First Baptist Church at 123 Scott Ave is having Vacation Bible School (VBS) Thursday through Saturday, July 23–25. For more details, see the attached flyer.
Category Archives: Youth
Free 4-H STEM Summer Day Camp – July 23 at Fort Scott Library
Sending on behalf of Chamber member
K-State Research & Extension — Southwind District
FREE 4-H STEM SUMMER DAY CAMP
You’re invited!
Calling all young builders, creators, and problem-solvers!
Students entering Grades 3 through 6 are invited to a FREE morning of hands-on STEM activities presented by K-State Research and Extension and the Southwind District 4-H program.
July 23
⏰ 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
Fort Scott Public Library
FREE to attend
Camp Activities:
Build a simple robot
Create a catapult
Create a working windmill
Space may be limited, so be sure to register your child soon!
Click HERE to Register Today!
Or call 620-244-3826
Get ready for a morning filled with building, experimenting, learning, and STEM-powered fun! Ὠ0
Click HERE to visit K-State Extension – Southwind District Facebook Page!
Click HERE to visit K-State Extension – Southwind District webpage!
First Baptist Church VBS is July 23-25
First Baptist Church at 123 Scott Ave is having a Vacation Bible School from Thursday-Saturday July 23-25.
Thursday & Friday, July 23 & 24
9:45 a.m.- 1:00 p.m.
For children aged 5 – entering 6th grade
Saturday, July 25 – FAMILY DAY
10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Lunch served daily
First Baptist Church
123 Scott Avenue
Fort Scott, Kansas
620-223-3080
Find us on Facebook: First Baptist Fort Scott
Take A Dive Into the 2026 Bourbon County Fair
2026 Bourbon County Fair Started Today: Join The Fun
Today was the start of the county fair, the culmination of the work that 4-H’ers put into their projects.
Most of the action was in the Myers Building, with people bustling to have their items entered into the competition.
All indoor exhibits and open class exhibits were entered, in addition to 4-H and Open Class Market Animals, Poultry and Rabbits.
Judging was completed on the indoor exhibits in the Clover Leaf Event Center.
Market animals were weighed, ready for the judging to start this week.
The following schedule for tomorrow’s activities is provided by Emelia Whiteaker, vice president of the Bourbon County Fair Association.
Tuesday, July 14th at the Bourbon County Fair, located on Horton Street in Fort Scott.
7 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Uniontown 4H Club Concession Stand in the Cloverleaf Event Center
8 a.m. – Rabbit Judging
9 a.m. – Open Class Judging – Myers Building is Closed
9 a.m. – Southwest/Southland Dairy Mobile Classroom with presentation at 9:30 am and 10:30 am
10 a.m. – Poultry Judging
11 a.m. – Operation Wildlife Eagle Presentation
12 p.m. – FCE Bake Sale in the Myers Building
12 p.m. to 8 p.m. – Myers Building Open for viewing
1 p.m. – Bourbon County 4H Council Afternoon Matinee in the Cloverleaf Event Center
5 p.m. to 8 p.m. – Merchant’s Building Open – over 15 vendors
5 p.m. – Sheep Show
6:30 p.m. – Meat Goat Show
Food Vendors:
7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Uniontown 4H Club Concession Stand in Cloverleaf Event Center
All Day – Lemonade Lagoon
5 p.m. – Jonny O’s Food Truck
Some of the flyers on the doors of the buildings, telling of some of the week’s fair events.
Recent Fort Scott High School Grad Kenna Miles Pursues A Childhood Dream
Kenna Miles is a 2026 Fort Scott High School graduate and is asking her community to help reach her goal to attend Theatre Arts Preparatory School in Las Vegas, Nevada starting September 1.
Kenna is chasing a dream she has had since a small child.
“More than anything, I want to give myself the chance to chase the dream I have had since I was little,” she said. “I have worked hard in dance and wrestling, and now I am ready to step back into dance and performing with everything I have.”
“She got a scholarship in wrestling to attend a university, but feels called by God to go into dancing,” her mother, Leslie Godden said.
She has been accepted into a training program in Nevada and is seeking help with funding for tuition, program fees, housing, and living expenses.
Godden said Kenna was dancing even in her womb. “And in her car seat, her head would be bobbing along with music. She started dancing at age 4.”
In school, Kenna was in both dance and wrestling. She started wrestling in 8th grade after watching her younger brother, Ryken Miles, wrestle. She won the state championship in wrestling twice.
The family found out about one month ago that she is eligible to attend the Theatre Arts Preparatory School in Las Vegas.
Even though Kenna received a Peterson Scholarship from Fort Scott High School, that and the FAFSA approval that she received are both for university attendance. The school she is wanting to attend is a trades school.
The FAFSA form is an application for student aid, such as federal grants, work-study funds, and loans.
“They both had certain guidelines, and trade schools are not approved,” Godden said.
In the submitted graphics, there is information about the mechanism to help fund Kenna’s training.
The following is an interview with Kenna:
When/how did you hear about this opportunity?
“I first heard about Theatre Arts Preparatory School, TAPS, through Don Mirault.https://theaterartsprepschool.com/faculty/don-mirault/ I have known Don through Talent on Parade, which is a dance competition and convention I have attended and competed at for many years. Through dance, I have been able to learn from so many people, and TAPS was always one of those programs I knew about and looked up to.
“One of my “big sisters” from dance also went to TAPS after high school, so I have been able to watch her journey for years.”
Aubrey Colvin, from Southeast High School, Cherokee, was the ‘big sister’, said Godden.
“Seeing what the program did for her made me realize it was something I could see myself doing someday too. It has always been in the back of my mind as a dream opportunity.
“When the time came, I decided to go for it. I submitted my audition videos, tried out, and was accepted. Now I am working hard to make it possible to actually get there.”
Kenna Miles Sponsorship Levels Flyer
What is the deadline to help?
“The biggest need is as soon as possible. My schooling begins September 1, 2026, and I need to be moved to Las Vegas before then. I am currently trying to raise $9,000 to help with my initial program costs, housing deposits, moving expenses, and getting started once I arrive.
“Because I was accepted later than many of the other students, payments and planning have to happen quickly. Any help now makes a huge difference and helps me get one step closer to being able to attend.”
What is your hope/dream following this training?
“My hope after this training is to build a future in dance, theatre, and performing. Dance has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I want to keep growing as a performer and see where it can take me professionally.
“I would love to work in the entertainment industry, whether that is stage, live performance, commercial dance, theatre, or other opportunities that come from training and being in Las Vegas. I know this program would push me, challenge me, and help prepare me for the next level.”
Godden said if the funding doesn’t come through this year, next year Kenna will be working hard to attend TAPS.
Children Learn Flag Etiquette in Happenstance Meeting
Kevin Moyers was having a morning walk with a couple of his grandchildren a few weeks ago at the Fort Scott National Historic Site and a ranger was putting the flags up for the day.
“She asked if the kids wanted to help,” Moyers said. “They did, and it was a thrill for them. So, over the 4th of July, more grandkids were coming in and I called the Fort to ask if we could help again, and they were glad for that to happen.”
Ranger Paige Randolph gave the children some points on respect for the flag and flag raising, he said.
FSHS Thespians Compete at National Level
Fort Scott High School Thespian Troupe #7365 competed at the International Thespian Festival (ITF) at Indiana University June 21-26.
FSHS sent more Thespy (individual event) competitors to this year’s Festival than ever before. 2026 graduates Levi Fairchild and Junie Fisher and junior Gianna Gorman competed in Musical Solo. Senior Ava Johnson performed Contrasting Monologues. Graduate Lily Brown competed in Short Film and graduate Grace Walker in Stage Management. Senior Clark Uttinger and Fairfield also performed in Duet Acting. The students qualified for nationals by receiving a Superior rating at the Kansas Thespian Festival in January.
Three of the students received a Superior rating at ITF, the highest honor of the Thespy rating system. These include Fisher and Fairchild in Musical Solo and Walker in Stage Management.
The troupe enjoyed opening festivities with 4,000 other Thespians including appearances by Huey Lewis and Thespian alum in the Savannah Bananas. They saw award winning productions of Urinetown, Suffs, Dear Evan Hansen, Shrek, The Night Witches, Kimberly Akimbo and The Prom. They finished the week with a Thespy Awards Ceremony and Showcase.
Throughout the week, the group attended workshops by theatre professionals and Broadway stars from across the country. This included a Legally Blonde dance Master Class with original Broadway cast member Paul Canaan.
The Thespian troupe is directed by Angie Bin. The next performance for FSHS is a production of Legally Blonde Jr. in November at FSHS.
Community Theater Needs You!
Raj Gugnani, Fort Scott High School Senior, Elected Attorney General At Kansas Boys State
June 2, 2025 — Bo Barkley, a resident of McPherson, Kan., and a senior-to-be at McPherson High School, has been elected governor of the 2026 session of the American Legion Boys State of Kansas. The announcement was made this evening during the Kansas Boys State evening retreat at Kansas State University in Manhattan.
Barkley, the Kansas Boys State Federalist Party governor candidate, and his lieutenant governor running mate, Beckett Romain, a resident of Wichita, Kan., and a junior-to-be at Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School, won the election over the Nationalist Party governor candidate Burklee Jackson, a resident of Concordia, Kan., and a senior-to-be at Concordia High School and his lieutenant governor running mate, Alexander Caldwell, a resident of Overland Park, Kan., and a senior-to-be at St. Thomas Aquinas High School.
Election results for other state offices:
(Name, Party, Hometown, High School – all cities/high schools in Kansas unless noted; all are seniors-to-be)
- Secretary of State — Jackson Roberts, Nationalist, Spring Hill, senior-to-be at Spring Hill High School, defeated Keaden Yim, Federalist, Lenexa, senior-to-be at Olathe Northwest High School.
- Attorney General — Raj Gugnani, Federalist, Fort Scott, senior-to-be at Fort Scott High School, defeated Jace Daugherty, Nationalist, Andover, senior-to-be at Andover High School.
- State Treasurer — Baron Rodvold, Federalist, Wichita, senior-to-be at Derby High School, defeated Alex Ray, Nationalist, Winfield, senior-to-be at Winfield High School.
Kansas Boys State Governor Barkley will give his inaugural address tomorrow (Wednesday, June 3) at 8 p.m. at K-State’s McCain Auditorium. The event will conclude with the Kansas Boys State band, chorus and talent show.
Wednesday evening’s festivities kickoff at 7:30 p.m. with a flag retirement ceremony at the World War II Memorial in front of McCain Auditorium. The event is an observance of the proper respect for the American flag and how unserviceable flags are properly disposed. The honor guard from the American Legion Pearce-Keller Post No.17 in Manhattan will present the ceremony. Dr. John Lindholm, a 1949 KSU graduate who provided the dog tags as a model for the “Tags of Honor” sculpture at the World War II Memorial, was a longtime Kansas Boys State staff member as a Legionnaire advisor before passing away in January 2020. Both events on Wednesday night are open to the public.
High school students from across the State of Kansas are participating in the 2026 session of the American Legion Boys State of Kansas, which started on Sunday (May 31) and ends Saturday, June 6, at Kansas State University in Manhattan. This is the program’s 34th consecutive session at KSU and 88th overall. The Kansas Boys State program includes students who have just completed their junior year of high school (will be seniors in the fall) and sophomore year of high school (will be juniors in the fall).
The objective of the ALBSK is to inculcate a sense of individual obligation to community, state and nation. Kansas Boys State provides a relevant, interactive, problem-solving experience in leadership and teamwork that develops self-identity, promotes mutual respect and instills civic responsibility. Boys State is a “learning by doing” political exercise that simulates elections, political parties and government at the state, county and local levels, providing opportunities to lead under pressure, showcasing character and working effectively within a team. It’s also an opportunity to gain pride and respect for government and the price paid by members of the military to preserve democracy.
— #KSBoysState —
The American Legion Boys State of Kansas is an interactive simulation that teaches high school seniors-to-be the value of democracy and civic duty. Participants form mock governments and campaign for positions at the city, county and state levels. After the elections, participants find out firsthand the difficult decisions made daily by those in government through a series of challenging simulations. Delegates, nominated to attend by their high school counselors and other influential people in their lives, are sponsored by American Legion posts and various civic organizations from across the state. All delegates demonstrate outstanding leadership qualities in student government, athletics and/or other activities.
The Boys State program was founded by Legionnaires Hayes Kennedy and Harold Card in Illinois in 1935, and was first held in Kansas two years later in Wichita. The Kansas program moved to the University of Kansas in Lawrence in 1963 and remained there until 1991. The following year, it moved to its current location at Kansas State University in Manhattan. For more information about the American Legion Boys State of Kansas, visit ksbstate.org.
St. Mary’s Students Finish Project,
A spring tradition at St. Mary’s Catholic School is for the outgoing students to help beautify the area. These projects have included planting spring bulbs and annuals in front of the building, tending a pollinator garden behind the school, and filling pots with blooming flowers. Each group has learned about gardening while adding to the beauty of the school grounds. This year’s group is particularly noteworthy because these ten boys have been together as St. Mary’s students since they started kindergarten.
2026 Summer Art Competition Now Open
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