Despite temperatures near freezing, a crowd of residents and visitors lined Main Street in downtown Fort Scott to watch the annual Christmas parade, this year with the theme of Holidays on the Big Screen.

Groups including churches, fire departments, school organizations and businesses such as Velocity Tactics, Family Dental, Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, 4-State Sanitation and others participated with floats representing Christmas movies such as Christmas Vacation, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas and Frosty the Snowman.

Prizes were awarded to Fresenius Kidney Care, Fort Scott Community College and Parkway Church for the creativity of their floats. Gifts donated by Walmart, Walgreens and the Electronic Store were also awarded to children.

Santa Claus made an appearance to help light the mayor’s Christmas tree and to take photos with children present. High school student Mayson Lane was the grand marshal of the parade in honor of his upcoming trip to New York in February to play violin at Carnegie Hall.

“What a wonderful time of year,” Mayor JoLynne Mitchell said, adding Christmas is a time of hope and remembrance of Jesus’ birth as well as reflecting on blessings and accomplishments throughout the year. “What a great year we’ve had in the city of Fort Scott.”

Submitted by Fort Scott National Historic Site

This holiday season, Fort Scott National Historic Site invites you to celebrate with your family and friends by visiting the site for its 35th Annual Candlelight Tour. The light of over 700 candle lanterns will provide the backdrop for an enchanting evening as reenactors in period clothing bring to life scenes of celebration from Fort Scott’s past.

In the first scene on the tour, cowboys from Texas are celebrating the end of the first cattle drive to Fort Scott in 1866. They find themselves opposed by Kansans who are concerned about “Texas fever” spreading to their cattle and by those who are unwilling to forgive Texas secessionists who opposed Kansas in the Civil War.

The second scene, set in 1848, will have stories of soldiers who have safely returned from the Mexican American War and are now excited about stories of gold in California.

In January 1861, Kansas became the 34th state; at the same time, the Union was collapsing as many states were seceding. A celebration of Kansas statehood and discussion of the impending crisis will be the topic of the third scene on the tour.

In scene four, residents of Fort Scott will be discussing the growth of the town of Fort Scott in January 1858. Featured stories will include a ball held to celebrate the new management of the Free State Hotel and the establishment of a newspaper and a railroad.

In the final scene of the tour, veterans of the Sixth Kansas Cavalry will be reuniting with their former comrades in 1916, more than fifty years after the Civil War ended. As the National Park Service was established in 1916, this scene is being offered in commemoration of the NPS centennial as is the theme of celebration for this year’s tour.

The tours will be offered December 2 and 3. Tours on December 2 will begin at 6:30 p.m. and go every 15 minutes until 9 p.m. On Saturday, December 3, the tours will run from 5 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.

Tickets are now on sale. Reservations and advanced purchase of tickets is required. Visitors can pick up tickets at the site’s visitor center or reserve them by calling (620) 223-0310. Payments can be made via cash or charge (DISCOVER, MasterCard, Visa). Tickets are $8.00 for adults; children five and under are free. Tickets are nonrefundable. The tour is filling up, so reserve your tickets soon.

Western National Parks Association, which operates the site’s bookstore, sponsors the tour. Proceeds generated cover the cost of conducting the tour.

From November 1-March 31, Fort Scott National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service, will be open for its winter hours of operation from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily. For more information about the candlelight tour or other events at the site, call 620-223- 0310 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/fosc.

Submitted by Fort Scott Community College

Fort Scott Community College welcomes Kale Pick as the new Head Football Coach. Pick completed his first season as the FSCC quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator this fall. He previously coached at the University of Kansas and Texas A&M University.

“We are excited to start a new era of Greyhound football with Coach Pick. I have been able to witness firsthand everything that he brings to our program, and I have been very impressed,” said Tom Havron, FSCC Director of Athletics. “He has earned a great deal of respect from his players, fellow coaches and me. The team is headed in a very good direction under Coach Pick’s leadership.”

As a Dodge City High School student, Pick was ranked the No. 7 dual-threat quarterback in the United States by Rivals for his running and passing abilities. He played both quarterback and wide receiver at the University of Kansas from 2008 to 2012 and started in 28 games. In 2011, he was No. 2 player in catches and receiving yards for the team. He received the Ironman Award in the 2011 off-season, which recognized him as the most dedicated player, as voted by his coaches and teammates. During his senior season in 2012, Pick led the Jayhawks in catches and receiving yards with 63 receptions for 752 yards and two touchdowns. He was also awarded the Gales Sayers Award in 2012 by the coaching staff, which recognizes the most competitive player of the season.

“Throughout my college football career, I played under three head coaches and five position coaches. I have also worked under two head coaches. This has been a blessing because it has given me the opportunity to learn about a variety of coaching styles, techniques and thought processes,” said Pick.

In 2013, Pick served as an offensive graduate assistant coach at the University of Kansas, where he worked with Ron Powlus and the quarterbacks and Rob Ianello and the wide receivers. In 2014 and 2015, Pick served as an offensive graduate assistant coach at Texas A&M University, working with offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jake Spavital. He also coached the wide receivers during the Auto Zone Liberty Bowl, where he served as interim assistant coach.

“The Greyhound football team will have a strong focus on community and scholarship in addition to athletics. We want to give the community of Fort Scott a college football team that they can be proud of,” said Pick. “It’s our goal to develop the student-athletes into well-rounded individuals who will succeed on the field, in the classroom and in the community.”

When describing his coaching philosophy, Pick said, “We want to outwork and outsmart the other teams. We will work hard, but we will also have fun as a coaching staff and team.”

Pick graduated from the University of Kansas in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in communications.

Members of the community along with students and faculty of Fort Scott Community College attended a reception on campus Friday afternoon to recognize a meats judging team that recently won a national competition in Texas.

“We couldn’t be more proud of this team and the accomplishments they’ve had,” FSCC President Alysia Johnston said, saying she recognizes the hard work and commitment needed in meats judging contests. “That kind of dedication truly is unusual.”

The team, which includes students Adam Lattin, Katie Thoden, Chad McKibben, Peyton Barrett and coach Jenilee Martin, placed first at the High Plains Intercollegiate Meat Judging Contest on Oct. 30, in Friona, Texas. The team also brought home awards for accomplishments such as placing second in beef grading, second in lamb judging, first in pork judging, second in beef judging, first in total beef, first in total placings and second in the total questions division along with other individual awards.

“It was their time to complete the task at hand,” coach Martin said of their mindset going into the contest, after a season of contests that brought a level of disappointment when they finished in third, fourth and fifth positions at contests in Denver, Col., Fort Worth, Houston and Amarillo, Texas.

But despite struggling earlier in the season such as with the questions portion of the contests, Martin and the team continued to persevere, to the point of practicing every day. Team member Thoden said she even reached a point where she asked her team mates if they truly wanted to win a contest, since it felt like they did not.

“By golly, we did it,” Thoden said of their win as their hard work finally paid off.

Martin expressed gratitude to the students for the memories she has of participating in the season’s contests as well as thanked the faculty for working with the students while they spent time away from their classes.

“I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Martin said, saying she was especially proud that two of the students were named All-American winners, which takes into account at their success at the contests as well as in the classroom.

Submitted by Fort Scott Community College

The Fort Scott Community College Rodeo Team finished their fall season on Saturday, Oct. 29, at Northwestern Oklahoma State University (NWOSU) with the men’s team placing first and the women’s team placing sixth.

Several FSCC student-athletes delivered exceptional performances at NWOSU. Sophomore Wyatt Miller, from Lone Jack, Mo., placed first in calf roping, second in team roping and first all-around. Freshman Trey Ahring, from Garnett, Kan., placed first in bull riding. Baylee Oney, sophomore from Archie, Mo., placed fourth in barrel racing. Caitlyn Wiswell, sophomore from Spring Hill, Kan., placed fourth in breakaway roping. Sophomore Russell Redden, from Maryville, Mo., placed fourth in bareback riding. Mat Swaim, freshman from Altoona, Iowa, placed fourth in saddle bronc riding.

“I’ve been very impressed with the student-athletes’ work ethic and desire to win. Everyone acts as a team. A few leaders have stepped up and expected more from everyone,” said Chad Cross, FSCC Head Rodeo Coach. “I’m very happy with the team’s performances this fall, especially in the last two rodeos.”

The FSCC Men’s Rodeo Team is currently ranked No. 3 and the FSCC Women’s Rodeo Team is ranked No. 7 in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) Central Plains Region. Many FSCC students are ranked in the top six of their divisions for the region. Wyatt Miller is ranked No. 1 in the men’s all-around division, No. 1 in tie-down roping and No. 1 in the team roping heeler division. Sophomore Cory Brown from Russellville, Ar., is ranked No. 3 in bareback riding. Russell Redden is ranked No. 4 in bareback riding. Trey Ahring is ranked No. 5 in bull riding. Tate Sly, freshman from Salina, Kan., is ranked No. 6 in bull riding.

The team will compete in its first spring rodeo February 17 – 19, in Manhattan, Kan.

“I’m excited about the spring season because the students never stop working,” said Cross. “While others may be taking a break, our student-athletes are working hard to achieve their goals. I think their dedication will pay off in the spring.”

For more information, please contact Chad Cross at 620-223-2700, ext. 7020 or visit fsgreyhounds.com.

In preparation for the coming Christmas season, the Fort Scott Middle School will host their annual VIP Fall Extravaganza Monday evening, providing an opportunity for the community to shop from a variety of vendors while helping raise funds for the middle school.

“It’s a family event,” organizer Stephanie George said of the extravaganza, which will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. and will include childcare provided by the Fort Scott Community College volleyball team.

In the USD 234 Board of Education meeting held Monday evening, George said the event is full of vendors, with 57 signed up, and she even had to turn some away because there is no more space. George added the event has spread from just local vendors to include others from Nevada and Junction City, for example.

“Now I just need lots of shoppers to come,” George said.

Some of the participating vendors include Pampered Chef, LuLaRoe Clothing, Thirty-One Gifts, Tourtillott Creations, Scentsy, Miller Feed & Farm, Gold Canyon, Briggs of Fort Scott, Care to Share and a number of other vendors selling clothes, food items, crafts and other goods.

Many vendors will also be holding raffles to give items away, with tickets costing $0.25 each. Briggs of Fort Scott also donated $150 that will be given away as two $75 prizes to employees of the school district who enter into the drawing at the extravaganza.