Rudolph is played by Tommy Johnson and Santa is played by Shannon Johnson. Courtesy photos.
The lights from a local family’s Christmas display just might be able to be seen from space. The yard is loaded with lights and displays to entertain the community, and Santa will be there Dec. 8 for those who want a photo opportunity.
The home of Shannon and Tommy Johnson at 753 S. Clark has been transformed into a winter wonderland since 2009.
“Every year we just grow more,” Shannon said. “We offer pictures with Santa and also do a huge Halloween display with a haunted house.”
The Johnson home is located east of Hwy. 69. Go east on Third Street, then turn south on Clark.
“We light up every night from 5 p.m. to 9:30 or 10.00 p.m.” Shannon said.
“It roughly takes two weeks to do (the decorating) inside and out,” Shannon said. “We will have them lit until around Jan 3rd or so.”
A free will donation will be accepted to help with costs and lighting for upcoming years, Shannon said.
“We also will have Santa here on the December 8th for picture taking, Shannon said. “Popcorn cookies will be served and people can walk through the winter wonderland.”
“We enjoy doing it for the community,” Shannon said.
The Johnson’s also decorated their home for Halloween and had over 1,000 visitors, Shannon said.
Carla Nemecek Southwind Extension District Director & Agent [email protected] 620-365-2242 1 North Washington, Iola, KS 66749
Kansas State University provides you with research-based information through many avenues. Locally, your contact is the Southwind Extension District in Erie, Ft. Scott, Yates Center and Iola. Hundreds of publications and fact sheets, written by K-State researchers and specialists, are available through the university’s Publications Library, www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/ Another alternative is to research the information provided on the Southwind website, www.southwind.k-state.edu/
However, not all of our services can be found on the internet. One of the most utilized resources is soil testing. K-State Research & Extension can test soil for $12 per sample or $10 apiece for two or more. Soil testing is recommended for gardeners, farmers, testing for lawn & turf problems, or pasture management. Feed and forage testing is also offered. The only way to know for certain the quality of the feed is to get a lab analysis of it, to take a forage test. A forage test may run from $12-24 per sample, depending on what you want the sample tested for. Other tests that are available include Radon Test Kits ($6) and Water Quality Testing resources.
Have you ever wondered what that unidentified pest or plant lurking around your home may be, or even how you can get rid of it? The Extension Office has expertise and resources available to identify pests that are common to our area and in Kansas. This includes home and crop insects, weeds, and various plants. We can also provide information on how to remove or control the pest, depending on your situation.
One of our “best kept secret” products that we offer for sale are odor neutralizers. Ecosorb ($28) is used in numerous homes, farm and industrial/commercial applications. Most of our clients seek this product to control the odor from fuel spills, mold smell, or skunk sprays. Neutroleum Alpha ($35) is a concentrated product utilized in a similar fashion to control strong odors. Because it is a concentrate, it can be used in a larger area.
This time of the year, we sell quite a few Farm and Family Account Books ($4.50 – $8.50). If you haven’t made the transition to computerized record keeping, this resource allows for an accurate accounting of your finances in a form that makes completing taxes easier.
Extension publications are very accessible to the public, and most are free if you pick them up in the Extension Office. The Kansas Garden Guide is a new publication that is available for only $6. If you are looking for resources on planning a garden, seeding & planting, or details about a specific crop, this publication is a must-have. Extension offers many, many publications on home gardening so please stop by if you are looking for something specific.
Area farmers and ranchers often utilize the Kansas Performance Tests for various crops to determine which varieties will grow best in this area of the state. Next month, the 2018 Hybrid Reports for Corn, Soybeans, and Grain Sorghum will become available in the Extension Office. This is in addition to the Wheat Seed Book that is always available in late summer after wheat has been harvested and data collected.
The 2019 Chemical Weed Control Guide will be published in January and provides suggestions for chemical weed control in several major crops. It offers recommendations, and guidelines for crop specific chemicals.
If you are involved in a club or organization that requests presentations, the Southwind District offers a “Speakers Bureau” brochure, which contains the public speaking topics offered by the Extension Agents. Let us help you with your educational topics during your meetings. We try to mail this to civic and social organizations on an annual basis, but you are also welcome to pick up a copy in any of our three offices.
As a consumer, you have many options for finding the answers to your questions. By choosing to use the Extension Service, you can be sure you are getting research-based, unbiased information. We encourage you to use the Southwind Extension District Offices in Erie, Ft. Scott, Yates Center and Iola to help answer your questions. Or you can find us on the web, www.southwind.k-state.edu/
Your local Extension Office is a tremendous resource for finding the information you need. With offices located in Erie, Fort Scott, Iola, and Yates Center, KS, we are here to help answer your questions about Lawn & Gardens, 4-H & Youth Development, Crops & Livestock, and Health & Nutrition.. Have a specific horticulture problem?
2:00-2:30-Shane Walker and Justin Meeks-unused County property
Justifications for Executive Session:
Personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel
Consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship
Matters relating to employer-employee negotiations whether or not in consultation with the representative(s) of the body or agency
Confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships
Preliminary discussions relating to the acquisition of real property
Matters relating to the security of a public body or agency, public building or facility or the information system of a public body or agency, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting would jeopardize the security of such public body, agency, building, facility or information system
TOPEKA – As we enter the busy holiday season, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) is sharing important food safety practices by encouraging Kansans to follow some simple tips to avoid foodborne illnesses.
Clean your hands for 20 seconds with soapy water before touching any food. Wash hands and surfaces often during food preparation. Always serve food on clean plates and avoid reusing plates that previously held raw meat and poultry.
Separate raw and cooked foods to avoid cross contamination. Use a separate cutting board for cooked foods and raw foods and always wash them after use. Do not cut raw vegetables on the same cutting board as raw meat. Wash any utensil after preparing one food item before going on to the next item.
Cook using a food thermometer to make sure all food reaches a safe minimum internal temperature; turkey, stuffing, and casseroles should be 165°F; veal, beef and lamb roasts should reach 145°F; and ham, pork, ground beef and egg dishes should be 160°F. When reheating, leftovers should be thoroughly heated to 165°F.
Chill leftovers within two hours of cooking. Keep track of how long items have been sitting on the table and discard anything that has been out longer than two hours. Keep hot foods hot, 140°F or hotter, and cold foods cold, 40°F or below. Never defrost food at room temperature. Thaw food in the refrigerator, in a cold-water bath or in the microwave.
Report suspected foodborne illnesses to KDHE by calling 877-427-7317. Often, calls from concerned citizens are how outbreaks are first detected.
Need more information? Visit the following food safety websites and enjoy your holidays.
The City of Fort Scott offices will be closed on Thursday, November 22nd and Friday, November 23rd, 2018 in observance of the Thanksgiving Day Holiday. The regular offices will reopen on Monday, November 26th, 2018.
The City’s tree and brush dump site located on North Hill will also be closed on Saturday, November 24th, 2018 for the Thanksgiving Day holiday. It will be open again on Tuesday, November 27th, 2018 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Mid-Continental Restoration Inc. employees work on the exterior of the LaRoche buildings, formerly the old Tribune buildings on Wall Street at National Avenue, on Nov. 7. From left on the ground is Pat Shelton, equipment maintenance with MCR and Chris Fountain, foreman.
Work began on two historic side-by-side downtown buildings owned by Jennifer LaRoche on Nov. 5.
Stones on the facade of the buildings on Wall Street at National Avenue are being removed and examined to get structural issues repaired, according to Pat Shelton, Mid-Contenintal Restoration Inc., Fort Scott.
“We are doing restoration on the north side of the exterior,” Chase Halsey, MCR project manager, said. “We are taking down the stone, then rebuilding the wall and relaying the existing stones if they are in good shape.”
Some of the stones on the century-old buildings are missing or have deteriorated, he said.
“I don’t know the exact date the building was built, over one-hundred years ago, I would guess,” Halsey said.
Beau Casper is shoring up the roof trusses, Halsey said. Casper is a separately contracted with LaRoche, he said.
“That is so that when we reattach the stone veneer, it will be more stable than right now,” he said.
New stones will be made by Phoenix Marble Stone, Springfield, Mo., Halsey said.
“We are going to try to have it done by the end of the year,” Halsey said. “We are at the mercy of when the new stones are on site….and we are at the mercy of the weather as well.”
“The snow on the scaffolding makes us unable to work,” he said.
No interior work is being done at this time, Halsey said.
Gently used coats, jackets, scarves and gloves are still being accepted for the Fort Scott High School Senior Class clothing drive. The set of donations was dropped off at Fort Scott High School on Friday. FSHS Senior Madison Farmer accepted the donations from Jowers.
Drop off donations at the High School or contact Post 25 Commander Carl Jowers at 620-215- 1688 to arrange local pickup.
” I am pleased to announce that Fort Scott American Legion Thompson-Harkey Post 25 leads the Department of Kansas in membership again this week,” Jowers said. “This is our second week as Number 1 in membership. Our current membership is 112% and 56 members.”
November 22. Thursday. 11:30am-1:30pm. Community Thanksgiving Dinner at the Elks Lodge – 111 W. 19th St. Free-will donation. If you need transportation to this Thanksgiving Dinner or know of a Veteran who needs a ride, reply to this email or call Carl Jowers at 620-215-1688 to arrange a ride.
November 23. Friday. 4 – 8 PM. Carl and Myra Jowers will be dressed as Mr. and Mrs. Claus at the Fort Scott Wal-Mart. Children of all ages can stop by for a photo op with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Donations for American Legion Post 25 programs will be accepted.
November 22. Saturday.10 am – 2 pm. Carl and Myra Jowers will be dressed as Mr. and Mrs. Claus at the Fort Scott Wal-Mart. Children of all ages can stop by for a photo op with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Donations for American Legion Post 25 programs will be accepted.
November 22. Sunday.1 – 5 pm. Carl and Myra Jowers will be dressed as Mr. and Mrs. Claus at the Fort Scott Wal-Mart. Children of all ages can stop by for a photo op with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Donations for American Legion Post 25 programs will be accepted.
Not everyone loves pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dessert and this cake is an excellent substitute especially at this time of year when cranberry sauce is on sale. The recipe calls for a bundt pan but you could use a tube pan as well. Decorate as I did with sugared cranberries and slivers of orange peel.
CRANBERRY SAUCE CAKE
3 c. flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. mayo (not Miracle Whip)
1 (16 oz) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1/3 c. orange juice
1 T. grated orange peel
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 t. orange extract
1 c. chopped Nuts (recipe called for walnuts but here in Kansas we’re partial to pecans)
Icing:
1 c. powdered sugar
1 – 2 T. orange juice (I needed a bit more)
In a mixing bowl, combine cake ingredients except for nuts. Mix well. Fold in nuts. Spray bundt pan with Pam. Pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 for 60 to 70 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pan before removing to a wire rack. Combine icing ingredients and drizzle over the warm cake.
I sugared fresh cranberries and slivers of orange peel for decoration.
Martha Meinsen Scott is a Fort Scott foodie who creates from her home, called Linderhof.
