FSHS swimmers faced their toughest competition of the year last night when they competed at Blue Valley West, last year’s 6A State Championship team.
The 200 Yard Medley Relay consisting of Oliver Witt (FS), Bobby Kemmerer (FS), Noah Ryan (Parsons HS) and Anthony Posher (Parsons HS) swam a state consideration time of 1.56.58 and placed 5th overall.
Oliver Witt took 6th in the 100-yard butterfly (1.05.08) and 7th in the 100-yard backstroke with a best time of 1.08.50.
Bobby Kemmerer finished 9th in the 50 Free (23.91) and 5th in the 100 Backstroke with a best time of 1.03.46 and two-state consideration times.
Their next meet will be on Tuesday in Coffeyville.
The County is hosting a visit from the Secretary of Commerce David Toland on Friday, January 31st, 2020. There may be a majority of City Commissioners present, but NO City business will be conducted. The public is welcome to attend his visit at Twister Trailers beginning at 9:00 a.m. at 400 N. National and then at Liberty Theater, 117 S. Main Street at 9:45 a.m.
There will be a private meeting held at Luther’s BBQ Restaurant, 3 W. Oak Street, at 10:15 a.m.
Lindsay Madison, executive director of the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, speaks to the Quarterly Downtown Meet and Greet attendees on Jan. 28 at Papa Don’s Restaurant on Main Street.
There is much happening in downtown Fort Scott.
New businesses that have opened up downtown were highlighted at the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Quarterly Downtown Meet and Greet on Jan. 28. The meeting took place at Papa Don’s Restaurant.
Luther’s BBQ Restaurant, Moe’s Bread bakery, Ascension Via Christi’s medical office, Modern Woodmen of America office, the Bolton Law Firm, Visage Skin Care Spa-were mentioned by Chamber Executive Director Lindsay Madison to the group.
Up Dog Yoga, a fitness center, opened up at 12B North Main in September.
Common Grounds Coffee Shop, 10 E. Wall, is tentatively slated to be completed in April, Madison said. They will move from their current site on Main Street to a larger building.
Additionally, Structure by Margo, a beauty salon, will open next month at 19 S. National Ave.
And the Unsung Heroes Park, between Wall and First Street on Main Street is slated for completion this year.
Mayco Ace Hardware was recently approved for a loan for rehabilitating it’s building, Fort Scott Economic Director Rachel Pruitt told the meet and greet attendees.
The historic building at First and Main Street, is back on track to be made into apartments as well.
“We are moving forward,” Tony Krsnich, CEO of Flint Hills Holdings Group, told FortScott.Biz. “A new contractor, Rau Construction, Overland Park, will be starting in the next few weeks.”
“It will be made into 25 apartments, rents that accommodate a wide range of rents, from $300 up,” Krsnich said. “They will be one and two-bedroom units.
On the Main Street first floor there will be a commons area and some apartments also, he said.
The tentative date for completion is Sept. 1, Krsnich said.
Madison stated January is the start of a new year for grants for businesses and that Fort Scott is an eCommunity which strives to encourage entrepreneurship.
Dreamscape Innovations, Inc., Mound City, employees work on the Unsung Heroes Park in downtown Fort Scott on Jan. 28. Jerry Harrelson, Pleasanton, and Justin Robertson, Mound City work on plumbing pipes and putting mulch down on the water feature in the park.
A green space amid the concrete sidewalks and streets of downtown Fort Scott will soon be ready for public enjoyment.
Work on the Unsung Heroes Park, just south of the Lowell Milken Center at 1 S. Main, is progressing.
“It would be nice to have it done by the all-school reunion (in late June),” Beth Nuss, one of the organizers of the park told the Downtown Meet and Greet on Jan. 28. “But you know how that goes with weather.”
On January 28, some employees of DreamScape Innovations, Inc., of Mound City, were installing plumbing pipes, planting trees and laying down mulch.
Employee Justin Robertson said weather permitting, that the water feature project will be completed in a few weeks.
A frontal view of the water feature in an artist’s rendition. Elaine Buerge is the artist. Submitted artwork.
R2 Construction did the excavation and concrete work on the site.
Future Work
A stage area is being planned for the wall of the old Kress building which is on the south side of the park.
The north side of the old Kress Building on Main Street will be the location of the stage area.
The Rotary Club is donating benches and trash receptacles for the park.
A bench is also being donated by Niece Of Kansas, Inc. in honor of employee Pat Flanagan who died in September 2019.
There will be a small fenced area for dogs in the park.
“The area for dogs will try to accommodate pets of people living downtown,” she said in a prior interview.
History
The area has been vacant since 2005 when the building sitting on it, burned down.
The idea of green space in downtown Fort Scott began in 2017.
The planning group is currently comprised of Elaine Buerge, Bernita Hill, Beth Nuss, and Carolyn Sinn.
After the original research and planning took place, bids were let.
“The bids were not financially feasible,” Nuss said in a previous interview. “So we needed to revisit the plan.”
“All the money we had was donated,” she said.
Then the Timken Company stepped in with a grant of $25,000, “which got us to the top,” Nuss said.
Since it is a privately funded project, organizations and individuals who would like to contribute may contact group members, said committee member Bernita Hill.
Secretary of Transportation Julie Lorenz, and Secretary of Commerce David Toland.
Afterward, you are welcome to cross the street to the Capitol to meet individually with legislators, attend the House and Senate Chamber sessions, or attend a Committee meeting. The goal of SEK Inc. and the Chambers of SEK is to ensure that our region
has a strong unified voice in Topeka!
Those attending from SEK usually also gather
the evening before for networking and dinner. If you do RSVP for SEK Day on the Hill,
the Chamber will update you on plans for Monday evening.
Margo Davis stands in front of the building that is being renovated into a beauty salon for her, named Structure by Margo. The business will tentatively open in late February.
Hairstylist Margo Davis is opening a new salon at 19 S. National in late February.
The storefront and interior of the former Bids and Dibs Consignment Store are being transformed into the salon.
She is renting the building from Amy and Kent Boyd.
Structure By Margo which will offer haircuts, color services, chemical services (including perms/relaxers), waxing, special occasion (updos), shampoos and sets.
“Eventually, a nail tech will be added,” Davis said. “I would also like to have a make-up artist and someone who does lash extensions.”
When the business is up and going there will be five stylists, she said.
Davis is planning to hire students just starting their cosmetology careers, she said. She has already hired one.
“I want to be a mentor,” Davis said. “There will be a job opportunity for them.”
Davis taught cosmetology classes at Fort Scott Community College from 1989 to 2016.
“The students were my focus,” she said. “I will be a stepping stone to a cosmetologist having their own salon or getting extra training.”
To contact Davis, call 316-323-0977
Hours will be Monday-Thursday 10 am to 6 pm, Friday 10 am to 5 pm, Saturday 10 am to 2 pm, and will be closed on Sundays.
“Opening date is estimated to be in four weeks. Currently, the shop is being renovated,” Davis said.
JDQ Construction, Joshua Query, is the contractor for the renovation of 19 S. National. Pictured is the work in progress on Jan. 27.
Davis said Bourbon County Economic Director Jody Hoenor gave step-by-step guidance during the process of applying for an eCommunity loan to start her business.
“The BEDCO (Bourbon County Economic Development Council) committee gave me the grant to help with my rent while I’m working alone until I can find more stylists and for whatever I may need in the business,” she said. The City of Fort Scott Economic Director Rachel Pruitt was instrumental in this grant, she said.
“Everybody has been so helpful,” Davis said. She said her husband, Wendall Davis, has been providing additional help to her in the process.
The American Red Cross would like to welcome you to become a Volunteer in the Fort Scott Community!
Volunteering is rewarding and meaningful. It is a chance for people to make a difference in their community by using their skills, knowledge and experiences, while developing new skills, knowledge and experiences. To visit with a volunteer recruiter, to start your Red Cross story, contact us by phone at 402-441-6397 or email us at [email protected] or to find the right opportunity yourself, visit redcross.org/volunteer. All Red Cross volunteers receive an orientation and training after the application process.
Presbyterian Village, 2401 S. Horton, is offering tenants and the public a series highlighting new technologies, exercise, and fashion styles.
“We are calling it ‘New to You’,” Becky Kellum, PV Marketing Director said.
Monday the presentation is featuring new household items, she said.
“Roomba versus the vacuum cleaner and The Ring, the new way to see who is at your door through your smartphone, I will be giving this presentation,” Kellum said.
“Tuesday Angela Carpenter and I will be demonstrating the Instant Pot,” she said. “We are making soup and will be serving that soup to all who attend.”
” Wednesday the sheriff’s department will be coming at 3 pm to educate the public on the body camera, how it protects them and the public,” she said.
“Thursday we will be educating on the new way to exercise from home with a personal trainer (the new technology) … The Mirror vs the Pelton,” she said.
” Friday we will be displaying the latest fashion trends, with items donated for this display by Bib and Dibs Consignment Store,” Kellum said.
The presentations are Monday through Friday at 3 pm in the Presbyterian Village Community Room.
“This is to educate the tenants what the hottest trends are,” and the public is invited to attend, she said.
Members of First Southern Baptist Church, Joyce McReynolds and Leeta Walker, are pictured with two sleep mats that were made for the homeless. The mats were made from recycled plastic bags.
A local church is putting the word “service” back in Sundays.
Members of First Southern Baptist Church have spent the past year making sleeping mats for Beautiful Feet Ministries, a homeless shelter and outreach in Fort Worth, Texas.
“We made these mats to share the love of Jesus to those less fortunate than us,” said Leeta Walker. For Walker, serving means showing. “That’s what today was all about. Not just coming to church to talk about helping people, but actually doing something,” she explained.
Last year, Walker and her husband, Steve, went with several members of First Southern on a mission trip to Fort Worth. The experience motivated her to show the love of Christ by organizing people to make sleep mats out of recycled plastic bags. “Everybody has extra plastic bags lying around the house,” Walker said. “Instead of throwing them out, we reused them by crocheting them into these sleep mats which are waterproof and portable.”
Last Sunday, the church sent two truck-loads of sleep mats, clothing, personal hygiene items, and Bibles to Fort Worth for people in need.
First Southern’s Senior Pastor, James Collins, praised his church members for their outreach. “I really appreciate everyone who acted as the hands and feet of Jesus and worked so hard to bring this together,” he said. Collins said it was their way of sending a message to people who’ve fallen on hard times.
“There are people who will pray for you, there are people that love you, and there are people who will help you any way we can,” he said.
Jackie Sellers sits in her office at the Bourbon County Senior Citizens Center, 26 N. Main.
Jackie Sellers is the site manager for the Bourbon County Senior Citizens Center, 26 N. Main. The center is the hub of many services that are provided to seniors in the community.
Her jobs entail food distribution for Meals On Wheels, a Kansas Food Bank Senior Food Program, food commodities distribution and a monthly potluck for people with disabilities in the community.
Another venture, housed at the site, is providing public transportation service to the community.
Taxi
Sellers coordinates rides for Old Fort Transportation, a local taxi service.
The hours for Old Fort Transportation are 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. To secure a ride call 223-0750.
She said there are five employees that drive the vans that are part of the transportation fleet.
“We provide 900-1,000 rides a month,” she said. Rides to go to a job, or the doctor or shopping. “It’s been a busy year, we are looking good.”
“We will provide out of town runs,” Sellers said. “We do have drivers for that, with 24 hours notice.”
Old Fort Transportation has even occasionally provided rides home from the emergency room when people are dismissed after hours.
Sellers was co-host of the Jan. 16 Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Coffee with Fort Scott Compassion Ministries, who have an office in the center.
At the coffee, Fort Scott City Manager Dave Martin told Sellers that he appreciates her for keeping the taxi service going.
Food
The Southeast Kansas Area Agency on Aging Senior Nutrition Program, also known as Meals on Wheels, is delivered through the Bourbon County Senior Citizens, with Sellers coordinating.
Sellers provides drivers for 54 senior citizens who receive home delivery of a hot meal.
Four people receive frozen meals through the program, she said.
“If you are on the route of the driver coming from Pittsburg, you get hot meals,” Sellers said. “If you are not on the route, you get frozen meals.”
“Volunteers dish up the food and deliver the meals,” she said.
Once a month, Sellers also coordinates food commodities distribution.
“It is income-based,” she said. “They come in once a month on the fourth Thursday to 26 N. Main. They can come on that day and we can sign them up.”
“We serve about 120 households a month,” Sellers said.
In addition, about 78 people receive a box of food from the Kansas Food Bank’s Senior Food Program, she said. This distribution is the fourth Friday of each month.
“Come in and pick up an application, mail it to Wichita,” she said. “If the application is in at the beginning of the month, they can get the box that month.”
Included in the box: meat, vegetables, fruit, shelf-milk, cereal, juice, a loaf of cheese.
“This is income-based and age-based,” Sellers said. “You have to be 60 years plus.”
There is also a potluck on the second Friday in partnership with Resource Center for Independent Living, for those with disabilities.
“If you know someone who could use help, they can help,” she said.
Jackie Sellers, site manager at Bourbon County Senior Citizens center, places a quart of milk in a cooler to deliver with Meals on Wheels lunches.
From left: Lanie Jackson, Icysis Reeder, Michaela Morrell, Karlee Hereford, Jackson Montgomery, Lillian Jackson, Madi Davis, and Javon Steadman.Submitted photo.
Frontenac hosted the Southeast Kansas Music Educator’s Association Elementary Honor Choir on Saturday,
January 18, 2020.
Jason Sickel, 2017 Kansas Teacher of the Year, was the clinician for the 141-person choir.
Fifth-graders Lanie Jackson, Lillian Jackson, Jackson Montgomery, Icysis Reeder, Madi Davis, Karlee Hereford, Michaela Morrell, and Javon Steadman were nominated by Eugene Ware Elementary Music Educator MJ Harper to perform.
Students worked outside of class during the fall semester to prepare and memorize four pieces of music.
During the afternoon concert, Mary Jo Harper was awarded Outstanding Elementary Music Educator for Southeast Kansas Music Educators Association.
Bobbie Kemmerer, left and Oliver Witt. Submitted photo.
Fort Scott Tigers were back in the pool competing in Winfield last Thursday, January 16 and in Osawatomie last night, January 22.
Oliver Witt and Bobby Kemmerer continue to put up competitive times and race against the clock for a state-qualifying time.
In Osawatomie their 200 Free Relay made their laps count and earned a state-qualifying time of 1.38.61. However, since not all four members of the relay attend the same high school the time will not qualify them for state. At the state swim meet relays can only contain four members from the same high school. Since many high school teams co-op for boys swimming, it is not unusual for a relay to swim a qualifying time and not be able to compete in the state meet.
This relay consisted of Kemmerer and Witt from Fort Scott High School, Josh Slansky from Chanute High School and Anthony Pousher from Parsons High School.
The next meet will be at Blue Valley West next Thursday, January 30 at 4:00 p.m.
Results for Winfield Meet
Oliver Witt: 3rd in the 200 medley relay, 4th in the 200 free relay, Individual Medley 2nd in heat 8th overall, 6th in the 100 freestyle
Bobby Kemmerer: 3rd in the 200 medley relay, 4th in the 200 free relay, Individual Medley 1st in heat 6th overall (state consideration time), 5th 50 freestyle
Results Osawatomie Meet
Bobby Kemmerer & Oliver Witt: 200 Medley Relay 1st (state consideration time), 200 free relay (State Qualifying Time)
Bobby Kemmerer: 1st in the 50 Free (state consideration time), 2nd in the 100 Backstroke
Oliver Witt: 3rd in the 50 Free, 2nd in the 100 Butterfly (both races swam a best time)
