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Category Archives: Fort Scott
Bids & Dibs Recognized as Family-Friendly Workplace in Fort Scott
Bids & Dibs, the largest resale boutique in Kansas, will be recognized as a Family-Friendly Workplace during a special event on Thursday, March 26 at 8:00 a.m.
“Dana Book from the Kansas Children’s Service League will be at the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Coffee in the morning,” said Angela Simon, owner Bids & Dibs. “I believe he is also going to present information on some grant funding opportunities for local businesses. This might be something of public interest.”
The Family-Friendly Workplace recognition is presented through the Kansas Power of the Positive (KPOP) coalition and Kansas Children’s Service League (KCSL), honoring employers who are committed to creating supportive environments for employees and families across Kansas, according to a press release from Simon.
Founded in 2012, Bids & Dibs has grown into a thriving community-centered business offering consignment, retail, and online sales while fostering a welcoming and supportive workplace culture.
“Family-friendly workplaces are essential to building strong businesses and strong communities,” said Simon. “Bids & Dibs exemplifies what it means to value employees not just as workers, but as people with families, responsibilities, and lives beyond the workplace.”
Through participation in the Family-Friendly Workplace initiative, Bids & Dibs has demonstrated a commitment to listening to employees and implementing practices that support work-life balance, employee well-being, and a positive organizational culture.
The Kansas Power of the Positive, supported by KCSL and partners across the state, promotes strategies that help organizations build safe, stable, and nurturing environments—both at home and in the workplace.
Community members, partners, and local leaders are invited to attend the recognition event and celebrate this milestone with the Bids & Dibs team.
About Bids & Dibs
Bids & Dibs is a Fort Scott-based consignment boutique offering clothing, accessories, home goods, and more for the whole family. Known for its strong community focus and customer-centered approach, the business has become a leader in retail resale across Kansas.
About Kansas Power of the Positive
Kansas Power of the Positive is a statewide coalition focused on strengthening communities by promoting positive experiences, supportive environments, and prevention-based strategies that improve outcomes for children and families.
About Kansas Children’s Service League
Kansas Children’s Service League is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the well-being of children and families through education, prevention, and community-based services.
Google Business 101 Is March 31
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Bourbon County Arts Council Presents Barnaby Bright on April 30
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2026 CFSEK Scholarship Stories: Kaylee Lunsford,The Power of Legacy
Most students talk about the financial relief of a scholarship, but it’s truly special when a student feels a personal connection to the fund’s history.
Kaylee Lunsford, a homeschooled student from Fort Scott, is currently studying animal science at Oklahoma State University. As a multi-year recipient of the Bill House Agricultural Scholarship through the Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas (CFSEK), Kaylee’s goals are global, planning to pursue a career in International Ag Law to “give farmers a voice on the world stage.”
“I’m shocked every time I’m notified that I received the scholarship,” Kaylee said. “I’m just so happy the committee thinks I’m deserving of it.”
The connection goes deeper than just the scholarship. Kaylee grew up showing Hereford cattle with the American Hereford Association (AHA)—an organization where the late Mr. House once served as president.
“I feel a connection to Mr. House through our shared participation in the AHA,” Kaylee noted. “While I never met him, I hope I can carry on his legacy.”
Beyond easing financial stress, Kaylee says the award serves as a motivator to work harder. Her advice for future applicants? Be open and reflective. “I try to give the (review) committee a chance to see why I am worth investing in. I want them to get to know me, my passion, and my goals.”
CFSEK scholarship applications close March 31st, 2026. A full list of scholarships and their requirements is available at SoutheastKansas.org/Students/Scholarship. Scholarship applications are available online at SoutheastKansas.org/Scholarship-App.
The Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas awarded over $2.8 million in grants from all foundation funds in 2025 and has facilitated over $28 million in total granting to Southeast Kansas since its inception in 2001. CFSEK serves the region by providing donors with various charitable interests and encouraging charitable giving, which addresses present and future needs in our area. The Columbus Area, Fort Scott Area, and Girard Area Community Foundations are affiliates of CFSEK. More information about CFSEK is available at SoutheastKansas.org.
Young Professional League Restarts In Fort Scott, Next Social Hour is March 24
A new generation of young people has reorganized to serve the Fort Scott community through an organization called Young Professional League.
Eighteen years ago, the group was started, and with the COVID Pandemic, YPL membership dwindled.
Late last year, a different group picked up the ideals to serve the community.
They have a mission and motivation to serve.
“The mission of the Young Professionals League is to be adaptive advocates of a better community through progressive partnerships and networking,” according to its new president, Arlo Simon.
“The motivation to restart The Young Professionals League came from a drive to serve the community and provide support, in various ways,” Simon said.
“Our vision is to be a catalyst for a better community,” she said.
“We have meetings on the first Friday of every month in the Celebration Room inside Papa Don’s Pizza (10 N.Main), at noon. We also have a social hour at various local restaurants once a month. Our next one will be Tuesday, March 24 at La Hacienda Restaurant, 6:00 p.m.”
“Our target audience to join YPL would be anyone interested in being a part of like-minded people who have an interest in bettering the community,” Simon said. “The age range for joining: 17-year-old high school seniors (who may have an interest in business) as well as up to 45-year-old individuals.”
The current leadership team is Simon as president, Hunter Witt as vice president, Taylor Bailey as secretary, Stevia Ratcliff as treasurer, Tabitha Castleberry as communications and Henry Witt as events.
History of YPL In Fort Scott
Eighteen years ago the group was founded by Jamie Armstrong, Gary Palmer, along with Kenny and Megan Felt, to name just a few.
“YPL was launched by a small group of young professionals in the fall of 2008,” said Jamie Armstrong. We hosted a large group of local young professionals, and Kendall Gammon, former long-snapper for the K.C. Chiefs, was our speaker.”
“It was a moment to capture a common sense of community and connection, and it served as a great catalyst to our launch. We started off focused on economic development, community service, civic engagement and social connections.”
“Over the next seventeen years, we served many community roles, and we grew. Until we didn’t,” Armstrong said.
” Many of us shifted out of leadership roles in YPL and into other community and civic responsibility and our purpose changed. Post COVID Pandemic, the membership has dwindled, and we disbanded. I am thrilled to see young professionals like Henry and Hunter Witt and others coming back to the table to once again talk about the future of this amazing community we live in.”
What’s Happening In Fort Scott March 23 Edition
What’s Happening in Fort Scott March 23 Edition!
Tuesday, March 31st 📱 Google Business 101 This 1-hour Business Builder Workshop is a great fit for local businesses and retailers looking to improve visibility, local search results, and customer trust. Have you registered yet? Click the button below! Register HERE
🚎 Historic Trolley Tours are Back! Ride Dolly the Trolley and explore Fort Scott’s history with a narrated tour. Fridays & Saturdays – Now Boarding!
- 📻 Radio Auction on 103.9 FM – Every Wednesday & Thursday at 3PM.
- 🏛️ Fort Scott National Historic Site – Visitor Center and historic buildings open Friday–Tuesday, 8:30am–4:30pm. Grounds open daily from ½ hour before sunrise until ½ hour after sunset.
- 🎨 The Artificers – Classes for ALL ages!
- 🎯 BINGO – Hosted by American Legion Post 25 every 1st and 3rd Thursday (not on holidays). Doors open 6pm, Bingo starts 7pm at Memorial Hall.
- 💼 KANSASWORKS – Every Tuesday 9am–4pm at Healthy Bourbon County Action Team, 104 N. National Ave. Call 620-231-4250.
- 📚 FS Public Library: Wednesday Writers – Every Wednesday @ 1:30–3pm, 201 S. National Ave.
- 📊 Kansas Small Business Development Center – At the Chamber, 231 E. Wall St. Every 2nd and 4th Thursday, 9am–3pm.
- 🤝 Grief Share Support Group – Mondays 5–7pm, Mary Queen of Angels Church, Rm 203. Jan 2nd–March 30th.
- 🎬 $3 Tuesdays at Fort Cinema!
- 📅 Full community calendar: fortscott.com/events/calendar/
🔵 Monday, March 23
- 💛 GriefShare Support Group
- 🏛 Bourbon County Commission Meeting
- 🐜 Beyond the Bite: Ticks & Alpha-Gal Program hosted by Southwind Extension District
🟣 Tuesday, March 24
- 💼 KANSASWORKS (9AM–4PM)
- 🤝 Kiwanis Weekly Meeting
- 🎬 $3 Movie Day at Fort Cinema
- 🌮 VFW Taco Tuesday
- 🐄 Beef Quality Assurance
🟢 Wednesday, March 25
- ✍️ Wednesday Writers – FS Public Library
- 🌱Seed Snail Gardening Workshop – Shead Farm (6-8pm, Garland, KS, $25)
🟡 Thursday, March 26
- Chamber Coffee hosted by Bids & Dibs, 121 E. 2nd St.
🔴 Friday, March 27
- 🎶 Olivia Lane & Rhett Walker Event (City of Fort Scott)
- 🚋 Trolley Tour of Historic Fort Scott
- 🍽 Friendship Lunch – Potato Bar (11:30 AM – 1:00 PM)
👉 Hosted by First United Methodist Church in Fellowship Hall
🟢 Saturday, March 28
- 🚋 Trolley Tour of Historic Fort Scott
- 👩🍳 Little Chefs Class – The Kitchen C+C, 9am
- ✈️ Flight of Honor Gala – “Come Fly With Us”
⏰ 6:00 – 9:00 PM
📍 River Room Event Center,
3 W. Oak St., Fort Scott
Fort Scott Allies For Cats Meeting is April 11
There will be a meeting Saturday April 11 at Common Ground for a new group called Fort Scott Allies for Cats. This group will focus on supporting the cat communities in Fort Scott by initiating a strong Trap, Neuter, Return program, with the possibility of a new no-kill humane society and/or spay-and-neuter clinic down the road.
If anyone out there has grant writing experience and would be willing to help us to write a grant, your presence would be greatly appreciated.
We encourage all veterinarians in the area, cat groups and individuals to come to this meeting. If we all work together, we can do this. Questions? Email [email protected] or text 435-899-0321.
Fly the Flag Subscription Program Offered
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Fort Scott Flight of Honor “Come Fly With Us” Gala is March 28
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Gordon Parks Museum receives Historic Yearbooks and Two Glass Dish Artifacts
Fort Scott, Kan. – The Gordon Parks Museum has received a rare donation of historic items connected to the early life and legacy of Gordon Parks. The donation includes a 1926 Plaza School-Fort Scott yearbook, a 1925 Fort Scott High School yearbook, and two glass dishes, generously given by Cheri Dixon, a longtime family friend of Parks. Dixon, a former resident of Fort Scott, Kansas, now resides in Smyrna, Georgia.
The 1926 Plaza School-Fort Scott yearbook belonged to Dixon’s grandmother, Louella (Russell) Hill, a lifelong resident of Fort Scott. Hill graduated from the eighth grade at Plaza School in 1926 and was both a classmate and lifelong friend of Gordon Parks. Parks attended the segregated Plaza School from kindergarten through eighth grade at what was formerly 111 Hendricks Street, located on the east side of what is now the Fort Scott National Historic Site.
The yearbook is particularly significant because it is the same year Parks graduated from the eighth grade, and his graduation photograph appears in the book. The 50-page publication provides insight into student life at Plaza School during the 1920s, including academics, athletics, and school activities.
Also included in the donation is a 1925 Fort Scott High School yearbook that belonged to Dixon’s grandfather, Clarence Hill, who graduated from Fort Scott High School in 1925.
In addition to the yearbooks, Dixon donated two glass dishes that appear in a well-known photograph taken by Gordon Parks of Clarence and Louella Hill inside their Fort Scott home. In the photograph, Louella Hill is holding one of the dishes. The image was taken in 1950 as part of Parks’ assignment for Life magazine for photo essay, when he returned to Fort Scott to do a story on segregated schools and follow up on the lives of his former classmates from Plaza School. The photograph later appeared in the 2015 book Gordon Parks: Back to Fort Scott.
The items were donated in honor of Louella Russell Hill, Shirley Hill Hutt, and the Cheri Dixon family.
“We are beyond excited to receive these incredible historic items from Cheri Dixon,” said Kirk Sharp, Executive Director of the Gordon Parks Museum. “The 1925 Plaza School yearbook, will offer valuable insight into the history of the school and student life during that time in the 1920s when Gordon Parks attended school there.”
The Plaza School was later renamed Hawkins School in 1946 in honor of Professor E. J. Hawkins, a longtime educator, administrator, and coach at the institution. The original two-story school building with a full basement was demolished during an urban renewal project in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Today, a memorial wayside marker recognizing the school stands at the Fort Scott National Historic Site recreational vehicle parking lot behind the Chamber of Commerce building.
MORE
The newly donated yearbooks, along with other Plaza-Hawkins School artifacts and the glass dishes, are now on display at the Gordon Parks Museum on the campus of Fort Scott Community College.
For more information or to schedule a museum visit or tour, contact the Gordon Parks Museum at (620) 223-2700, ext. 5850, or email [email protected].
| (Left to Right) Kirk Sharp and Cheri Dixon at her home in Smyrna, GA, holding the 1926 Plaza School Year book. |
| 1925 Fort Scott High School Crimson Yearbook. |
| (Photo Left to Right) Kirk Sharp and Cheri Dixon at her home in Smyrna, GA, holding one of the dishes and the book Back to Fort Scott which features the 1950 photograph taken by Gordon Parks in the home of her grandparents, Louella and Clarence Hill, while her grandmother is holding one of the same dishes. The photo below is an image of the photo that Gordon Parks took in 1950. |
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Garden Art Creation Workshop Offered
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