After working at Medicalodges in Fort Scott for 20 years in a variety of positions, current marketing manager Deb Madison will officially retire from the facility after Sept. 30.

Born and raised in Fort Scott, Madison first worked at Medicalodges as a high school student not long after it opened in 1966. She returned in April of 1995 when the administrator, a former classmate of hers, asked her to consider taking a position there.

“I took it hesitantly,” Madison says of that decision. “I just didn’t know whether I would actually like this kind of work. But after you work here a few days, you realize it’s something you love.”

First working as a housekeeping supervisor, Madison eventually served in several departments including social services, human resources and eventually community relations and marketing. Madison said that latter position has been one of her favorites, saying she gets to be a part of both worlds as she works with Medicalodges but also interacts with the community.

But Madison says her favorite part of the job has been her fellow staff members and the residents she sees each day.

“Residents become your family,” Madison says. “A lot of them you’re around them as much as you are your own family…It will be hard not to see them every day.”

Madison says it has been an honor working for Medicalodges over the last two decades, as she saw changes come to the facility such as seven different administrators and also different regulations enforced at the state and federal level. Overall, Madison says they have changed the atmosphere from that of an institution to that of a home for their residents.

“It’s all about teamwork here,” Madison says, adding the staff helps each other out when needed, even if it is outside of their own area of expertise. “We’ve got a good staff.”

But Madison says she looks forward to retirement and spending more time with her seven children and nine grandchildren, ranging from two to 14 years old. All of her children live in or near Fort Scott.

Madison and her husband will also continue working at their ranch, Madison Cattle, located about six miles north of Fort Scott and says she plans to remain active in the community.

“I’m sure I’ll be plenty busy,” Madison says of her retirement. “It will be a different chapter in my life.”

Fort Scott National Historic Site and the city of Fort Scott welcomed 91 new United States citizens Friday morning with the naturalization ceremony for the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas.

“Participating in ceremonies such as this is one of the best parts of my job as magistrate judge,” said the Honorable Teresa James, U.S. Magistrate Judge.

Forty different countries were represented by the new citizens, including Mexico, Canada, Ukraine, Russia, China, Thailand, South Africa, Kenya, India and others. Their careers included homemakers, students, software engineers, painters, concrete workers, professors, pastors, bakers and even a member of the United States military among others.

“I know you have worked very hard to accomplish this goal,” James said, saying they earned their citizenship with all the work they went through to reach this point. “It is a lengthy and rigorous process.”

The Honorable Mark Ward, District Judge of the 6^th Judicial District, said those new citizens had to go through several steps including studying English and taking a 100-question, U.S. history and government test, which Ward pointed out many natural-born citizens would struggle to pass.

“I congratulate each and every one of you,” Mark Ward said. “You should be proud of your accomplishments.”

Ward, whose father-in-law emigrated from Italy at the age of 11 years, said that accomplishment has earned them the right to vote, practice their own religion and many other freedoms which they should hold on to.

“Many of us don’t realize how lucky we are,” Ward said. “It’s easy to take our rights and freedoms for granted.”

Betty Boyko of the historic site encouraged the new citizens to visit their site again. Boyko said the site has hosted the event four times and the fort and the entire community enjoy providing a venue for the ceremony.

“This is a great day, a great memory, and we thank you for allowing Fort Scott to be the place where this memory takes place,” Fort Scott City Manager Dave Martin said.

The Fort Scott High School band and orchestra provided music throughout the ceremony while the Pittsburg State University Army ROTC presented the colors.

Fort Scott Community College was named the top-ranked community college in the nation in a second annual study done by SmartAsset, a personal-financial advice platform which used data from 565 public, two-year colleges for the study.

“Community colleges are getting a lot of attention lately,” managing editor A.J. Smith said, saying she and others did the study to provide information to those considering college and student loans. “So we’re happy to look at what some of our great community colleges are providing.”

In 2014, FSCC was ranked at ninth in the nation, but their 12:1, student-teacher ratio, reasonable tuition rates and 87 percent graduation or transfer rate led to their earning that top position for 2015. A fourth area the study looked at was the ratio of the median starting salary for graduates to the cost of attendance.

Smith said FSCC’s increase in graduate or transfer rate and the only slight in-state tuition increase compared to more drastic rises for other colleges led to their move into first place in the study.

SmartAsset pointed out that FSCC is also one of the oldest of its kind, founded in 1919 as the first community college in Kansas.

Other top 10 community colleges were located in Missouri, Illinois, Arizona, Mississippi, South Dakota, Oklahoma and Texas. Labette Community College in Parsons was ranked fifth.

For a 27^th year, the Gordon Parks Center in Fort Scott is facilitating the Gordon Parks Photography Competition, encouraging both local and international amateur photographers to submit photographs before the Oct. 1, deadline.

“The goal is to honor Gordon Parks through the medium he is most well-known for – photography,” said Jill Warford, executive director of the Gordon Parks Museum. “Another goal is to encourage and recognize photographers in Gordon’s name.”

Conducted by the Fort Scott Community College since 1990, the competition has had more than 4,000 people participate.

Individuals can submit up to five photographs, without any digital alteration, taken within the last two years. Each entry costs $10 and must follow the 2015 theme of “The Learning Tree” Years – taken from Parks’ novel of the same name which followed characters through different life transitions and influences.

Participants can use that theme for a photograph from any perspective, their own or someone else’s, as they capture scenes from life.

The competition will provide $500 in winnings, giving $200 to the first place winner, $100 to the second place, $75 to the third place photo and $25 apiece to five honorable mention photographs.

The first round of judging will be complete by Oct. 30, with 15-18 photos being selected for the finalists’ round, with finalist photographers notified by email. Winners will be named on the 103^rd anniversary of Parks’ birthday, Nov. 30.

This year, only amateur photographers will be allowed to participate, excluding those who have a full-time job or make a living in photography.

Photo Credit: Gordon Parks Museum/Center for Culture and Diversity

For a 59^th year, the Pioneer Harvest Fiesta will bring festivities to Bourbon County throughout the weekend at the Fairgrounds, beginning with a downtown parade on Main Street Thursday evening at 6 p.m.

“We’ve got a big show this year,” president David McCord said of the event during the Chamber Coffee Thursday.

The event will include activities such as straw baling, rock crushing, sawmill operating, wheat threshing, corn husking and plowing demonstrations as well as tractor pulls Friday through Sunday and with equipment and machinery on exhibition throughout the weekend.

For the first time, the event will include a machinery auction to be held Friday at 1 p.m. Already, Allen Warren said they have a large collection of items to be auctioned off with more still coming in.

Participants in the auction will pay a 5 percent commission on their sold items. The proceeds will go towards building a storage barn to house the event’s equipment, such as the steam engine that turns 100 this year.

This year, an exhibit of Case tractors will be on hand, including about 20-30 tractors brought to Fort Scott from south of Parsons from a collector. Already, three trips have been made to bring in the tractors and more are on the way.

“It’s really unusual to have one collector bring that many tractors,” Allen said, saying they are fortunate to have it this year.

A writer from a Case farm equipment magazine will be present to see the collection of tractors the Pioneer Harvest Fiesta will feature.

The weekend will also have a quilt show, with members of the community bringing quilts to display while local and out of town vendors will also bring quilts to sell. Country Cupboard, Country Peddler, Butterfly Boutique, Nine Patch Quilt and Fabrics of Nevada, Mo., and the Country Store Quilt Shop of Carthage, Mo., will be present.

“We just have a room full of quilts,” said Jackie Warren, who helped organize the event along with her husband Allen, adding that one of the quilts displayed is over 100 years old.

Those attending the event over the weekend can vote on their favorite quilt on display and the winner will receive a gift certificate to Nine Patch Quilt and Fabrics of Nevada, Mo. There will also be hand and machine quilting demonstrations as well as loom weaving.

Allen said each year the event has had a large number of participants as well as sponsors show their support.

“Our community supports this,” Allen said. “Without our corporate sponsors we wouldn’t be able to have a Pioneer Harvest Fiesta.”

Participants can attend the entire weekend of events, including a meal Friday evening, with the purchase of a $5 button. A schedule of the weekend events is available at the event’s website.

The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes presented two of the six annual Discovery Awards to four local students Monday afternoon, awarding them for the projects they worked on over the previous school year concerning an unsung hero they discovered.

“The Discovery Award recognizes outstanding student projects around the world,” said LMC executive director Norman Conard. “We delight in presenting these awards to teachers and students who find great unsung heroes, which can be used for role models everywhere.”

Participants in the contest included students from 4^th to 12^th grade from around the United States and even internationally. Students could participate individually or in teams of up to five members.

Each student or team turned in a project in the form of a documentary, performance or website about an unsung hero, demonstrating the subject’s timeless impact and promoting respect and understanding.

“All of the participants did an outstanding job this year,” said Dani Gardullo, LMC’s director of marketing.

Ben Fischer, a student at the Christian Learning Center in Fort Scott, was awarded the second place prize of $2,000 for his documentary on Horace King, titled “Bridging Barriers and Building a Legacy.” King was a slave who later became an engineer, bridge-builder, businessman and then senator in the Alabama State Legislature.

Julia Kerr, Zoe Self and Drake Garcia of Christian Heights in Fort Scott received the Outstanding Middle School Award of $1,000 for their performance on Recha Sternbuch, who arranged the rescue of more than 2,000 Jews during the holocaust.

Other awards were won by students in Topeka, Joplin and even Poland. Visit the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes or its website to see the students’ projects honoring individuals previously unrecognized for their efforts.

The local fire department had the opportunity to participate in the Carson & Barnes Circus when they were asked to help wash the elephants before the first showing Monday afternoon at the Fairgrounds.

Captain Dale Bollinger of the Fort Scott Fire Department said the circus contacted them to participate in the pre-show event of washing the elephants, which was open for members of the community to come witness.

“That was the first time I’ve ever done it,” said Bollinger, who has been with the department 25 years. “It’s pretty neat.”

After a circus employee used a leaf blower to remove dirt from the three elephants, firefighters then got to take turns using the hose from the fire engine to wash off the three elephants.

Others from the community, such as students from the Christian Learning Center, came to the circus venue earlier in the day to witness the raising of the big top and also to see the elephants and ask questions about them and the circus in general.

The circus held two showings Monday, with funding going towards the local chamber of commerce.