From left: Larry and Mary Jane McHenry, Alisha Jamison and Kevin Allen. Submitted photo.
Larry and Mary Jane McHenry started transferring ownership of Aunt Toadies Restaurant in October, 2022.
The restaurant is located on Fort Scott’s east side at 1411 E. Wall.
Aunt Toadies has been in business almost 20 years.
“Our original plan was to get the restaurant to this point and step back a bit and let our children run it, with our help,” Mary Jane said. “We are ready to step back and slow down.”
Their children weren’t interested in taking over the business, she said.
But their niece, Alisha Jamison was.
“Alisha was one of the first we hired as a waitress, when she was in high school,” Mary Jane said.
For Mary Jane, the best part of the restaurant was working with family, she said. And since they opened in 2003 they have hired nieces and nephews on both sides of the family to work for them.
Her sister-in-law, Debbie Ballou and her daughter Kelly McHenry, along with son Matthew McHenry still work at the restaurant.
“I will miss a lot of the customers that we’ve become acquainted with over the years,” she said.
But after working 80 hours a week at the restaurant, Larry and Mary Jane will be looking for “jobs that don’t require so many hours and being on our feet.”
They sold the restaurant to Kevin “Skitch” Allen and Alisha will be managing it.
Kevin Allen is working on the new parking lot on the west side of Aunt Toadies on Dec. 13.
New owner Kevin Allen was doing outside work on the restaurant property this week.
He said they will be expanding the restaurant and parking lot.
There will be feature on the new owner’s plans in the near future on fortscott.biz.
Mary Jane wants the public to know that they have stayed, since the new owner purchased the business, to train the cooks the way they prepared food.
“The menu won’t change,” she said.
The most popular meal sold is their country-fried stead dinner and also their desserts, she said.
On Dec. 13, five different pies were being offered, which is an everyday occurrence. In addition, in the winter, bread pudding and cobblers are the specialties; in summer it’s their strawberry shortcake.
Restaurant hours are:
Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Fridays from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and
Saturday from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
History of Aunt Toadies Restaurant
The restaurant was started in 1952 and called Bright’s Grill, she said.
“The restaurant had been empty for two years before we bought it in 2003,” Mary Jane said.
They named the restaurant after Larry’s mother, Virginia McHenry.
“She was a tow-head, and her father called her Toad, which was eventually changed to Toadie.”
Mary Jane said Virginia would announce to nurses, as she was in and out of the hospital in her later years, that she was the Toadie of Aunt Toadie’s.
“She loved eating here,” she said. Virginia died in 2011.
When they purchased the restaurant, her dad gave her a (art) frog to display. Through the years, customers have donated their frogs to where they currently can’t display all of them, Mary Jane said.
Larry and Mary Jane will work at the restaurant until the end of 2022.
Nathan Bryant is the new pastor of Parkway Church Of God (Holiness) at 1111 State St.
He received a Bachelor of Theology degree from Union Bible College and in 2009 he also became a LPN (nurse).
He has pastored in May, OK; Olathe, KS, and started a church in Delta, CO.
In 2019 he pastored a church on the Navajo Reservation for two years.
“I filled in once or twice a month for Parkway Church Of God Holiness (Fort Scott) from October 2021 until I became full time pastor in April of 2022,” Bryant said.
He and wife Amy and were married in December 1989 and have four children- one daughter and three sons, all married.
“All our children love God,” he said. “Our daughter lives in Ft. Scott and works at a doctors office . Our two middle sons live in Colorado and are both plumbers and our oldest son is a pastor in Missouri. We have eight amazing grandchildren.”
“I grew up in a pastors home and have always loved people and felt it was a calling from God,” Bryant said.
Some of the challenges for Bryant in pastoring: “Trying to navigate through the consistent changing issues of our country. Trying to meet the needs of people that are struggling from their circumstances of life.”
The best part of being a pastor for him: “Seeing lives changed through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Being able to help people in their time of need. Loving people.”
New on the horizon for the pastor is trying to incorporate more community involvement with the church. His desire is to see the church grow.
Service time for Parkway Church of God:
Sunday School 10:00 am
Morning Worship 10:45 am
Sunday Evening: 6:00 pm
Wednesday Prayer Meeting: 7:00 pm
December18th AM – Children’s program
PM – Drama – Martin the Clobber
December 25th 5:00 pm Christmas candle light service
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce invites members and guests to a Chamber Coffee event this Thursday, December 15th at 8 a.m. hosted by The City of Fort Scott, 123 S. Main Street.
At this week’s Coffee, the City staff will provide a recap of the year 2022, and give a preview of what is to come in 2023.
Coffee, juice, and light refreshments will be served in addition to door prize drawings.
Any member business or organization wanting to host Chamber Coffee in 2022 is encouraged to contact the Chamber to save a date by calling 620-223-3566 or emailing [email protected].
Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, December 12, 2022, for their regular monthly meeting at the board office.
President Danny Brown opened the meeting.
The board approved the official agenda, and the consent agenda as follows:
Minutes from November 12, 2022, Board of Education meeting
Financials – Cash Flow Report
Check Register
Payroll – November 18, 2022 – $1,927,977.43
Activity Fund accounts
Orchestra Extended Trip Application
Band and Choir Fundraiser Application
Substitute Pay Schedule
Sale of Decommissioned Student Equipment
Yasmina Query, Eugene Ware Elementary, introduced six students from Eugene Ware Leadership Club. Students Landen Brown, Myah Chaplin, Logan Flanner, Georgia Hurd, Jentry Palmer, and Hunter Yarick shared information with the board about various projects the leadership club does to help the community, their school, and staff.
Classified Tiger Team Member – Superintendent Destry Brown recognized Tanya Lockwood as the Classified Tiger Team Member of the Month. Mrs. Lockwood is a custodian at the high school who demonstrates how to build great relationships with kids. She greets students, encourages them, and sets a great tone for them.
Licensed Tiger Team Member – Superintendent Destry Brown recognized Linda Minor as the Licensed Tiger Team Member of the Month. Mrs. Minor is a 2nd grade teacher at Winfield Scott Elementary and is the Leadership Club sponsor. She is very good at building relationships with kids, supporting other staff, and creating a positive environment. She is often heard telling students and staff to “Go Be Great!”
Superintendent Brown reported on an expansion of the Construction Trades Program at Fort Scott High School made possible with collaboration with Fort Scott Community College. This will allow students to achieve NCCR Certification, be OSHA certified, and graduate high school with 28 college credits.
Gina Shelton, Finance Director, updated the board on the ESSER submission, the investment of funds, and reported that the district had 57 employees complete the wellness stipend challenge. Mrs. Shelton discussed the importance of special education funding and provided the board with a handout explaining how special education funding works.
The board received an update on District Communications from Shawnee Lorenz with Trajectory Strategies, which is a strategic development firm. Mrs. Lorenz went over the assessment conducted, the major findings, and the recommendations to the board for next steps.
Merrill Atwater and Jennifer Massey with Legacy Health, along with Superintendent Brown updated the board on the progress of the preschool expansion at the old Mercy Hospital building.
The board approved the following items:
Agreement for Hourly Rate Professional Services for Preliminary Design for Special Education Department Spaces at Fort Scott High School in the amount of $2,960 that will be covered by the CHC grant
Delos Indoor Air Quality Research Program Quote in the amount of $24,411 that will be covered by the KDHE Test to Stay Grant
Workers Compensation Proposal from KASB Workers Compensation Fund, Inc.
Request to refund a donation contingent upon no concerns from KASB attorneys
Personnel Report – following
The board tabled a change to the Drug Testing Policy at FSHS until next month.
The board went into an executive session for personnel matters.
President Danny Brown adjourned the meeting.
PERSONNEL REPORT – APPROVED EMPLOYMENT
RESIGNATIONS/TERMINATIONS/RETIREMENTS:
Stewart Guss – Retirement – Eugene Ware custodian, effective January 31, 2023
Jessica Smith – Resignation – FSHS paraprofessional, effective December 16, 2022
Kristi Hartman – Resignation – Occupational Therapist, effective at the end of the 2022-23 school year
Russ Hughes – FSMS Track Assistant, effective December 12, 2022
EMPLOYMENT/REASSIGNMENTS – FOR THE 2022-23 SCHOOL YEAR
Sharonda Edwards – Winfield Scott 7.5-hour paraprofessional
Michelle Lisica – Eugene Ware 7.5-hour paraprofessional
Matthew Prock – Winfield Scott 7.5-hour teacher aide
Billi Jo Shoemaker – Winfield Scott paraprofessional to Eugene Ware behavior interventionist teacher, effective January 3, 2023
Amanda Jamison – Winfield Scott paraprofessional to Head Start teacher, effective January 3, 2023
The Chamber puts out Table Tents every 2 months with a community calendar. There are 4 business card size ads available on each table tent for $50.00. The table tents are out for a 2 month period. We distribute roughly 500 to different businesses throughout the community; restaurants, hotels, Briggs Auto, Fort Scott Community College, and more!
Common Ground Coffee Co. presents “A 1940s Christmas Concert” with CMT this Friday, December 16, at 7:00 p.m. Ensemble members are Ralph Carlson on acoustic guitar and vocals, Stephan Moses on electric lead guitar and vocals, Carolyn Tucker on keys and vocals, Aaron Tucker on drums and vocals, and Mariam Tucker Self as lead vocalist.
“The World War II era has long been recognized as one of the most prolific musical periods of the 20th century. Hundreds of songs which became popular during this time have continued to maintain their hold on our memories,” band member Ralph Carlson said. “Some of the most beautiful, heartfelt, and fun songs of the season will be featured this Friday.”
The audience will hear a variety of Big Band, classics, standards, traditional carols, gospel, and blues Christmas tunes. A partial song list includes I‘m Dreaming of a White Christmas, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, Silver Bells, Winter Wonderland, Do You Hear What I Hear, Silent Night, Go Tell it on the Mountain, Merry Christmas Baby, and more.
The concert will be held at the Loading Dock inside Common Ground Coffee Co., 12 E. Wall Street. An assortment of goodies and beverages will be available for purchase. Admission to the concert is free. Sound is provided by Dave Oas and Jim Butler.
4.1 Minutes from November 12, 2022, Board of Education Meeting
4.2Financials-Cash Flow Report
4.3 Check Register
4.4 Payroll – November 18, 2022 – $1,927,977.43
4.5 Activity Fund accounts
4.6 Orchestra Extended Trip Application
4.7Band and Choir Fundraiser Application
4.8Substitute Pay
4.9Sale of decommissioned student equipment
5.0 Employee Recognition – Linda Minor and Tanya Lockwood
6.0 Leadership Reports (Information/Discussion)
6.1 Fort Scott KNEA Report
6.2 Superintendent’s Report
6.3 Assistant Superintendent’s Report
6.4 Finance Director’s Report
7.0 Old Business
7.1 Communications Audit and Plan (Information/Discussion)
8.0 New Business
8.1 Legacy Health Representatives (Information/Discussion)
8.2 Agreement for Hourly Rate Professional Services for “Preliminary Design for Special Education Department Spaces at Fort Scott High School” (Action Item)
8.3 Delos Indoor Air Quality Research Program Quote (Action Item)
Edwin D. Woellhof, 40, is the new Fort Scott City Commissioner.
Fort Scott City Hall.
By profession, is currently employed as a Manufacturing Controls Engineer at Sugar Creek Packing Company in Frontenac Kansas.
He earned a AAS in Electrical Technology from Pittsburg State University and is still pursuing a BAS in Engineering Technology from PSU. He is an ICC Certified Master Electrician.
“I have been a Master/ Industrial Electrician for over 17 years and have been a Controls Engineer about 6 years now,” he said.” I am new to city government but look forward to learning all I can.”
“My interest in the city commission position is solely based on one thing, my desire to see Fort Scott continue to strive to be a great place for individuals and families to grow and live,” he said. “I believe my collective experiences in my career path and personal life would help me to be able to make sound wise decisions in the guidance of Fort Scott and continue to help make community-first decisions geared towards the goal of keeping Fort Scott as a thriving community.”
He is married with four children.
“I serve on a couple of PSU ET and EET advisory boards and sub-committees,” he said.” I help to lead a building committee at the private school where my wife teaches and children attend. I look forward to being able to serve on the city commission and get involved with community programs.”
12/9-23 ~ Christmas Light Trolley Tours, booking now! Tours each night at 5:45pm, 7pm, and 8:15pm! $8 adults, $5 kids, or book the whole trolley for $125 to tour with only your friends, family or co-workers!
The Unveiling Party will kick off the voting campaign on selecting a name for the park! You can attend the party, vote and share your input. The voting campaign will last until January 31st. There will be an option to keep the name the same!
We want to give people who haven’t had a say so in the past a chance to be part of the decision making process—a place to voice how they would like to see things in their neighborhood playgrounds and parks!
