To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the school’s founding, the Fort Scott Community College theater department is bringing a powerful modern classic to the stage as its first production of the season.
“To Kill a Mockingbird” opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center on the FSCC campus. Additional performances are at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.
Show times are Friday, October 18, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, October 19, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, October 20 at 2 p.m.
Based on Harper Lee’s all-time best-selling novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which is required reading in many middle- and high-school classrooms, the stage play (by Christopher Sergel) is an equally searing indictment of society in the 1930s as it pertained to race relations in this country.
“It is not a pretty story,” said Allen Twitchell, FSCC’s director of theater, “but it is a story that needs to be told and re-told until we, as a society, get it right. The entire play is a protest; a protest against racism, hatred, bigotry, intolerance and inequality.
“I wanted to offer something meaningful for our centennial year celebration, and they don’t come any more meaningful than this. In fact, it’s probably the most important play I’ve ever had a hand in staging.”
The story centers on Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of assaulting a white girl in a small Alabama town in 1935, and Atticus Finch, a white attorney and the only person willing to defend him.
Playing the role of Atticus is Anthony Oneri, a freshman from Gardner, while sophomore Marcus Robinson of Paola portrays Tom.
The cast also includes Cadence Tuck as Scout and Andrew Lyon as Jem, the children of the widowed Atticus, and Ben Davenport as Dill, a runaway who befriends them. All three attend Fort Scott Middle School.
Other cast members are: Jazmin Havens, freshman from Pittsburg, as Calpurnia, the Finch maid; Colton Hofer, sophomore from Fort Scott, as prosecuting attorney Mr. Gilmer and down-street neighbor Boo Radley; Grace Springer, senior at Jayhawk-Linn high school, as Mayella Ewell, the “victim”; Meaghan Hay, sophomore from Fort Scott, as nosey neighbor Miss Maudie; Annabelle Moore, freshman from Lyndon, as self-righteous neighbor Miss Stephanie; Abby Sweat, freshman from Pleasanton, as mean-spirited neighbor Mrs. Dubose; Mikiylah Gonzales, freshman from Fort Scott, as the kindly Rev. Sykes for the Friday performance and Connor Chiarelli, freshman from Belton, Mo., in that role Saturday and Sunday; and Isabella Loyd, freshman from Fort Scott, as the court clerk and the understudy for all female roles.
In addition, the cast includes guest artists Tony Wagner as Sheriff Heck Tate and Harold Hicks as Judge Taylor and townsperson Walter Cunningham. Twitchell is playing the role of Bob Ewell, the accuser’s venomous and vengeful father.
Phoenix Burk, freshman from Pittsburg, is stage manager for the production and fills the roles of several minor characters, and Michael Woodward, sophomore from Fulton, serves as sound designer and engineer for the production.
Designing and running the lights for the show is Jason Huffman of Pittsburg.
The play does contain offensive language.
“I guarantee you that no one in this cast wanted to use words like that to disparage fellow human beings,” said Twitchell. “But, you really can’t tell this story without doing that. To water it down in any way would subvert the truth and minimize the message that racism is wrong – on every level .”
Pioneer Harvest Fiesta will take place October 18-20, 2019 at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds, kicking off with the Pioneer Harvest parade through Downtown at 6pm on October 17th.
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce announces that participating retailers in the Downtown Historic District will be offering a 10% discount to shoppers who have a Pioneer Harvest button which is the same as a ticket to the weekend steam engine and tractor show festival.
Buttons may be purchased for $5 at the gate of the Pioneer Harvest
Fiesta, or at the Chamber of Commerce, 231 E. Wall St.
This cross-promotion is a great way to support a local festival while enjoying a discount on books, apparel, antiques and more in the Downtown Historic District.
Shoppers mayl ook for a shopping discount flyer in the window of participating stores.
For more information on Pioneer Harvest Fiesta visit fortscott.com.
Paper Pre-registration of your recipe is required by November 4that Presbyterian Village, 2401 S. Horton, Fort Scott, KS or contact Ginger Nance at [email protected] for more information.
Day of the event: All Pre-registered cook-off participants will bring a covered crock-pot portion of chili &/or pan of cornbread with a focus for the “experienced” senior palate. All food entered will need to be delivered to the Presbyterian Village for judging no later than 11:00am.
Top three winners in both categories will be awarded prizes. Additionally, first prize winning recipes will be published in local Fort Scott news and the community newsletter.
*After judging, at approximately 12:30 pm bowls of chili and cornbread may be purchased by donation while supplies last.
All proceeds will go toward a local holiday fund drive
The annual Gunn Park race, the Tri-Yak-A-Thon, scheduled for tomorrow, Oct. 12 has been moved to the next day, Oct. 13 This move is to allow a dry-out of the trails that have been inundated with rainwater lately.
The race has been postponed to Sunday, October 13 and will begin at 2:00 PM and on-site registration will begin at 12:00 PM.
“The Tri-Yak-A-Thon is a race where participants run on Gunn Park’s beautiful trails, kayak up and down the Marmaton River, and then tackle the trails again on a bike,” said event coordinator Penny Pollack-Barnes. “The trail run is a 5K, the kayak portion is another 5K, and the bike portion is a 10K. You may participate as a relay team, or if you are tough enough you can do the entire race as a solo participant. You must bring your own kayak, life jacket, helmet, and mountain bike. Riders must wear a helmet.”
The event is located in Gunn Park, on the west side of Fort Scott.
“We will have a tent in the open field in the northwest corner of the park,” Barnes said. “The race will begin on the road at the back of the park near the spillway.”
Currently, there are 20 entrants, “but most will enter the day of the race,” Barnes said.
“We do this to have fun and to raise money for a local charity,” she said. “This year the net proceeds will go to Fort Scott Paws and Claws Animal Shelter.
Our sponsors are UMB Bank, Briggs Auto, Peerless, Ft. Scott Veterinary Clinic, Landmark National Bank, City State Bank, Smallville Crossfit, Mid-Continental, Brock Electric, Key for Business and the City of Fort Scott.
The Fort Scott Writing Festival and Author Fair is October 19, 2019, pre-register by Oct. 15.
at the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, Main and Wall Street.
The Program Schedule is listed below along with other information regarding the festival.
Registration: 8:30 and refreshments (inside front doors)
Opening Remarks: 8:50 Little Theater
Finding Your Writing Plan – 9:00 Little Theater
Presenter R.J. Thesman
Are you stuck between writer’s block and the fun of procrastination? Maybe you’re not blocked. You just don’t have a writing plan. Finding Your Writing Plan helps you develop a discipline for your writing craft and keeps you from avoiding that blank page. Especially for bi-vocational writers who work another job, Finding Your Writing Plan gives you a structure for each day’s work. You can still nurture your creative side by choosing more than one plan or by changing your plan, depending on your circumstances. RJ Thesman will present 12 different options for your writing plan with best practices to help you finish your Work in Progress and move toward your publishing dreams.
“Writing FOR a Child Requires Thinking LIKE a Child” – 9:00 Conference Room
Presenter: Cathy Werling
Have you often thought you would like to write a children’s book? With the current self-publishing opportunities available, the goal of writing and publishing a children’s book has become much more attainable. Through this presentation, you will learn how to get started, some important steps you need to consider before you actually start writing, and some available resources to help your children’s book become a reality.
Cathy Werling is a retired elementary educator, who works part-time at the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes. The opportunity to provide positive role models for children led to the Center’s Unsung Heroes book series for children. Cathy is the author of the first four books in the series, with plans to continue sharing more of the amazing stories of Unsung Heroes through additional books. Her goal is to, not only provide inspirational role models for elementary students, but to encourage them to be people who can also make a positive difference in the world around them.
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Self Publishing – 10:00 Little Theater
Presenter: Sally Freeman Jadlow
Come learn how to publish your own book, step-by-step, in paperback or ebook throughAmazon.com. Handouts will accompany the class.
Sally Jadlow has published eleven books which have gone through the process Amazon offers authors. She writes award-winning historical fiction, inspirational short stories, non-fiction, devotionals and poetry. Sally has also been published in many magazine articles and anthologies. She teaches writing for the the Kansas City Writers Group in the spring and fall.
KnowYourSources – 10:00 Conference Room
Presenter: Ronda Hassig
Primary sources can be mysterious, exciting, and lead to creative writing at its finest. If you want to write non-fiction or historical fiction you will need to know your sources! When you leave this session, you will know what a source is, where to find it, how to use it and how to document it.
Ronda Hassig is a retired Kansas Master Teacher and middle school librarian. She is the author of two books including “The Abduction of Jacob Rote” and “The Greatest Test of Courage.” Ronda loves reading, writing, and walking her three feral dogs!
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Workshop Drawing – 10:55
Transformative Works & the Online Writing Experience – 11:00 Little Theater
Presenter: Qwen Salsbury
Discussion of the popularity and opportunities in online writing. How to build an online following, locate writing e-communities, and the bridge to publishing. Exploration of the importance of transformative works in society’s need to own its own stories. Presentation by author Qwen Salsbury, Amazon #1 Best-Selling author, whose online works have over 5 million unique hits.
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Writing the Poetic Image – 11:00 Conference Room
Presenter: Laura Lee Washburn
Laura Lee Washburn will lead this workshop on imagery. Poets will participate in a poetic game as well as write a short lyric or narrative free verse poem.
Washburn is the author of two books of poetry, This Good Warm Place (March Street) and Watching the Contortionists (Palanquin Chapbook Prize). Her poetry has appeared in numerous journals including Poet Lore and The Sun. Harbor Review’s Washburn Chapbook prize is named in her honor. She directs the Creative Writing Program at Pittsburg State.
12:00 – 1:30 Lunch Break
Authors set up for the Authors Fair
Afternoon Mini-Sessions – Conference
1:30 Thomas Yoke
2:15 Kate Emmett-Sweetser
3:00 Jan Hedges
“Why I Just Now Write” – 1:30 Conference Room
Presenter: Tom Yoke
It took me 60 years to fulfill the dream of becoming an author. The roadblocks and obstacles I had to overcome, are the motivation for telling my story. I want to encourage anyone of any age or circumstance to pursue that dream.
The main points of the talk are:
Listening to the right voices
Daring to believe in yourself
Dreaming big dreams
Following your heart’s hidden desire
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NaNoWriMo and Poem-a-Day: Write. Every. Day. – 2:15 Conference Room
Presenter: Kate Emmett-Sweetser
Though raised by a professor of British literature and a poet, Kate Emmett-Sweetser prefers to write non-fiction. She has worked as a free-lance journalist in both English and Spanish, as a translator, and as a Spanish adjunct at Pittsburg State University. She is currently working on a book about the Jewish families who lived in SE Kansas in the decades following the Civil War. Her biggest challenges are perfectionism and procrastination; she will share ways to adapt fiction- and poetry-writing prompts and goals to all genres of writing.
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The Art of Journaling – 3:00 Conference Room
Presenter: Jan Hedges
We each have a great deal to write about already tucked in our own heads. Journaling is a way to keep track of and organize these thoughts, musings and ideas. This session will cover the many aspects of journaling, how-to’s, inspiration and motivation. A drawing for a journal will be held at the end of the session.
Jan Hedges is a retired teacher and school administrator. She and her husband Dick opened Hedgehog.INK! Gently Used Books and So Much More… in October 2018. She has dabbled in writing for over 50 years. I write because I must.
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Author Fair Participants: (Tentative List)
Ronda Hassig Young Adult Historical Fiction
Gerri Hilger Adult Historical Fiction
Sally Freeman Jadlow Adult Christian Living/Memoir/Poetry…
Scott KinKade Adult Science Fiction / Fantasy
Joyce Love Children/Young Adult Historical Fiction / Devotional
Eric Reynolds Adult Historical Fiction
Carol Russell Young Adult Historical Fiction
Sally Smith Adult Christian Living
R.J. Thesman Adult Christian Living / Fiction…
Laura Lee Washburn Poetry
Cathy Werling Children Children
Thomas Yoke Adult Fiction
Notes, Inspirations, To-Do’s
Writing Festival
October 19, 2019
8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Activities:
8:30 – 8:50 Registration and Refreshments
8:50 – 9:00 Welcome
9:00 – 12:00 Writing Workshops with experienced published authors – 50 minute break-out sessions
12:00 – 1:30 Lunch Break and set-up for Authors’ Fair
1:30 – 3:30 Authors’ Fair and mini-workshops
(multiple authors will be set-up to market, sign and share with participants their writing journey.)
Pre-Registration due by October 15 –
$35 per Participant Late registration – $45
High School and College students free with current
Clothing is awaiting completion of the Fort Scott Community Closet shed. Pictured is clothing that has been donated, cleaned and stored in plastic bags.
The second organizational meeting of the Fort Scott Community Closet met on Oct. 1 and officers were elected.
Carol Oakleaf is the president and Lori Lovelace is the secretary/treasurer.
Carol Oakleaf, left, and Lori Lovelace show the donation can for clothing to the Fort Scott Community Closet which is located in the Fort Scott Washateria.
“It’s a good representation, representing a lot of churches,” Lovelace said. “It’s for the whole county.”
At the meeting, guidelines were set up to distribute clothing to those in most need, Lovelace said.
People will be referred by organizations in the county to receive a voucher to get the clothing.
“Vouchers will be distributed to anyone who deals with people in need and crisis, to get names,” Lovelace said. This includes churches and other organizations.
“Then we will know what they need and a volunteer will be available to work with them,” Lovelace said. “People can come one-on-one with a volunteer to the closet.”
The community closet is located in a shed on the property of Fort Scott Washateria, 501 S. National.
Donations of clothing are already being accepted at the laundromat and clothing has been cleaned in preparation for the distribution which Lovelace anticipates to be in this month into November.
The laundromat donates the cleaning of the clothing.
Once the shed that will house the closet is finished, the clothing will be arranged for recipients to come in and choose what they need with a volunteer.
“The shed is not done yet,” Lovelace said. Flooring, painting, heat/air conditioning, and electricity are on the agenda to be completed.
Lori Lovelace shows the shed that is nearing completion for the Fort Scott Community Closet.
Once the initial batch of donated clothing is distributed to those who are in need, the public can get one outfit per person.
“After Thanksgiving, there will be a community day,” she said. “I will advertise the open number of hours and volunteers will man it.”
Fort Scott Washateria Celebrates One Month In Business
Fort Scott Washateria “is going great guns,” Lovelace of the first month of the laundromat.
Fort Scott Washateriais a state-of-the-art laundromat with networked Speed Queen machines, fully attended by responsible staff, according to its’ website. Oakleaf owns the business and Lovelace manages.
They are offering a gift certificate purchase for those who want to give the gift of time to someone to have laundry service provided.
Services provided by the laundrymat:
Wash/dry/fold your laundry
Free pickup and delivery in the city limits and other routes outside the city limits
Starch/press
Alterations
Drop off for clothing donated to Fort Scott Community Closet Association
Commercial laundry services
Free WiFi
Children’s play area
Our machines take debit, credit, ipay, googlepay, samsungpay, loyalty cards along with coins.
Spyderwash app for loyalty customers that will let you know if machines are available before you come in.
W/D/F subscription services with monthly billing, pickup/delivery.
Fort Scott High School Wrestling student-athlete representatives attended the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Coffee on Oct. 3 to tell the community of the fundraiser. From left: Jenna Graham, Coby Burchett, Hannah Vann, and Mersadie Roof listen as Coach Alvin Metcalf tells about the fundraiser.
Fort Scott High School has a wrestling program for both boys and girls, with 50 students involved in the program.
Alvin Metcalf is the coach, assistant coaches are Alvin Metcalf Sr., Dakota Hall, and Kathi Hall.
Funds are needed for the program for equipment and gear, and also for team expenses for the year while competing in other locations, for example, hotel stays, food, etc.
The students and coaches have chosen a Taco Tico Fundraiser.
“It allows the community to get a nostalgic meal that the town of Fort Scott loves,” Coach Metcalf said. “Taco Tico was a staple for anyone who lived in Fort Scott in the 1990s and 2000s especially if you were in high school at that time. It’s something different that people like.”
The wrestlers and their parents prepare the food.
The food orders will be picked up at the high school on October 19 in the Fort Scott High School Commons Area.
Orders are due by 5 p.m. Oct. 12.
Pre-orders can be placed with any wrestling athlete or order sheets picked up at the Butcher Block Shop on National Avenue or 5-Corners Convenience Store at 12th Street at 69 Hwy.
Orders can be dropped off at the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office, 293 E. 20th Street from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
To order online go to the Fort Scott High School Wrestling page on Facebook.
On the menu are tacos, burritos, sanchos and taco burgers. People may eat in the commons area if so desired.
There will be limited quantities available with pre-ordering.
For more information contact Metcalf at 620.224.8468 or
Lesley Harris at 620.215.5330.
Girl Wrestlers from the Fort Scott High School Wrestling Facebook page.Boy wrestlers from the Fort Scott High School Wrestling Facebook page.
Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death among women in the U.S. which is why Gordmans, as part of the Stage community of stores, is renewing its pledge to support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation® (BCRF).
We are asking everyone to take an active role to help advance the world’s most promising research again this year by donating to BCRF. Gordmans will donate $1 for the first 10,000 guests who use the hashtag #ipinkican on Gordmans’ Facebook or Instagram pages. Gordmans guests will also have the exclusive opportunity to purchase specially designed reusable shopping bags featuring supportive sayings such as strongHER and #ipinkican. Gordmans will donate $2 for the purchase of each of these bags to BCRF. Additionally, guests are encouraged to make a monetary pledge to the cause at checkout in their local Gordmans store or online at gordmans.com, and 100% of the donation will be made to BCRF.
With the help and generosity of our guests, the Stage community of stores has raised over $700,000 for BCRF since 2014 and over $1 million since 2004. These donations have fueled nearly 24,000 hours of breast cancer research and, during 2018, we raised enough money to fund a full year of research under a grant named The Stage Community Counts Award.
BCRF has selected Powel Brown, M.D., Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, to receive the 2019 Stage Community Counts Award. Dr. Brown’s area of focus is Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC), a particularly aggressive type of breast cancer, which makes up 10-15% of all breast cancer diagnoses. The funding helps find better treatments for TNBC and prevent its spread.
“Stage is making a tangible impact in saving lives by partnering with BCRF, the highest-rated breast cancer organization in the country,” said Myra Biblowit, CEO and president of BCRF. “Their support allows us to propel research forward, faster.”
“We are proud to support BCRF and the critical research that it sponsors in the search for a cure.” said Michael Glazer, president and CEO of Stage. “Breast cancer is a disease that has touched all of us, our communities and our guests in some way. We invite Gordmans guests to join us in funding another Research HERo to help end breast cancer.”
“The Stage Community Counts Award has a significant role in advancing our efforts to find novel treatments to reduce the incidence of invasive breast cancer,” said Dr. Brown. “My colleagues at MD Anderson and I are incredibly grateful to Stage and BCRF for supporting innovative research aimed at making a difference for breast cancer patients and their families around the world.”
BCRF Needs Your Support Because:
One in eight women in the U.S. will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime.
Over 250,000 women will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year alone, and more than 40,000 women will die from the disease.
There are more than 3.8 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S. today, all of whom have benefited from the power of research.
Go togordmans.com to find a store near you or to donate online.
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About Stage Stores
Stage Stores, Inc. is a leading retailer of trend-right, name-brand values on apparel, accessories, cosmetics, footwear and home goods. The Company operates in 42 states through 624 BEALLS, GOODY’S, PALAIS ROYAL, PEEBLES, and STAGE specialty department stores and 158 GORDMANS off-price stores, as well as an e-commerce website at www.stage.com.
About the Breast Cancer Research Foundation
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) is dedicated to being the end of breast cancer by advancing the world’s most promising research. Founded by Evelyn H. Lauder in 1993, BCRF-funded investigators have been deeply involved in every major breakthrough in breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship and metastasis. This year, BCRF has awarded $66 million in grants to support the work of nearly 275 scientists at leading medical and academic institutions across 14 countries, making BCRF the largest private funder of breast cancer research worldwide. BCRF is also the highest-rated breast cancer organization in the U.S. Visit www.bcrf.org to learn more.
Adopt A Unit
