People line up at the Crumble and Cream food truck on Thursday afternoon on the Tractor Supply Company parking lot.
A new food truck business visited Fort Scott on Oct. 21.
The Crumble and Cream food truck was positioned in the parking lot of Tractor Supply Company, Scooters Coffee House, and Hibbets Sports Store on South Main Street, for its debut in Fort Scott.
Specials of the day for Crumble and Cream food truck are listed on signs in front of the truck.
“We specialize in deep dish cookies,” Joshua Scott, operations manager, said. “They are soft and gooey on the inside and slightly crusty on the outside.” They also have ice cream and sundaes.
Joshua Scott, operations manager of Crumble and Cream food truck.
The Crumble and Cream business is headquartered in Wichita and is owned by Rachel Marlow. Marlow started the venture four months ago, Scott said.
The food truck gets daily shipments of fresh cookies to replenish supplies.
“The home office in Wichita is where the bakery is,” Scott said. “We are entirely mobile, on the road.”
“We are visiting many towns really quick, going to places a second time in maybe six weeks,” Scott said.
The hours were from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The price of the cookies is $5 each or six cookies for $25.
Cara Guthries pays the food truck assistant Tandi Jackson, Pittsburg, for sundaes.
“Facebook is our huge (marketing) type of notifying people of when we will be in town,” he said. On Oct. 20 they were in Chanute, yesterday in Fort Scott, and today in Iola, he said.
Blaze Burns smiles after just receiving his Monster Sundae on Thursday afternoon at the Crumble and Cream food truck.
He stays in a hotel each night in between cities.
“Going to small towns, we are having success,” he said. “We also do corporate events.”
Corporate events, such as an apartment landlord providing the truck for a few hours for tenants, or Scholfield Honda and Home Depot paying a flat fee and serving all their employees to show appreciation, Scott said.
To find out more, follow them on their Crumble and Cream Facebook page.
The cafe sign just inside the door reflects the glassed-in eating area at Drywood Creek Cafe.
After the Lyons family closed the Twin Mansions on National Avenue in March 2020, the bed and breakfast along with the restaurant remained shuttered.
The family closed as the COVID-19 Pandemic shut down businesses in the nation.
A new chapter started in June 2021 when the Elton family moved from Kansas City into the northern mansion to make their home at 742 S. National Avenue and in September 2021, the southern mansion at 750 S. National Avenue was once again opened as a restaurant.
Dry Wood Creek Cafe is owned by Chef Marty Elton and his wife, Carrie.
Dry Wood Creek Cafe Chef Marty Elton. Submitted photo.
The new business venture idea came about during downtime following lockdown, because Elton’s K.C. area catering business was affected by COVID-19 as well.
“During COVID, a catering business was up in the air,” Elton said.
His own home needed some remodeling and he looked on Zillow for possible properties to look at and saw the property in Fort Scott, known as the Twin Mansions.
“The property attracted us, and the people and town have been great,” Elton said in a break from restaurant work on Wednesday morning.
He is hoping to have a grand opening later in the year, close to the holidays, he said.
Until then, he and his four employees are serving breakfast and lunch from Wednesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
He said after decades in the business he knew he wanted more time with his family and the cafe hours allow that.
“I’m spending my evenings with my kids,’ Elton said.
Elton also caters meals to all size orders, from box lunches to weddings, he said.
In the southern mansion on an upper level, the Elton’s have an office for rent that would be suitable for an accountant or lawyer, he said.
Dry Wood Creek Cafe is located at 750 S. National and can be reached at 620-224-2970. For the latest info, see their Facebook page.
The unveiling of the exhibit honoring African American Suffragettes Mamie Dillard and Carrie Langston Hughes by Lowell Milken Center Docent Rhonda Hassig, left, and Miah Lugrand, the principal of Pinckney Elementary School, Lawrence, KS. Both Dillard and Hughes lived in Lawrence.
The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, 1 S. Main, has expanded its’ exhibits into the park south of the building.
On October 8, the center hosted an unveiling of two Kansas black women who were suffragettes in the movement to allow women to vote. The exhibit was sponsored by a Kansas Humanities Grant and featured Carrie Langston Hughes and Mamie Dillard.
In addition, that day several new exhibits were unveiled in the green space area south of the center, named the Unsung Heroes Park.
“The objectives of the park are to provide a place for visitors to enjoy the pleasant outdoor scenery, learn about unsung heroes, and offer a centralized community gathering space for programs and activities, while also complementing the downtown area,” according to a prior LMC press release.
A Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes screen announcing the new exhibit featuring Kansas Suffragettes Carrie Langston Hughes and Mamie Dillard.
The new outside exhibits in the Unsung Heroes Park are inter-changeable and will be occasionally switched out, Ronda Hassig, LMC Docent, said.
“We are still awaiting murals that will be placed on the north side of the center, facing Wall Street and also on the south side of the center, facing the park,” she said.
The biggest part of the funding for the park was by the center’s founder Lowell Milken. Milken believes “education can awaken the mind, sustain curiosity and strengthen our engagement with others. More importantly, … education has the power to instill in people the impulse to take initiative for the good of others,” according to the LMC for Unsung Heroes website.
Others who helped with the park funding: the American Association of Retired People Challenge Award, The Timken Foundation, and a Sunderland Grant, Hassig said.
Lowell Milken Center Director Norm Conard, left, welcomes the crowd to the unveiling of new exhibits on Oct. 8. Megan Felt, LMC Program Director; Ronda Hassig, LMC Docent; Robert Nelson who sang a moving spiritual as part of the program and Gordon Parks Museum Director Kirk Sharp look on.
Norm Conard, left, watches as Kirk Sharp and Robert Nelson unveil the Gordon Parks exhibit, which is part of the new expanded space for exhibits south of the Lowell Milken Center in downtown Fort Scott.The storyboard, also called a story rail, of Gordon Parks, who had a humble beginning in Fort Scott and went on to be a famed photographer, journalist, author, and film producer.One of the new exhibits features Mary Anning.Chester Nez, a World War II Veteran, who was a Navajo Code Talker in service to his country, is featured on the new story rail in the Lowell Milken Center Unsung Heroes Park.Juanita Moody is a new featured exhibit in the Unsung Heroes Park.Amos Bronson Alcott is newly featured in the Unsung Heroes Park.A waterfall feature adds to the beauty of the Unsung Heroes Park.The greenspace south of the Lowell Milken Center at Main and Wall Street in downtown Fort Scott has new exhibits in the expanded area. The picture is taken from the southside of the center looking south. Main Street is to the right.
Rachel Carpenter, 23, started yesterday as the new program coordinator for the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team.
Carpenter earned an associate degree from Fort Scott Community College and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree from Fort Hays State University in sociology. She has a certification in community development, program evaluation, and grant writing from FHSU and will graduate in the fall of 2022.
“I’ve been working in Honduras (in Central America) and decided to study sociology and am learning how to make data-driven decisions in how to help,” she said.
She interned with Jody Hoener, CEO of HBAT, and then applied for the full-time position when it became available.
“Rachel met all the minimum qualifications for the… position and brought additional skill sets to move our mission forward,” Hoener said. “She is passionate about our work and helping people, that’s the kind of culture we aim to nurture at the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team. With everyone seeking employees right now, we consider ourselves considerably blessed to have an amazing skilled induvial as a part of our team.”
Carpenter’s salary comes from a $560,000 grant which will also provide grants for farmers and ranchers and start-up businesses, she said.
The grant will also help with development funding for the east side of Fort Scott and the historic downtown Fort Scott, Carpenter said.
The grant was from the Patterson Family Foundation, a family-led foundation extending the legacy of Neal and Jeanne Patterson which strives to help lift rural communities through health care, education, economic opportunity, and beyond, according to its website How We Help | Patterson Family Foundation.
Carpenter is married to Jon, a Fort Scott Policeman, and is a nursery volunteer at Faith Church, Fort Scott. She is also the founder of the Carpenter’s Hands, a ministry to Honduras. Her hometown is Wichita, but she has lived in Bourbon County for five years.
The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team is located at 104 N. National Avenue, north of Luther’s BBQ Restaurant. Submitted photo.
The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team has a vision of a community where we feel safe, earn a living wage, find healthy food, have access to sidewalks, ride safe bike routes, have opportunities for recreation, and more according to its Facebook page
The HBAT is currently seeking community input to better fund development projects.
Bourbon County’s Health and Wellness Survey is open at
Riverfront Park on the north end of Fort Scott near the Marmaton River, is a work in progress.
As grants have been received, the Riverfront Park Authority Board has put in place many amenities that the public can enjoy: a tree-lined walking trail and lighting for that trail, a pavilion with electricity, several resting areas and a boardwalk, with views overlooking the river.
A recent flood wrecked the boardwalk overlook, so it was disassembled and moved to the south, across the river on higher ground.
“The flood put it on the edge of the riverbank, almost in the river,” Jerry Witt, a member of the Riverfront Park Authority said.
Johnny Walker Construction did the work of moving the boardwalk, he said. The timber for the original project was donated by Evergy Electric and was reused.
The Fort Scott Fire Department washed and cleaned it after it was reconstructed, about two months ago, Witt said.
“It’s shaded in a beautiful spot,” Witt said.
On the horizon for the Riverfront Park Authority is an 8-foot wide asphalt trail that will lead to the boardwalk overlook.
In a circle garden spot on the River Loop Road, from which one can now see the boardwalk, the Bourbon County Garden Club has planted a colorful garden.
“I want to thank them for their work,” Witt said.
This club also plants and maintains the plants in downtown Fort Scott.
“The fire department has been watering the flower bed this summer and we thank them, as well,” Witt said.
There has been added traffic to the River Loop Park because of the murals painted in the Hwy. 69 underpass that segments the park, he said.
The murals were painted by local artist Stephen Toal.
The Riverfront Park Authority Board is preparing the write a grant to finish the walking trails on the River Loop Road, Witt said.
The board has also had the engineering done and also permits completed to build a walking bridge across the river, he said.
“We just need the funding to secure that,” Witt said.
The board applied for a grant a few years ago to bring a historic Bourbon County bridge to the park for public use.
“We received a $750,000 grant to move it, but all bids came in over $1,000,000, so we gave the grant back,” Witt said.
The idea to remake Riverfront Park began in 2005 and a group of citizens was commissioned by then-Governor Sibelius in 2007.
The board is comprised of Witt, Bob Love, Danny Magee, Arnold Schofield, Jeff Sweetser, and Allen Warren. Ex-officio members are Dean Mann, Betty Boyko, Penny Barnes, and Kate Sweetser.
Doug Guns, Fort Scott Parks Director. Submitted photo.
Douglas Guns, 44, has worked for the City of Fort Scott for over three years and was promoted to Fort Scott Parks Director in June 2021.
“The scope of my duties is to oversee the maintenance and operations of Woodland Hills Golf Course, Laroche Baseball Complex, Gunn Park, Buck Run (includes all little league ball fields in town), Lake Fort Scott, Rock Creek Lake, and The Aquatic Center,” Guns said.
Fort Scott is the third municipality that he has worked for, doing both parks and golf course oversight, he said.
He has worked in the golf industry for over 20 years, Guns said.
“I worked a small golf course as a seasonal employee for the summer in between semesters in college,’ he said. “I learned all aspects of golf operations and changed majors that fall to plant and soil science to pursue a career in the golf industry.”
Guns received his education in plant and soil sciences at West Virginia University Parkersburg, and Penn State University.
His hometown is Elkton, Maryland and he is married with five kids.
In his spare time, he likes to play golf and spend time with his family.
The best part of the job for Guns is being outside and working with the public, he said.
“Providing the public with a great experience for their recreational endeavors that they are happy with, can be rewarding,” Guns said.
A local organization is celebrating 110 years in Fort Scott.
“The Daughter of the American Revolution organization itself is 131 years old being founded in 1890. Our chapter was founded in 1911 and thus we are 110 years old,” Martha Scott, a group member said.
The objectives of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the local Molly Foster Berry Chapter are to perpetuate the memory and spirit of the men and women who achieved American Independence; to cherish, maintain and extend the institutions of American freedom, to foster true patriotism and love of county, (and) to aid in securing for mankind all the blessings of liberty, according to information provided by Scott.
“In selecting a name for the chapter, they chose to honor the first regent, Miss Frances Hall, by selecting the wife of her Revolutionary War ancestor, Samuel Berry,” Scott said. “They chose the name of his wife, Mary Foster Berry, as the name of their chapter.”
Since its founding in 1890, the national DAR has admitted more than 950,000 members.
Currently, the Molly Foster Berry Chapter has 27 members.
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a heritage group whose members have a direct lineal descendant of either soldiers or those who aided the cause of independence during the American Revolutionary War.
Over the last 110 years, the chapter has participated in numerous activities to benefit Fort Scott, according to Scott.
Here are highlights of the group’s activities through the years provided by Scott:
They organized the local YMCA and Red Cross Chapter and Canteen.
They sponsored the Bourbon County Historical Society
They take credit for the vision and construction of a Memorial Hall after World War I, to honor all servicemen. In appreciation of this effort, a meeting suite was designated in the building for DAR’s group use and is still used today for their meetings.
They placed 21 bronze plaques at historic sites including the government buildings at the fort.
They published and sold cookbooks during World War II in order to buy War Bonds.
They sold National Defense albums.
They donated funds for the purchase of ten additional acres at the National Cemetery when it reached its capacity.
They were instrumental in getting the old Fort Blair Block House saved and repositioned on Carroll Plaza.
The volunteer efforts of members in the past 110 years continue today with members volunteering for activities in our community, she said.
“Molly Foster Berry Chapter members welcome new members and if you have an ancestor who served in the Revolutionary War or provided support to the War and would like to join our organization, please contact the current Regent, Barbara Ritter, 913-636-4892 or the Registrar, Dee Ann Davis 620-215-1358,” Scott said.
John Mason, left, leads a discussion on Gordon Parks’ book A Choice of Weapons, with Harold Hicks, one of the book club facilitators, attending on the Zoom screen. A Fort Scott Community College Book Club had been discussing the book in previous weeks. Mason is a history professor at the University of Virginia. In the book, Parks states that his weapons of choice in the fight against bigotry and poverty were love, dignity, and hard work. The book discussion was on Oct. 8 at the Ellis Arts Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College.Gordon Parks Museum Director Kirk Sharp gives an introduction to the Lunch and Learn speaker on Oct. 8 at the Ellis Fine Arts Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College. The speaker, Angela Bates, is on the left.
The annual Gordon Parks Celebration weekend Oct. 7-9 was packed with events to educate and entertain.
The Gordon Parks Museum is located on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2401 S. Horton.
Parks was an African American documentary photojournalist, photographer, musician, writer and director, with humble beginnings in Fort Scott.
He died in 2006.
There were photo exhibits and a local photo contest, speakers, tours, film showings, entertainment, book discussions, and the opening of the Learning Tree Tourism Trail.
Two African American men were honored as the “Choice of Weapons” annual recipients, Kyle Johnson and Eli Reed.
Kyle Johnson is an actor, performer, and activist. Submitted photo.
Eli Reed is a photographer, author, producer, and director. Submitted photo.
During the weekend celebration, The Learning Tree Tourism Trail was introduced.
The Learning Tree Tourism Trail is a series of signs located at the different locations where the filming of The Learning Tree took place around Fort Scott. The signs include QR codes, to be used with a smartphone, along with a virtual tour of the identified scene locations of the film, according to a Gordon Parks Museum press release.
Angela Bates speaks on Nicodemus, an African American town in Kansas, at a Lunch and Learn as part of the Gordon Parks Celebration on October 8. Nicodemus, KS was a community of African Americans who came following the Civil War to start new lives as free people. Bates said the first year, 1877, the Potowattamie and Osage Tribes of indigenous peoples helped the newcomers with food.
The annual photography contest in conjunction with the Gordon Parks Celebration had the winners on display at the Ellis Arts Center on the campus of FSCC.
Additionally on display were some of Parks’ photos and photos of The Learning Tree, the autobiographical film that Parks wrote and directed.
Winners of the Gordon Parks Celebration “Fashion & Diversity” photo contest, sponsored by Merl Humphrey Photography, are below.
Twenty-six entries were received and the winner of First Place was Johanna Walker (Franklin, KS) with the photo titled “Spotlight.”
Second Place was also Johanna Walker with the photo “Johnny.”
Third Place was Frank Clay with his photo, “Enjoying Each Other.”
First, Second, and Third place winners received cash prizes of $100, $75, and $50 respectively.
There were six Honorable Mentions named: “Diversity.” by (Yasser Alaa Mobarak,( Alexandria, Egypt.); “Skating the Disaster.” by Julie Steck (Merriam, KS); “Jewels of Plenty” by Bareigh Farrell (Fort Scott); “Portrait.” by Yasser Alaa Mobarak, (Alexandria, Egypt); “Queen of Color” by Alexxus Browning, Tulsa, OK and “Baby Blue.” by Adelay Martin (Redfield, KS).
The contest was open to any non-professional photographer and was inspired by Gordon Parks, who started his career in fashion photography and chose a camera to fight against racism, discrimination, and poverty.
Judges for the photo contest were professional photographer, Veretta Cobler, and established make-up artist and hairstylist, Donna Fumoso based in New York City.
The photo exhibit is on display in the lobby of the Ellis Fine Arts Center through October 15. The building is open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
First Place was Johanna Walker (Franklin, KS) with the photo titled “Spotlight.”Johanna Walker, Franklin, KS was second-place winner in the Gordon Parks Photography Contest. The contest winners were one of many artistic displays at the Gordon Parks Celebration.Enjoying Each Other, a photograph by Frank Clay, Overland Park, KS was the third-place winner of the Gordon Parks Photography Contest.
The signs that will designate the bike route of the new Prairie Pathways Bike Trail coming to Bourbon County. Submitted photo.
Representatives from a neighboring county spoke to the Fort Scott City Commission recently about a proposed bicycle trail in Bourbon County.
John Leahy, Thrive Allen County Bike and Trails Coordinator and John Castellaw the Outreach and Advocacy Coordinator for Thrive
covered a brief history of how the Prairie Pathways plan (approved by Bourbon County, Allen County, and Crawford County) was the first rural active transportation plan in Kansas.
The men then detailed the entirety of the route along old Highway 54 from Fort Scott to Iola, to the city commission, Leahy said.
“We needed to appear before the (FS)city council because we were seeking final approval of the signs for the Prairie Pathways within Fort Scott city limits,” he said.
“The route has been set in all three counties,” Jody Hoener, Healthy Bourbon County Action Team CEO said.
“Bourbon County will have approximately 23 miles of the total 43 miles from Fort Scott to Iola,” Leahy said.
“We are working on gaining permission through each of the cities (in Bourbon County),” Hoener said. “We have obtained permission for signs from the City of Fort Scott. They will also be presenting to the City of Uniontown and to Bronson City Council to gain permission for sign placement.
“Eric Bailey with Bourbon County’s Public Work will be helping us with installing (sign) posts,” she said. ” Right now they are working hard on getting as many miles as asphalt down as possible. They will help us with installation as soon as they can.”
“Allen County, Bourbon County, and Crawford County (ABC) are actively working to improve the bicycling and walking environment to improve access to opportunities for physical activity, enhance the quality of life, and encourage economic growth”, according to information provided by Leahy . “Each community recognizes that active transportation – biking and walking for transportation, as well as outdoor recreation – impacts our lives in several important ways. Research, such as the cost-benefit analysis The Potential Trail Benefits for Bourbon County, Kansas, (Robb, 2017) has shown trails to do more than add to community’s appeal as a place to live, such as:
● Increased sales for existing businesses
● Opportunities for new business
● Increased value and speed of sale of nearby properties
● Reduced medical costs from healthy activities
● Business location and relocation decisions
● Healthcare insurance decisions
● Addresses rural transportation issues
● Low or no-cost recreational opportunity
● Attracts and retains a skilled and unskilled workforce
● It helps lower transportation costs, both for individuals and for communities as a whole;
● Provides attractions for visitors”
The ABC plan’s name was recently changed to Prairie Pathways, he said.
“In respect to a timeline, Thrive is working with both Allen County Public Works as well as the City of Iola Public Works Department,” he said. “We are trying to coordinate both so the signs are installed along a similar time frame after the…(Allen County Public Works)asphalt season.”
” Funding for the planning stage is from the Sunflower Foundation,” Hoener said. “We have grant dollars from Blue Cross Blue Cross Pathways to Healthy Kansas for signage and posts.”
John Castellaw the Outreach and Advocacy Coordinator for Thrive Allen County spoke to the Fort Scott City Commission about the bike trail. Submitted photo.Jody Hoener with John Leahy and John Castellaw at a recent Fort Scott City Commission meeting. Submitted photos.
“Funding for the planning stage is from the Sunflower Foundation,” Hoener said. “We have grant dollars from Blue Cross Blue Cross Pathways to Healthy Kansas for signage and posts.”
ABC Trails has been renamed Prairie Pathways. Hoener provided the cost benefits poster.
Steve Anthony, left, and Doug Guns. Submitted photo.
Steve Anthony, 49, is the new Woodland Hills Golf Course Clubhouse Manager in Fort Scott. The course is owned and operated by the City of Fort Scott.
Woodland Hills Golf Course, 2414 S. Horton, Fort Scott.
He replaces Shannon O’Neil, who left in July.
Anthony feels that he and Doug Guns, the golf course superintendent, are a good team.
“I feel I have a good grasp of things and if things come up that need two heads to make a decision, Doug and I make the decision as we are pretty much on the same page and we make our decision on what’s best for the club and or our member’s,” he said.
Anthony’s hometown is Parkersburg, West Virginia and he is married to Stephanie Anthony.
“I have been an avid golfer since I was a young kid back in West Virginia,” he said. “I have been in Fort Scott for nine years now.”
“I have always had a love for the sport of golf and when the opportunity came to pursue the golf course (position) here, I jumped at the chance to take it on,” he said.
“When I started, I knew I wanted to do some different things that had not been done here,” Anthony said. “For example, having watch parties for National Football League games and it has grown each week. My hope is once the colder weather sets in we will have more folks come out to join us for games as they will be tired of just sitting at home.”
He enjoys coming to work each day, getting to do something that he loves, Anthony said.
“The Woodland Hills Golf Course is in really beautiful shape as Doug (Guns)and his crew do a great job making it look beautiful,” he said.
In the community, Anthony has been involved with Special Olympics, a large sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities.
“I, along with Bourbon County Undersheriff Ben Cole, host a golf tournament each year to benefit Special Olympics,” he said. “I am also on the Board of Directors for Special Olympics Kansas.”
He enjoys coming to work each day, getting to do something that he loves, Anthony said.
Anthony can be reached at 620-223-5060 or his cell phone at 620-215-2392.
Golf carts that can be rented are lined up near the entrance to the Woodland Hills Golf Clubhouse.
At the Fort Scott High School Football Game and the Uniontown High School Volleyball Tournament this weekend, one might think there is a crime being investigated.
But that thinking would be wrong.
Both Fort Scott Police and the Bourbon County Sheriff Officers will be there to mingle with people to “meet the community and let the community know us,” said Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Chaplain Bob Jackson.
The Fort Scott Police Department from its Facebook page.
The events are part of an organization called Faith and Blue.
“Nation-wide, after the George Floyd deal, things started spiraling downhill for law enforcement,” said Jackson.
Last year following the civil unrest, an organization called Faith and Blue was started nationally.
“Communities are stronger and safer when residents and law enforcement professionals can relate as ordinary people with shared values, hopes, and dreams. The partners who are a part of National Faith & Blue Weekend believe we can find ways to work together around our many commonalities instead of being divided by our differences.”
The Faith and Blue weekend nationally is Oct. 8-11, according to Jackson.
Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Chaplain Bob Jackson. Courtesy photo.
The law enforcement officers will be at Frary Field this evening, Oct. 8, on the campus of Fort Scott High School starting about 5 p.m. to “pass out popcorn and give away tickets to the concession stand,” Jackson said.
Then on Saturday, the officers will be at West Bourbon Elementary School for the Uniontown High School Volleyball Tournament from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There, they will be giving away food too, with the help of local food truck (The Sunshine Shack) owners, Shayla and Kyle Knight.
“They are going to set it up inside the school cafeteria,” Jackson said.
The officers are hoping to get to know those they serve a little better in the mingling and also let the community get to know them.
He is hoping the event will be a positive one, he said.
“It will not be to hear complaints,” Jackson said. “But it’s to get to know you and you know us.”
The event is a collaboration of some local churches and the FSPD and the BCSO.
In Fort Scott, Community Christian Church, Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene, Trinity Lutheran and the Seventh Day Adventist Church have provided funds for the event.
In Uniontown, the Uniontown Missionary Baptist Church, along with the Bronson, Hiattville, and Uniontown United Methodist Churches have contributed to the event.
A photo of unknown subjects that Brian Allen discovered at a garage sale recently.
Brian Allen, a local historian in his spare time, likes to collect old items and if he can, reunite them with family members.
Brian Allen. Submitted photo.
At a recent garage sale, Allen found some antique glass photo negatives circa, he believes, the 1890s to the 1910s.
“I found the negatives and the photos at a local garage sale two weeks ago,” Allen said. “I have always collected vintage Fort Scott items.”
Along with many items in a box, there were 13 glass negatives, he said.
“I have a scanner that can make negatives into photos,” Allen said. “They were very dark, and without the scanner, it would have been almost impossible to make them out even with a bright light.”
Allen has been sharing photos online for several months now.
“The photos do depict some local scenes,” he said. “One is clearly the old (Fort Scott)High School, and one is taken from the side of a house across the street from the school.”
The photo finds are posted in the Historical Fort Scott and Surrounding Areas group on Facebook, as well as the Bourbon County Historical Preservation Association page, he said.
“The ones on the HPA page belong to the organization,” Allen said. “I have posted well over well over 100 photos. I have been able to reunite about 30 photos with family members during this time, as well as a family Bible to a family in Texas.”
“I love to be able to return these old items to a family,” he said. “If someone wants to contact me about any of the photos, please just send me a message on Facebook.”
