S. Main in Fort Scott submitted for consideration.
- Certificate of Appropriateness for 10 S. National DCF Building project submitted for consideration.
The meeting is open to the public and the recording is available to watch on YouTube after the meeting is held.
Submitted by:
Mary Wyatt
Community Development Director
City of Fort Scott
Brad Matkin Resigns as City of Fort Scott Manager, Effective January 3
Brad Matkin, Fort Scott’s City Manager for approximately 1.5 years resigned yesterday, posting a public service announcement on the City of Fort Scott Facebook page.
Matkin said on October 24 he turned in a letter of resignation to the Fort Scott City Commission, effective on January 3, 2024.
“I will continue doing duties of city manager until that time and close out some of the projects we’ve got, and establish guidelines for the next few years, ” he said on Facebook.
“There is a lot left to do,” Matkin said. “We have only touched the very tip of the iceberg with our accomplishments. As a City, we must establish a Housing/Business Development Coordinator who works full-time for the city and goes and visits with our existing businesses to see if there is anything the City of Fort Scott can do for them. We worry so much about bringing in new business sometimes the great businesses like Timken, Peerless, Ward Kraft, etc. get forgotten.”
This Housing/Business Development Coordinator position would also help developers in their housing and business developments, finding grants, property, and opportunities, he said.
Other projects that Matkin sees as not completed are street, water, and wastewater 2024 and 2025 programs that need to be developed and executed, along with several other tasks.
“You sacrifice a lot with this position and family is very important to me,” he said in an interview. “I have lost many years with my family in previous jobs, and I have decided this was not fair to me or my family. There are several reasons for my departure but this is the only one I will discuss.”
Matkin thanked the city staff and utility work crews, the commissioners, citizens, and his family for their support.
Even “Citizens who haven’t always been supportive, I want to thank you because you are the motivation that drives us,” he said.
He credits any accomplishments to his staff and crews, he said in an interview. “I was just the person that helped with the decisions, they are the ones that made them happen. Every accomplishment I can write down was done by the City of Fort Scott Team and not the City Manager.”
Here are the staff accomplishments:
- Building the staff that the city currently has.
- Establishing the “My Fort Scott” app.
- Finishing Cooper Street.
- Finishing “Old Faithful” project.
- Improving wages for City staff members.
- Improving wages for City Public Safety members
- Gunn Park camping area improvements.
- Lake Fort Scott stem repair.
- 2022 Cape Seal program completion and 2023 Cape Seal program preparation work.
- Increasing advertisements and promotions of area events by the tourism department.
- Approvement of 2025 CCLIP grant for 2nd phase of Wall Street
- Pothole and Crack sealing program.
- Establishing a brick crew, and a street repair team.
- Memorial Hall improvements.
- Additional Lake Fort Scott fishing docks.
- Buck Run Community Center improvements.
- Wastewater Treatment Plant improvements and elimination of “the smell”.
- Assignment of Baker Tilly as City’s Finance Director.
- Flawless 2022 City audit.
- $1.7 million CDBG sewer repair grant ($1.1 million was the city’s responsibility).
- Airport runway and taxi-way improvements.
- Stormwater project on 17th and Eddy.
- Purchased street line painter, painting the city streets with city crews.
- Several street and water line repairs.
- Bringing back the Community Development position.
- Establishing a budget that did not increase taxes and opened up some additional monies.
Fort Scott has a future, he said. “If it’s allowed, but it’s going to take positivity. That was my goal to spread positivity and get rid of negativity. I feel like I have done that, for the most part.”
“It’s my hometown,” he said on the Facebook announcement of his resignation. “I’ve lived here 53 years….there is no place better.”
He will help the commission find a replacement for the position, he said. “To get everything ready for basically what I would have done into the next two years,” he said in making the resignation announcement at the Community Connections Panel at noon yesterday.
When Matkin told the panel he was resigning, at the end of his presentation of highlights at the city, the moderator, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce President Bailey Lyons thanked Matkin for his service to the city of Fort Scott, and asked if there is a new search started for city manager.
“I haven’t talked to the commission, personally,” he said. “If I had a recommendation, I would make it a national search or a least broaden the search out a little further. It will take a little while to find one.”
To view a prior story:
Early Voting Starts Today at the Courthouse in Fort Scott
Early voting for the November 7 election begins today.
“If anybody would like to receive a mailed advance ballot, they may complete an application and return it to our office by October 31, 2023,” Bourbon County Clerk Jennifer Hawkins said.
One can vote at the Bourbon County Courthouse, 210 S. National, in the early voting availability.
Today and tomorrow, Oct. 27, one can vote from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the courthouse.
Saturday, October 28 votes can be cast from 8:30 a.m. to noon, and Monday, October 30 until November 3 from 8:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the courthouse.
There will be voting availability on Saturday, November 4, and then on Monday, November 6 from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the courthouse.
Election day is November 7 and the community can then vote in places closer to their neighborhood. See the list below of polling places in the county.
Candidates for the Fort Scott Community College Board of Trustees:
Vote for three or less:
Ronda Bailey, Douglas Ropp, David Elliott, Kirk Hart, Roberta “Bert” Lewis, Robert Nelson, Josh Jones and Chad McKinnis.
Fort Scott City Commissioners, vote for three or less:
Joshua Baseley, Edwin Woelhof, Janice Allen, Harold Pete Allen, Tracy Dancer, Margaret Cummings, Matthew Wells, Dyllon Olson, Barbara Ann Rawlins.
No candidates have filed for the city councils of Mapleton and Fulton, and none for the mayor of Fulton
Filing to run for the Bronson City Council is Michael Stewart; for the Redfield City Council is L.D. Morrison and Brandy Corriston and for the Uniontown City Council is Danae Esslinger.
For the USD 234 Board of Education (Fort Scott Schooll District), vote for one of the following:
Position 1: James Wood, Joe Wimmer, Scott Center
Position 2: Mike Miles
Position 3: Robert Harrington, Aaron Judy, Doug Hurd
At Large: Payton Coyan, Stewart Gulager.
For the USD 235 Board of Education (Uniontown School District), vote for one of the following:
Position 1: Troy Couchman
Position 2: Rhonda Hoener
Position 3: Seth Martin, Kolby Stock
At Large: Matt Kelly, Josh Hartman
Southwind Extension District, vote for two of the following:
Deb Lust, Trent Johnson
The following are the questions that will be on the ballot, for the Uniontown School District, USD 235
Proposition No. 1:
Shall the following be adopted?
Shall Unified School District No. 235, Bourbon County, Kansas (Uniontown), issue general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $5,635,000, to pay the costs to construct, furnish and equip renovations, improvements, and additions to District facilities, including but not limited to: (a) Pre-K classroom/storm shelter, student support offices, music room, and secure entrance at West Bourbon Elementary School; (b) 6th grade classrooms, student support offices, tech office, multipurpose classroom/storm shelter, and fire alarm system at the Uniontown Junior/Senior High School; and (c) all other necessary improvements related to it (collectively the “Project”), and to pay costs of issuance and interest on said general obligation bonds during construction of the Project; all pursuant to the provisions of K.S.A. 10-101 et seq., K.S.A. 25-2018(f), K.S.A. 72‑5457, and K.S.A. 72-5458 et seq.?
To vote in favor of Proposition No. 1 submitted on this ballot, completely darken the oval to the left of the word “Yes” on the paper ballot. To vote against it, completely darken the oval to the left of the word “No” on the paper ballot.
Proposition No. 2:
Shall the following be adopted?
Shall Unified School District No. 235, Bourbon County, Kansas (Uniontown), issue general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $3,485,000, to pay the costs to construct, furnish and equip an Ag-Science Classroom, Metals Shop, and Construction Science Shop at the Uniontown Junior/Senior High School, and all other necessary improvements related to it (collectively the “Project”), and to pay costs of issuance and interest on said general obligation bonds during construction of the Project; all pursuant to the provisions of K.S.A. 10-101 et seq., K.S.A. 25-2018(f), K.S.A. 72‑5457, and K.S.A. 72-5458 et seq.?
To vote in favor of Proposition No. 2 submitted on this ballot, completely darken the oval to the left of the word “Yes” on the paper ballot. To vote against it, completely darken the oval to the left of the word “No” on the paper ballot.
Residents living in the City of Fort Scott vote at the following locations:
1st Ward-Community Christian Church
2nd Ward-Grace Baptist Church
3rd Ward-Grace Baptist Church
4th Ward-Grace Baptist Church
5th Ward-Community Christian Church
6th Ward-Community Christian Church
7th Ward-Grace Baptist Church
Residents living in the County vote at the following locations:
Drywood-Grace Baptist Church
Franklin-Mapleton Community Building
Freedom-Fulton Community Building
East Marion-Uniontown City Hall
West Marion-Bronson Community Building
Marmaton– Redfield Community Center
Millcreek – Redfield Community Center
Osage-Fulton Community Building
Pawnee– Redfield Community Center
North Scott-Community Christian Church
South Scott-Grace Baptist Church
Timberhill-Mapleton Community Building
Walnut-Uniontown City Hall
Voices From the Grave: Inaugural Launch of Bourbon County Community Theater
The newly formed Bourbon County Community Theatre is comprised of 16 members of all ages.
“Everyone and anyone is welcome to join,” said Tyler Parker, a member of the group.
“Our board of directors is made up of 10 individuals,” he said. “This includes Matthew Wells, Melissa Guns, Angie Bin, Katie Wells, Rene Ludeman, Alex Chesney, Whitley Chesney, Delynn Abati, Sandra Abati, and myself.”
They have created the Voices From the Grave event this Saturday at Riverfront Park.
Tickets can be purchased through Friday from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce, 231 E. Wall. Tours will run every 10 minutes from 6-9 p.m. Cost for the event: adults $10, students $7. Parents must accompany children under the age of 14.
Actors will present a short script describing a scene or “vignette” based on a story of murder or mayhem in Fort Scott’s history, according to a press release from the group.
Guests will be escorted through the park to visit each vignette and hear the story.
Leaders will be costumed “characters” who guide visitors from vignette to vignette.
“We tasked Angie Bin’s (Fort Scott High School’s Drama teacher) advanced drama students to research and write scripts about interesting deaths in Fort Scott and the surrounding Bourbon County area. It was a fun and educational task the students were excited about.”
“The actors are all volunteers, who will be receiving the script before the event to memorize and will meet the day of the event to set up their vignettes and go over some simple blocking,”he said.
Each vignette has 1 to 4 actors and is three minutes in duration.
“We are excited about hosting our inaugural fundraising event for our non-profit,” Parker said. “Funds raised from this event will go towards our next production.”
Children’s Halloween Parade This Saturday at 10 a.m. in Downtown Fort Scott
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The Fort is Hosting the Chamber of Commerce Coffee on Oct. 26
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Holiday Open House Shopping Event Downtown & Around Thursday, November 9th, 5-8 p.m.
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce announces the Annual Holiday Open House Shopping event, Downtown & Around in Fort Scott. The main event will take place Thursday, November 9th from 5-8pm with festive refreshments, drawings & deals. Then, most stores will continue Open House on Friday & Saturday, too.
There will be spirited holiday shopping at nearly 20 participating retailers including 110 South Main, Angie Dawn’s Boutique, Barbed Wire & Roses, Bartelsmyers Jewelry, Better in Bourbon, Be The Light Boutique, Bids & Dibs, Flint + Fray, Hedgehog.INK! Bookstore, Iron Star, Laree + Co, Papa Dons, Ruddicks Furniture, Sekan, Shirt Shack, Sunshine Boutique, The Artificers, and The Beauty Lounge. Drawings, discounts, and treats await, while shoppers find unique apparel, gifts and holiday décor.
Visit fortscott.com or the Chamber Facebook page for more details. Get out for the Annual Holiday Open House Shopping Event Thursday, November 9th through Saturday the 11th in Fort Scott.