Bourbon County

Eat Local Produced Food

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Bryan Holt, a member of Live Local Bourbon County speaks to attendees of The Buy and Eat/Meet and Greet Thursday evening.

Small shifts in spending habits can have big results on a community’s economy.

So said Live Local Bourbon County member and spokesman Bryan Holt to attendees of Thursday evening’s Buy and Eat/Meet and Greet public meeting at Memorial Hall.

The event was sponsored by Blue Cross/ Blue Shield Pathways to Healthy Kansas.

“A 10 percent shift in spending at local restaurants would mean an additional $400,000 plus to our local economy on an annual basis,” Holt said. “If I spend $200 eating out every month and say I took $20 of that and moved it from Taco Bell to Papa Don’s or Sharkey’s or LaHacienda that’s going to make a big impact in our economy.”

“When you do business locally…it also helps to strengthen the social fabric of our community,” Holt said.

An example Holt gave was Norris Heating and Air Conditioning.

“They are in their third generation of local ownership,” Holt said. “Every year they do a very large donation to The Sharing Bucket, a locally owned business who is supporting cancer (survivors).”

Making purposeful efforts will stimulate our economy and its social fabric, Holt said.

Nat Bjerke-Harvey, a first generation young farmer was another guest speaker at the meet and greet.

Nat Bjerke-Harvey, a food producer from Manhattan, speaks to the Meet and Greet attendees Thursday evening at Memorial Hall. Facilitator of the event is Jody Hoener, seated in background.

Harvey started an approximately one-acre farm outside Manhattan five years ago with his wife and has started a wholesale business working with local retailers and restaurants off of his farm, he said.

“After two to three years of production, we decided we were going to add another farmers market or diversify into a (selling produce to a) restaurant (business), Harvey said.

They chose the restaurant route and worked out a plan.

Each week Harvey sends out emails to restaurants telling them of the food products that are available from his farm.

Harvey then takes orders from the restaurants on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday he harvests the produce and delivers it on Thursdays. On Fridays, he harvests for the Downtown Manhattan Farmers Market.

“I think there is a great opportunity in Kansas for growing synergy (collaboration)between farmers and restaurants,” he said.

Demand for local food and food safety and liability issues were part of a panel discussion involving Harvey, Kathy McEwan, Krista Harding and Ann Stark.

Nat Bjerke-Harvey, Kathy McEwan, Krista Harding and Ann Stark listen intently as facilitator Jody Hoener poses questions to the panel.

“There is a trend towards people who want to know who is growing their food and food that provides the most nutrient load,” McEwan, a K-State Extension Family, and Consumer Science Agent said.

Krista Harding, K-State Extension Horticulture Agent said: “It’s our responsibility to grow food safely.”

To have a plan for the safety of food produced locally, Harding recommended Food Safety Training classes in Olathe May 17 and May 23 which are $20 per person.

The 2015 Food Safety  Modernization Act (FSMA) will have an impact on food production in the near future, McEwan said.

To learn more about FSMA: https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/

If a food producer makes $25,000 or less on his produce per year there is an exemption in FSMA, McEwan said.

Stark, a local insurance agent recommended talking to one’s property insurance agent to add an incidental insurance policy “so you can be covered correctly.”

“The cost will vary, some are based on gross receipts,” Stark said.

David Goodyear received a Pathways to a Healthy Kansas Implementation Grant May 3 from Blue Cross/Blue Shield in the amount of $20,000 at the Meet and Greet. Presenting the check is Virginia Barnes.from BCBS and Hoener.

David Goodyear, representing Pathways AgPath, was presented a check for $20,000, for purchasing equipment to help at-risk individuals in the community to produce food together.

“Each year we have a community project,”Hoener said. “This year our focus is on healthy food. The Pathway AgPath (Goodyear is a coordinator for) was a perfect fit with our focus to promote locally produced food in the community.  There is a natural connection between it and Common Ground, but David is also seeking out connections with G&W food and the Beacon.”

The names are confusing because the giver of the grant is Pathways to a Healthy Kansas and the recipient is PathwayAgPath, a piece of a local ministry of Pathway.

Pathway is a ministry of the Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene with a board that is multi-denominational and collaborates with Next Steps, a program to combat cycles of poverty in Fort Scott.

A future feature will tell the story behind this ministry and what they are doing in the community.

 

 

 

 

Bourbon County, Submitted

Mercy Hospital Receives Grant For Mammograms

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Women who cannot afford a mammogram will benefit from a $1,000 donation from HOPE 4 You Breast Cancer Foundation to Mercy Health Foundation Fort Scott. Funds donated by HOPE 4 You are used to provide mammograms and breast imaging for women who meet certain criteria.

This is the seventh consecutive year Mercy has received the grant.

“Far too often women neglect their own health care needs for other priorities,” said Christi Keating, Mercy Hospital Fort Scott executive director of patient care services. “Funds from this grant will give woman who might otherwise not get mammograms access to the life-saving screenings.”

HOPE 4 You’s giving capacity is based solely on donations from individuals, organizations and fundraisers such as its annual Race 4 HOPE, which will be held June 2.

“The purpose of HOPE 4 You is to save lives through screening and early detection,” said Tina Rockhold, executive director of the Mercy Health Foundation Fort Scott. “Their mission matches up very well with that of Mercy. The RACE 4 HOPE each year in June supports these programs at Mercy as well as other area hospitals. We are grateful for this donation which will provide screening and diagnostic mammograms for underserved women in our area.”

For more information about digital mammography or to schedule a mammography appointment, call Mercy’s Imagining Services at 620-223-7015.

Mercy Hospital Fort Scott is an acute care hospital with 46 licensed beds, offering comprehensive medical, surgical, OB/GYN, pediatric, homecare and hospice services. Inpatient care is provided with 24/7 physician coverage. In 2017, Mercy Hospital Fort Scott received The Leapfrog Group’s prestigious A rating. Mercy Clinic Fort Scott is located on hospital grounds as well as Mercy rural health clinics in Arma and Pleasanton.

Mercy, named one of the top five large U.S. health systems in 2018, 2017 and 2016 by IBM Watson Health, serves millions annually. Mercy includes more than 40 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, 800 physician practices and outpatient facilities, 44,000 co-workers and 2,100 Mercy Clinic physicians in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In addition, Mercy’s IT division, Mercy Technology Services, supply chain organization, ROi, and Mercy Virtual commercially serve providers and patients in more than 20 states coast to coast.

Bourbon County, K-State Extension

Spring Weather Causes Pastures and Ponds Turn Green

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Christopher Petty, M.S. Extension Agent Livestock Production, and Forage Management, K-State Research and Extension, Southwind Extension District, 210 S. National, Fort Scott, KS 66701 (620) 223-3720 Work,(620)224-6031 Cell or online [email protected]

Spring weather has finally arrived. As spring temperatures rise, farm pastures begin to green up. I am happy to help you become more productive, by visiting you on your farm or ranch and reviewing your management options. We can discuss pasture fertility, grazing strategies, weed control options and livestock management.

As our pastures green up, unfortunately, our farm ponds do too. This is caused by high nutrient loads which create favorable environments for pond weeds and algae growth. While some pond weeds and algae are necessary for a healthy pond ecosystem, excess weeds and algae problems can rob your ponds of the necessary oxygen to sustain fish life. Maintaining a healthy pond is a balancing act. If over fifty percent of your pond is weedy or algae filled, it’s time to begin an action plan. Unfortunately, there are no quick fix solutions to pond weeds problems. However, starting early in the year and creating a long-term weed or algae control strategy is your best option.

I’d be happy to assist you, free of charge, with your pond or pasture concerns. Contact me at the Southwind Extension District of K-State Research and Extension at (620)223-3720 or by e-mail at [email protected] to schedule a visit.

Fort Scott

Unity Is The Theme of National Day of Prayer

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The National Day of Prayer Breakfast drew a crowd Thursday morning at the Ellis Fine Arts Center at Fort Scott Community College.
“The National Day of Prayer was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman,” according to its website.  “In 1988, the law was unanimously amended by both the House and the Senate and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on Thursday, May 5, 1988, designating the first Thursday of May as a day of national prayer. Every president since 1952 has signed a National Day of Prayer proclamation.”
For more information about the National Day of Prayer click below:
The prayer breakfast was sponsored locally by Cheney Witt Chapel, Pioneer Kiwanis, Fort Scott Ministerial Alliance, and Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce.
Kelley Collins, president of Pioneer Kiwanis welcomed the crowd.
Kelley Collins, president of Pioneer Kiwanis welcomes the crowd to the National Day of Prayer breakfast Thursday morning at the Ellis Fine Arts Center.
Pastor Norman Tillotson, who pastors the First Baptist Church and Cherry Grove Baptist Church gave both the invocation and benediction.
The presentation of the flags was by Olson-Frary-Burkhart Post #1165 V.F.W.
Attendees of the National Prayer Breakfast sing “God Bless America”.
Music was provided by Ronda Bailey, FSCC English instructor.
“Unity” was the topic by Pastor Danny Brown of Christian Gospel Chapel, based on Ephesians 4:3 “Making every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.”
Danny Brown spoke on unity, the theme of the 2018 National Day of Prayer.

Because this month the Kiwanis Club of Fort Scott Pioneers is celebrating 30 years of serving the community, they served cupcakes to attendees as they were leaving the breakfast.

 
 
Opinion

God’s Ways Are Higher by Patty LaRoche

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I asked God to stop the rain, to allow a rainless window of only an hour so people would attend the parade for the Combat Veterans. I texted prayer warriors. And every half-hour, I checked the radar. 100% chance of rain. Not to worry—meteorologists have been known to make mistakes. Besides, God’s decrees overrule anything weather forecasters predict.

Right?

Right.

Only this time, God didn’t intervene. As the Fort Scott police and sheriff’s officers lined up at the airport, no one complained about getting wet, and when the soldiers exited the plane, one of the officers told all of the staff to remove their hats—the hats that would somewhat protect them from the rain– in honor of those they were meeting. So, they stood there, hats over hearts, they, our own local heroes, saying thank you to their fellow protectors.

Leaving the airport before the caravan, I drove through town, praying harder for the rain to let up, and if that didn’t happen, that people would forego the bad weather and support the troops. I couldn’t help but tear up, seeing our American flag draping between two firetrucks on 10th and National. Friends congregating nearby with a huge, homemade banner. Houses sporting the Red, White, and Blue. Community College students lining the median on Highway 69. School children waiting in the rain with flags and posters. (Thank you, Mr. Beckham, school administrators and teachers for making this happen.) Civil War reenactors sitting atop their horses while carrying American flags and saluting these national champions. And then there was the mother of a veteran, waving pom-poms, alone at the end of Wall Street, jumping and cheering.

Small town caring at its best.

Still, God did not stop the rain.

The day after the parade, I spoke with Jenn, my daughter-in-law who, along with Adam, her husband, worked tirelessly to organize this event. When I asked her what the soldiers’ favorite part of the day had been, she did not hesitate. They all agreed. “That people would stand in the rain for us.”

Get that?

It was the rain that blew them away (thankfully, not literally).

At that moment, it dawned on me. Who wouldn’t eagerly leave school or their job or organize a yard get-together on a sunny day for such an occasion? But our citizens refused to let bad weather prevent them from saying thank you for the enormous sacrifices these men made for us.

God did not stop the rain. No doubt because Isaiah 55:8-9 is true. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

I need to remember that.

Rain or shine.

Bourbon County, Submitted

Family Event To Raise Funds For Cystic Fibrosis Research

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Family friendly event to raise funds to support a cure for a rare disease

Mark your calendars for May 5th and plan to come out to the Bourbon County 4-H Building, from 11 A.M. until 2. P. M. to help raise funds to cure Cystic Fibrosis. The day’s events are tentatively scheduled to include a bounce house, face painting, homemade sugar cookies, and a grilled hotdog, pop and chips lunch, available for a free will donation.

Cystic fibrosis is a rare, non-contagious, genetic disease that, most noticeably, effects the lungs. The median age for an individual with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is around 40 years old, but this age rapidly continues to increase with advances in medical science.

In and around the surrounding area, at least four people are affected by Cystic fibrosis, with ages ranging from a young toddler, to a teenager, to someone in their early forties. All of the money from this event will be donated to the Heart of America Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a charitable organization tasked with supporting the work of finding a cure. For more information about cystic fibrosis, visit the Cystic Fibrosis foundation at www.cff.org. For information about event on May 5th, contact Briana Petty at (620) 215-6141.

Obituary

Obituary for Wilda I. Insley

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Wilda I. Insley, age 87, of Fort Scott, KS, more recently of Olathe, KS, passed away Sunday afternoon, April 29, 2018, at The University of Kansas Medical Center.

She was born January 22, 1931, in Fort Scott, KS, the daughter of Joseph Richard Crystal and Elva Pauline Beerbower Crystal.

Wilda graduated from Arcadia High School with the class of 1948. Following her graduation, she worked that summer as a nurse’s aide for Mercy Hospital.

She married Curtis Richard Insley on August 23, 1950, in Bentonville, AR.

She was later employed by The Western Insurance Company and Montgomery Ward. Her employment with the City of Fort Scott included 16 years as a clerk with the water department. Then on May 18, 1979, she became the City Clerk where she served for 13 years until her retirement in 1992.

Wilda, and husband Curtis enjoyed traveling and genealogy research. Their travels included the annual reunion of The Company A of the United States Army Fifth Combat Engineer Battalion. These trips included travels around the United States which were hosted by the former soldiers and their families. Wilda and Curtis hosted the event in Fort Scott on two different occasions.

She was a long-time member of the Fort Scott Lioness Club and a member of The First Presbyterian Church. She enjoyed playing card games and dominoes with family and friends and attending sporting activities for the grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nephews and nieces.

Wilda is survived by daughters Sondra Cowen and husband Larry of Fort Scott, KS, and Karen O’Bryan and husband Joseph of Olathe, KS; three grandchildren, Monica Harvey and husband David of Blue Springs, MO, Afton Brown and husband Chad of Fort Scott, KS, and Dustin Willard of Olathe, KS; three great grandchildren, Banks and Madison Brown of Fort Scott, KS, and Noah Harvey of Blue Springs, MO; one brother Frank Crystal and Yvonne Beck, and one sister Carolyn Crystal, all of Fort Scott, KS; as well as several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband Curtis; an infant sister Darlene Faye Crystal; her brother James Dale Crystal; and sister-in-law Juanita Jo Crystal.

Pastor Jeff Dillow will conduct funeral services at 10:00 AM Friday, May 4th, at the First Presbyterian Church, Ft. Scott.

Burial will follow in the U. S. National Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 5:00 until 7:00 Thursday evening at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Memorials are suggested to either the American Diabetes Association or the First Presbyterian Church and may be left in the care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

Entertainment, Fort Scott, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

Seeking Good Ol Days Parade Entries

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Jared Leek leads the Good Ol Days parade in a prior year.

The Good Ol Days Parade is just one month away, so speak to your employees, organizations or friends to put on “thinking caps” for a creative entry in it.

The parade theme this year is “Fins, Feathers, & Furs” Celebrating the Great Outdoors. Categories are float, golf cart, foot unit, horse unit, classic car, antique car, tractor and other (no prize is awarded for this).

Tractors are one category in the Good Ol Days annual parade.

The parade will be Friday, June 1, at 6 p.m. beginning at 7th and Main.

Entries without registration entry form completed will not be allowed in the parade.

The place registration number must be attached to the right side of the parade entry.

Information on placement in the parade will be available prior to the line-up at 5 p.m. from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce, 321 E. Wall.

Absolutely NO candy, gum or goodies can be thrown to the crowd from your float. For the safety of children, it must be handed out by someone on foot.

A float in a prior year’s Good Ol Days parade.

The deadline to enter is Wednesday, May 30, 2018.

Deliver or mail entry to Chamber of Commerce, 231 E Wall, Fort Scott, KS 66701
OR fax entry to (620) 223.3574, or email to [email protected]

First place prizes will be awarded and mailed to the winners in each category.

Click here for the parade entry form, then click to enlarge:
Parade Entry Form 2018(4)

Children ride a float in a prior year’s Good Ol Days parade.

Bourbon County Local News