Rita Schroeder, courtesy of Kenny Felt Photography.
Rita Schroeder is the new administrative assistant at the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce, as of Oct.1
Schroeder’s duties include social media, networking, front desk duties, hospitality, customer service, promoting and recruiting, fundraising, and helping with events.
Schroeder, 50, is originally from the Miami, OK area and graduated from Quapaw High School.
Schroeder has a background of experience in printing, accounting, and sales and received training in product sales shows, webinars, system training through Team Viewer and Podcast.
She is married to Greg Schroeder and has two sons, Blake Carriger, Fort Scott, and Nathan Eby, Nevada.
The chamber office is located at 231 E. Wall and can be reached at
The annual Gunn Park race, the Tri-Yak-A-Thon, scheduled for tomorrow, Oct. 12 has been moved to the next day, Oct. 13 This move is to allow a dry-out of the trails that have been inundated with rainwater lately.
The race has been postponed to Sunday, October 13 and will begin at 2:00 PM and on-site registration will begin at 12:00 PM.
“The Tri-Yak-A-Thon is a race where participants run on Gunn Park’s beautiful trails, kayak up and down the Marmaton River, and then tackle the trails again on a bike,” said event coordinator Penny Pollack-Barnes. “The trail run is a 5K, the kayak portion is another 5K, and the bike portion is a 10K. You may participate as a relay team, or if you are tough enough you can do the entire race as a solo participant. You must bring your own kayak, life jacket, helmet, and mountain bike. Riders must wear a helmet.”
The event is located in Gunn Park, on the west side of Fort Scott.
“We will have a tent in the open field in the northwest corner of the park,” Barnes said. “The race will begin on the road at the back of the park near the spillway.”
Currently, there are 20 entrants, “but most will enter the day of the race,” Barnes said.
“We do this to have fun and to raise money for a local charity,” she said. “This year the net proceeds will go to Fort Scott Paws and Claws Animal Shelter.
Our sponsors are UMB Bank, Briggs Auto, Peerless, Ft. Scott Veterinary Clinic, Landmark National Bank, City State Bank, Smallville Crossfit, Mid-Continental, Brock Electric, Key for Business and the City of Fort Scott.
Kenneth Dale Roberts, age 63, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away unexpectedly Wednesday, October 9, 2019, at his home.
He was born May 8, 1956, in Ft. Scott, Kansas, the son of Kenneth Ray Roberts and Joanne Lloyd Roberts. Dale attended school in both Fort Scott and Pittsburg and graduated from the Pleasanton High School.
He married Cynthia Ann Hickman on April 8, 1983, at Miami, Oklahoma. Dale worked for Ward-Kraft in Ft. Scott for fifteen years. He later served as Vice-President of Ross Martin and Corporate Express a printing company based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Dale and his wife later owned and operated Comfort Keepers, an in-home care service in Owasso, Oklahoma.
Following retirement, Dale and his family returned to Ft. Scott. He enjoyed woodworking as well as hunting, fishing and traveling. He was a member of the Grace Baptist Tabernacle.
Survivors include his two children, Brett Roberts and Danielle Roberts, both of Ft. Scott; his mother and step-father, Joanne and Ralph Bradley, of Cottonwood Falls, Kansas; two brothers, Kevin Roberts, of Pleasanton, Kansas and Kurt Roberts, of Cottonwood Falls, Kansas; and a sister, Penny Talmadge, of Ottawa, Kansas. Also surviving is his father-in-law, Herb Hickman, of Pittsburg and a close family friend, Matt Nelson, of Owasso, Oklahoma.
His wife, Cynthia, preceded him in death on June 17, 2015. He was also preceded in death by his father, Kenneth Ray Roberts and an infant brother, Scott Roberts and his mother-in-law, Shirley Hickman.
Following cremation, Rev. Paul Rooks will conduct a memorial service at 10:30 A.M. Monday, October 21st at the Grace Baptist Tabernacle.
A graveside service will be held at 2:00 P.M. Monday, October 21st at the Highland Park Cemetery in Pittsburg, Kansas.
Memorials are suggested to the Grace Baptist Tabernacle 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.
KDA Provides Updated Reports on the Economic Contribution of Agriculture
MANHATTAN, Kan. — The Kansas Department of Agriculture has recently updated its interactive map of Kansas, showing the economic contribution of agriculture across the state broken down by county. Located on the KDA website, the interactive resource can be used to find the agricultural economic facts for each of the 105 counties in Kansas, as well as a report for the entire state.
“As we review the economic contribution of Kansas agriculture, we are pleased to report a total direct output of $46.9 billion supporting 134,057 jobs in the agriculture industry,” said Secretary Mike Beam. “This output is slightly higher than our data published last year at this time, so we know our farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses across a variety of commodity sectors continue to be critical to Kansas communities despite very challenging economic times for our industry.”
KDA annually updates the state and county economic statistics to provide an understanding of the vast influence of the 68 sectors of agriculture on the state’s economy. In addition to the direct output, the reports include the indirect and induced effects of agriculture and ag-related sectors, which demonstrate the total impact that agriculture has in Kansas communities. This total economic contribution of agriculture totals over $65 billion and supports more than 245,000 jobs statewide.
The interactive map allows users to see detailed agricultural statistics including farm numbers, leading agricultural sectors, and value-added data for each county. KDA utilizes data compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The economic contribution data is sourced from the most recent IMPLAN data available (2017) and adjusted for 2019.
The county statistics map is available at agriculture.ks.gov/ksag. For updated information, click on a county and find the “2019 Full Report for County” after the county sector list. KDA is committed to advocating for and promoting the agriculture industry, and providing an environment that enhances and encourages economic growth of the agriculture industry and the Kansas economy.
Urban Wildlife Damage Control Workshop Set for October 30
Most wild animals mind their own business and never create problems for people. But sometimes animals do become a nuisance, destructive or menacing, especially when we encroach into their habitat.
Learn about wildlife damage control with Charlie Lee, K-State Extension Wildlife Specialist, on Wednesday, October 30, at 6:00 pm at the Chanute Auditorium Alliance room.
K-State Research and Extension – Southwind District is sponsoring this event, and it is free to attend.
Please call the Erie office to RSVP – 620-244-3826.
While visiting my friend Robin last month, we ate in a delightful restaurant and engaged our young waitress, Jeanise, in a conversation about her life. No big deal.
To us, at least.
To her, it was a very big deal. At the end of our meal we were stunned when a waiter came over with a flaming Crème Brule, a gift from our waitress. When Jeanise returned to give us our check, we asked what had prompted her generosity and were told “because you were so kind to me.”
Her words reminded me of a time when I was eating in a diner with my son, Jeff, in a ski area in Colorado, and I struck up a conversation with our waitress. At the end of our meal, she said, “Thank you for being so kind to me.” I asked why I wouldn’t be, and she said, “Most people aren’t.”
Why wouldn’t people be kind to those serving them? Why wouldn’t people be kind to those not serving them? Why wouldn’t people be kind all the time? Kind isn’t hard. Kind is…well, kind. It is giving with no ulterior motive, no desire to get something in return.
My husband, Dave, recently was introduced to Wayne, a restauranteur who previously owned several restaurants. Dave asked how he was so successful, and Wayne said that he treated his employees well, especially his dishwasher (not the answer Dave expected, for sure). Wayne shared that people typically compliment the manager or chef, but he wanted those who never are recognized to be valued.
Being kind is no trivial matter. Perhaps that’s why Paul’s letter to the Colossians listed kindness as one of the ways “God’s chosen people” are to clothe themselves. Dr. Laurence M. Gould, president emeritus of Carleton College, recognizes its importance and shared his thoughts with this statement: “I do not believe the greatest threat to our future is from bombs or guided missiles. I don’t think our civilization will end that way. I think it will die when we no longer care.”
If you’re like me, you love stories in which people go the extra mile to show kindness. Ginger Keith, whose two-year old daughter, Vivian, is being treated for leukemia at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, told the Today Show that a group of construction workers spray-painted “Get Well” on a beam across from her two-year old’s hospital window. At All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, Fridays have become days of celebration. The young patients are brought to their windows and encouraged to dance (with parents, nurses, or alone) along with the dozens of construction workers who line the floors of the high-rise they are building across the street while a DJ on the roadway between the two buildings blares upbeat music.
Kind isn’t costly. A smile. A wink. A touch. A hug. A word. A listening ear. A prayer. I’m not sure there are many other things as inexpensive that offer as many rewards…not just for the receiver, but also for the giver. Why not give it a try? As someone once said, “Kind people are my kinda people.”
The Fort Scott Writing Festival and Author Fair is October 19, 2019, pre-register by Oct. 15.
at the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, Main and Wall Street.
The Program Schedule is listed below along with other information regarding the festival.
Registration: 8:30 and refreshments (inside front doors)
Opening Remarks: 8:50 Little Theater
Finding Your Writing Plan – 9:00 Little Theater
Presenter R.J. Thesman
Are you stuck between writer’s block and the fun of procrastination? Maybe you’re not blocked. You just don’t have a writing plan. Finding Your Writing Plan helps you develop a discipline for your writing craft and keeps you from avoiding that blank page. Especially for bi-vocational writers who work another job, Finding Your Writing Plan gives you a structure for each day’s work. You can still nurture your creative side by choosing more than one plan or by changing your plan, depending on your circumstances. RJ Thesman will present 12 different options for your writing plan with best practices to help you finish your Work in Progress and move toward your publishing dreams.
“Writing FOR a Child Requires Thinking LIKE a Child” – 9:00 Conference Room
Presenter: Cathy Werling
Have you often thought you would like to write a children’s book? With the current self-publishing opportunities available, the goal of writing and publishing a children’s book has become much more attainable. Through this presentation, you will learn how to get started, some important steps you need to consider before you actually start writing, and some available resources to help your children’s book become a reality.
Cathy Werling is a retired elementary educator, who works part-time at the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes. The opportunity to provide positive role models for children led to the Center’s Unsung Heroes book series for children. Cathy is the author of the first four books in the series, with plans to continue sharing more of the amazing stories of Unsung Heroes through additional books. Her goal is to, not only provide inspirational role models for elementary students, but to encourage them to be people who can also make a positive difference in the world around them.
* * * * * * * * *
Self Publishing – 10:00 Little Theater
Presenter: Sally Freeman Jadlow
Come learn how to publish your own book, step-by-step, in paperback or ebook throughAmazon.com. Handouts will accompany the class.
Sally Jadlow has published eleven books which have gone through the process Amazon offers authors. She writes award-winning historical fiction, inspirational short stories, non-fiction, devotionals and poetry. Sally has also been published in many magazine articles and anthologies. She teaches writing for the the Kansas City Writers Group in the spring and fall.
KnowYourSources – 10:00 Conference Room
Presenter: Ronda Hassig
Primary sources can be mysterious, exciting, and lead to creative writing at its finest. If you want to write non-fiction or historical fiction you will need to know your sources! When you leave this session, you will know what a source is, where to find it, how to use it and how to document it.
Ronda Hassig is a retired Kansas Master Teacher and middle school librarian. She is the author of two books including “The Abduction of Jacob Rote” and “The Greatest Test of Courage.” Ronda loves reading, writing, and walking her three feral dogs!
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Workshop Drawing – 10:55
Transformative Works & the Online Writing Experience – 11:00 Little Theater
Presenter: Qwen Salsbury
Discussion of the popularity and opportunities in online writing. How to build an online following, locate writing e-communities, and the bridge to publishing. Exploration of the importance of transformative works in society’s need to own its own stories. Presentation by author Qwen Salsbury, Amazon #1 Best-Selling author, whose online works have over 5 million unique hits.
* * * * * * * * * *
Writing the Poetic Image – 11:00 Conference Room
Presenter: Laura Lee Washburn
Laura Lee Washburn will lead this workshop on imagery. Poets will participate in a poetic game as well as write a short lyric or narrative free verse poem.
Washburn is the author of two books of poetry, This Good Warm Place (March Street) and Watching the Contortionists (Palanquin Chapbook Prize). Her poetry has appeared in numerous journals including Poet Lore and The Sun. Harbor Review’s Washburn Chapbook prize is named in her honor. She directs the Creative Writing Program at Pittsburg State.
12:00 – 1:30 Lunch Break
Authors set up for the Authors Fair
Afternoon Mini-Sessions – Conference
1:30 Thomas Yoke
2:15 Kate Emmett-Sweetser
3:00 Jan Hedges
“Why I Just Now Write” – 1:30 Conference Room
Presenter: Tom Yoke
It took me 60 years to fulfill the dream of becoming an author. The roadblocks and obstacles I had to overcome, are the motivation for telling my story. I want to encourage anyone of any age or circumstance to pursue that dream.
The main points of the talk are:
Listening to the right voices
Daring to believe in yourself
Dreaming big dreams
Following your heart’s hidden desire
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NaNoWriMo and Poem-a-Day: Write. Every. Day. – 2:15 Conference Room
Presenter: Kate Emmett-Sweetser
Though raised by a professor of British literature and a poet, Kate Emmett-Sweetser prefers to write non-fiction. She has worked as a free-lance journalist in both English and Spanish, as a translator, and as a Spanish adjunct at Pittsburg State University. She is currently working on a book about the Jewish families who lived in SE Kansas in the decades following the Civil War. Her biggest challenges are perfectionism and procrastination; she will share ways to adapt fiction- and poetry-writing prompts and goals to all genres of writing.
* * * * * * * * * *
The Art of Journaling – 3:00 Conference Room
Presenter: Jan Hedges
We each have a great deal to write about already tucked in our own heads. Journaling is a way to keep track of and organize these thoughts, musings and ideas. This session will cover the many aspects of journaling, how-to’s, inspiration and motivation. A drawing for a journal will be held at the end of the session.
Jan Hedges is a retired teacher and school administrator. She and her husband Dick opened Hedgehog.INK! Gently Used Books and So Much More… in October 2018. She has dabbled in writing for over 50 years. I write because I must.
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Author Fair Participants: (Tentative List)
Ronda Hassig Young Adult Historical Fiction
Gerri Hilger Adult Historical Fiction
Sally Freeman Jadlow Adult Christian Living/Memoir/Poetry…
Scott KinKade Adult Science Fiction / Fantasy
Joyce Love Children/Young Adult Historical Fiction / Devotional
Eric Reynolds Adult Historical Fiction
Carol Russell Young Adult Historical Fiction
Sally Smith Adult Christian Living
R.J. Thesman Adult Christian Living / Fiction…
Laura Lee Washburn Poetry
Cathy Werling Children Children
Thomas Yoke Adult Fiction
Notes, Inspirations, To-Do’s
Writing Festival
October 19, 2019
8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Activities:
8:30 – 8:50 Registration and Refreshments
8:50 – 9:00 Welcome
9:00 – 12:00 Writing Workshops with experienced published authors – 50 minute break-out sessions
12:00 – 1:30 Lunch Break and set-up for Authors’ Fair
1:30 – 3:30 Authors’ Fair and mini-workshops
(multiple authors will be set-up to market, sign and share with participants their writing journey.)
Pre-Registration due by October 15 –
$35 per Participant Late registration – $45
High School and College students free with current
Clothing is awaiting completion of the Fort Scott Community Closet shed. Pictured is clothing that has been donated, cleaned and stored in plastic bags.
The second organizational meeting of the Fort Scott Community Closet met on Oct. 1 and officers were elected.
Carol Oakleaf is the president and Lori Lovelace is the secretary/treasurer.
Carol Oakleaf, left, and Lori Lovelace show the donation can for clothing to the Fort Scott Community Closet which is located in the Fort Scott Washateria.
“It’s a good representation, representing a lot of churches,” Lovelace said. “It’s for the whole county.”
At the meeting, guidelines were set up to distribute clothing to those in most need, Lovelace said.
People will be referred by organizations in the county to receive a voucher to get the clothing.
“Vouchers will be distributed to anyone who deals with people in need and crisis, to get names,” Lovelace said. This includes churches and other organizations.
“Then we will know what they need and a volunteer will be available to work with them,” Lovelace said. “People can come one-on-one with a volunteer to the closet.”
The community closet is located in a shed on the property of Fort Scott Washateria, 501 S. National.
Donations of clothing are already being accepted at the laundromat and clothing has been cleaned in preparation for the distribution which Lovelace anticipates to be in this month into November.
The laundromat donates the cleaning of the clothing.
Once the shed that will house the closet is finished, the clothing will be arranged for recipients to come in and choose what they need with a volunteer.
“The shed is not done yet,” Lovelace said. Flooring, painting, heat/air conditioning, and electricity are on the agenda to be completed.
Lori Lovelace shows the shed that is nearing completion for the Fort Scott Community Closet.
Once the initial batch of donated clothing is distributed to those who are in need, the public can get one outfit per person.
“After Thanksgiving, there will be a community day,” she said. “I will advertise the open number of hours and volunteers will man it.”
Fort Scott Washateria Celebrates One Month In Business
Fort Scott Washateria “is going great guns,” Lovelace of the first month of the laundromat.
Fort Scott Washateriais a state-of-the-art laundromat with networked Speed Queen machines, fully attended by responsible staff, according to its’ website. Oakleaf owns the business and Lovelace manages.
They are offering a gift certificate purchase for those who want to give the gift of time to someone to have laundry service provided.
Services provided by the laundrymat:
Wash/dry/fold your laundry
Free pickup and delivery in the city limits and other routes outside the city limits
Starch/press
Alterations
Drop off for clothing donated to Fort Scott Community Closet Association
Commercial laundry services
Free WiFi
Children’s play area
Our machines take debit, credit, ipay, googlepay, samsungpay, loyalty cards along with coins.
Spyderwash app for loyalty customers that will let you know if machines are available before you come in.
W/D/F subscription services with monthly billing, pickup/delivery.
