The Fort Scott community came out in large numbers for the common good this year, with approximately 160 volunteers to help with the downtown cleanup. The day was a perfect, sunny April day in Kansas, with temps in the upper 60s.
“The community morale and camaraderie among those who have been paired to work together is always wonderful to see,” Bailey Lyons, of the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Downtown Committee said. “People working towards a common good is a beautiful thing!”
Lyons said that two months planning went into pulling off so many projects, with so many volunteers, all in one day.
The day of the clean-up is exhausting, rewarding and humbling at the same time, she said. “Everyone who volunteers has a different background and a different reason for being there, but they have one thing in common – a love for our community, and that always shines through on the day of the event.”
She said approximately 90 community members- individuals, families, businesses, and organizations- and 70 students from area schools volunteered.
“This year brought out the largest number of community volunteers of the clean-up events so far, with representatives from many local businesses, and organizations such as Southwind Extension District 4H Clubs, Fort Scott Nazarene Youth, Pride Club, Kiwanis, Bourbon County Garden Club, and Good Neighbor Action Team. The volunteers also included students from USD-234, USD-235, Fort Scott Community College, and St. Martin’s Academy,” she said. My One Stop provided the t-shirts for the event.
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One driving down Main Street, National Avenue, Scott Avenue, Skubitz Plaza, and other downtown locations, could see people painting light poles, trash cans, picnic tables, and benches.
There were clean-up teams at Skubitz Plaza, Heritage Park, The Splash Pad, the Gathering Square, the Chamber Visitor Center, the parking lot on National, and other downtown areas with people weeding, planting, and mulching.
“There were new signs put up for the Gathering Square Pavilion and Farmer’s Market,” she said.
She said this year there was a large focus on street and alley clean-up, as well.
With the addition of the new mural across from the Chamber Office at 231 E. Wall, six downtown murals were completed during the last three years’ clean-up day efforts, she said.
“This was the third clean-up that the Downtown Committee has put on, and they have grown more each year,” Lyons said. “To date, the cleanups have brought together approximately 450 volunteers who volunteered about 1,350 working hours.”
” I think people have seen that many hands make light work, and it’s an opportunity to be involved in something positive, and people have jumped at the chance to help make a difference,” she said.
“As a spin-off of this event, I now regularly have volunteer groups reach out asking if I can pair them with a project that could use some extra hands,” Lyons said. “The clean-ups have put on display a variety of different groups that do good in our community, many projects that need continued efforts throughout the year, and a spirit of volunteerism. These three clean-up days have turned into much more than just a few hours on 3 singular days.”
The downtown clean-up committee is comprised of Lyons,
John Crain, Cathy Bishop, Katie Hueston, Kate Freeman, Craig Campbell, and Lindsay Madison. It is led by the Chamber’s Downtown Division and Good Neighbor Action Team.
Lyons said the committee wants to express sincere gratitude to all the volunteers, businesses, and organizations that make this annual event possible.
For the past two years, a grant from the Elks Lodge primarily funds the clean-up, and one from the Good Neighbor Action Team. They also received a donation from the Bourbon County Arts Council to pay for the mural costs.
“ The meal that was served to the volunteers at the conclusion of the event was a combined effort from some downtown restaurants Brickstreet BBQ, Sharky’s, Holmtown, Papa Don’s, and Common Ground – the hungry volunteers enjoyed the food after their hard work!” she said.