In the Winter 2017 issue of Kansas Magazine, Fort Scott’s own Nate’s Place is third out of twenty Kansas favorite local eateries.

The restaurant located at the corner of Eighth Street and National Avenue was notified of the statewide contest in the fall.

“It was an online platform,” Nate Lyons, owner of the eatery, said. “We were told you could vote online and encouraged our customers to do it.”

Lyons didn’t know about the win until the publication of the magazine November 2017.

The restaurant is located in the southern mansion that is part of the Lyon’s Twin Mansions. Nate Lyons has been the owner since 2009.

General Manager Shawn O’Brien has been at Nate’s Place since August 2016.

Currently, soups are special lunch items at the restaurant.

“We make fresh soups every couple of days,” O’Brien said. “Homemade potato, vegetable beef, tortellini, fresh tomato soup… Facebook inspires me.”

“They are trying to get me to do dill pickle soup, but I’m not doing it for personal reasons,” he said with a smile.

“We are the only restaurant in town that serves breakfast all day,” O’Brien said.

The restaurant can provide fine dining experiences with reservations to groups from five to 60 people, O’Brien said.

“Groups come in to play bunco,” he said. “The Magazine Club meets here. It’s great during the summer to have a cocktail on the front porch.”

The restaurant also does murder mystery parties.

“The game is free and involves eight characters,” Lyon’s said. “They pay for the dinner, we provide the three-course meal.”

“For less than $50 per person you get entertainment and a three-course meal,” Lyon said. “There is special pricing for overnight stays.”

The Lyon’s Twin Mansions are a well-known local bed and breakfast.

The eatery is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and is closed on Monday.

The Lounge at Nate’s Place is open Thursday through Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m., with happy hour from 5-6 p.m.

“We offer a heavy appetizer menu,” O’Brien said. “And liquor and wine for $5 each and beer $1 off.”

On Friday, lunch customer Carol Creager said “I like breakfast here. It’s such a nice atmosphere and the waitress Mary Ann is very friendly and accommodating.”

Since November workers have been remodeling the building at 2 North Main for Dr. Timothy Crawford.

During the remodel which will house Crawford’s future dental office, some architectural features have been discovered.

Above some columns and above the southern windows of the building,  art-deco style stained glass windows were discovered.

“It was a good find,” Randy Lafferty, R and L Contracting LLC, said.

In the interior, marble was found on the outside of an old vault.

“We are going to keep the marble work and try to find a clock to fit (in the round hole where a clock once was), Lafferty said.

The remodel will produce an office area with 3,000 square feet, Lafferty said.

“Including going to the next office over, west, the old barber shop,” he said.

There is no deadline for the remodel completion at this time, Lafferty said.

Crawford’s current office is located at 1115 S. Main.

People with an interest in Fort Scott’s downtown area met at Papa Don’s Restaurant Tuesday morning to share news.

Here is a list of shared comments:

• Holly Baker, Fort Scott National Historic Site Chief of Interpretation and Resource Management, will be leaving Fort Scott at the end of January for a position in Washington D.C.
• Baker also announced a youth art exhibit will be displayed in February and March at FSNHS, and also shared the fort now has a mobile app for viewing the grounds with extra background history.
• Bids and Dibs Consignment shop is seeking a place to give overstock items. “Anyone want to start a thrift store?” owner Angie Simon asked the group.
• City Manager Dave Martin said the city is looking at ways to reduce tax amounts, indicating a visioning committee is looking at the issue.
• Fort Scott Community Development Director Rhonda Dunn said one of her goals is to make Fort Scott a Christmas light viewing destination in the area. She stated she is soliciting unwanted Christmas lights and decorations for the project.
• Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lindsay Madison announced the winners of the toy soldier decorating contest: Elaine Buerge, Deb Anderson, and Stacia Weilert. She said the downtown shopping brochure will arrive next week. There are leftover small business cloth shopping bags and doormats to give away, she said.
• A Shiney Foundation representative announced there will be a feature film documentary 7 p.m. Jan. 20 at Memorial Hall, with a dance party following.
  The film is  FREE to the community.If the person would like to attend with a VIP package ( light meal, drinks, film and post party)  it is a 35$ ticket donation.
• The Beaux Arts Center now is a Common Consumption Center, owner Denise Duncan announced.
• A Craw-Kan Telephone Cooperative representative said broadband services will be offered soon to businesses in Fort Scott, then to residents.
• Dave Mohler, office manager of Fort Scott Family Dental, said the renovation of the building at 2 N. Main has uncovered some old stain glass windows hidden in the walls.
• Owner Angela Simons said Bids and Dibs is undergoing a restructuring inside and a new security system installed. The business has over 1,200 consigners that contribute items she said.
•  Fort Scott Economic Development Director Rachel Pruitt said this weekend a basketball tournament will be at the middle school, Buck Run Community Center and the high school.