Upcoming FSCC Community Activities and Events

Submitted by Heather Browne, FSCC

FSCC to Host Painting and Wreath Classes on Sept. 26

Fort Scott Community College will host the Witches & Wreaths painting and crafts classes 6-9 p.m. Tuesday, September 26, in the Greyhound and Heritage Rooms of the Dick Hedges Administration Building, 2108 South Horton, Fort Scott.

Instructors will show participants how to create a Halloween-themed painting or wreath for their homes. The cost is $20 for one class or $30 for both classes; the fee includes a treat, refreshments and painting or craft supplies. Space is limited for this event. For more information or to preregister, contact Kassie Fugate-Cate, FSCC Admissions Representative, at  kassief@fortscott.edu or 620-223-2700, ext. 3530.

FSCC Volleyball Team to Host Dig Pink Night

The Fort Scott Community College Volleyball Team will host Dig Pink Night to support breast cancer awareness at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 4, at Arnold Arena, 2108 South Horton Street, Fort Scott.

The Dig Pink Rally is an event that brings together volleyball players across the nation to raise funds for breast cancer research, demonstrate the power of teamwork and show support for people with the disease.

Attendees are encouraged to wear pink to the game. The team will also be collecting donations for the Side-Out Foundation, a nonprofit organization that raises funds to support breast cancer research and programs. For more information, please call Lindsay Hill, FSCC Head Volleyball Coach, at 620-223-2700, ext. 7220.

All aboard for “Bus Stop” at FSCC

When a headstrong young rodeo cowboy, unfamiliar with the finer points of courtship, all but kidnaps an attractive nightclub singer intending to haul her back to his ranch in Montana and make her his bride, the last place he wanted to find himself was stuck in a bus stop outside Topeka waiting out a snow storm. But that’s exactly what happens to Bo Decker, the self-proclaimed “prize bronco-buster, steer-roper, and bull-dogger anywhere around,” in William Inge’s modern classic, “Bus Stop.”

The FSCC Theatre Department, under the direction of new instructor Allen Twitchell, will present “Bus Stop,” at 7:30 p.m., October 5-7, at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center. Admission will be free.

“I wanted to fold our fall production into the Homecoming Week celebration, and I felt this play was a perfect fit because of its timeless subject matter—the pursuit of love—as well as its name recognition and the connection to our outstanding rodeo program,” Twitchell said. “It just seemed to be calling to me.”

Playing the role of Bo is sophomore Royce White, from Shawnee, while sophomore Stephanie Rice, from Fort Scott, plays Cherie, the unwilling object of Bo’s affection. Also in the ensemble cast are sophomore Jackie Neher, from Lamar, Mo., as Grace, the savvy owner of the bus stop’s restaurant; freshman Hannah Casner, from Mound City, as Elma, a naïve young waitress; sophomore Jared Oshel, from Princeton, as Will Masters, the stern-but-fair sheriff; freshman Jesse Cooke, from Redfield, as Carl, the bus driver with an eye for Grace; freshman Sammy Jamison, from Pittsburg, as Virgil, Bo’s older, more wise-to-the-world sidekick; and Harold Hicks, FSCC English instructor, as Dr. Gerald Lyman, a former college professor conflicted by his attraction to alcohol and young girls.

“Inge was masterful at representing the myriad of emotions and complications of the male-female relationship,” Twitchell said. “This play deals with a variety of romantic entanglements—Bo-Cherie, Carl-Grace, and Dr. Lyman-Elma—from the perfectly natural to the intentionally uncomfortable.”

Serving as understudies are freshman Payton Boswell, from Pittsburg; transfer Natalie Cable, from Dallas, Texas; sophomore Paulette Hays, from Perry; sophomore Kartis Leal, from Denver, Colo.; and freshman Peyton Quick, from Fort Scott.

The stage manager is sophomore Linda Shinkle, from Fredonia, with Leal serving as shop foreman and chief of the set crew. Also assisting with the production are freshman Katelynn Coe, from Linn Valley; freshman Ka’Si Gates, from Bronson; sophomore Ashley Lockwood from Fort Scott; sophomore Kaitlan Palmer, from Mulberry; and Abby Cooke, from Redfield.

Gordon Parks Celebration to feature Poetry Out Loud

The Gordon Parks Celebration, scheduled for October 12-14, at Fort Scott Community College, will feature the Parks Poetry Out Loud contest. Participants will pick one of seven selected poems written by Gordon Parks and present it in front of an audience at noon on Friday, October 13, in the Gordon Parks Museum on the FSCC campus.

There is no fee to enter the contest, and participants will be judged on how they present the poem through voice, diction and interpretation. It is open to everyone—students and adults alike are encouraged to take part. Cash prizes will be awarded to first ($100), second ($75), and third place ($50) winners.

“This is a new event for the Gordon Parks Celebration, and this type of event is often called a poetry slam,” said Jill Warford, Gordon Parks Center Director. “Anyone who likes to read and interpret poetry will enjoy this. We picked seven of Gordon’s poems that vary in their subject matter.”

The poems include “Momma,” “Come Sing with Me,” “From the Huge Silence,” “The First Bud,” “A Bottle’s Worth of Tomorrow,” “Homecoming,” and “No Apologies.” The seven poems are available on the Gordon Parks Museum website at gordonparkscenter.org.

For more information, email gordonparkscenter@fortscott.edu or call 620-223-2700, ext. 5850.

FSCC to Host Fall Kids’ Fair
Fort Scott, Kan.—Fort Scott Community College will host the Fall Kids’ Fair from 9:00 to 11:30 am on Saturday, October 14. The event will feature a variety of activities for children of all ages, including fall-themed carnival games, a cake walk, and a bounce house. Gizmo the Greyhound will also be in attendance. The kids’ fair is free, and it will take place at the FSCC campus south parking lot, 2108 South Horton in Fort Scott. For more information, please call Cindy Davis at 620-223-2700, ext. 3560.

 

Obituary: Kenneth William Smith

Submitted by Cheney Witt Funeral Home

Kenneth William Smith, age 93, a resident of Fort Scott, Kan., passed away Wednesday, September 13, 2017, at Medicalodge of Fort Scott.

He was born February 19, 1924, in Pittsburg, Kan., the son of Walter and Vera Hesson Smith. After graduating from Pittsburg High School, he served in the U. S. Army, experiencing the Battle of the Bulge and Buzz Bomb Alley. He married Ann Dietz on February 26, 1949, in Pittsburg. She preceded him in death on July 19, 2016. Kenneth graduated with his teaching degree from Kansas State Teachers College in Pittsburg. He was working for Joe Smith Tobacco when approached by Jake Underwood to come to Fort Scott in 1950. He agreed, and started the Drivers Education Program and began teaching. Throughout his 39-year career, he taught mechanical drawing, shop, civics and math. He also taught at Fort Scott Community College. He coached several sports, most notably golf. He worked many sporting events over the years, including track meets. He officiated high school and college basketball and football. When he had spare time, he could usually be found playing golf. He still holds the Fort Scott Country Club course record for nine holes at 29. He liked playing gin-rummy and pinochle. He relaxed to music from the Rat Pack era. In his later years, he began raising cattle. He was president of the Fort Scott Saddle Club and enjoyed riding with his daughter, Kim. He loved spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church.

Survivors include two daughters, Connie Hayden and husband Dale, Manhattan, Kan., and Kim Sheets, Siloam Springs, Ark.; two sisters, Imogene Hannigan, Oswego, Kan., and Ilene Everett, Girard, Kan.; five grandchildren, Kristyn Hayden-Ortega and husband Darren, Emily Hoots and husband Eric, Lora Hanes and husband Adam, Colton Sheets and Lucas Sheets; four great grandchildren, Zoey Hanes, Charles Hanes, Claire Hoots and Harper Ortega; and numerous nieces and nephews. Besides his wife, he was preceded in death by a daughter, Vicki O’Bryan; a brother, Clarence Smith; and two sisters, Patricia Yanke and Wilma Workman.

Rev. Dr. Jared Witt will conduct funeral services at 10 a.m. Wednesday, September 20, at the First Presbyterian Church. Burial will follow in the U. S. National Cemetery. Military Honors will be provided by the Olson Frary Burkhart Post #1165 V.F.W. The family will receive friends from 5 until 7 p.m. Tuesday evening at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Memorials are suggested to FSHS Golf and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, P.O. Box 347, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

Learn How Skill is Better than Luck at the School of Artillery at Fort Scott NHS

Submitted by Bridget Mann, FSNHS

Recruits in the modern U.S. Army are known as “Army Strong.” At Fort Scott National Historic Site, we are looking for a few good recruits to become “Artillery Strong.” We want you to join a School of Artillery for anyone aged 16 and above. The training will take place on Saturday, September 23, 2017.

During the program, site staff will train you in military deportment, marching and maneuvers related to the army presence at Fort Scott in the 1840s. The highlight though, will be the firing of the cannon. Those in attendance will receive instruction as “cannoneers.” The instructor will walk you through each position on the artillery crew and teach you to perform your duties with “speed and accuracy.” At the end of the training day, participants will then fire the cannon for the public.

We are looking to expand the ranks of our volunteer artillery crew. If you go through this training and meet all other qualifications, you will be able to participate on the cannon crew and take part in future artillery demonstrations at Fort Scott NHS.

The program will begin at 8:30 a.m. on September 23, and go through 4 p.m. that day. Participants will check in at the visitor center and then dress out in period clothing for the day’s activities. In addition to artillery training, those in attendance will also receive a guided tour of the site and be part of a flag retreat ceremony.

Registration is now underway. To register for this program, call 620-223- 0310. You must be 16 years or older to participate. If you are below the age of 18, a parental permission is also required. Space is limited to 10 people, so call now to reserve your spot.

Domino’s adds to eatery choices in Fort Scott

Domino’s Pizza opens in Fort Scott Monday, September 18 at 1709 S. National.

The franchise is owned by Emily and Dan Elwell, Jasper, Mo.

Owner Emily Elwell, right, works the front during the soft opening Friday. Employee Nathan Carey is at left.
Matt Ebert, assistant manager; Emily Elwell, owner; and Kevin Knippelberger, manager pose in front of the store Friday. The ribbon cutting for the business is 10:15 a.m. Monday September 18.

The Elwell’s looked at different markets when deciding where to expand their business and through happenstance discovered the abandoned building on National Avenue.

They just happened to pull off Hwy. 69 at the strip mall site, she said, saw the for sale sign and a drive-through window and went directly to the real estate agent next door to the property to inquire.

“It’s been eerie how it worked out,” Emily Elwell said. “We are supposed to be in Fort Scott.”

They currently have 17 employees, all local.

Hours for the pizza eatery are 10:30 a.m. to midnight, Sunday through Thursday; 10:30 a.m.to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

Manager Kevin Knippelberger visits with a drive-through customer Friday.

Lowell Milken Center Celebrates 10 Years: Art, Dinner And A Movie

Lowell Milken speaks during the 10th Anniversary of the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes.

Art, dinner, and a movie is the way The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes celebrated their tenth anniversary Thursday evening.

“We are at the top of the second inning of what we want to accomplish,” Founder Lowell Milken told the audience about the future of the center.

At the exhibition gallery, at Wall and Main Streets, the founder and staff showcased six ArtEffect Project winners and four new Unsung Hero Exhibits.

From left: teacher Nathan McAlister and students Luke Boyden, Colin Caviness and Colin Everts from Royal Valley Middle School, Mayetta, stand in front of the Unsung Hero project the students are exhibiting in the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes. The title of their project “A Light In The Darkness: The Emma Darling Cushman Project.”

Later, dinner in the courtyard of the Liberty Theater happened to be on a perfect Kansas weather evening, with temperatures in the 70s.

Local author and retired Fort Scott teacher, Cathy Werling, was showcased  with her  new children’s book “Why Did Grandpa Cry?”

Children’s book author Cathy Werling sells her first book at the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes dinner party. Purchasing the book and giving a hug is Kelly Nelson. At right, LMC Administrative Assistant Mary Kerr assists at the sales table.

Since her retirement a few years back, Werling has been employed by the center.

One thing led to another and Werling was asked to write a children’s book about some of the unsung heroes.

“I saw this as an opportunity to move this (story) down to their level of understanding,” Werling said.

“Why Did Grandpa Cry?” is about Unsung Heroes Ken Reinhardt and Ann Williams,  who were a part of the American story of desegregation in the late 1950s.

It is first in a series of 12 children’s books that Werling has been asked to write about unsung heroes.

Books can be purchased through the center and other online sources.

“If purchased through the center, it’s matched by the Lowell Milken Family,” she said. Those funds help the local center.

A documentary film “Teach Us All”  by Sonia Lowman followed the dinner.

Film director Sonia Lowman speaks with members of the audience following the showing of the documentary “Teach Us All.”

Lowman is director of Communications for the Lowell Milken Family Foundation in Santa Monica, Calif.

She came to Milken with an idea about racial inequality, Milken said.

The film was created to “inspire and activate young people to understand the legacy of The Little Rock Nine and why they need to act on that legacy,” Lowman said.

The film also focuses on the need to support teachers and schools, she said.

The film will debut on Netflix on September 25, which marks the 60th anniversary of The Little Rock Nine desegregation battle.

 

Obituary: Diane Pearl Smith

Submitted by Cheney Witt Funeral Home

Diane Pearl (Decker) Smith, age 76, a resident of, Fort Scott, Kan., died Sunday, September 10, 2017, at her home.

She was born January 9, 1941, in Fort Scott, Kan., the daughter of Jack and Juanita Decker. She married Ross Eugene Smith on May 21, 1963, in Lordsburg, N.M. He preceded her in death on April 8, 2004. She became a Christian and was baptized at age 30. She worked her early years of life as a migrant farm worker, a waitress, and from 1981-2004 she worked as a certified Nurse’s aide for the Mercy Convent in Fort Scott, Kan.. She retired in 2004.

Survivors include her daughters; Timbi West and husband, Jim, of Charleston, Ark., and Marlene Smith and husband, David, of Safford, Ariz. Also surviving are three siblings: Jackie Deer of Nevada, Texas, Bob Decker and wife, Sharon of Springfield, Mo., Jean Thompson and husband, Mel, of Orrick, Mo., six grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and many nieces, nephews, friends and loved ones.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, September 18, at the Cheney Witt Chapel. The eulogy will be given by her son-in-law, Jim West. Private burial will take place at the U. S. National Cemetery in Ft. Scott, Kansas. Memorials are suggested to The American Lung Association and may be sent to Cheney Witt Chapel, P. O. Box 347, Fort Scott, Kansas, 66701.  Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

 

Obituary: Sister Mary Barbara Karleskint

Submitted by Cheney Witt Funeral Home

Sister Mary Barbara Karleskint, RSM, age 98, a former resident of Fort Scott, Kan., and more recently of St. Louis, Mo., passed Friday, September 8, 2017, at Catherine’s Residence in St. Louis.

She was born May 3, 1919, in Miami, Okla., the daughter of Joseph Karleskint and Mary Hickman Karleskint. She entered the Sisters of Mercy Community in 1937 and professed her Final Vows in 1940. She received her B. S. degree in Home Economics from St. Mary of the Woods College in Indiana in 1951 and her M. Ed degree in Elementary Education from the University of St. Mary in Xavier, Kan., in 1955. She also received her Certificate of Pastoral Education in 1977 from St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, Mo. Sister’s ministry included teaching for more than 20 years in elementary and secondary schools in Louisiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. She also ministered at Mercy Center in St. Louis, Mo., and St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Hutchison, Kan. After completing her courses in clinical pastoral counseling, she became a chaplain at Mercy Hospital in Fort Scott.

Survivors include a brother, Jake Karleskint, of Cleveland, Ohio, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers, Joe and Tony Karleskint and four sisters, Bessy Louise Karleskint who died in infancy, Virginia McLaughlin, Sister Mary Alfreda Karleskint and Sister Mary Bernadette Karleskint.

Father Robert Wachter will conduct Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. Thursday, September 14, at the Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church. Burial will follow in the St. Mary’s Cemetery. Services are under the direction of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, Kansas. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook atcheneywitt.com.

 

Patty LaRoche: Worry Versus Worship

A few years ago, my girlfriend “Sharon” came from Florida to spend some quality time with her widowed mother who lived on a small farm outside of Fort Scott. Since her mother was a homebody and didn’t venture far from her garden, Sharon planned to take her mom shopping and treat her to a few of the local restaurants.

My friend flew into KC on Sunday. Wednesday found her at my house in tears.

“Mom” couldn’t leave her house on Monday because that was the cleaning day. Tuesday was for laundry and ironing and Wednesday for canning. Sharon offered to help but was told her mom needed to do it alone so it was done right. To add insult to injury, the “Is there something wrong with my cooking?” question caught my friend off guard.

Mom’s schedule dominated her life, and not even her daughter’s visit would dissuade her from altering it. Of course, Saturday “would have been fine” for a lunch out, but since Sharon had booked an early morning flight, she obviously had “not taken” her mother’s agenda into account. It was a miserable week.

Sharon’s mother died two years after that visit, but my friend has not forgotten her mother being so locked into her agenda that she could not set aside time just to “hang” with her only child. The Bible shares a powerful message on what Jesus thinks of people who cannot make time for relationships. Luke 10:38-42 is a familiar story but one worth revisiting.

Company’s coming, and not just any company. This is Rabbi Jesus and his friends, and Martha, the restless hostess, is almost ready; the house is free of cobwebs and the dirt floor swept, and there will be no shortage of food or drink. Still, the pressure is building. If there is something to stew about, Martha will find it. Not her sister Mary. Mary sits at Jesus’ feet, soaking in all he has to say.

One worries.

One worships.

What a difference!

A preacher at my step-daughter’s church expounded on that message with these words: “The presence of Jesus was part of Martha’s plan, but it WAS Mary’s plan. If Martha had time, she was going to be with Jesus. If Mary didn’t have time, she still was going to be with Jesus.”

Don’t skim his words. Read them again. The pastor ended his sermon by asking which one represented us. “Do we merely include Jesus in our schedule, or is our schedule designed around time with our Savior?”

Jesus modeled priorities. No one has ever been busier than he, yet he never appeared harried. He was all about people. The gospel makes it clear as to where we start. If we want a stress-less, worry-less, stew-less schedule, we must make time to sit at Jesus’ feet.

Martha’s regimen had no eternal benefits. Mary’s did.

So, the question remains: Do we want Busy, or do we want Blessing?

John Deere Tech Program Gets New Digs

If all goes as anticipated, the recently moved John Deere Tech Program at Fort Scott Community College should have all parts of the facility completed in December.

The facility is located at 2223 S. Horton, formerly the Kansas National Guard Armory.

“They are building a bigger shop for big machinery,” Kent Aikin,  one of the program’s two instructors, said Wednesday.  A second instructor is Dale Griffiths,  hired around one month ago.

The building being constructed is just to the east of the current tech program facility. The general contractor for the project is Tri-State Building, Pittsburg.

The current building is used for instruction on smaller machines and classrooms, Aikin said. The instructor’s offices are housed in this building as well.

The  auditorium of the current facility is used for instruction on smaller engines.

“John Deere sends us three to six machines every year, for training purposes,” Aikin said.

Renovation of the current building started a month ago with the addition of new air lines and electrical lines.

Even though all is not completed in the facility, classes began in August with 13 first-year students and 10 second-year students.

Three first-year John Deere Tech Program students work on lessons in a classroom Wednesday.

Students who fulfill all requirements for the program have options of electrical, hydraulic or service advisor certification.

The program’s students must be sponsored by a John Deere dealership, and go through an interview process, Aikin said.

Aikin and Griffiths help the students through the whole process.

“We help locate a dealership to sponsor them,” Aikin said.

“There is a high demand for these jobs,” Aikin said. “The job prospects are good. I’d say over 90 percent have a job waiting for them.”

The move from Frontenac to the repurposed facility on the FSCC campus was precipitated by the selling of the building they were leasing, FSCC Director of Public Relations Heather Browne said.

Students have more accessibility for living in the dorms now,  Browne said.

They also have easier accessibility for completing their general education classes, Griffiths said.

An open house for any interested students will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, November 2 and 8 a.m. to noon, Friday, November 3.

Following completion of the new part of the facility in December, a grand opening for the public will be in February, Aikin said.

A whole power-train for a John Deere 8300 tractor is used in instruction during the tech program.

 

 

 

 

Poetry Jam at Gordon Parks Celebration

Fort Scott Community College’s Ellis Arts Center is the venue for the 14th annual Gordon Parks Celebration. The Gordon Parks Museum is located in the arts center.
 As part of the annual Gordon Parks Celebration

 scheduled for October 12-14, at Fort Scott Community College, there will be a “Parks Poetry Out Loud” contest this year.  Participants will pick one of seven selected poems written by Gordon Parks and will present it in front of an audience at noon on Friday, October 13 in the Gordon Parks Museum in the Ellis Fine Arts Center on campus.  

“I have wanted to do this for years,” said Jill Warford, Gordon Parks Museum Director. “We hope a lot of people take part in the poetry contest, it will be a lot of fun.”

There is no fee to enter and participants will be judged on how they present the poem through voice, diction, and interpretation.  Cash prizes will be awarded: first place will win $100; second, $75 and third, $50.

“You don’t have to register to enter,” Warford said. “Just show up.”

It is open to anyone and both students and adults alike, are encouraged to take part, she said.  The seven poems are available on the Gordon Parks Museum website: gordonparkscenter.org .

Select poems from the website, then print them out for use, she said.

For more information email gordonparkscenter@fortscott.edu or by phone call (620) 223-2700, ext. 5850

Poems to choose from are:

MOMMA
by Gordon Parks
Now and then she said things that made my ears frown.
More than likely they were just too young to understand.
“Brush those teeth, and wash your feet before you go to bed.
And stop snoring so loud. You keep everybody awake.”
Pig feet, turnip greens and chitlins put hair on the chest.
My stomach craved apple butter and crackling bread.
It had a mind of its own. It wasn’t looking for hair.
Sunday school was particularly necessary, but not enough.
Reverend Frockcoat’s bland sermons had to sanctify the day.
Some other things stood in my way
Talking too much when I should have listened,
Crying when laughing was better,
Shooting marbles when the cattle needed feed.
Momma’s most relentless warning stuck like claws.
“Son, don’t ever come home blaming your skin’s blackness
For tumbling you downward.
If a white boy can do something worth doing,
Remember you can do it too. When the time comes
Just get out there and do it or forget to come home.”
Much later, long after she was gone,
And swimming in her advice, I’ve tried to keep going,
Going and going.
Down through the years, her warnings helped push clouds away
While sopping tears from stars that insisted on falling.
Yes, it was Momma who spread the checkered tablecloth.
But it was my good fortune to sit down and eat.
Her love filled the space between heaven and hell.
She was a mother beyond all other mothers.
I owe her everything
My breath in the half light of autumn,
For spreading patience when doubt surfaced,
For smiling at the unrest that over took my anxious feet,
For guidance that walked me away from my mistakes,
And for hands that pulled me out of the storms.
Yes, I owe her for these things and many, many more.
So no goodbyes, Momma. The love petals
Falling like rain upon your grave
Are mine all mine.
COME SING WITH ME
By Gordon Parks
Despite the turmoil, anguish and despair
Disrupting the planet we inherited,
There is something good I choose to sing about.
That something lies within us, patiently waiting
Beneath us, above us and around us.
Its peaceful message yearns to fill
Our places of murderous anger and hatred,
To flourish forever.
Hope is the song I have chosen to sing
A deathless song, flowing steadily beside my faith.
Whenever the fist of doubt knocks at my door,
It is powerfully turned away by my hopeful singing.
When things go from bad to worse I still sing my song.
Why not?
It helps me endure the bloodthirsty days.
Once earth’s fire had devoured my hopes.
As my twisted soul slid toward Hell,
Fate came racing from another direction.
Pinned to it was a belt of sun with new instructions.
These, it said, are for you! Suddenly fear was gone.
I made peace with the mean roads I’d walked.
My jackals could now lie down in truce.
From that day on, I began singing the song called Hope.
I still sing it loud
Above the waves, fire, darkness and mud.
From The Huge Silence
by Gordon Parks
The prairie is still in me,
in my talk and manners.
I still sniff the air for rain or snow,
know the loneliness of night,
and distrust the wind
when things get too quiet.
Having been away so long
and changed my face so often,
I sometimes suspect that this place
no longer recognizes me
despite these cowboy boots,
this western hat and
my father’s mustache that I wear.
To this place I must seem
like wood from a different forest,
and as secretive as black loam.
This earth breathes uneasily under my boots.
Their odor of city asphalt
doesn’t mix well with the clean smell
of wild alfalfa and purple lovegrass.
It puzzles me that I live so far away
from our old clapboard house
where, in oak tree shade,
I used to sit and dream
of what I wanted to become.
I always return here weary,
but to draw strength from
This huge silence that surrounds me,
knowing now that all I thought
was dead here is still alive,
that there is warmth here
even when the wind blows hard and cold.
The First Bud
by Gordon Parks
Through winter locked and hungered days,
And during trials of doubtful years,
I walked mistaken roads searching for you.
So when as you say during pillowtalk,
You do not know me,
remember that I am you.
We have been one for thousands of years.
Our love is older than the sky.
That love tremored every windflow
While waiting to be summoned
By a cry, a moan from my heart
That was ablaze with loneliness.
Then, with the silence of a cloud,
It emerged through shadowless mist
and, with pity,
Ripped my outraged soul apart,
Then strung it together with stars
That light your peaceful shade.
Now those nights
That were once without splendor
Dance in on wings that sing.
And the sound of rain
Falling on the roof is joyous.
A Bottle’s Worth of Tomorrow
by Gordon Parks
Time slipped out of my house last night
As I was bringing in the cat.
Angry, worried, frowning,
I went in search of it
Where it lay wrinkled and disgruntled
Behind a stubborn door among thorns.
I knocked and knocked;
The door refused to open.
Time, it finally said, is tired,
And in need of a long rest.
The hours it spent on you
Were far too exhausting
And moved much too slowly.
Remember your running from sky to sky,
With fog falling on you like fire?
The suit my soul wears
Was growing threadbare.
I had eaten salt for supper
And been killed so many times.
I was about to die some more
when the stranger appeared,
Asked me to wait,
handed me a scrap to paper
Then left as quietly as he had come.
He had scribbled his name: Tomorrow.
Wait? Where? For how long?
Distraught, I went toward home,
Worried and frowning even more.
Who was this fellow Tomorrow anyway,
And where was he last night
When time ran out on me?
Later I slept among bad memories.
Having lived in the forest under my scalp,
They knew me well; but I no longer knew them.
I had drowned the worst in waves of skepticism.
But when I awoke to let the cat out
They were stirring inside me, moving as I moved.
I opened the door
and there stood tomorrow,
Grinning, with a sack full of sun, stars
And a little bottle filled with a little more time.
He dropped the sack and then hurried off.
Content, at least for the moment,
I gave a thankful sigh for those signs
That had quietly walked out with my cat.
But after a close look at that little bottle,
It all became clear. No time was left
To wait for myself.
I snatched a bunch of thoughts from the air,
Then I too was off in a hurry.
Homecoming
by Gordon Parks
This small town into which I was born,
has, for me, grown into the largest,
and most important city in the universe.
Fort Scott is not as tall, or heralded
as New York, Paris, or London
or other places my feet have roamed,
but it is home.
Surely I remember the harsh days,
the sordid bigotry and segregated schools
and indeed the graveyard for Black people,
(where my beloved mother and father
still rest beneath Kansas earth).
But recently, the bitterness,
that hung around for so many years seems
to have asked for silence, for escape
from the weariness of those ugly days past.
Thankfully hatred is suddenly remaining quiet,
Keeping its mouth shut! And I’m thankful
For the contentment we lost along the way.
My hope now is that each of us can find
What GOD put us here to find
LOVE!
Let us have no more truck with the devil!
No Apologies
by Gordon Parks
Fate holds no reason to frown at what Providence granted me.
My thanks remain uncountable.
After long talks with my
past I now realize that life held a divine purpose,
For shoving me into places that were as changeable as the wind.
In between the floundering of then and now, the eyes of fate were following me
watching, always watching with
narrowing glances.
Now, having given deep thought to life’s offerings,
I realize everything that happened should have happened.
So my heart lifts praise to a smiling autumn
To those fallen years that no longer exist.
With this, and with no respite, I give thanks
To each dawn,
To each night,
To all the falling and climbing that patiently carried me through unpredictable wanderings.
Crowned in the confusion that hammered my journey,
One golden thing stood: Love
serene love.
Nothing could banish love from my wilderness.

New Aircraft Maintenance Business Coming to Fort Scott Airport

A private aircraft sits in front of two hangars at Fort Scott Airport. The airport is set to have a new aircraft maintenance business in the near future.

A  full-service aircraft repair station will soon be available at Fort Scott Municipal Airport, 1869 Indian Road, southwest of the city.

Spectra Jet, Inc., Springfield, Ohio, will start a maintenance facility at the airport in the next two months, according to Kenny Howard, the airport manager.

“They will start with four to five employees,” Howard said. “They hope to be up to 10 employees in a certain amount of time.”

The company will lease part of a hangar at the airport for their business until they can build one of their own, Howard said.

Currently, there are eight hangars at the airport, two privately owned and six owned by the City of Fort Scott.

The desired outcome of this new business is to bring more airplanes to the airport, Howard said.

Currently, there are 45 airplanes in a week, he said.

“Some come to town to look at the community,” Howard said. “Some have family here.”

In addition, Fort Scott Airport is a good refueling stop for those traveling cross-county, he said.

Fort Scott Municipal Airport is southwest of the city at 187th Street and Indian Road.
The front entrance to Fort Scott Municipal Airport office.
Pictured is hangar no.5, which is owned by the City of Fort Scott. Spaces are rented to pilots for their aircraft.
Several aircraft are parked in hangar no. 5 at Fort Scott Airport.
Pictured is the new parking areas in front of hangars at Fort Scott Municipal Airport. The night beacon tower sits in between two hangars.
Pictured is the largest hangar at Fort Scott Municipal Airport which is owned by Ward Kraft, Inc.
Fort Scott Airport has two onsite fuel tanks: a 10,000 gallon Jet A gas tank and a 9,000 gallon AV gas tank.
A plaque at the entrance to the office of the Fort Scott Airport commemorates the airports history.

Price Chopper to open for the holidays

Construction work is being done out of public sight  at the new Price Chopper Grocery Store at 2322 S. Main.

The store,  the former Woods Super Market,  is slated to open before the holidays, said Barry Queen, owner/ operator of the Price Chopper Fort Scott grocery store.

Crossland Construction, Columbus, is the general contractor for the new Price Chopper Fort Scott. The owner anticipates the store to open in November. Once completed the store will employ around 100 people.

“The goal is to open November 10, 2017,” Queen said. “There’s a lot of work going on.  Don’t know whether we’ll make that goal or not.”

“We are excited to get there, but there is a big challenge ahead. There is a lot that has to happen. We’d love to get open before the holidays.”

A big plus for the community is the store will be hiring 100-120 employees Queen said, with the number  depending on the volume of customers the store will have.

“We’ll be setting up a trailer for interviews in the next few weeks,” he said.

Some features of the new store will be a major focus on fresh food, he said.

Produce , a salad bar, food service, a grill, a smoke house, a full service floral department, catering and online shopping, to name a few.

A drive-through Dunkin Donuts will be located on the southeast corner of the facility.

An overlay for the parking lot and adding more light poles will be coming.

The new owner, operator is no stranger to Bourbon County.

“My dad, Jim Queen, was born in Hammond,” he said. “My mom is from the Linn County/Bourbon County area. I have a lot of relations around here.”

Queen has had a vacation home at Lake Fort Scott for 16 years, which will become his part-time home he said. He lives in Paola.

Associated Wholesale Grocers own the real estate the store is on, Queen said.

Crossland Construction, Columbus, is the general contractor and is doing the demolition work; CDL,  Pittsburg is doing the electric work and AAA, Kansas City is the framer for the project, said Brad Vinardi, superintendent with Crossland.

Inside the Price Chopper Grocery Store a five-man construction crew is currently working . At right is the old administration office.
Matt Foster, Oswego, left, talks to co-workers on the large scissor lift at Price Chopper Fort Scott. On the lift are Jose Deleon, Kansas City, left, and Josh Powers, Pittsburg, right. The Crossland Construction crew was working on the facade of the building.
Matt Marshall, Kansas City, preps the roof deck for painting at the new Price Chopper Fort Scott.

 

Bourbon County Local News