The Prairie Sunflowers, a group of mostly local ladies, will perform on Friday, October 4th, at the Friday night concert.
The concert begins at 7:00 PM at the downtown Heritage Pavilion.
This group performs gospel, bluegrass, and standards.
The Sunflowers consist of dulcimers, a fiddle, an autoharp, and a guitar. Their music is fun to listen to and very enjoyable. This will prove to be a good concert.
Members of the group include Sandy Hemphill, Marilyn Adcock, Jean Strader, Joyce Love, Diane Spencer, all from Fort Scott, and Charlena Burns from Mound City, and Chery Nelson from Columbus.
In addition to the Prairie Sunflower group, the Woods family, from Prescott, will perform. Kevin, Kathy, and Leia Wood will sing some gospel and some country standards. Sometimes Nevaeh, Leia’s daughter, age 3, sings with the family. This is sure to be a very good concert! Don’t miss it!
Please bring lawn chairs because there is limited seating.
Minority and women-owned businesses are important to the Kansas economy, said David Toland, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce.
Because of this, the department is recognizing businesses across the state, with two from Bourbon County being honored.
“We greatly value the contributions these businesses and advocates provide to our state, from the jobs they create to the way they enrich communities and lives,” Toland said. “On behalf of Governor Kelly, the Department of Commerce and citizens across the state, thank you for keeping our economy strong and vibrant.”
Lindsey Watts, submitted photo.
Lindsey Watts will be honored as Young Enrepreneur by the department.
Watts and her husband own Smallville Crossfit Center in Fort Scott.
To qualify for the Young Entrepreneur, nominees must:
Must be under the age of 30
Must be a minority- or woman-owned business
Must be a small business located in Kansas
Must be in business for at least six months
Thaddeus and Kelly Perry, submitted photos.
Thaddeus and Kelly Perry, owners of Perry’s Pork Rinds, Bronson are honored in the Supplier/Distributor Firm category.
Criteria for this award is they must be a small business located in Kansas, must be a minority or woman women owned business and must be in business for at least one year.
“In the judging process we have a committee that rates the nominations we receive,” said Rhonda Harris, Director of the Office of Minority and Women Business Development, at the Ks. Dept. of Commerce. “The ratings are based on the impact the businesses have made in the community i.e. revenues brought to the community and jobs created. We also look at their growth and development, as well obstacles they have overcome. Their community involvement is also important in the judging process.”
The Kansas Department of Commerce’s Office of Minority and Women Business Development will host its 35th Annual Minority and Women Business Awards Luncheon at Capitol Plaza Hotel’s Emerald Ballroom in Topeka on October 10, 2019, with doors opening at 11:20 am.
The event will take place during Kansas Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week and will recognize 12 minority- and women-owned companies, three individuals and one corporation from across the state for their support and efforts to create new opportunities.
Registration for the luncheon is $45 per person or $360 for a table of eight.
This event is open to the public, but registration is required and must be submitted by October 1.
Please visit KansasCommerce.gov/MEDWeek to register or contact Rhonda Harris, Director of the Office of Minority and Women Business Development, at (785) 296-3425 or [email protected].
Companies being recognized include:
Women-Owned Businesses:
Construction Firm
CJ Industries, LLC
Kansas City, KS
Manufacturing Firm
Safely Delicious, LLC
Overland Park, KS
Professional Service Firm
Century Business Technologies, Inc.
Topeka, KS
Retail Firm
Monroe 816
Garnett, KS
Service Industry Firm
Rosewood Services
Great Bend, KS
Supplier Distributor Firm
Technology Group Solutions, LLC
Lenexa, KS
Minority-Owned Businesses:
Construction Firm
CJR Construction Group, LLC
Overland Park, KS
Kansas Leadership Center’s book “Your Leadership Edge: Lead Anytime, Anywhere.”, and the afternoon session includes a community guest speaker & tour related around the leadership topic of the month.
RESERVE YOUR TICKETS NOW for special events at the
16th Annual Gordon Parks Celebration Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Film The Learning Tree
October 3rd-5th at the
Gordon Parks Museum
RESERVE YOUR TICKETS NOW
for special events at the
16th Annual Gordon Parks Celebration! Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Film The Learning Tree
Karole Graham, Stephen Perry and S. Pearl Sharp, cast members in The Learning Tree film by Gordon Parks, will receive “Gordon Parks Choice of Weapons Award” at the annual celebration this October 3-5, 2019 in Fort Scott, Kansas. The celebration is in honor of Fort Scott Native Gordon Parks, noted photographer, writer, musician, and filmmaker. This year’s celebration is a special one as we will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the
Gordon Parks-directed film The Learning Treethat was filmed in Fort Scott.
The celebration events will take place at the Gordon Parks Museum, located at the Danny and Willa Ellis Fine Arts Museum at Fort Scott Community College,
2018 S. Horton St., in Fort Scott.
There are 3 special events during the celebration that require ticket reservations:
“A Night of Jazz”
“Picnic at the Park”
“Celebration Tribute Dinner”
SEE THE FULL SCHEDULE AND REGISTRATION FORM BELOW
(Tickets also available from the Chamber of Commerce, 231 E. Wall St.)
For a printable copy of the event schedule and the registration sheet, clickHERE
R2 Construction is building the water feature in the Unsung Heroes Park on Main Street.
A new park is in construction near Wall and Main Street.
The Unsung Heroes Park is located south of the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes at 1 S. Main.
The grassy area has been vacant since 2005 when the building sitting on it, burned down.
R2 Construction is currently is doing the excavation and concrete work on the grassy site, and the water-fall will be constructed by DreamScape Innovations, Inc from Mound City, Nuss said
A stage is being planned for the northside of the old Kress building on the south side of the park, and the Rotary Club is donating benches and trash receptacles.
A frontal view of the water feature in an artist’s rendition. This will be a part of the new Unsung Heroes Park. Elaine Buerge is the artist. Submitted photo.
The idea began in 2017 when a small group began planning a park for the green space on the vacant lot in historic Fort Scott.
The 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. “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.
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.
Quarterly Downtown Meet & Greet Scheduled for October 1st
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce the Quarterly Downtown Meet & Greet will be held Tuesday, October 1st from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at Papa Don’s Pizza, 10 N. Main Street.
These informal, quarterly meetings are hosted by the Chamber for downtown business owners, representatives and community members to network and share ideas on events, promotions and anything related to downtown. Coffee, juice and light refreshments will be served.
Please join us Tuesday, October 1st for the Quarterly Downtown Meet & Greet. Contact the Chamber at 620-223-3566 with any questions.
Amy Bockerstette from Phoenix Arizona is a golfer and a Special Olympian, who will be the special guest this weekend of the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office. Submitted photo.
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with Kansas Law Enforcement Torch Run to fundraise for Special Olympics of Kansas.
Special Olympics Of Kansas has a mission statement of providing individuals with intellectual disabilities opportunities to thrive in sports, health, and leadership, according to its’ Facebook page.
“Torch Run leaves it up to the agency as to what (that agency) wants to do to help,” Cole said. “It was my decision to put on a golf tournament with the help of Steve Anthony. With ALL funds going to Special Olympics Kansas.”
“The special guest for this year’s tournament is Amy Bockerstette, from Phoenix, Arizona,” Ben Cole, Bourbon County’s Undersheriff, said. “Amy is 20 years old with Downs Syndrome. She is the first special needs athlete to receive a full-ride scholarship to a junior college to play golf.”
The tournament is September 28, 2019, and
Sheriff Bill Martin, Cole and several of the other staff members volunteer their time for the event.
“We encourage the community to come out and meet Amy, enjoy the day with us, maybe eat lunch and participate in the raffle items,” Cole said.
The opening ceremony starts at 8 a.m. with Sheriff Martin deputizing Amy as an honorary BBSO deputy.
Tee off begins approximately 9 a.m.
“The event is open to the public we have several items up for raffle,” Cole said. “We are selling chances for a golf cart that will be given away, selling chances for a gun that will be given away, as well as we are having a live auction for approximately 6-10 items.”
Back Row: Brody Bowles, Connor Fess, Keenan Guilfoyle, C. J. Horton, Caleb Watkins.
The Fort Scott High School Pep Assembly will be at 11:18 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 28.
The coronation will be at 6:30 pm ahead of the football game against Pittsburg High School on Friday night. The dance will follow the game until 11:30 p.m.
Each Friday evening the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce features a musician or musicians at Heritage Park, at 1st and Main Street at 7 p.m.
“The featured band this Friday will be the Thompson Trio,” Ralph Carlson, event coordinator said. ” The group has been one of our favorites. They will do a mix of big band , old standards and popular music. It amazes me that they can do the music of these big bands with only three instruments.
In the event of rain we will move into the common grounds coffee shop. Come early and bring lawn chairs as seating is limited.
RESERVE YOUR TICKETS NOW for special events at the
16th Annual Gordon Parks Celebration Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Film The Learning Tree
October 3rd-5th at the
Gordon Parks Museum
RESERVE YOUR TICKETS NOW
for special events at the
16th Annual Gordon Parks Celebration! Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Film The Learning Tree
Karole Graham, Stephen Perry and S. Pearl Sharp, cast members in The Learning Tree film by Gordon Parks, will receive “Gordon Parks Choice of Weapons Award” at the annual celebration this October 3-5, 2019 in Fort Scott, Kansas. The celebration is in honor of Fort Scott Native Gordon Parks, noted photographer, writer, musician, and filmmaker. This year’s celebration is a special one as we will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the
Gordon Parks-directed film The Learning Treethat was filmed in Fort Scott.
The celebration events will take place at the Gordon Parks Museum, located at the Danny and Willa Ellis Fine Arts Museum at Fort Scott Community College,
2018 S. Horton St., in Fort Scott.
There are 3 special events during the celebration that require ticket reservations:
“A Night of Jazz”
“Picnic at the Park”
“Celebration Tribute Dinner”
SEE THE FULL SCHEDULE AND REGISTRATION FORM BELOW
(Tickets also available from the Chamber of Commerce, 231 E. Wall St.)
For a printable copy of the event schedule and the registration sheet, clickHERE
Celebration, scheduled for October 3 – 5, 2019, at Fort Scott Community College, will feature Jazz Singer Queen Bey, Kansas City’s Ambassador of Jazz in a music performance at 7:00 p.m. at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center on Friday, October 4th.
Ticket includes Heavy Hors d’oeuvres and a Cash Bar will be available.
Social Hour starts at 6:00 pm
This performance event was supported in part by the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
“We are very thrilled that we were able to bring Queen Bey back to Fort Scott once again through this grant,” said Kirk Sharp, Gordon Parks Museum Director.
Queen Bey’s wide repertoire of jazz and blues standards and innovative and often unknown songs are drawn from her first-hand experience working with the legends of jazz and blues.
Queen first began performing at the age of twelve years old and at the time met Billie Holiday. Jazz greats such as Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, Dinah Washington, and Ella Fitzgerald became her chaperones and her teachers
. Queen has performed with B.B. King, The Platters and jazz pianist Earl Garner.
In 1980, Ms. Bey received the Kansas Governor’s Arts Award and was one of the honorees at the 1991 induction of the Elder statesman of Kansas City’s Jazz, Inc.
She is officially recognized as Kansas City’s Ambassador of Jazz and 2016 was inducted to the American Jazz Walk of Fame.
Ms. Bey has acted on stage and television and in film, including Broadway musicals- Ain’t Misbavin, One Mo’ Time and Blues in the Night.
Tickets are $25 each. Please reserve you ticket by Wednesday, Oct 2, 2019.
Tickets available at the Gordon Parks Museum and Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce.
For more information about the Celebration, see the website at gordonparkscenter.org. or email [email protected] or by phone call 223-2700, ext. 5850.
