Students from Left to Right: Karen Primeaux, Jerome Olson, Elizabeth Moore, Jordyn McGhee, Kassandra Farr, & Luke Majors
Six vocalists are preparing for SEKMEA District Choir and KMEA All-State Choir Auditions. Sophomores Kassandra Farr and Elizabeth Moore, and Juniors Luke Majors, Jordyn McGhee, Jerome Olson, and Karen Primeaux are preparing to record auditions.
These auditions typically happen in-person in early November with
subsequent concerts in December and February. Due to pandemic guidelines, this audition process is moving online. Students will prepare two selections until late October when the audition cuts are announced.
Choir directors will record students performing these selections one-on-one and submit them online where they will be adjudicated.
Choirs will be announced later in the school year.
These students are members of the FSHS After School Choir, under the direction of MJ Harper.
Rehearsals have already begun, but interested performers are still welcome to enroll. The FSHS After School Choir meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-4:15PM.
Students wishing to participate can enroll by scanning the QR
Code on posters at FSHS or by emailing [email protected]
2020 GORDON PARKS PHOTO CONTEST Sponsored by Merl Humphrey. The Theme “Social Justice, Diversity and Equity” for any amateur photographer. Deadline EXTENDED to 10/26/2020, send submission to [email protected].
GUIDED TOURS OF THE FORT DAILY, 10AM &1PMThe Fort Scott National Historic Site is open daily 8am-5pm for touring on your own, but arrive at 10am or 1pm on any day and take advantage of a guided tour with a park ranger! Guided tour lasts approx. 1 hour.
10/23-10/29 –FORT CINEMA The Nightmare Before Christmas, Honest Thief, The War with Grandpa
10/23 & 10/24 – CLARK STREET LIGHTS, HALLOWEEN THEME & SCREAM!
10/23 – FORT SCOTT FARMERS’ MARKET– At Skubitz Plaza in front of the Fort, 8am to noon. American Legion serving Breakfast on the Bricks starting at 8am.
10/24 –OPEN HOUSE FORT SCOTT EXPLORATORIUM! ~ 10 am – 5 pm. Sample Exhibits, Take home & build projects, Shop custom homemade crafts. Run through the Halloween themed maze! Much more! Visit:
10/24 -BACKYARD BAIT CHILI COOKOFF AT GUNN PARK! Hosting to raise money for the FSHS students. Raffles, Top 3 winners, Free-will donation. Gunn Park 1010 Park Ave. 3-6 pm
10/25 – BOILER ROOM BREWHAUS! Brings back Trivia night for teams of 2 to 6 people, $5 entry
Daniel Dewayne “Dan” Hereford, age 52, resident of Ft. Scott, KS, died unexpectedly Thursday, October 22, 2020, in Ft. Scott.
He was born November 24, 1967, in Ft. Scott, the son of Dale and Susan Clayton Hereford. He graduated from Ft. Scott High School. He married Jackie Brown on May 23, 1987, in Ft. Scott.
Dan has been employed by Timken for the past 31 years.
He enjoyed bee keeping, wood working, and gardening. He liked to attend auctions and occasionally bought things.
Dan never met a stranger. He had a great laugh and liked to tell stories, sometimes embellishing a bit. He loved spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren. He was a member of Grace Baptist Tabernacle.
Survivors include his wife Jackie of the home; his mother, Susan Porter and husband Larry, a son, Jake Hereford and wife Cindy, Ft. Scott; a daughter, Baylee Crahan and husband Jacob; 3 siblings, Lynna Myer and husband Larry, Lancaster, KS, Troy Landers and wife Becky, Ft. Scott, and Jeff Daly and wife Julie, Ft. Scott; 4 grandchildren, Karlee and Rydale Hereford, and Luke and Abbie Crahan; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father, Dale Hereford.
Rev. Paul Rooks will conduct funeral services at 10:00 AM Wednesday, October 28th, at the Grace Baptist Tabernacle.
Burial will follow in the Evergreen Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 5:00 until 7:00 Tuesday evening at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
Memorials are suggested to the Grace Baptist Missionary Fund and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main St., Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
Oaklyn Rae Kastl, daughter of James Michael Kastl, Sr. and Cassandra LeeAnn Wells, passed away Thursday, October 22, 2020.
In addition to her parents, she is survived by siblings, Carlie, Jackson, Ashby Jr., Travis, Jazmine, Jaydynn, Jerzee and Jimmy Jr.
Also surviving are grandparents, Donna Kay Wallace, Dwayne Wells and Rodney and Dottie Pulliam; great-grandmother, Donna Rash and several aunts and uncles.
She was preceded in death by great-grandparents, Wayne Rash and Kenneth and Ruth Wells.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Monday, October 26th at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
Memorials are suggested to the Oaklyn Kastl Memorial Fund and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701.
Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
MEETING WILL BE HELD IN COMMISSION ROOM. ANYONE ATTENDING THE MEETING WILL BE REQUIRED TO WEAR A MASK PROVIDED BY THE COUNTY. MUST MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING.
There are two (2) openings on the Airport Advisory Board.
The function of the Airport Advisory Board is to advise the City Manager and City Commissioners on matters pertaining to the continued growth and improvement of the airport. Their recommendations are given to the City Commission for final approval.
If you have a desire to serve on this Board, please submit a letter of interest to the City Clerk, Diane Clay, 123 S. Main, Fort Scott, Kansas 66701. She will then submit your letter of interest for consideration by the City Commission. All of the boards and commissions serve on a volunteer basis and are not compensated. If you would like more information on any of these boards, please contact Diane Clay, City Clerk at 620-223-0550 or [email protected]. Please submit your letter of interest by November 6th, 2020.
Jayhawk Wind Provides Key Funding for Uniontown Health Clinic:
Grant to Uniontown Ruritan Club Closes Remaining Funding Gap
Uniontown, KS – October 22, 2020 – Jayhawk Wind announces the award of a $20,000 community grant to support the completion of a new health clinic for the western part of Bourbon County and surrounding communities. The new facility will be located at the old USD 235 Uniontown Board of Education Office building and operated by the Girard Medical Center. The new facility will help serve local residents who have previously had to travel outside of the immediate area for medical care, and it will be located in close proximity to assisted living apartment complexes and local schools.
“We are excited to have the support of Jayhawk Wind in the form of a community grant,” said Ruth Duling, CEO of the Girard Medical Center. “A health clinic in Uniontown has been a mission for the Uniontown community for a number of years. Their dream is about to become a reality and Girard Medical Center couldn’t be happier to help along with the collaboration of USD 235 and the Uniontown Ruritan Club. We know that local access to health care will be a huge benefit for the folks that live in and around Uniontown. It means a lot to have the support of Jayhawk Wind and we thank them for their confidence and generosity.”
“Having locally based healthcare and healthcare choices for the residents in the western half of Bourbon County and surrounding areas, especially at this time, has been a goal of this community for a number of years,” stated Mark Warren, Middle America Ruritan District Governor #37 and Uniontown Ruritan Member. “The Uniontown Ruritan Club is pleased to have the cooperation of USD 235 and the Girard Medical Center in making this dream a reality. We are pleased and appreciate the support of Jayhawk Wind for their generous gift to the residents of the area. Thank you, Jayhawk Wind, for partnering with us and making this investment in our community!”
Bret Howard, USD 235 Superintendent, said, “Uniontown USD 235 is excited to partner with other organizations to bring health care options to our district communities. This grant will allow a current building to be leased to Girard Medical Center while being able to construct a separate building for bathrooms and concession stand areas. We are pleased that Jayhawk Wind has partnered with Uniontown USD 235, Girard Medical Center, and Uniontown Ruritan Club in making this dream a reality.”
“2020 has been a very challenging year, especially when it comes to community health,” said Julianna Pianelli, development manager for Jayhawk Wind. “We are so glad that we can help contribute to this critical need here in Bourbon County, and we are grateful for the community partners who helped make us aware of how we could support this worthy cause.”
The Jayhawk Wind community grant will complement the great work USD 235, the Uniontown Ruritan Club, and Girard Medical Center have already done to make this project a reality. This grant will supplement the funds earmarked for this project from state SPARK funding and other generous donations, providing the final portion of funding needed to complete the project.
Jayhawk Wind is a proposed 195-megawatt wind energy facility located in Bourbon and Crawford Counties. The project is anticipated to provide enough clean, renewable energy to the grid to power about 70,260 homes per year. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2021.
About Apex Clean Energy
Apex Clean Energy develops, constructs, and operates utility-scale wind and solar power facilities across North America. Our mission-driven team of more than 200 renewable energy experts uses a data-focused approach and an unrivaled portfolio of projects to create solutions for the world’s most innovative and forward-thinking customers. For more information on how Apex is leading the transition to a clean energy future, visit apexcleanenergy.com.
The building for the medical clinic is south of the Uniontown High School Football Field.
Uniontown will soon have a health clinic.
The small town in western Bourbon County, population approximately 300, is 20 miles away from health care in Fort Scott and 25 miles from Iola, the two largest towns with clinics nearby.
Spearheaded by Uniontown Ruritan, and the vision of several members of the community, the Uniontown health clinic is a collaboration of Ruritan, USD 235 School District, the Bourbon County Commission, the City of Uniontown and Girard Medical Center.
To see a prior fortscott.biz story on the clinic, click below:
Girard Medical Clinic, Girard, Ks. Photo from its’ website.
“We at GMC want to partner with the local community there in Uniontown to offer primary care services for an area where it is difficult to access those services currently,” Ruth Duling, Girard Medical Center CEO said.
The project is moving forward quicker since receiving U.S. coronavirus emergency funds which is distributed locally through the Bourbon County SPARK program. That program is to spur on the Kansas economy following the devastating effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) grant was applied for by Uniontown’s school district, which owns the property for the health clinic. The building is the former superintendent’s office.
Mark Warren, Uniontown Ruritan member, opens the door of the medical clinic building just south of the Uniontown High School football field.
“The school district applied for SPARK funding because the property to be renovated for use as the clinic, belongs to the school,” Duling said.
“Completion will be after the first of the year,” Duling said. ” I don’t have any idea yet on a date when the clinic will be fully operational. Since the renovation stage is being completed by mostly volunteer work and the availability of that workforce, it’s just difficult to say until we get further in the process…the renovation is in the very early stages.”
Uniontown Ruritan MemberJoe George has taken the lead on the renovation project with input from Girard Medical Center Engineering staff Judd Pride and Pat Holt and its’ Director of Clinic Operations Candi Adams, Duling said.
History The Clinic
Uniontown Mayor Larry Jurgensen explored a health clinic in the town with Fort Scott Mercy Hospital, Mark Warren said.
“At the time the Marathon Valley Nursing Home shut down,” he said.
” Mercy told him they didn’t want to explore a clinic out here because we were close enough to go to Ft. Scott, but instead put clinics in Arma and Pleasanton which were approximately the same distance from Ft. Scott ,” Warren said. “This irritated people out here. The matter was then dropped for a period of years.”
Warren then visited with Holly Koch, Chief Financial Officer of Girard Medical Center and a resident of Uniontown.
He shared with Koch about the possibility of a Girard Medical Center satellite clinic.
After Koch spoke with Duling, meetings were organized which included the City of Uniontown, Ruritan, Girard Medical Center, Senator Jerry Moran’s office, Uniontown citizens, a Pittsburg doctor, Bourbon County Commissioner Lynn O’Harah, and Bourbon County Economic Director Jodi Hoener.
When Mercy Hospital closed in Dec. 2018 things began to progress, Warren said.
“We had residents here now (who were) a longer distance from health services,” Warren said. “Girard went to work then. Ruth asked me and I asked Larry and Judy Jurgensen both to come with me to a Girard Hospital board meeting. Larry gave the historical timeline of his interaction with Mercy to them of which we left that meeting feeling we had their support. The only thing left was funding.”
“The Uniontown Ruritan Club offered to help fundraise but as federal SPARK money became available and Jayhawk Wind ( a wind energy company) heard about it, we found we could still fundraise but possibly not have to work so hard at it. Jayhawk and SPARK money was the final piece of the puzzle to get this project finally started and going and to make a Uniontown clinic a reality.”
Jayhawk Wind contributed a $20,000 grant to help fund the Uniontown Clinic, which will also serve the towns in nearby communities, according to its’ website: http://www.jayhawkwind.com/
The SPARK Grant was for $88,000, according to Warren.