The city of Fort Scott provided ample opportunity for its residents to get in the fall and spooky spirit as a number of Halloween events were held throughout the weekend.

The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce hosted the annual downtown Halloween parade Saturday morning, with a number of children, families and even their pets dressing up for the event. A pumpkin recipe contest was also held as well as photo opportunities and other festivities.

Buck Run Community Center also invited families to come Saturday morning to make Halloween crafts with Fort Scott Middle School volunteers or Sunday afternoon for a pumpkin carving contest.

Other events included Trunk or Treat activities at area churches, costume contests at local businesses and spooky trolley tours hosted by the chamber of commerce.

During the halftime of Saturday night’s football game, the Fort Scott Community College Greyhounds crowned their fall Homecoming king and queen.

Taylor Wade accepted the tiara while John Freeman was crowned the homecoming king.

Other king candidates included Dylan Rice, Ethan Hart, Gavin Miller, Tyler Parker and Mickey Trimble. Queen candidates were Aubrey Smith, Morgan Winchester, ReaCreisha Edwards, Hannah Jackson and Avery Boehm.

But the Greyhounds were unable to protect home field during the Homecoming events. While they prevented Highland Community College from scoring in the second half, the ‘Hounds could not overcome the 20-7 first half deficit and lost 20-17, falling back below a .500 record for the season.

The ‘Hounds struggled to stop the Scotties’ running game early, giving up a touchdown on the very first carry of the game, while their own quarterback was sacked three times. A disputed non-call, which lead to an interception and a quick touchdown, as well as a blocked punt hurt them in the first half.

The greyhounds play their next game Saturday at Frary Field as FSCC holds their Armed Forces Day to honor current members and veterans of the United States Military.

Fort Scott Community College students and faculty showed their appreciation to members of the community through their Community Appreciation Day Thursday, providing a free lunch to those who came.

“We truly appreciate all that they do for us,” President Alysia Johnston said of the community’s support for the college. “And we just wanted to give back in a small way.”

Johnston said they enjoyed the opportunity to host members of the community, who received a free lunch as well as a tour of the Gordon Parks Museum and the chance to speak with college faculty. Members of local businesses and organizations and even city leaders attended the Community Appreciation Day.

Details on other college events such as local performances and athletic events throughout the semesters can be found at the college’s website, http://fortscott.edu/.

On Sunday, November 6, the nationally touring group Unspoken will make a stop in Fort Scott to perform at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center.

Larry Davenport said his son has long been interested in music, and recently has had the opportunity to serve as product manager for musical groups out of Nashville. Because of that position, he was able to connect with the Christian artists Unspoken and invite them to Fort Scott.

Davenport said his family had heard the group perform previously and their reaction was: “We’ve got to get these guys to Fort Scott, because I think people would really like them.”

The group, whom Davenport said is probably in the top 15 in the nation for contemporary Christian music, accepted the invitation and will perform Sunday at 6 p.m., arriving in Fort Scott that day after completing performances in Texas. Tickets cost $15 and are already available for sale online (www.itickets.com/events/369099) or at local businesses such as Ruddick’s Furniture, Union State Bank and SEK Financial.

“The ticket sales are off to a really good start,” Davenport said, saying Ruddick’s and USB had already run out and had to get more.

A total of 600 tickets are available and Davenport said tickets are also being sold online to people from other cities such as Chanute and even as far away as St. Louis.

“People are willing to drive to see these guys,” Davenport said, adding he is glad they are able to bring such visitors to Fort Scott when usually they would have to travel to Kansas City for such a concert.

Funds raised through the ticket sales will be donated to the Fort Scott High School and Middle School Fellowship of Christian Athlete organizations and to the Fort Scott Community College Campus Christian members.

Doors will open at 5 p.m. the night of the concert and the performance will also feature the group Carrollton and special guest Tyrus Morgan.

Submitted by Fort Scott Community College

Armed Forces Day

Fort Scott Community College will honor service members and veterans of the United States Military during its Armed Forces Day football game on Saturday, November 5, at Frary Field.

“We invite fans to join us in thanking these brave men and women for their faithful service to our country,” said Tom Havron, FSCC Director of Athletics.

Service members and veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, along with their immediate family members, will receive free admission to the game. Several local service members will serve as honorary captains of the team that evening.

During halftime of the game, FSCC will also recognize spring 2016 honor roll students.

For more information about Armed Forces Day, please call Tom Havron at 620-223-2700, ext. 7230.

High School Senior Day

Fort Scott Community College will welcome local high school seniors to the Fort Scott campus during the College’s annual Senior Day event on Thursday, November 2. Area high school seniors and their parents are encouraged to attend this free event, which begins at 9:15 a.m. at the Danny & Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center.

“This is a great opportunity for students to visit and experience FSCC,” said Matt Glades, FSCC Director of Admissions. “College faculty, staff and students will be on hand to show potential students what it’s like to be a Greyhound.”

Students will have the opportunity to meet with FSCC faculty and learn about the benefits of attending Fort Scott Community College. The event will also include a campus tour, an expo with student organizations and local resources, breakout sessions by academic program, entertainment, activities and drawings. Additionally, all attendees will receive a free lunch.

To preregister, visit fortscott.edu/SeniorDay. Preregistration is not required—however, those who preregister will be entered into a drawing for prizes from t-shirts to scholarships.

For more information, call Matt Glades, FSCC Director of Admissions, at 620-223-2700 ext. 3520 or email [email protected].

Schedule of events

9:15 a.m. – Registration at Danny & Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center

9:45 a.m. – Welcome and introductions

10:15 a.m. – Campus tour

11:00 a.m. – FSCC expo with student organizations and local area resources

11:30 a.m. – Break-out sessions with instructors and FSCC students

12:15 p.m. – Lunch

12:20 p.m. – Entertainment and games

1:00 p.m. – Conclusion of event

During their commission meeting Tuesday, the Fort Scott City Commission received a report on the past six months at the Woodland Hills Golf Course, including finances, additions and upcoming needs.

In recent months, the course has received numerous improvements and additions, including the new clubhouse, golf professional and manager Shannon O’Neil, improvements at certain tees and holes, the new sign and logo, the option of senior tees and scorecards and the addition of new equipment for taking care of the greens.

“It’s a viable golf course and a good golf course,” O’Neil said, adding he believes it is one of the best courses in the area.

O’Neil said his goal is to expose the course to new groups of people, especially those outside of Fort Scott. In September, the Woodland Hills Golf Course hosted a tournament for the Southeast Kansas Senior Men’s League that brought in more than 40 players. O’Neil said events like those will bring in more golfers as well as encourage local golfers to attend.

Since the end of March, O’Neil said about 5,000 golfers have come to the course, with more than 2,200 of those rounds played by season pass holders. More than 3,300 paid green fees to play.

The season passes and golf fees added up to almost $55,000, the green fees more than $41,000, merchandise such as hats and golf balls almost $5,000, and food and beverages more than $13,000.

“We’re operating on the right side of things,” O’Neil said about the profit they have been able to draw in, while adding that he hopes to add more to the merchandise available.

O’Neil said their other plans for the near future include replacing the golf cart fleet, which have been in use since 2006, and possibly replacing the storage shed for the carts. The city will consider leasing the carts as opposed to buying them outright, determining which option will be most reasonable.

The city commissioners praised O’Neil for all he has accomplished since taking his position this summer as well as for his forward-thinking vision for the golf course.

During a Lunch and Learn hosted by Fort Scott Community College Thursday, author and baseball historian Phil Dixon shared some of the history the Kansas City Monarchs have with the city of Fort Scott.

The Kansas City Monarchs, a team of the Negro National League team from 1920 until the 1960s, played games not just among the eight teams in their league, but against teams around the state and even neighboring states in exhibition games.

Dixon, who spent time in the 1980s as a public relations person for the Kansas City Royals, said the Monarchs were a formidable foe that in their early years, winning pennants and even world championships in their league. They also at one time had more than 400 exhibition wins and just three losses.

Between 1922 and 1932, Dixon said he believes the Monarchs played in Fort Scott approximately nine times, with some of the matches being close considering the quality of the Monarchs, some of whom would go on to become major league players and even Hall of Fame members.

“They had some pretty good ball players in this town,” Dixon said of Fort Scott, even bringing up quotations from Monarchs players who said the Fort Scott team they played in 1922 was the best independent ball team they played that season.

During those years, Dixon said attendees often paid a quarter for a ticket, maybe 50 cents if it was a more respected pitcher. Around that time, they also began playing night games for the first time and started taking buses to different cities instead of trains.

Dixon dedicated his discussion Thursday to Monarchs player George Sweatt, who was born in Humboldt and lived much of his life in Iola.

Dixon said it is important for baseball fans to continue to share that passion with younger generations to keep that pastime alive.

Attendees of the event could ask questions and also share information with Dixon about their experiences with games played in Fort Scott in past decades. Dixon also presented a photo of the Monarchs team to Jill Warford and the Gordon Parks Museum.

Submitted by Fort Scott Community College

FSCC Theatre to Stage “The Bald Soprano”

The Fort Scott Community College Theatre Department will present “The Bald Soprano,” Thursday, October 20, through Saturday, October 22.

“The Bald Soprano,” was written by Eugene Ionesco in 1950.

“This play is a significant part of the Absurdist movement in theatre. The original version of the play takes place in London, but we have adapted the script to fit in the United States,” said Lawrence Alford, FSCC Theatre Instructor. “The concept of the production is based around the 2016 presidential election campaigns. The characters in the play will represent four significant groups—the American voter, the American media, Democratic Party and Republican Party.”

While the play has no discernible plot or storyline, it follows a stream of consciousness. The main message of “The Bald Soprano,” is that language cannot be used as a vehicle for change if no one is saying anything and no one is listening. The play expresses the futility of meaningful communication in modern society.

“One of the main reasons why I chose this play is because my students are voting in their first presidential election,” said Alford. “The play will not take a side in the election—it will attempt to show the absurd nature of the presidential campaign process as a whole.”

The production opens on October 20, and runs through October 22. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Performances will be held at Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center, 2108 S. Horton. General admission tickets may be purchased at the door on the day of the show—prices are $7 for adults, $4 for students and seniors and free for FSCC students.

For more information, call Lawrence Alford at 620-223-2700, ext. 3056.

FSCC to Host Community Appreciation Day

Fort Scott Community College will welcome members of the community to its campus 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Friday, October 28. for its Community Appreciation Day.

The event is designed to thank the community for its continued support of the College. Attendees will receive a free grilled hot dog lunch and a tour of the Gordon Parks Museum. Additionally, they will have the opportunity to meet and talk with FSCC administrative staff.

FSCC’s Community Appreciation Day will take place in front of the Danny & Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center. In case of inclement weather, the event will take place inside the Fine Arts Center. For more information, please call 620-223-2700.

Submitted by Angela Bin

The International Thespian Society announces the participation of Fort Scott High School, Thespian Troupe #7365, in the Trick or Treat So Kids Can Eat program.

Trick or Treat So Kids Can Eat is a national community service program to collect canned and dry goods for local charities and food banks. Theatre students from FSHS will collect food donations on Friday, October 21, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thousands of pounds of food will be collected in one week across the state, giving organizations the ability to help thousands of local people.

The International Thespian Society (ITS) is an honorary organization for high school and middle school theatre students located at more than 4,100 affiliated secondary schools across America, Canada and abroad. The mission of ITS is to honor student achievement in the theatre arts. High school inductees are known as “Thespians” and junior high/middle school inductees are known as “Junior Thespians.” ITS is a division of the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA), a professional organization with approximately 100,000 members nationwide.

Thespians will also partner with other high school clubs including Pride to collect food.  If you would like to donate to the cause and the students miss your home on October 21, please drop your donation by FSHS and address it to Angie Bin, FSHS Thespian Director.