Election Candidate Forum July 31 at Fort Scott High School

The Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce presents the  Election Candidate Forum:
 
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
 
Fort Scott High School Auditorium
1005 S. Main St.
 
Doors open 5:30 pm
The forum begins at 6 pm
 
National, State & Local Offices
 
Submit your questions for the candidates to the Chamber
by 1 pm Tuesday, July 31st
Click here to email
Or, drop them off at the Chamber office at 231 E. Wall St.
 
Click here for the event on Facebook.
 
We encourage you to get out and exercise your right to vote!  Advanced voting is taking place now and
Election Day is August 7th.
 
Thank you!

Obituary of Joanne Grassi

Joanne Grassi, 81, of Fort Scott, passed away Wednesday morning, July 25, 2018, at Guest Home Estates. She was born May 3, 1937, in Kansas City, Missouri, the daughter of Louis and Verna Rose (Carroll) Grassi.

Joanne worked for many years in housekeeping for the Sisters of Mercy Convent, and she was a Past Matron, Order of the Eastern Star. Her hobbies included crocheting, arts and crafts, reading, and jewelry-making.

Joanne is survived by a nephew, Alex Grassi, Jr.; her friend and conservator, Ida Ford, as well as her friends from the Highrise and her years working at the convent. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, Alex Grassi, and her sister-in-law, Avadell Grassi.

Rev. Oliver “Bill” Hawk will conduct graveside services at 10:30 a.m. Monday, July 30, 2018, at the Hume Cemetery in Hume, Missouri, under the direction of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home.

Friends will meet at 9:30 a.m. at the funeral home for a visitation until time to leave for the cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Highrise Activity Fund and left in the care of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home, 15 W. Wall Street, PO Box 309, Fort Scott, KS 66701. Condolences may be submitted to the online guestbook at konantz-cheney.com.

Obituary of Doris Jones

Doris Irene Jones

Doris Irene Jones, age 101, a resident of Ft. Scott, KS, died Friday, July 27, 2018, at Guest Home Estates, Ft. Scott. She was born January 30, 1917, in Rockville, MO, the daughter of Isareal and Nancy Emmaline White DeLozier.

Larry Jones and Pastor Paul Rooks will conduct funeral services at 2:00 PM Thursday, August 2nd, at the Grace Baptist Tabernacle, Ft. Scott.

Burial will follow in the Oak Grove Cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 1:00 until service time Thursday at the church. Memorials are suggested to the Grace Baptist Music Department and may be left in the 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.

 

Life In A Jar July 28 Downtown Fort Scott

The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes is hosting the award-winning Life in a Jar: the Irena Sendler Project author Jack Mayer on Saturday, July 28 in the Liberty Theatre at 10 AM for a presentation followed by a performance of Life in a Jar at 2 PM.

These events happen in conjunction with the 2018 Poland Reunion and are free to the public.

The Liberty Theater Patio was the scene of a reunion for the Lowell Milken Center For Unsung Heroes Friday evening.

K-3 Resurfacing Project Starts Next Week

 

The week of July 30 the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) expects to begin resurfacing the roadway on K-3 in Bourbon and Crawford counties.

The mill and asphalt overlay project starts at the K-47 junction and continues north for 15 miles to end at the K-39 south junction. The highway will be resurfaced through the communities of Brazilton and Hepler.

 

Flaggers and a pilot car will direct one-lane traffic through the work zone during daylight hours; expect delays of 15 minutes or less. The project should be completed in two weeks, weather permitting.

 

KDOT awarded the $861,000 construction contract to Shilling Construction Company of Manhattan. Drivers are reminded to watch for the signs and flaggers and to “Give ‘Em a Brake!” in the work zone. Persons with questions may contact KDOT Construction Engineer Bob Gudgen at (620) 308-7621 or Public Affairs Manager Priscilla Petersen at (620) 902-6433.

Obituary Of Tex Crutcher

James Samuel “Tex” Crutcher, longtime business and community leader of Fort Scott, passed away July 26, 2018, in Springfield, Missouri.
He was born February 1, 1929, on a cotton farm and cattle ranch outside of McKinney, Texas, second oldest in a family of 11, the son of Joe Louis Crutcher and Nell (Gilbert) Crutcher.
 
Crutcher graduated from McKinney High School in 1948, a standout player on the state championship-winning football team. He was recruited to play for Pittsburg State University, then known as Kansas State Teacher’s College, where he played at the position of tackle from 1948 to 1949.
After a stint working in the oil fields of West Texas, Crutcher was drafted into the Army in 1951. After basic training in Camp Chaffee, Arkansas, Crutcher deployed to Tokyo where he served as an MP guarding a U.S. supply base during the Korean War.
Crutcher returned to Pittsburg after an honorable discharge in January 1953, where he went back to school and played football for two more years under legendary Kansas coach Carney Smith.
 
He married Audrey Elaine (Golden) Crutcher November 25, 1953, in Pittsburg, Kansas, and graduated with a Bachelor’s in physical education. He earned a Master’s degree in education in May 1955.
Crutcher taught science and history and was assistant coach of football, basketball, baseball and track at Columbus (Kansas) High School from 1955 to 1958.
 
In 1958, Crutcher and his family, which now included son Greg and daughter Kim, moved to Garland, Kansas to help manage the Golden Farm and cattle operation with his father in law Walter B. Golden. Crutcher continued farming but moved to Eddy Street and later East National Avenue in Fort Scott where the farm and ranch operation was headquartered
 
In the late 1960’s, while still farming, he took a job at Fort Scott Junior High School as coach and teacher of physical education, where he was influential in the development of many outstanding young athletes.
 
Crutcher began his long career with Citizen’s National Bank when, in 1970, he was recruited to become agricultural loan officer there. He went on to serve as president and chairman of the board. Under his leadership, the bank opened branches in Pittsburg, Mound City, and Iola. He oversaw the first automatic teller machines at Citizens Bank, as well as the first ATMs on the campus of PSU.
Crutcher officially retired from the bank in 1994 but continued to serve on the board of directors and keep an office there. In his retirement, he established and managed a popular travel club for seniors called Funseekers for another 20 years until he was 85. The group traveled regionally and to countless destinations around the world.
 
Crutcher was also respected for his civic and professional engagement. He served on the board of directors of the Kansas Bankers Association for years, representing the 17 counties in Southeast Kansas. He was a longtime member of the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, served on the Bourbon County Economic Development Council and on the board of the Bourbon County Soil and Water Conservation District, as well as the board of trustees of Fort Scott’s United Methodist Church. Additionally, he was an instrumental force in fundraising efforts for the initial development of the new Mercy Hospital.
 
Crutcher was elected to the school board of Unified School District 234 and served for eight years. His tenure saw much change, including the building of a new wing to Fort Scott Senior High School. He also served for six years as president of the alumni association at Pittsburg State University.
 
On a state level, he was active over a three-year period in the early 1970s in helping to craft reclamation laws regulating the strip mining of coal, which he regarded as a central economic and agricultural issue for Southeast Kansas. His efforts were successful but were later superseded by more comprehensive federal legislation, which he welcomed.
 
Crutcher and his wife Audrey moved to Springfield, Missouri in June 2015, in order to be closer to their daughter.
 
Survivors include his wife Audrey of Springfield; daughter Kimberley Hart and her husband James of Willard, Missouri; a son, Greg Crutcher, of Albuquerque, New Mexico; three grandsons, Aaron Hart and wife Kristi of Jefferson City, Missouri; Justin Hart and wife Sarah and Tyler Hart and wife Kayla of Republic, Missouri. He is also survived by seven great-grandchildren: Trysten, Mason, Grayson, Abe, Remington, Viv and Marion James.
 
Additionally, he is survived by sister-in-law Bernita Hill and nephew John Hill, both of Fort Scott and Robb Hill of Des Moines, Iowa. In Texas, Crutcher is survived by brothers Paul DeWitt Crutcher, William Donald Crutcher, Diane Margaret Crutcher and Judy Jane Crutcher and numerous nieces and nephews.
 
Funeral services will be held at 11:30 AM Monday, July 30th at the First United Methodist Church.
  Burial with military honors will follow in the U. S. National Cemetery in Ft. Scott.
The family will receive friends from 3 to 5 P.M. Sunday at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
Memorials are suggested to either the First United Methodist Church of Ft. Scott, the LIVE Church of Republic, Missouri or the Ft. Scott Community Foundation and may be left in the care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

Farmer’s Market Tomato Festival July 28 At Skubitz Plaza

Taste the glossy red fruit tomorrow at the farmers market to see which is your favorite!

Tomatoes for sale at Fort Scott Farmers Market.

The annual Fort Scott Farmers Market Tomato Festival is Saturday, July 28 at Skubitz Plaza, starting at 8 a.m.

The public is welcome to bring in their tomatoes for the contest as well, Stacey Atkins, president of the FSFM said.

“People can sample tomatoes and vote for their favorite,” Atkins said. “It’s always fun to sample the produce.”

Vendor Stacey Atkins chats with a customer July 21 at her booth. Atkins sells eggs, baked goods, and lemonade.
Chet and Linda Bower sell produce from their farm.
Linda Murrow changes the billboard of what she sells as she runs out of produce. Murrow sells produce, baked goods, and lemonade.
Mary Yoder sells baked goods, homemade jellies,  relishes and cherry tomatoes.
Roman Shetler sells produce, honey, maple syrup, relish and produce.
Ronnie Brown sells nuts, jellies, fruit, produce and baked goods.
Micki Kraft sells homemade sewn products.
Chet Bower shows some of his carrots he grew on his farm.

 

Bourbon County Local News