Bourbon County, Government

KDOT Project In Bourbon County Sept. 24

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Milling project covers 12 locations

 

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) expects to complete a milling project at 12 highway locations in southeast Kansas next Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 24-25, weather permitting.

 

The milled material will be used in future highway preservation projects.

 

KDOT maintenance crews will place asphalt patches on each milled section. Flaggers will direct one-lane traffic through each milling site, with brief delays. The road work is scheduled to take place between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. each day.

 

Sept. 24 milling locations:

  • U.S. 69, Bourbon County, 0.4 miles north of the 12th Street intersection at Fort Scott;
  • U.S. 69, Bourbon County, north of the KDOT maintenance shop at Fort Scott;
  • K-7, Mami County, 2.7 miles north of the Linn-Miami county line;
  • K-31, Anderson County, near the intersection of K-31 and Osage Street at Kincaid;
  • U.S. 400, Cherokee County, 2 miles east of Cherokee;
  • U.S. 400, Labette County, 2.2 miles west of the Labette-Cherokee county line.

Sept. 25 milling locations:

  • U.S. 75, Montgomery County, 1 mile north of Independence;
  • U.S. 166, Montgomery County, 0.5 miles east of the Montgomery-Chautauqua county line;
  • U.S. 166, Chautauqua County, 2.5 miles west of the U.S. 166/K-99 junction;
  • K-99, Elk County, 1 mile south of Howard;
  • K-99, Elk County, 3 miles south of the U.S. 400/K-99 junction;
  • K-99, Greenwood County, 1.3 miles south of the U.S. 400/K-99 junction.

Dustrol Inc. of Towanda is contractor on the $19,780 project. Driver are reminded to watch for the signs and flaggers and slow down at the work zone. Persons with questions may contact Priscilla Petersen at (620) 902-6344.

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For information about obtaining an alternative format, contact the KDOT Office of Public Affairs,

700 SW Harrison St., 2nd Floor West, Topeka, KS 66603-3754 or phone 785-296-3585 Voice/Hearing Impaired – 711.

Entertainment, Exercise, Fort Scott, Sports

New Golf Course Super Starts In Busy Season

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Doug Guns, Woodland Hill Golf Course Superintendent started his job Sept. 16, 2019.

Woodland Hills Golf Course Superintendent Doug Guns is 42 years old and has been in the golf business since he was 19.

“So that’s 23 years,” Guns said. “I was going to college and needed a summer job. A local golf club needed help at the clubhouse. I learned all about the maintenance of the greens.”

He attended  West Virginia University at Parkersburg and Pennsylvania State University.

“I started as an art major and when I got into golf, I switched majors to plant-soil sciences,” Guns said. “The last two courses have been business management classes online from Penn State.”

He started as Woodland Hills Golf Course Superintendent on Sept. 16, after being at Girard’s golf course for four seasons.

 

Doug Guns sits in one of the 30 golf carts available for rent to the public.

His duties include equipment maintenance, irrigation maintenance, supervising personnel, public relations and “Keeping the greens healthy,” he said.

“It’s like an ecosystem, each part of the course has different soil qualities,” Guns said.

Jon Kindlesparger, the current superintendent, is staying on until the end of the year to help the transition, he will then retire.

“It’s nice having his knowledge and experience here,” Guns said.

Guns lives in Girard.

The bulletin board at the Woodland Hills Club House lists the costs of playing golf at the club.

 

Golf carts that can be rented are lined up near the entrance to the Woodland Hills Golf Clubhouse.

Busy Season at Woodland Hills

The next few weeks are busy on the course:

  • The Kruger Golf Classic is Sept. 21, with registration at 7 a.m. It is a four-person scramble. Contact James Wood, 224-9687 or Les Russell, 215-3199.
  • The Special Olympics of Kansas Benefit Golf Scramble is  Sept. 28. The cost is $50 person and is a four-person scramble, sponsored by the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office. Contact Steve Anthony at 215-2392 or Ben Cole at 223-1440.
  • The Elks Lodge Benefit Tournament is Oct. 5 with an 11 a.m. registration. This is to benefit the Christmas baskets the lodge distributes each year. Cost is $60 per person. Contact the lodge at 223-5821.

The Fort Scott High School, Uniontown High School, and Fort Scott Community College golf teams use the course daily, Shannon O’Neil, clubhouse manager said.

On Oct. 14-15, regional high school tournaments will be held at the course, with the outcome deciding who goes to state in golf, he said.

O’Neil offers lessons in an annual junior golf camp in June and July.

He also does private lessons for both adults and children.

 

There have been two major updates at Woodland Hills in the last few years: a new clubhouse was built in 2015-16, and a new golf cart barn built in 2018.

 

Entertainment, Fort Scott

Storytime on Tues. and Wed. Morning at the Public Library

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Fort Scott Public Library Youth Librarian Valetta Cannon interacts with storytime children as they help present an action poem about mermaids. The children pictured, left to right, are Blakely Graham, Amelia Chaplin, Marlie Seaver, and Deacon Davied. Photo by Jamie Graham.

Storytime at the Fort Scott Public Library is offered two times a week.

“Storytime offers families early literacy skill-building, group interaction, and more through identical, themed weekly story hours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m,” Valetta Cannon, youth librarian, said.
During a typical storytime, Miss Val reads two to three stories, sings and shares fingerplays with the children, and guides them through creative play, a craft project, and a snack.
Children are able to request favorite themes for future storytimes as well.
For more information and a list of upcoming themes, see the Fort Scott Public Library Facebook events page at https://www.facebook.com/pg/FortScottPublicLibrary/events or visit the library’s website at https://fortscott.mykansaslibrary.org/.
Children 2nd grade and below should remain under adult supervision at all times.
Storytime is free and no pre-registration is needed. Miss Val hopes to welcome your family soon.
The library is located at the corner of National Ave. and Second Street in Fort Scott.
Fort Scott

American Legion Post 25 Scuttlebutt

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Post 25 Scuttlebutt 

Membership 

A thank you to all Post 25 members who renewed this year or joined as new members and helped Post 25 achieve the Department of Kansas ‘Early Bird” award. Only a handful of the more than 300 Kansas Legion Posts met this milestone achievement of having 75% or higher membership by September 15th. Fort Scott Post 25 and Moran Post 385 were the only two 2nd District Posts to be earn this award.

Our next goal is to reach 100% membership. We are close to this goal and only need 14 members to renew to reach 100%. Let’s be the 1st Legion Post in our District to reach 100%. 

You can easily renew online at www.legion.org. It’s safe and secure and takes less than five minutes

You can also mail in your $40.00 renewal to the Post 25 Finance Officer.

Darrell Spencer

1183 185TH ST

Fort Scott, Ks, 66701.

I can also arrange to meet with you to pick up your renewal.  I’m retired so I can easily work around your schedule to meet you, but no 3 AM meetings please!

You can also pay your 2020 dues at our next general membership meeting on October 7th. 

LEGION Act 

Any Veteran who has served one day on active duty since December 7, 1941 and was honorably discharged can join the Legion. This is due to the LEGION Act recently passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump. If you know of a local Veteran who meets this new, expanded membership requirement, invite them to a Post 25 meeting or contact me about a membership form. There are probably several hundred Bourbon County Veterans who are not aware of the LEGION Act and they can now join the American Legion.

If you know of one, invite them to join the American Legion. We are a community of Veterans “Still Serving” and should encourage like minded veterans to join us.

Upcoming Events 

October 1. National Commander Bill Oxford will at Moran Post 385 at 12:45 PM. 

October 7. American Legion Post 25 meet and greet at Memorial Hall starts at 6:30 pm. 

October 7. American Legion Post 25 general membership meeting at Memorial Hall starts at 7:00 pm. 

October 10. American Legion Auxiliary Unit 25 general membership meeting at Memorial Hall starts at 6:00 pm. 

October 10. American Legion Post 25 Color Guard meets at Memorial Hall starts at 7:00 pm. 

October 12, 2019.   EISENHOWER PILGRIMAGE in Abilene starts at 9:30 am. See enewsletter for more information. 

November 2, 2019. Fort Scott American Legion Post 25 Vintage Toy/Comic Books/Sports Cards Show from 9 am – 3 pm.  See attached flyer for more information. 

 Informational Items 

National Commander Bill Oxford will be at the Moran Legion Post on October 1 at 12:45 pm. Lunch will be served and will be followed by remarks by the National Commander.

This is a rare opportunity to meet and greet the American Legion National Commander. All area Legionnaires are encouraged to meet the National Commander. I plan on going and can take five members with me. Let me know if you’d like to ride with me. 

Auxiliary Unit 25’s first outreach program is to provide support to Veteran mothers of newborn babies at the Topeka VA Medical Center.  They are currently collecting needed items for newborns and all donations are greatly appreciated.  Diapers, body wash and shampoos, blankets and clothing are among the items requested. Call Unit 25 Vice President Marilyn Gilmore at 785.214.5618 for more information or to donate items.

 

Our Taurus G2C raffle is almost sold out. It is hoped we can have the drawing for the winning ticket at our October 7th membership meeting. The winner will be contacted, and information provided on picking up their new pistol.  

The Post 25 fundraising collectibles show on November 2 is taking shape. All proceeds will go towards our scholarships for Boys and Girls State, Cadet Law and other Post sponsored programs. Volunteers will be sought to contribute a few hours to make this 1st ever collectibles show a success.

If you are interested in purchasing a ticket, please reply to this email. Less than 10 tickets are left. 

Don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have. 

Carl Jowers. Post 25 Commander.

620-215-1688

[email protected]

Opinion

Complete Each Other by Patty LaRoche

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Patty LaRoche

In last week’s article I shared that the people in the Florida subdivision where Dave and I are living aren’t very friendly. That’s not all bad. Most of the time Dave isn’t at the ballpark we are together, finding new ways in which our differences complement each other. That’s a good thing.

Actually, it’s how God designed the spousal relationship, as described in the book of Genesis. Adam and Eve’s partnership balanced independence and interdependence as they worked in tandem in the Garden of Eden. Only when the enemy enticed Eve, telling her that she could be like God, that it all went to pot. Our Creator’s best is that we are a team…which brings me back to Dave and me having fun together.

One way is crossword puzzles. I start them, get as far as I can and then hand them over to Dave because he knows a lot about categories in which I am inept: geography, history, sports, old movies and vehicles, all of which, in my opinion, require way more crossword knowledge than I care to know. As for the blanks remaining after Hubby corrects my mistakes and fills in his answers, we turn to Google.

We now have progressed from 1,000 to 2,000-piece jigsaw puzzles. Dave thought it challenging to buy ones in which nine-tenths of the pieces are the same color, and since I rely on color and Hubby relies on shape, for every 100 pieces he finds, I find two, and yes, I admit, in my frustration I have squeezed some into places in which they don’t belong. Dave does not think that brings us closer together… but it does give us something to talk about.

My husband has introduced me to TBN, the network with old movies and no commercials. We watch two or three a week. I have tried to introduce him to the fact that there are better actors than John Wayne, but sometimes we just have to “agree to disagree.” Because of me, Dave now watches America’s Got Talent, and then we discuss who should win. When there is confusion, like last night when we watched a “Transformer” movie and I couldn’t tell the good guys from the bad, Dave explains what’s going on. (Seriously, you’ve seen one robot, you’ve seen them all.)

I have learned to help Dave chart (using codes) the daily activities for the pitchers he is rehabilitating. He is patient with my questions: “What is PTP?” “What is “PFP?” “What is TF?” “What is FG?” “What is sock?”

Answers, respectively, in case you are interested: pitcher’s throwing practice; pitcher’s fielding practice; touch and feel; flat ground; sock.

I press for more information. “What does S.O.C.K. stand for?”

“Sock.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“The pitcher throws a sock.”

“A sock? Like a sock you wear? Well, if that isn’t the silliest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Patty, I just need you to code, not comment.”
“Okay, but I still think it’s silly.”

When Dave is at the ballpark, I am writing my book or an article. For most (ahem!) of the things I write about him, I ask his opinion. This past week, he deleted an entire article when I tried to give him credit for saving a pitcher’s career. Daily we discuss our family, that we need to give up potato chips, how President Trump should stop Tweeting, our frustration with politics and prayer requests.

Interesting, isn’t it? All that time I spent wondering why it was so hard to make friends here in Jupiter, and the best one I ever could have was sitting right beside me!

Fort Scott

Fort Scott Rotary: “Service Above Self”

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Fort Scott Rotary Members sing the Rotary anthem before the meeting on Sept. 18.

Rotary is a service organization of approximately 47 people, Rhonda Dunn president of the Fort Scott Club, said.

“We share a dedication to the ideal of service above self,” she said. To this end, Rotary has been at the forefront of fighting against a disease.

“Rotary International has helped eradicate polio worldwide, the most in third-world countries,” Dunn said.

Dunn hams it up while singing the Rotary Club song.

Locally they support numerous clubs and organizations and also award a local high school student with a scholarship.

Every Wednesday they gather in the basement of the Presbyterian Church, Third and Crawford street, for a lunch meeting from noon to 1 p.m.

Greetings, songs, and announcements begin the meeting, followed by an invited speaker sharing information of local interest.

On Sept. 18,  a little less than 20 of their 47 members were present.

This month there is a cup on the table to be passed around for a donation to the Fort Scott High School Pantry, which provides food and clothing for students at the high school.

Every two months a different organization is benefitted from this type of donation including the Riverfront Festival, the Beacon, Care to Share, Good Ol’ Days and the Presbyterian Good Samaritan Fund.

For more information , contact Dunn at [email protected].

Flags at the Fort Scott Rotary meeting Sept. 18.

 

 

 

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Mommy Who Was Irena Sendler? Book Signing Today from 3:30-5:30 p.m.

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REMINDER:
The book signing event
celebrating the
20th Anniversary of
“Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project” is TODAY, September 19th at 3:30pm
The Lowell Milken Center
For Unsung Heroes
invites you to a book signing event celebrating the 20th Anniversary of
“Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project”
on Thursday, September 19th from
3:30-5:30 p.m.
Author of the book “Mommy, Who Was Irena Sendler?” Cathy Werling, along with characters from the book Megan & Blair Felt, will be there to sign autographs. The book will be available for purchase and refreshments will be served.
Cathy Werling is a retired Fort Scott elementary teacher and author of:
  • Why Did Grandpa Cry?
  • Why Did Sergeant Stubby Go To War?
  • Mommy, Who Was Irena Sendler?
  • What If Higgins Had Given Up?
For more information, call
The Lowell Milken Center at
620-223-1312, or visit the website by clicking HERE
Business, Fort Scott

Writing Festival and Author Fair Oct. 19: Registration

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The Fort Scott Writing Festival and Author Fair will be held October 19, 2019 at the Lowell Milken Center. The festival is co-sponsored by the Bourbon County Arts Council, Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, Lowell Milken Center, Books and Grannies and Hedgehog.INK!

The morning session will include workshops by published authors for adults, college and high school students.

There will be six offerings with each participant able to attend three 50-minute sessions.

The cost of the morning activities is $35 with pre-registration due by October 15.

Late registration is $45.

College students and high school students are free with school identification.

Registration includes morning and afternoon snacks, and coupons that can be used at either of the sponsoring bookstores.

Workshop presentations include:

The Writing Plan – R.J. Thesman

Self-Publishing – Sally Freeman Jadlow

Writing for Children – Cathy Werling

On-Line Writing – Kathryn Salsbury

Writing the Poetic Image – Laura Lee Washburn

Know Your Sources – Ronda Hassig

Registration is due by October 15, 2019 – $35. Late Registration $45.

Fill out the attached form and return to Jan Hedges at Hedgehog.INK! 16 S. Main, Fort Scott, KS ([email protected]) or the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce (fortscott.com/events). Checks may be made payable to Hedgehog.INK! or online @ fortscott.com/events.

Name _____________________________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________________________

Phone _________________________ Email __________________________

High School or College Student: _____ Yes _____ No

Paid _______

There is no registration fee for the afternoon Author’s Fair, 1:30 – 3:30.

Three 30-minute mini-sessions will also be available in the afternoon:

Why I Just Now Write – Thomas Yoke

NaNoWriMo – Kate Emmett-Sweetser

Journaling –

Bourbon County Local News