Pioneer Harvest Fiesta will take place October 18-20, 2019 at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds, kicking off with the Pioneer Harvest parade through Downtown at 6pm on October 17th.
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce announces that participating retailers in the Downtown Historic District will be offering a 10% discount to shoppers who have a Pioneer Harvest button which is the same as a ticket to the weekend steam engine and tractor show festival.
Buttons may be purchased for $5 at the gate of the Pioneer Harvest
Fiesta, or at the Chamber of Commerce, 231 E. Wall St.
This cross-promotion is a great way to support a local festival while enjoying a discount on books, apparel, antiques and more in the Downtown Historic District.
Shoppers mayl ook for a shopping discount flyer in the window of participating stores.
For more information on Pioneer Harvest Fiesta visit fortscott.com.
Paper Pre-registration of your recipe is required by November 4that Presbyterian Village, 2401 S. Horton, Fort Scott, KS or contact Ginger Nance at [email protected] for more information.
Day of the event: All Pre-registered cook-off participants will bring a covered crock-pot portion of chili &/or pan of cornbread with a focus for the “experienced” senior palate. All food entered will need to be delivered to the Presbyterian Village for judging no later than 11:00am.
Top three winners in both categories will be awarded prizes. Additionally, first prize winning recipes will be published in local Fort Scott news and the community newsletter.
*After judging, at approximately 12:30 pm bowls of chili and cornbread may be purchased by donation while supplies last.
All proceeds will go toward a local holiday fund drive
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.”
