People line up at the Crumble and Cream food truck in October 2021 in Fort Scott.
Crumble & Cream, a mobile food trailer that features Deep Dish Cookies, will be returning to Fort Scott today, April 14.
The food trailer rotates stops throughout Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas in 2022. They are headquartered in Wichita.
“We typically just schedule one day per city, in some of the larger cities we do extend for more than one day,” Rachel Marlow, owner of the food trailer said.
“We visited Fort Scott back in October and will be returning for one day Thursday,” Marlow said.
The food trailer will be at Tractor Supply, 2420 S. Main, on
Judy and Jerry Witt paint benches on Skubitz Plaza for the Downtown Clean Up in 2021. Submitted photo.
The Downtown Division of the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Good Neighbor Action Team, is hosting their second Downtown Clean-up which coincides with Earth Day, Friday, April 22, according to a press release.
The majority of the workers will be on task from 3 pm to 6 pm, but there will be different projects starting at different times throughout the day, an organizer said.
Submitted photo from the 2021 downtown clean up.
The board members of the Chamber and GNAT organizations have created a list of several areas of the downtown area that could benefit from some time and attention, according to the press release.
Volunteers will be striping, curbing and painting crosswalks, planting flowers at the north end of Main Street-with help from the Bourbon County Garden Club, washing storefront windows, creating temporary signage for vacant buildings, creating new murals, helping with alley clean-ups, trash pick up, and miscellaneous painting of tables.
“The Bourbon County Garden Club will be using their own tools, but the majority of tools (for projects) will be provided,”Rachel French, member of the Fort Scott Chamber’s Downtown Division, said.
“At this time we are not planning on closing any streets, but there will be certain areas of downtown that will be closed for parking,” French said. “These areas will include part of National Ave. and Scott Ave.”
Submitted photo from the 2021 downtown clean up.
“Several community members asked us to do another downtown clean-up to prepare the area for several major events happening this spring, including the Big Kansas Road Trip in early May, Good Ol’ Days the first weekend of June, and the all-school reunion at the end of June. The downtown division quickly started planning the next clean-up and asked the Good Neighbor Action team to partner with them on this project,” Chamber Downtown Division Chairwoman Bailey Lyons said.
The Chamber’s Downtown Division held its first Downtown Clean-up in August of 2021, with over 250 volunteers in attendance.
“We are excited for this next clean-up because the first one was so well received by the community and made such a large impact quickly,” Lyons remarked.
“We are currently expecting 100 volunteers, but we could still use more,” French said.
MyOneStop, a downtown business that sells apparel, will be providing the volunteers with a free t-shirt for preregistering before April 19, through the above link.
“We have created a commemorative shirt for the event to thank the volunteers,” commented French, who is also president of MyOneStop.
Members of the Downtown Division of the Chamber include:
Lyons, owner of Lyons Realty, Chairwoman; John Crain, owner of Crain Insurance Agency; Sandra Davis, President of Davis Accounting; French, President of MyOneStop; Lindsay Madison, President of Fort Scott Chamber; Angela Simon, Owner of Angie Dawn’s Boutique and Bids & Dibs; and Craig Campbell, Coordinator of the Good Neighbor Action Team.
A state league mountain bike race will be in Fort Scott on April 23.
Kansas NICA is coming to Gunn Park Trails!
The primary goal of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) is to get more kids on bikes, according to information from NICA. NICA provides opportunity for student athletes, 6th through the 12th grade, to compete in the growing sport of mountain biking, and develop the life-long skill of cycling.
Submitted photo from NICA.
Gunn Park will be closed April 23-24 to the Public
On April 24, Fort Scott’s wooded and hilly Gunn Park Trails will be one of the venues this year for the Kansas League of NICA. Setup will begin on Saturday, April 23, and Gunn Park will be closed for the weekend except to spectators, volunteers, and obviously participants.
Mountain Biking
Mountain biking IS for flatlanders too.
Mountain biking is synonymous with off-road biking/trail-riding, as opposed to paved or gravel trails. As long as you have elevation, rocks and dirt, you can have a trail, according to information provided by Frank Halsey, who is the liaison between the race organizers and The City of Fort Scott.
Halsey is an avid mountain bike rider and hosts other local mountain bike races in Gunn Park during the year. He initiated the trails in the park and started the Gunn Park Trails organization several years ago.
He was contacted by Tina Kahn, Director for Kansas NICA, about eight weeks ago, for permission to host a mountain bike race on Gunn Park Trails. He approached the city commission about “this great opportunity to showcase our local trails as well as the awesome hospitality of Fort Scott,” Halsey said, and the city commission approved.
Submitted photo from NICA.
“To host this type of event is an honor for our team of volunteers and tremendous opportunity for Fort Scott”, said Halsey. “The whole thing is very, very organized, and follows a 200-page rules and regulations book produced by the NICA. It’s kids, so they are ultra-careful about doing things safely and professionally”.
“It is quite the production,” he said. “Their infield/staging area is awesome with vendor and sponsor tents set up, everything fenced off, creating a pro-sport atmosphere. It’s all about the experience for the athletes.”
New Fort Scott Team Next Year?
“The nearest team is currently from the Pleasanton-Louisburg area, but I hope we can field a team next year,” Halsey said. “There are currently about 140 (Kansas) student athletes, making up eleven different teams from across the state.”
Vehicles are reflected in the window of 5 S. National Ave. This space is the temporary home of My One Stop until the space next door to the south is renovated.
Rachel French is the president of My One Stop, which has had a office in Fort Scott’s Industrial Park since 2005.
The business offers marketing print and digital services, signage, labels, apparel and embroidery printing services and more.
“We are moving downtown to because we wanted to be a part of the revitalization of downtown,” French said. “We wanted to be more accessible to businesses in Fort Scott…We can help them in gaining business and traffic.”
“We were looking for the right space and found this place was available and were excited to make the move,” she said.
The storefront at 7 S. National, just north of E3 Ranch store, is currently being renovated to meet the needs of the business, she said.
The building at 7 S. National Ave. is in the renovation process by the owner, Jennifer LaRoche. Submitted photo.
In the meantime, French and her team of employees have moved into 5 S. National, sharing space with the Lillian Rose Foundation, until the renovation is completed.
Jennifer LaRoche, who owns the building and is doing the reno, told French the reno will most likely be completed in June.
“I wanted to be close to the construction,” French said.
Her My One Stop team is comprised of Ann Marie Buster-web and graphic designer, Rosemma Perry-sales representative, Tina Wilson-sales representative and Casie Yount-graphic design lead.
“We have hit the ground running,” French said. “Since we came, we saw the traffic downtown, and we are using our knowledge to help the downtown revitalization.”
The east side of 7 S. National Ave. looks out into the courtyard dining area of Common Ground Coffee Shop, whose storefront is around the corner on East Wall Street. Submitted photo.
The business just recently created a downtown loyalty program, to encourage businesses in that area.
“We want to bring pride into our downtown again,” she said. “And people to be excited and have a business here.”
Included in the loyalty program is a Downtown Fort Scott Loyalty Card.
Eleven businesses have come on board and the card will provide the purchasers $55 worth of discounts for just $10.
The cards can be purchased at the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce, 231 E. Wall; or the My One Stop office currently at 5 S. National.
Ten percent of the sale of each card will be donated to the Fort Scott Downtown Chamber Committee to be used for future projects to benefit the downtown area.
That committee is in charge of the Downtown Clean-up Day April 22. “We are donating all the t-shirts for the clean-up,” she said.
French is a member of that committee and also she partners with Fort Scott High School and Pittsburg State University in a paid internship program. She also does the mentor program at FSHS with the Chamber.
“We think it’s important for youth to see what businesses do on a daily basis and see what Fort Scott has available,” she said.
French is looking forward to the move into 7 S. National, she said.
“Then you’ll be able to have a custom-designed t-shirt before you leave,” she said. “We would love to do more t-shirts for organizations. and businesses.”
A Fort Scott 4×4 Mud Run to benefit a local recreation center is coming to town on April 23-24 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.
Spectator’s cost is $5 person, or $10 for carload (6 and under free).
Participating Mud Run entries are $20.
All proceeds are being donated to the Fort Scott Recreation Center, according to the event organizer Michael Hayden.
“We really appreciate him doing this, the additional funds really help out,” Tom Robertson, director of Fort Scott Recreation Center, said. “This assistance will help with scholarships for kids and families that can’t afford to sign up for a program such as baseball, swim lessons or cooking class, anything with a fee attached.”
Bourbon County was chosen to have the event because leadership was welcoming, Hayden said.
“We wanted to have a mud run somewhere in the southeastern Kansas area to give our members a larger event to attend in a part of the state that is often overlooked for bigger cities,” said Hayden. “After contacting a few different counties, the leaders in Bourbon County and the City of Fort Scott seemed most open and welcoming to the idea.”
Submitted photo.
The event will be at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds, located on South Horton in Fort Scott, just across from the community college.
“Mud Runs involve a mud pit dug to a specific depth and length in which a vehicle attempts to power through and reach the other side in the shortest time possible,” Hayden said. “Heavy equipment is standing by to pull out those that get stuck before reaching the end.”
There are typically several different classes of vehicles to keep competition fair, he said.
“We will have two different mud pit depths and three different classes, based on tire size,” Hayden said. “The vehicles need to be registered and street legal, with the exceptions of a few minor modifications. The intent is to allow the average person to be able to come out and have fun! We we have trophies and door prizes in all classes.”
The mud run is organized by the Kansas Ram Club.
“Our major sponsors are Ron’s Tire and Service in Fort Scott, Simon’s Dirt Work in Fort Scott and Buddy’s Home Furnishings in Pittsburg,” he said.
“Also, we have added an additional exhibition night for Friday night at 6 P.M. in which the Kansas Gambler 500 vehicles are going to be coming through the mud pit as part of their annual cruise,” Hayden said. “They plan to have somewhere around 100 eccentric vehicles and should be an exciting time!”
The Easter bunny, in 2018 portrayed by Carmen Flater, gets a little help before appearing to the children from her husband, Scott.
The Kiwanis Club Easter Egg Hunt has been going on for about 50 years, John Crain, president, said.
The tradition continues when the Kiwanians will be in Gunn Park this Saturday, April 9 distributing the eggs and getting the hunt areas set up before the hunters are released to search for their eggs.
The hunt starts at 11 a.m. sharp, on that day, and at11:05 a.m., “It’s all over,” chuckled Bob Eckles, who is the chairman of the annual hunt.
The Kiwanis Easter Egg Hunt in 2018.
“We hope everybody brings their kids and enjoys the morning,” Crain said.
Each child needs to bring their own basket to collect the eggs, which will have coupons from area businesses or candy in them.
Preschool children should go to the area below #2 Shelter House, kindergarten through second grade children will meet south of the #2 Shelter House and third, fourth and fifth grade children will meet on the north side of the entrance road to the park, Crain said.
Parking is by #1, #2 and #3 Shelter houses.
The Easter Bunny will be there and photos can be taken with the bunny by parents, Eckles said.
Fort Scott High School Key Club and the Mud Turtle Softball Team helped stuff the eggs with coupons and candy, Eckles said.
Some Key Club students will help the morning of the hunt as well, he said.
The annual event is funded by donations from the community that includes cash from Diehl, Banwart and Bolton CPA, R & R Equipment, Heidrick’s Hardware, Big Sugar Lumber, Don’s Spirits, Iron Star Antiques and Such, Merle Humphrey Insurance and Photography, Max’s Way Station.
Coupons for the eggs are provided by the following businesses:
Fort Cinema, Marsha’s Deli, Leanna’s Flowers, Nu Grille, McDonald’s Restaurant, Dairy Queen, Papa Don’s Restaurant, Bids and Dibs Resale Shop, and HedgehogInk Bookstore.
Ellis Fine Arts Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2401 S. Horton.
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office is hosting a seminar on human trafficking at 6 p.m. on April 19 at Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton. The event is open to the public.
“Does human trafficking only occur in larger cities or small rural areas?
What demographics make up a human trafficking?
“These questions will be answered by attending the seminar,” Bourbon County Sheriff Bill Martin said in an interview.
Bourbon County Sheriff Bill Martin. Submitted photo.
The presentation will by the chairwoman of the Kansas Human Trafficking Advisory Board, Jennifer Montgomery. The board advises the Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s office on the issues of human trafficking.
The following is from the attorney generals website:
“Human trafficking is the criminal activity of holding another person for the purposes of exploitation through forced labor and sex trafficking. Many experts view human trafficking as the second greatest criminal enterprise in the world, second only to the illegal sale of drugs. Even here in Kansas, men, women, and children are forced to work for long hours under deplorable conditions for little or no pay without the freedom to leave.
By utilizing a four pronged approach of Prevention, Protection, Prosecution and Partnership, the Kansas Human Trafficking Advisory Board is exploring:
Development of a public awareness campaign focusing on the hidden issue of human trafficking;
Identification of victims of trafficking;
Provision of comprehensive and culturally competent services to victims of human trafficking;
Appropriately addressing the needs of domestic victims of human trafficking;
Securing adequate resources and support needed to develop a task force to effectively investigate cases of human trafficking;
Development of a statewide structure for collaborative efforts across disciplines and jurisdictions to ensure prosecution of human traffickers.”
There will be many new faces in school districts in Bourbon County for the upcoming school year.
St. Mary’s Catholic School
For St. Mary’s Catholic Elementary School there are no resignations, according to Principal Josh Regan.
USD 234 Board of Education Building, 424 S. Main
USD 234 has received 10 resignations thus far.
Connie Billionis, U234 Board Clerk sent the following:
From Fort Scott High School:
Math Teacher – William Hall
Math Teacher – Jeff Armstrong
Social Science Teacher – Tami Campbell and the district has hired Jonathon Barnes to fill the position.
English Teacher – Jennifer Hartman
From Fort Scott Middle School:
Science Teacher – Kelly Toll
Special Education Teacher – Shelly Sanborn
From Eugene Ware Elementary School:
5th Grade Teacher – Mary Mauer
Music Teacher – Mary Jo Harper
5th Grade Teacher – Kristin Duffy
3rd Grade Teacher – Carrie Southwell
“We have hired an elementary Instructional Coach, Suzan Durnell,” Billionis said . “This position was vacant this year.”
Uniontown High School.
USD 235 2021–22 Resignations and New Hires for 2022–23
Three administrative positions will have new people in the Uniontown School District, U235, according to the school superintendent. In addition there will be five teachers for current vacancies and two more added because of COVID-19 funding.
Bret Howard resigned asSuperintendent and will be replaced by Vance Eden, who is currently the elementary school principal.
Eden, West Bourbon Elementary Principal, resigned and will be replaced by Tema Gilion.
Jim Lambert, UJH/HS Principal, resigned and will be replaced byDalaina Smith
Five teachers have resigned in this school district.
Neva Rowland, Uniontown High School Band and Choir teacher will be replaced byMorgan Egidy.
Johnathan Stark, Uniontown Junior High and UHS Physical Education Teacher will be replaced byZach Mason. Mason will also be the new head high school football coach.
Andrew Ables, UHS Science, resigned and the district is taking applications.
Mike Durnell, UJH/UHS Math, resigned and the district istaking applications.
Linda Rogers resigned from first/second grade and the ESSER 2 Funded position will not be refilled.
There are two newly created teaching positions, funded by ESSER Funds.
Bourbon County Angels new building is located at 111 W. Third, Fort Scott. Submitted photo.
Bourbon County Angels started because some local women saw that there are local families having a difficult financial time in their lives.
“We have seen a severe need in our community when we were doing Christmas (lists) for (area) children and a lot of them had clothing items on their wish list that was sent to us,” Lisa Thurston, Fort Scott, one of the three organizers, said. “We want to be able to provide the clothing items and household items and even food to those that are having a hard time.”
“We have clothing, hygiene items, household items, and food,” she said. “It is hard to say exactly what we have as it changes with every donation we receive.”
The group recently attained a building at 111 W. Third, Fort Scott, to house all the donations and allow for people to come and choose what they need.
“Mayor Kevin Allen gave it to us to use monthly, he is donating the building until grant money comes in,” Thurston said. “We have Melissa Guns writing grants for us.”
“We started the actual building adventure this January, but the ‘angels’ actually started just for Christmas two years ago,” she said.
The other organizers are Sara Roufs, Redfield and Erin Thurston, Lisa’s daughter, Fort Scott.
Bourbon County Angels. Submitted photo. From left: Ronni Clayton, Sara Roufs, Lisa Thurston, Sadie Thurston, Erin Thurston, and Angie Clemens.
“Sara started Bourbon County Angels to provide Christmas presents for children,” she said. “People started volunteering so we started getting lists from about 75 families…this year we got 121 families. On their lists the kids were asking for shoes or coats or blankets. That’s when we decided to open a building and offer them all year long. So children could ask for toys instead of everyday items.”
“Living in a small town, we see a lot and we knew that there was a major need for people to be able to come get the items that we use in our everyday lives without having the worry of, (for example) if they got new shoes, how they could pay a bill or feed their families, and we want to be able to help with that. No one should have to stress over being able to get the stuff that they need. With everything going on right now, a lot of people have been left without jobs or just don’t make enough to be able to provide everything that is needed in our everyday lives.”
During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the group received calls from people saying they needed food to make it through a few days.
“We would gather meals and deliver to their doorstep,” Thurston said. “We probably did 20 families when COVID was rough in our town. We have also been providing food for a homeless gentleman in our town.”
The group is planning several upcoming events:
Saturday, April 2 at the facility at 111 W. Third, the Easter Bunny will be there to hand out candy and have pictures taken with children, for free, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Saturday, April 9 at Lake Fort Scott’s handicapped dock, there will be a fishing tournament, sponsored by Backroads Bait. The fundraiser starts at 5:45 a.m. with a check-in and has a 2 p.m. weigh in. Proceeds will help the Bourbon County Angels with rent.
For more information contact Thurston at 620.644.8291.
See the latest information on the groups Facebook page.
Hours the facility is open are Wednesdays from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.
Saturdays are a donation exchange, she said. “Say kids clothes don’t fit anymore, you can leave those and take what you need. But some people just leave donations and some people just take what they need.”
Healthy Bourbon County Action Team staff have organized a fourth seminar targeting women who are seeking information on starting/growing a business.
The event is Wednesday, April 6 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the HBCAT office, 104 N. National Avenue.
“This will help local women entrepreneurs know their resources and learn from local women leaders on how to create a sustainable business,” said Rachel Carpenter, program director. “This is an opportunity for women to network and create relationships to help their businesses take the next professional step.”
For this Dare to Dream seminar, the time has been scheduled for table-talk discussion with past keynote speakers and panelists.
“This is the fourth part of the Dare to Dream series,” Carpenter said. “We will have some of the past keynote speakers and panelists available for table discussion. This will be a time for any questions to be answered from the audience.”
“Any questions you may have you will be able to ask some of the women leaders of Bourbon County. We want you to be SUCCESSFUL! There will be more time for social networking and building relationships,” according to its Facebook page.
Past speakers who will be available for a round table open discussion are Erin Vann, Hwy. 3; Dacia Clark, PSU Small Business Development Center; Katie Casper, Union State Bank; Angela Simon, Bids and Dibs; Rebecca Williams, The Butcher Block; Kelly Perry, Perry’s Pork Rinds; Lindsay Madison, The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce and Rachel Carpenter and Jody Hoener of the HBCAT.
Please note there is one registration per person to help us with registration.
Melissa Wise, the keynote speaker, is the owner of Wise Tax and Accounting and has over 20 years of experience with accounting, payroll, and taxes.
Melissa Wise. Submitted photo.
Registration is required for childcare.
There will be a taco bar catered by La Hacienda, and Margaritas available for purchase.
Dinner and networking from 5-5:30 p.m. with the program starting at 5:30 p.m.
Funding for this event is being provided by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas as part of Bourbon County Pathways to a Healthy Kansas grant and the USDA Rural Business Development Grant, according to its Facebook page.
“Through this grant, we are partnered with Pittsburg State University Small Business Development Center to organize this event,” she said.
“We will be giving away a PSU gift basket and a tablet as door prizes,” Carpenter said.
Moe’s Bread is moving to the old Boiler Room Brewhaus at Wall and National Avenue.
Moe and David McCurry are the owners of Moe’s Bread, 20 W. Wall and have been selling many kinds of breakfast, lunch, and snacks at this site for three years.
Moe’s Bread is moving from this site on Wall Street to around the corner east on National Avenue.
But on April 4 they are opening their business in a new location on National Avenue to be able to offer more.
“Moe’s Bread will be closed March 31st to April 3rd to move to 2 South National,” Moe said on the business Facebook page. “We hope to see you on Monday, April 4th.”
Moe McCurdy with grandson Keeghan Bishop in Moe’s Bread Store on March 29.
Today, Wednesday, March 30 from 10 a.m. until they run out of food, everything in the current storefront will be sold for half off the original price.
2 S. National Avenue is at the corner of Wall and National Avenue, the former Downtowner Hotel, and most recently the Boiler Room Brew Haus.
“The reason we’re moving is … to add a soup and salad bar and we needed more room in the kitchen,” she said in an interview.
A peak in the front windows of the new Moe’s Bread, shows the salad bars.
“We have hot breakfasts in the morning, including biscuits and gravy sausage rolls, breakfast burritos, breakfast sandwiches, croissants, cinnamon rolls, muffins of all flavors and we have muffin top donuts,” Moe said.
For lunch they offer deli sandwiches “and you can call in and have those delivered or you can pick them up any time of the day that we’re open,” she said.
They also offer all kinds of bread: wheat bread, white bread, French bread, Italian bread, sourdough, and fruit bread: pumpkin, banana, apple, cinnamon, chocolate chip, and muffins: blueberry and raspberry.
“We make pies, we make any kind of dessert you’d like,” she said. “Unfortunately, we do not decorate cakes at this moment but we look forward to doing that in the future at our new address.”
Contact info for the store number is 620-768-8009.
“They’re welcome to leave a message,” she said. “We do check our phone every morning.”
Hours of operation currently are 4:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
“When we move on April 4th we will be open 4:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, those are subject to change,” she said.
Amber Ericson holds her granddaughter Journee Ericson in front of some of the pre-owned appliances THRAMS sells in Bronson. At right is Helen Bolling, Amber’s mom, and a business partner.
THRAMS Antiques has ventured into providing pre-owned appliances from a source in the Kansas City area.
While owner, Amber Ericson, was in K.C. purchasing antiques and unique furniture, she ran into an appliance repairman at the marketplace, she said.
Some of the pre-owned appliances offered at THRAMS from their Facebook page.
“He buys from apartment complexes when they redo the apartments,” she said. “That’s what we are buying.”
“He refurbishes them and sells them,” Ericson said. “I go up to K.C. once a month and get more. I’ve already sold 40. If they don’t work you can bring them back.”
Clothes washers including top, front, stackable units, gas stoves and dryers, refrigerators, air conditioners, and deep freezers are sole at the store.
“We thought we would try it,” Ericson said. She started the venture in August 2021.
Ericson opened THRAMS next door to her parent’s business Bronson Locker, a butcher store, at 504 Clay Street in the small town 20 miles west of Fort Scott just off Highway 54.
THRAMS Antiques, 504 Clay Street, Bronson. March 2022.
The storefront next to Bronson Locker was unused space, and owned by the Bollings, Amber’s parents.
“It was a pile-up room,” Helen Bolling, Ericson’s mom and part-owner of the store said. “Amber started picking up a few things and it grew.”
The space is now packed with unique furniture and antiques.
“Antique hall trees and wardrobes are our best sellers,” Bolling said.
“Divans, appliances, wardrobes, hall trees we sell as quickly as we can get them,” Ericson said.
A large divan offered at THRAMS, Bronson, from their Facebook page.
The store is open Mondays from
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday-8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday-8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday-8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday call or text for an appointment at 620-363-1159.
