The schools of Fort Scott celebrated Halloween a couple days early with parades or other festivities at their respective schools Thursday before getting Friday off from classes.

The students of Winfield Scott came to school in costume and participated in a parade around the school grounds Thursday morning, with numerous friends and family members coming to watch despite the cold temperatures. Other schools in the district such as Eugene Ware had parties later in the day.

Halloween festivities continue in Fort Scott on Saturday with different costume contests or trunk or treat events for members of the community.

Submitted by the Fort Scott Public Library

Local families are invited to join the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program at Fort Scott Public Library.

The 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program is a nationwide challenge that encourages parents and caregivers to regularly read aloud to their children. By reading just one book a night, families can reach the 1,000-book goal in three years and provide their children with essential early literacy skills.

Research shows that the most reliable predictor of school success is being read to during early childhood. Reading to children from an early age can help close the vocabulary gap and prepare children to enter kindergarten with the skills they need to succeed. Most importantly, sharing books with children promotes a lifelong love of books and reading.

The 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program is available to all families with children between the ages of birth and five years.

This program is free of charge and all program participants receive a completion sticker as well as a free book at each 100-book milestone.

Registration is open. For more information, call the library at (620) 223-2882 or email Valetta Cannon at [email protected].

Find more resources for the program at http://1000booksbeforekindergarten.org/resources/

Members of the community as well as visitors from out of town participated in the Gordon Parks Celebration, Oct. 22-24, hosted by the Gordon Parks Museum and the Fort Scott Community College and providing a variety of events, tours and competitions for participants of all ages.

Festivities kicked off with a luncheon Wednesday where elementary students read their winning poems of a contest. The Gordon Parks Museum hosted the Chamber of Commerce Chamber Coffee Thursday morning while other panel discussions and presentations were made throughout the weekend.

Fifteen high school and middle school students from local and surrounding communities also read or showed their poems, essays and photo that were chosen as finalists from 82 competitors who competed in the contest, which used photos as inspiration.

Area high school and middle school students also got to display their projects in the form of a documentary and two performances they put together for the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes and which gave them the opportunity to compete in a national competition earlier this year.

The Kansas City Lights jazz trio provided an evening of jazz Friday for members of the community as well as members of Gordon Parks’ family who were in town for the celebration.

Children were again given an opportunity to participate through the ArtCreation Workshop hosted by the museum and art teachers who helped participating children create a piece of art similar to how Gordon Parks did.

The weekend ended Saturday evening with the Celebration Tribute Dinner, when the 2015 Gordon Parks Choice of Weapons Award was presented to Genevieve Young.

“The event went very well and it was so nice to have so many Parks family members here this year,” museum director Jill Warford said of the weekend’s event.  “Also, the kids’ events were wonderful and show that we have a lot of young talented writers and artists.”

Fort Scott Community College alumni and students participated in the annual Dan VandeWynkel Alumni Rodeo Saturday afternoon and evening, with area and returning contestants from out of town and state taking part.

VandeWynkel, who died in 2006, was himself an alumnus and had been part of the college’s staff for almost 30 years. He was also very involved in the rodeo program, which led to the event being dedicated to him starting in 2005.

This year’s rodeo included events such as bareback and saddle bronco riding, team roping, goat tying, steer wrestling, barrel racing and bull riding. Some of the team events included fathers and sons competing together.

Contestants varied in age, including high school students as well as riders who had been involved in rodeos for several years. Current and past professional rodeo circuit competitors also participated.

A silent and live auction was held, with some rodeo athletes being auctioned off for labor prior to the evening event. Proceeds benefited the rodeo scholarships at FSCC.

Fort Scott Community College hosted its 2015 Homecoming activities Saturday, inviting the community to free tailgating snacks, their football game, coronation, band performance and recognition of the sophomore football players.

During halftime of the Greyhounds’ game against the Independence Pirates, the college presented the 12 king and queen candidates who were nominated and voted for by their peers and then vetted through an interview process. Candidates represented different areas of the college including athletics such as volleyball, baseball, softball and football as well as theater and cosmetology.

Jamain Lang was named Homecoming King while Julia Stringer was crowned Homecoming Queen. Other king candidates included K.J. Miller, Jacob Biller, Jeremiah Fleming, David Hall and Onyx Yasuhara and queen candidates Payton Coyan, Emily Bowman, Alex Perez, Kourtney Harper and Taylor Schilling.

Sophomore players were recognized prior to the game along with their family or foster families who adopted them during the school year.

But while the FSCC Greyhounds fought hard throughout the Homecoming game, trading touchdowns with the Pirates the entire game, the Hounds fell late when the Pirates scored a touchdown with just seconds remaining in the game, for a final score of 49-42.

While the Hounds had nearly 500 yards in the game, 13 penalties and four fumbles hurt their cause as they fell late. Player Gabe Loyd finished the game with eight tackles however, enough to pass the all-time FSCC tackles record previously held by Lavonte David, currently playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at 218.

Scores of families participated in Halloween activities over the weekend as Buck Run Community Center, the Chamber of Commerce, city of Fort Scott and area churches hosted festivities.

Saturday morning activities began with crafts and a pumpkin carving contest at the Buck Run Community Center,  with volunteer students and adults hosting the activities.

From there, children and their families could then be a part of the Halloween Parade through downtown Fort Scott. Face painting, photos from Walgreens and free hot dogs were provided to those who trick-or-treated up and down Main Street, where downtown businesses and others handed out candy.

Area churches also held Trunk or Treat events over the weekend, inviting community families to take part.

A year after the process of the Fort Scott Circles program began as a result of the Gordon Parks Celebration  in 2014, those currently involved in that program used that same celebration as a chance to give an update on its impact during a panel discussion Thursday afternoon.

The program provides resources, assistance and training to those in the community who want to improve their way of life.

Volunteer coordinator Jan Hedges quoted a Kansas State University study released earlier this year that ranked Bourbon County as 104^th out of 105 Kansas counties when it comes to the number of children living below the poverty level.

“There are barriers in every community that make it hard to get out of poverty,” Hedges said, mentioning some barriers such as lack of transportation and child care as well as a lack in financial knowledge.

The program starts with a 12-week class that goes through curriculum, training participants in areas such as how to set a budget as well as goals for themselves.

“We talk about what’s your dream in circle,” Hedges said. “You have a dream but there are some things you have to do to get to that dream.”

Diana Endicott, facilitator for that phase one of the program, said their first step is to recruit people to participate and keep them in the program, but added some find that they are not yet willing to make the necessary changes.

“In order to have things come out differently, they’re going to have to make some changes,” Endicott said.

Phase two of the program partners each circle participant, called a circle leader, with two other members of the community, called allies, who will hold the circle leader accountable and meet with them regularly, helping them set and keep goals.

Phase two facilitator David Goodyear said their goal is to help residents go from merely surviving  to thriving.

The first group involved in the program started with five participants and had three of those graduate to the next phase. A second group started with 12 and now has seven on track to graduate in December.

Already, the program leaders said they have seen participants go from homeless to finding housing, had a mother be granted custody of her children once again and another is about to take the GED test.

With the upcoming graduation, the program is looking for allies to get involved as well as participants for the program. Training will be provided to those interested in being an ally on Nov. 11.

They also invite professionals in the community to participate by training circle leaders in areas such as finances, renters’ rights, baking or other areas. The program also accepts monetary donations or other assistance such as in transportation and child care during their weekly meetings on Wednesdays.

“Circles is not a handout program,” Hedges said. “It’s a hand up…It’s a program for people who want to improve their life.”