The Fort Scott Hurricanes team, 2022. Submitted photo.
Fort Scott Hurricanes is a competitive summer swim team for youth who range in age from 5-18 years.
The group started around 1980, said Tara Holt, who is the Parent Board President of the swim team.
This year the team is part of the Tri-State Swim Conference.
The local club petitioned Tri-State at the fall conference meeting in 2022 to become a permanent member.
“Full, official membership gives our team the right to vote at conference meetings and to be on the rotation to pick invitational swim meet dates,” she said. “The conference approved our permanent membership… at the first of the month. Being a part of the Tri-State Swim Conference has given our swimmers more consistent competition.”
The head coach of the Hurricanes, in her fourth season, is Samantha Short.
Hurricane’s Assistant Coach Claire Holt, Eli Holt and Coach Samantha Short at the 2022 Tri-State A Championships. Submitted photo.
“We are fortunate to have her back coaching for us this season! The kids and parents love her!” Holt said “Our new assistant coach will be Claire Holt. Claire is joining us as a coach after having been a swimmer for the Hurricanes for 13 seasons. She graduated last year.”
One way to support the youth swim team is to order Papa Don’s Pizza on Wednesday, May 17 from 10:30 A.M. to 8 P.M.
“Papa Don’s will be giving the Hurricanes 10% of the proceeds that day!” Holt said. “The Hurricanes thank Papa Don’s for their generosity!”
“The Hurricanes will have a meeting for the parents of new swimmers on Wednesday, May 3 at 5:30 P.M. in the small gym at Buck Run Community Center,” Holt said.
PEO Chapter CA will celebrate its 100th Anniversary May 3 at Liberty Theater.
The group is a philanthropic education organization whose legacy is empowering woman’s educational dreams. The PEO Sisterhood owns and supports Cottey College in Nevada, a four year bacculauerate-granting program open to women.
Chapter CA was organized on May 1, 1923, by the following Fort Scott women: Rose B. Miller, Henrietta Price, Fay A. Sample, Pearl C. Bamberger, Ethelyn W. Pritchard, Nina M. Trask, Lulu McGowan Mead, Rena Hunter, Ferne M. Duboc and Jessie G. Russell.
Today’s membership is comprised of business and professional women, educators, artists and those wishing to see women have the tools necessary to achieve their educational goals.
Throughout the years the Sisterhood has provided scholarships for women, young and old, who desire to pursue their education as well as providing other charitable work in our community.
For more detailed information, please contact President Pat Harry, 620-215-3913.
Ellis Fine Arts Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton.
Fort Scott Community College’s Women’s Appreciation Luncheon is April 26 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Ellis Fine Arts Center, 2108 S. Horton. Please RSVP today, April 25 by 3 p.m.
In addition to lunch, catered by Great Western Dining and Twigs & Berries, there will be door prizes and product displays.
The menu for the event:
Choose one wrap from two selections: Southwest or club (Great Western Dining)
Traditional salad (Twigs & Berries)
Caprese pasta salad (Twigs & Berries)
Sugar cookie fruit pizza (Twigs & Berries)
Rainbow fruit salad (Twigs & Berries)
Cost of the lunch is $5. One can also pay at the door.
“The purpose of the event is to provide a luncheon of good food, great company, and to support local businesses owned by women,” Allie Birket, a Community Relations Committee member said. Birket, who is the assistant to the college president and Susie Arvidson, director of library services, are on the committee.
Vendors are FSCC Nursing Dept., FSCC Cosmetology Dept., Better in Bourbon Clothing, Tupperware, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Jbloom Jewelry, Riggs Chiropractic Fort Scott, Red Aspen, Bourbon County Health Dept., The Baby Stitch, Erica George Photography, The River Room (event center), Flying P Ranch, Kimberly Demko, Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center, Desert Blooms Boutique, Locust Hill Lamanches (goat milk products).
Do you have something to say about access to Child Care in Bourbon County?
K-State researchers are looking for respondents to a brief survey (less than 10 minutes) to help understand the need for access to quality, affordable child care in Bourbon County. If you are looking for care, have care, provide child care, or are simply a resident of Bourbon County, we want to hear from you!
To participate, simply scan the QR code below, click on either K-State logo, or click on the link here: https://tinyurl.com/mcjsa6mj
For questions about the survey, please contact Holly Connell at [email protected] / 319-538-4761 For questions about the child care coalition in your county, please contact Rachel Carpenter at [email protected] / 620-215-2562
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce invites members and guests to the Chamber Coffee this Thursday, April 27th at 8am. This week’s coffee will be hosted by Fort Scott Public Library located at 201 S. National. Coffee and light refreshments will be served.
In 1891, Eugene Ware established the Ware Public Library in Fort Scott. After Mr. Ware donated his library collection to the City of Fort Scott in 1894, the citizens voted to establish a free Fort Scott Public Library to be maintained by the taxpayers.
Today the Fort Scott Public Library is very active with the community, some things they offer are; Marvelous Monday’s, 500 books before middle school, 1,000 books before Kindergarten, Storytime every Tuesday, Saturday Crafterday, and MUCH MORE!
The Fort Scott Public Library Staff would like if anyone attending the Coffee to please use the door off of Second street.
Chamber members and guests are invited to Chamber Coffee events each Thursday at 8 a.m. to network, make announcements, hear about happenings in the community as well as learn about the host business or organization.
Contact the Chamber of Commerce at (620) 223-3566 for more information.
Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Lindsay Madison, left, and Emily Matkin Clayton,Communications & Events Coordinator, at the Chamber dinner on April 20, 2023. Taken from the chamber’s Facebook page.
The 2023 AWARD RECIPIENTS were presented by THE FORT SCOTT AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE at the annual awards dinner on April 20, at the River Room Event Center.
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce would like to say a special THANK YOU to everyone who was involved in the Chamber Annual Dinner 2023, according to its Facebook page.
Rachel French
Given to a professional 45 years old or younger who personifies
the traits desired in a “great” business person.
Agri-Business of the Year
The Lavender Patch Farm
Given to the agri-business that has contributed to the overall economy and benefits the Fort Scott area community.
New Business of the Year
The Artificers
Given to a business at least 3 years new to the community which exemplifies the business practices for which all businesses strive.
Business Person of the Year
Destry Brown
Given to a professional who personifies all the traits desired in a “great” business person: a dedication to their business, their community, and their family and friends.
Small Business of the Year
Perry’s Pork Rinds
Given to the business with 25 or less employees and $3 million or less in annual revenues that continually expands, improves and benefits the Fort Scott area through its achievements and accomplishments.
Large Business of the Year
Mid-Continental Restoration Co., Inc.
Given to the business that continually expands, improves, and benefits the Fort Scott area through its achievements and accomplishments.
Keystone Award
Craig Campbell
Honors a person/couple who has continually been a source of support to his or her community. The keystone is that wedge-shaped piece at the crown of an arch that locks the other pieces into place. Said another way; it is something on which associated things depend for support. This is the true meaning of giving of one’s talents and time at the highest level to make our community a better place.
Fort Scott School District USD234 staff have been working on standards and best ways to teach them as they have met on Wednesdays this school year.
“Our early release days have provided our teachers to work to identify the essential standards that every student needs to be successful at the next level or the next course,” Superintendent Destry Brown said. “Our teachers have mostly finished this process and are now at the refinement stage. We will be working next year on identifying the resources that we will use to teach those standards and identifying the best practice in teaching those standards.”
Destry Brown. Submitted photo.
The district is changing the days the teachers gather to collaborate in response to staff and parents input.
Next year the days will be once per month.
“We decided to change to once per month in response to parent and staff input,” Brown said. “Staff believed they could have more concentrated and focused time to do the things we need to do next year while parents felt it would be easier for them to plan for a full day rather that an early release every week.”
“The time spent this year has been very successful and we are well ahead of where we were,” he said. “Teachers have seen the value in the time to collaborate and work together on curriculum, assessment and instruction.”
USD234 Preschool Update
The Fort Scott Preschool, at 409 S. Judson.
The preschool is going to remain at 409 S. Judson for the time being.
“We have six sections of preschool currently with enough for two more sections on the waiting list,” Brown said. “Our plan going forward will be to do some remodeling of the current space and reconfigure the space to better meet our needs.”
“We will also look at purchasing a mobile unit to place on the grounds at the preschool site,” Brown said. “This would allow us to bring all of our preschool students and classes to one location as well as expand our preschool to include more students.”
There are currently three teachers at the preschool.
“I believe that if we open more sections to the public, we will probably be able to expand to five teachers,” he said. “One thing we are considering is having a section for all-day students to help with some childcare needs in the community.”
The community needs quality childcare.
“Our community has a great need for childcare; especially for working families,” Brown said. “For our community to grow economically and to attract and expand business in Fort Scott, we need to be the kind of community that provides ways to make it possible for parents to work and trust that their children are being cared for safely.”
Fort Scott City Commissioner Josh Jones, right, and FS Water Distribution Supervisor Bill Lemke discuss the splash pad project on April 19 at the site on North National Ave. Jones is one of the initiators of the splash pad project, as well.
Fort Scott City Commissioner Josh Jones was on the site of the future splash pad and sensory park on April 19. Jones is also one of the organizers of the project.
Dirt work has begun on the Fort Scott Splash Pad and Sensory Park looking southwest towards National Avenue.The Fort Scott Splash Pad and Sensory Park Committee from it’s Facebook page. On the committee: Bailey Lyons, Kelly Barr, Katie Hueston, Meredith Tucker and Josh Jones.
“It has started,” Jones said. “You’ll start seeing water lines and concrete, the above ground (part) in three to five weeks.”
The crews will be working around the annual Good `Ol Days events, the first weekend in June, he said.
Looking south from the Lunette Blair Blockhouse on Skubitz Plaza. This is the proposed site of the sensory park.
The splash pad will be a 50 by 50 foot multiple feature water site and the sensory park will be two pads, roughly 24 by 24 foot for children’s equipment that is easily accessed, with no physical barriers.
Looking north from the Lunette Blair Blockhouse to the splash pad site.
The splash pad and sensory park will be located on Skubitz Plaza at the north end of downtown Fort Scott, on North National Avenue.
Fort Scott Splash Pad and Sensory Park rendition from their Facebook page.Poster explaining the sensory park from the Fort Scott Splash Pad and Sensory Park Facebook page.
Fort Scott Community College President Alysia Johnston.
Alysia Johnston, Fort Scott Community College’s President submitted her retirement at last evenings Board of Trustees meeting.
“I have been reminded lately how fragile life can be and I am needing to spend more time with family,” Johnston said. “I will miss the people I have had the great pleasure to work with the most.”
“It has been my great privilege to serve FSCC as President for the last 8 years,” she said in a statement. “After a great deal of thought and consulting with my husband, I have decided it is time I retire and dedicate more time to family.”
“I believe we have a wonderful team of Trustees, faculty, staff, and community who have demonstrated their passion for student success and community support,” she said. “It is my sincere hope that many of the programs, projects, policies, and procedures we have begun or changed will continue to advance FSCC’s mission.”
“I know the college is in great hands to move forward and meet the needs of its many stakeholders,” she said. “I hope I have helped position the college to continue being a critical piece of not only economic development, but a beacon for vision and collaboration to advance all citizens of Bourbon County. I believe making sure our mission of providing for student and community needs should always be the North Star.”
The Kansas League of National Interscholastic Bike Race (NICA) is returning to Gunn Park on April 22 and 23.
“We will need volunteers for 2 – 4-hour shifts during the weekend, mostly on Sunday the 23rd,” Frank Halsey, event host said..
“If you missed this event last year, it is worth the effort to check it out,” he said. “These people do an amazing production for these kids and we at Gunn Park Trails are proud to be hosting their return.”
Halsey is founder of Gunn Park Trails, a volunteer organization that maintains the bike trails in the park.
Gunn Park will be closed for use during the event, but spectators are welcome.
“We still need volunteers for the upcoming NICA Race next weekend, April 22nd & 23rd,” Halsey said. “Please check out the following link for times and duties.”
“We get kids on bikes, “according to NICA’s website https://nationalmtb.org/about-us/. “We are outside going places. We are stoking a life-long passion for riding. Founded in 2009, the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) develops interscholastic mountain biking programs for student-athletes across the United States.
The Kansas NICA was formed in 2019
NICA is having adventures with teammates while tackling both small and grand challenges, according to the website.
Its mission is to build strong minds, bodies, character, and communities through cycling. Its values are fun, ,inclusivity equity, respect, and community.
About Gunn Park
Gunn Park entrance.
Gunn Park is located on the west side of Fort Scott, KS and is a 155-acre park with beautiful landscape and stone features, with the Marmaton River flowing through.
There is camping, playgrounds, eight miles of trails for biking/hiking,18-hole frisbee/disc-golf course, two lakes for fishing, seven shelter houses, 14 camping slots with electric hookups and restrooms.
There will be plenty to keep a family interested in life at the Fort during the American Civil War era.
“Experience it Without Needing to Enlist!,” according to a press release from the Fort Scott National Historic Site.
The Fort is hosting its Annual Civil War Encampment, April 15 and 16, this Saturday and Sunday. One can experience artillery, cavalry, and infantry troops preparing for battle, smell bread baking, participate in discussions about troop and refugee support, and be serenaded by the Vogts Sisters, acoustic Americana-Folk act.
The Vogts sisters from their website.
“We are grateful to have the generous support and participation from the Holmes Brigade, Boy Scout Troop 0114, Friends of Fort Scott, Inc., Fort Smith National Historic Site’s Cavalry Troop, and plenty of new and old Fort Scott National Historic Site volunteers alike,” said Superintendent Jill Jaworski. in a press release. “We encourage everyone to step back in time and smell, hear, see, and experience life at the fort.”
Saturday: join the discussion with author and historian Isaias McCaffrey about the Indian Home Guard, find out about the lives of women during the Civil War period, sit on the Officer’s front porch and learn about sewing and crocheting, be serenaded by the Vogts Sisters, and baking bread in the bakery, according to the press release.
Sunday: play authentic lawn games and participate in a discussion about being a Civil War refugee. The weekend is full of fun and games for the whole family straight from the 1800’s!
Encampment Schedule:
SATURDAY, APRIL 15
Interpreters will be at the firing range with historic weapons and doing demonstrations around the site throughout the day.
9 a.m. Raising the Colors with the Boy Scout Troop 0114
9:30 a.m. Infantry Drill and Weapons Demonstration
10m. Cavalry Program
10:30 a.m. Artillery Drill and Weapons Demonstration
11 a.m. Isaias McCaffrey- Indian Home Guard Program
Noon Vogts Sisters Musical Performance
1 p.m. Infantry Drill and Weapons Demonstration
1:30 p.m. Lunette Blair Discussion
2 p.m. Cavalry Program
2:30 p.m. Women in the Army Discussion
3 p.m. Vogts Sisters Musical Performance
4 p.m. Flag Retreat with Troop 0114
5 p.m. Artillery Drill and Weapons Demonstration
8 p.m. Night Sky Program with the Kansas Astronomical Observers
SUNDAY, APRIL 16
Interpreters will be at the firing range with historic weapons and doing demonstrations around the site throughout the day.
9 a.m. Raising the Colors
10 a.m. Guided Tour of the Fort
10:30 a.m. Artillery Drill and Weapons Demonstration
11 a.m. Infantry Dress Parade, Drill, and Weapons Demonstration
Noon Cavalry Program
1 p.m. Guided Tour of the Fort
1:30 p.m. Lunette Blair Discussion
2 p.m. Life as a Refugee Discussion
2:30 p.m. Cavalry Program
3 p.m. Artillery Drill and Weapons Demonstration
3:30 p.m. Infantry Drill and Weapons Demonstration
4 p.m. Flag Retreat
You are always welcome to wear a mask, and please remember to keep safe distances, wash your hands, and have fun, according to the press release.
Summer Hours of Operation
From April 1-October 31, Fort Scott National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service, is open for its summer hours of operation: daily from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Park grounds are open daily from a half hour before sunrise until a half hour after sunset. To find out more or become involved in activities at the Fort, please contact the park at 620-223-0310 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/fosc
About The Fort and the National Parks System
Fort Scott National Historic Site is a fee free park that offers a glimpse into the growth of our nation. A walk through the fort reveals the significant role it played in the opening of the West, as well as, the Civil War and the strife in the State of Kansas that preceded it. For more information call the park at 620-223-0310, visit us at www.nps.gov/fosc, on Facebook www.facebook.com/FortScottNPS, Twitter www.twitter.com/FortScottNPS, and Instagram www.instagram.com/fortscottnps
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s over 420 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
