Get ready to rock with Gordmans during our 2019 Grand Opening Tour!
Our new location at 2400 S. Main St. in Fort Scott, KS is having an epic celebration on March 20th and you’re invited.
No tickets necessary. Just stop by!
Don’t miss our ribbon cutting ceremony at 5:30 pm. Then get to know Gordmans and find out why this is where frugal meets fierce. Our deals on home decor galore will be music to your ears.
The first 100 guests will get a scratch-off card and one lucky person will reveal a $50 shopping card!
Photo: top row: left to right: Ashton Nave, Dalton Womeldorff, Grant Feagins Middle Row: L-R Jonie Antonio, Audra McFarland, Jakob Slinkard, Jorden Willard, Landon Doherty, Jade Bailey, Karina Kantilal, Takia Page, Natalie Eaton, Brooklyn Miller. Bottom Row: Reaghn Dowell, Shekhar Gugnani, Thade Yates, Elizabeth Ngatia, Brooklyn Lyons, Rebekah Sweyko, Hunter Adamson, Neil Gugnani, Zach Mundhenke
The Fort Scott High School Talking Tigers Forensics Team competed on February 23 and took first place in the sweeps, with 202 points. The event was held at Pittsburg High School.
“For not being able to go out in over a month due to bad weather, this team really did an outstanding job!,” said forensics teacher, Angella Curran.
The following students placed:
(* indicates state qualifiers)
*Brooklyn Lyons placed 4th in prose and 1st in Program Oral Interpretation
*Elizabeth Ngatia place 2nd in poetry and 1st in Original Oratory.
*Hunter Adamson placed 2nd in Dramatic Interpretation.
*Karina Kantilal placed 2nd in Program Oral Interpretation.
*Rebekah Sweyko placed 1st in impromptu and 2nd in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking.
*Shekhar Gugnani placed 1st in Foreign Extemporaneous.
*Reaghn Dowell placed 2nd in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking.
Neil Gugnani placed 6th in Impromptu.
Karina Kantilal and Audra McFarland placed 5th in duo.
Thade Yates placed 3rd in Info 10.
Audra McFarland placed 6th in Dramatic Interpretation.
Dalton Womeldorff placed 5th in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking.
RADIO AUCTION – KOMB All Hit 103.9 FM – through the first week of March, every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Listen for details!
ABE/GED Orientation Classes at FSCC will begin Tuesday, March 5th.
There are 3 class times to choose from: 9am-12pm, 1pm-4pm, or 4pm-7pm. (See flyer below for more info)
4th Annual KANSASWORKS Statewide Job Fair – March 7th, Memorial Hall Civic Center, 410 N. Pennsylvania Avenue, 2pm-6pm (See flyer below)
Care to Share (“The Sharing Bucket”) will be hosting the 5th Annual “TaTa” Ride on June 15th, 2019 and an “AR-15 Gun Raffle”. Raffle tickets are $5 each and on sale now! ATF Regulations apply. Contact Stacey Wright for tickets or more info. (See flyer below)
22-23
Weekly Livestock Sale at Fort Scott Livestock Market. Starting at 10am on both Fridays & Saturdays
Fridays: Cows, Pairs, Big Bulls
Saturdays: Stocker & Feeder Cattle, followed by any cows & bulls that come in late Friday & Saturday. Cafe open both sale days. You don’t have to be a buyer, just to come watch the sale and visit the cafe!
22
4th Annual Prairie Troubadour – Liberty Theatre, 113 S. Main St., Friday: 7-10pm; Saturday: 8:30am-8:30pm
The Prairie Troubadour is a group of friends inspired by stalwarts of the Faith to live and share the Joy of Christ. This year’s topic: REASON FOR FAITH – Reflections on Particles and Paraclete. Join Dale Ahlquist, David Whalen, Stacy Trasancos, Kevin O’Brien and William Fahey to discuss the good life
Sweet Listings Open House Event by Stutesman’s Action Realty – Tour homes and be entered to win a $25 Casey’s gas card!
Tour these 5 homes: 117 Crescent Dr., 1703 Westbury Ln., 901 Barbee, 722 S. Hill, 519 Holbrook
See flyer below for details
23
Hedgehog.INK presents their February Featured Artist, weaver Barbara Ritter, 16 S. Main St., 3pm
Barbara’s artwork is on display at Hedgehog.INK during the month of February. She will give a presentation about her artwork and the techniques she uses (See flyer below)
26-27
Story Time – Fort Scott Public Library, 201 S. National Ave., 10-11am
26
Kiwanis Pancake Feed at Buck Run Community Center – 735 Scott Ave., 11am-6:30pm
T.O.P.S Meeting – Buck Run Community Center,
3-4pm
26
Zumba Classes at FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center, 2108 S. Horton
Zumba classes are held every Tuesday & Thursday night from 5-6:15pm. $3 per class
Contact Kassie Fugate-Cate: 620-223-2700 for more info
27
Breakfast Bingo at BRCC – 735 Scott Ave., 9-10am
Come drink some coffee and play some bingo at Buck Run. Staff will provide the bingo cards, the caller, and coffee. Prizes provided by the Fort Scott Recreation Commission
Call Buck Run at 620-223-0386 for more info
27
Rotary Meeting – Presbyterian Church, 308 S. Crawford St., 12-1pm
27
Adult Coloring Program – Fort Scott Public Library, 201 S. National Ave., 2-4pm
Join us in the library events room for a relaxing afternoon of coloring and conversation. Library provides coloring pages, pens and pencils, and snacks. Bring your own beverage of choice (no alcohol, please)
27
TAG (Teen Advisory Group) – Fort Scott Public Library, 201 S. National Ave., 4-5pm
Exclusively for middle and high school students. We have meetings weekly, including a games & snack night, a community service project, a book club meeting, and a craft night each month
Make a difference in your community while having fun at TAG! Each meeting includes food, drinks, and a good time with your fellow teens. Bring your friends
28
Join us for the weekly Chamber Coffee of the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce at 8am. This week’s Chamber Coffee will be hosted by Adventures in Mission (at Hole In The Wall Liquor)
Zumba Classes at FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center, 2108 S. Horton
Zumba classes are held every Tuesday & Thursday night from 5-6:15pm. $3 per class
Contact Kassie Fugate-Cate: 620-223-2700 for more info
28
Thursday Card Players – Buck Run Community Center, 735 Scott Ave., 6-9pm. Free weekly event to anyone that wants to play cards, drink coffee, eat snacks, and socialize
There will be music entertainment for the Kiwanis Pancake Feed on Tuesday, February 26.
“We will have music from various artists throughout the day from 11 am to close at 6:30 pm,” said Ralph Carlson, coordinator.
Featured artists will include the Miller family, Leta and Mike who play gospel and classic country. Also featured are Carolyn Tucker, piano and vocal, David Prickett, classic country and gospel, vocal and guitar;Floyd Feezell, vocal; The Sekanaires Quartet and Ralph Carlson.
“The Kiwanis Club appreciates the time and talents of our friends and we are excited about the really fine talent lineup,” Carlson said. “The group is composed of many of our regular contributors at the Friday Night Concert Chamber sponsored series. The Key Club will be there to assist with the service and festivities. They are also a vital part of the Kiwanis Pancake Feed project.”
Kale Nelson and staff of the State Farm Insurance Agency. From left Chalia Swank, licensed representative; Nelson, agent, and Rebecca Ballou, receptionist. Not pictured is Sharon Campbell who works part-time as a customer service representative.
State Farm Insurance Agent Kale Nelson has moved to a more easily accessed location.
“It’s one of the best locations in Fort Scott, being at the intersection of 69 Hwy. and South National Avenue,” Nelson said.
“There is a tremendous amount of traffic, he said.
The new address is 1805 S. National, in a building that is still in the process of being totally renovated.
Today, the parking lot of the property was being graveled for customers, and they are still in the process of settling in the building, Nelson said.
Demolition of the interior of the building started last summer and Nelson and his staff moved on February 19, he said.
“I’m thrilled with the way it turned out,” Nelson said. “There is a little more work to do.”
Besides purchasing his own business property, investing in the community was a goal Nelson had in the renovation.
“It was important to make an investment in a historical building,” Nelson said.
“We’ve had a lot of people share stories about the property (and its many transformations),” he said.
Nelson has been a State Farm Agent since 2005.
Working with people drives him, he said.
“I really enjoy helping people put their protection plans in place….life, some health, home, auto, business, bank… a large range of offerings. Help them overcome what deficiencies they have with the best value for their dollar,” he said.
Hours of operation for the business is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday and evenings by appointment.
“The Saturday morning hours are for people who can’t get in during the week,” Nelson said
Attorney Justin Meeks will also have an office on the property when his section of the building is completed.
The new State Farm Insurance office is located at 1805 S. National, this photo was taken a few weeks ago. The building is located at the intersection of 69 Hwy. and South National Avenue.
The Fort Scott Planning Commission will meet on Monday, February 25th, 2019 at 4:00 p.m. at City Hall, 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, Kansas. This meeting will be held to consider a Conditional Use Permit for the property at 18-20-22 S. Main Street to allow residential living on the first floor of this building.
From left: Gary Murrell, Director and David Gillen, Food Packaging Specialist at the Beacon, 525 E. Sixth.
The Beacon has a multi-decade history in Fort Scott as a helping agency to those with limited resources.
“The Beacon has just completed 33 years as a food pantry,” said Carol MacArthur, president of the Beacon Board of Directors. “We are working toward making Beacon’s services more available to clients, and this includes trying some methods not done previously.”
This includes the agency becoming more consumer-friendly by adding evening hours on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month, starting March 12.
“On March 12, The Beacon will adapt its hours in order to become more “user-friendly” to Bourbon County residents,” MacArthur said.
“Since a number of individuals have expressed a need for evening hours, the Beacon staff will open for full service twice a month between 4:30 and 7 p.m.,” she said.
“We’ll be closed the Tuesday we are open in the evening,” said Garry Murrell, the director of the Beacon.
Murrell will be available to provide service and assistance as he does during day-time hours.
The Beacon provides a food pantry for the community.
“Basic needs for the family,” Murrell said. “Canned goods, rice, beans, potatoes, (the food) varies.”
“We have a limited amount of meat, which we give until we don’t have anymore,” he said.
Individuals, churches, businesses and others donate food throughout the year.
“We have a lot of food drives to help us,” Murrell said.
From left: David Gillen, Food Packaging Specialist and Sharon Farmer, Front Desk Receptionist at the Beacon.
The Beacon also provides financial assistance, if the person qualifies, for utility bills, and occasionally rent and prescription assistance.
“If we have the funds, we can help,” Murrell said. “If we don’t we can’t.”
The new evening hours will be offered on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month.
Patrick and Kristi Whalen have started a new coffee bean roasting business: Ad Astra Roasters.
Patrick Whalen and his wife, Kristi, and moved to Fort Scott in 2017. Patrick Whalen helped found and serves as the headmaster for St. Martin’s Academy, a new boy’s Catholic boarding school.
An interest in good tasting coffee turned into a coffee roasting business for the couple, called Ad Astra Roasters.
“As far as I can tell we are the only roasters in Fort Scott,” Whalen said. “We just obtained our license from the state and are excited to be doing business with a couple local coffee shops, Common Ground in Fort Scott and Root in Pittsburg.”
“I had served on active duty as a Marine for about a decade and both my wife Kristi, and I had done a lot of traveling where we developed a taste for geographically specific coffees and an interest in coffee cultures from around the world,” Whalen said.
“As a result of how hard it is to find excellent coffee, I have been roasting coffee for my own family for several years,” Whalen said.
“When we moved to Fort Scott and decided to settle down, we thought we’d share our beans with friends and colleagues etc.,” he said. ” We received great feedback and in 2018 thought we’d try to sell a little bit on the side.”
“We worked with some close friends to build bigger roasters and with the support of the Boiler Room Brewhaus (another local business) and the Common Ground Coffee Shop, were soon selling directly to folks in the community.”
Currently, Ad Astra Roasters is based out of the Whalen home on Main Street in Fort Scott.
“We have turned a section of our basement into the roastery and have our food processing and wholesale license,” he said.
Their beans are from a variety of different bean importing companies around the country who have a reputation for ethical sourcing and business practices, he said.
“Many of our offerings are organic and fair trade certified, and frequently we can tell you the name of the specific farm or cooperative from which the beans come,” Whalen said. “Most of the coffee we roast is what’s called a single origin, meaning that it is not a blend from all over the world, but represents the specific geography and climate of where it was farmed.”
The Whalens currently sell bags of coffee at Common Ground, The Boiler Room Brewhaus, and at Root Coffeehouse in Pittsburg or online through their website www.adastraroasters.com.
“Both Root and Common Ground serve our coffee by the cup, and we’re always happy to provide data on the coffee and brewing tips to make it the best possible cup of joe,” he said.
The Whalen’s can be contacted at 949-331-5506 or at [email protected].
