Friends of Tri-Valley Foundation Hosts Annual Spring Fundraiser, Boardwalk BBQ
A crowd of 150 people attended the 2024 Friends of Tri-Valley Foundation annual spring fundraiser on Tuesday, April 16th. The evening’s theme was a BBq, a Boardwalk BBq. The foundation was excited to have the brand-new SEK Impact Center serve as the site for the evening’s festivities. Doors opened at 6 pm. Approximately $12,000 was raised during the evening from stretch, silent and live auctions. New this year was our wine pull pong game and axe throwing.
Attendees were treated to a delicious BBq meal of pulled pork, pulled chicken, cole slaw, and baked beans furnished by The Hangout of Chanute, KS. Dessert was peach cobbler in Waffle cones coated in chocolate, which were provided by Tri-Valley Director of Programming Brenda Harrison. Neosho County Community College students helped serve the meal. Door prizes were courtesy of Tri-Valley’s Fort Scott Greenhouse, Special Olympics of Kansas, Opie’s Restaurant, Oriental Tracking Company, 4Imprint, and Jennifer Dietsch State Farm.
As in year’s past, the live auction was the highlight of the evening. For 2024, we had two trips courtesy of Monarch Cement Company; a 3-night stay at the Historic Rancho de la Osa Dude Ranch in Arizona and a 3-night stay at a Tiffany’s B & B in Arkansas. Other items auctioned off include: a Breckenridge CO vacation package courtesy of Home Savings Bank; a Branson MO vacation package courtesy of Community National Bank; a full-size recliner courtesy of Ruddick’s Furniture in Fort Scott; Dinner for 10 courtesy of Brenda Harrison; a metal art piece, a pair of sunflower windmills, and tickets to the 2024 Symphany in the Flint Hills, to be held in Greenwood County.
All money raised from the evening will go towards the Friends of Tri-Valley Foundation projects. Since 2001, the Foundation has built six homes and acquired eight additional homes and a duplex. The houses are located in our communities of Buffalo, Chanute, Fort Scott, Humboldt, Iola, Moline, and Neodesha. These houses are home to 72 of our neighbors with intellectual and developmental disabilities served by Tri-Valley Developmental Services.
“The evening was fantastic”, said Bill Fiscus, CEO. “The food, drawings and conversation were phenomenal. Thank you to everyone who attended. We hope you had an enjoyable evening and look forward to seeing you all in 2025.”
A big thank you goes to the evening’s sponsors. Promenade Level: Steve Faulkner Ford, Monarch Cement Company, and David & Beth Toland
Colonnade Level: Community National Bank – Chanute, Hofer & Hofer & Associates, Home Savings Bank, and IMA.
Esplandae Level: Ash Grove, Cardinal Drug, Community National Bank – Eureka, Jarred, Gilmore & Phillips, CPA, and Peerless Products
Arcade Level: Bank of Commerce, Hi-Lo Industries; and Cheney Witt Chapel.
Special thanks go to Dave Petersen who served as Emcee; Larry Holman for photography; and Anna Methvin and Crystal Poovey with SEK Impact Center
LETTERS OF INTEREST FOR Fort Scott CITY COMMISSIONER Are Being Accepted
Letters of Interest are now being accepted for an open position on the Fort Scott City Commission. Candidates must reside in the territorial limits of the city of Fort Scott and shall be a qualified elector under the Constitution of the state of Kansas (Ordinance No. 3289). This position is to fill a vacancy created on May 22, 2024, with the resignation of the sitting Commissioner. The term for this position expires December of 2025 and the successor will be determined in the next election.
The following time commitments are general guidelines to be considered before submitting your Letter of Interest: 1) Regular City Commission meetings are held the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month beginning at 6:00PM and average two (2) hours or more; 2) Special City Commission meetings may be called at any time if the matter is of a pressing nature and a decision must be made prior to a regular meeting; 3) Attendance at meetings for which you are selected to be a Commission Representative – such as an advisory board, library board, etc; 4) Work Sessions are scheduled for issues that require open discussion but do not require an immediate decision. These are usually scheduled prior to a regular meeting, typically begin at 5:00PM, and then lead into a regular meeting. There will be Work Sessions scheduled on a stand-alone date that usually begin at 5:00, 6:00 or 7:00PM. 5) Trainings for the Kansas Open Meetings Act (KOMA) and the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) are required annually and other training is available but optional; 6) Representation at community activities and other meetings are usually optional but highly encouraged; 7) Individual preparation for meetings may be necessary for topics that require research in order to make an informed decision at the table.
Please also consider that this is a high-profile position within this community. All meetings are streamed on YouTube, the newspapers and television stations may be present at any given time, and you will be involved in many community activities and issues. As a City Commissioner, you will be a contact and a representative for citizens’ and their concerns. The concerns and issues that the Commission faces are not always positive in nature. However, they will require your best collaborative efforts and decision-making skills with your fellow Commissioners and the City Manager.
Please visit www.fscity.org, contact the City Manager, Brad Matkin ([email protected]) or the City Clerk, Lisa Lewis [email protected] for any questions. We would also encourage you to watch previous Commission meetings on the City of Fort Scott YouTube channel before making the commitment by submitting your Letter of Interest.
All Letters of Interest will be reviewed, and all qualified candidates will be contacted to appear and speak before the Commission at the June 4th regular meeting. The Commission will select the new Commissioner who will be sworn in and seated that evening.
Letters will be received in person at City Hall (8:00AM-5:00PM) or by email to [email protected] until Thursday, May 30th at 5:00PM. No letters will be received after the deadline.
Please be sure to include contact information in your letter and clearly mark “LETTER OF INTEREST/CITY COMMISSIONER”.
Uniontown City Special Meeting This Evening at 6 p.m.
A special meeting of the City of Uniontown Council will be held May 23 at 6 p.m. at City Hall.]
CALL TO ORDER AT _________ by __________________________________________
ROLL CALL:
____ Jess Ervin ____ Danea Esslinger ____ Amber Kelly ____ Mary Pemberton ____ Bradley Stewart
Motion by _____________, Second by __________, Approved ______, to enter into executive session pursuant to non-elected personnel exception, KSA 75-4319(b)(1), in order to discuss duties and benefits of non-elected personnel, the open meeting to resume at ____________.
4-H Spring Dog Show: May 25 at 1 p.m.
Zach Ross, Fort Scott, is the Kansas State University Southwind District coordinator for the local 4-H dog program. That district is comprised of Allen, Bourbon, Neosho and Woodson counties.
He and his wife, Aubrey, will be hosting a Spring Dog Show at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds on May 25 at 1 p.m.
The event is for youth participating in 4-H Clubs
“Typically (dog) handlers compete at the Bourbon County Fair to qualify to take their dogs to the Kansas State Fair,” she said. “The Southwind District has 43 handlers who have an opportunity that day, at least 10 from Bourbon County. Zach and I have been coaching the Bourbon County group for three years and we have several handlers who are looking to move up in agility and obedience divisions and need to have more qualifying scores to be able to go to state.”
“We’ve invited all regional dog show programs to attend and compete, she said. ” Handlers will be competing in Agility, Showmenship, Obedience, and Rally Obedience.”
“We are excited to have this opportunity for our handlers and want to share their hard work with the community,” she said.
The event is free for spectators and the dog handlers.
“Many of our handlers are ready to move up and our program needs to purchase advanced equipment,” she said. “We will be accepting donations that will help fund new equipment so that handlers can compete in higher-level events in the future.”
Checks can be made to 4-H Council and in memo: Dog Program and be sent or delivered to the K-State Extension Office at 210 S. National, Fort Scott, 66701.
The Bourbon County Fair Dog Show is on July 13 at 8 a.m.
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports May 22
Chamber Coffee Hosted by Angela VanDeBerghe of Edward Jones Financial Office on May 23
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Kansas Families Tourism Program Opens May 25
2024 Sunflower Summer Program to Run
May 25-Aug.11
TOPEKA – Kansas Tourism has announced the 2024 Sunflower Summer program will be open for Kansas families on Saturday, May 25. Designed for Kansas students and their families, the Sunflower Summer program provides complimentary access to over 220 tourism attractions across the state. The 2024 Sunflower Summer season will run through August 11.
To participate, Kansas families with school-age children can download the Sunflower Summer app at the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or at SunflowerSummer.org to claim tickets to attraction venues. These digital tickets are redeemed upon arrival at the participating venue. Each user can only use tickets once per venue during the 2024 season.
“We’re excited to make this year’s growing Sunflower Summer program available to Kansas families,” Kansas Tourism Director Bridgette Jobe said. “Our aim is to encourage Kansans’ to embark on unforgettable journeys and create lasting memories in their home state.”
Exclusive to Kansas families, the Sunflower Summer program is open to all Kansas families with school-aged students, pre-K through 12th grade, including public, private, and homeschooled.
Out-of-state students and families are not eligible to participate in Sunflower Summer.
Participating attractions include museums, discovery centers, historic sites, arboretums, water parks, amusement parks, zoos, guided trolley tours, live theater events and professional sports events. A comprehensive list of attractions participating in the 2024 Sunflower Summer program can be found on SunflowerSummer.org and on the mobile app.
To share your Sunflower Summer experiences on social media, use the hashtags #ToTheStarsKS and #SunflowerSummer as you post your travels. For more travel inspiration and tips about exploring Kansas, go to TravelKS.com.
About Kansas Tourism:
The mission of Kansas Tourism is to inspire travel to and throughout Kansas to maximize the positive impacts that tourism has on our state and local communities. Kansas Tourism works hand in hand with other Commerce community programs to elevate and promote Kansas as a tourist destination. Kansas Tourism oversees all tourism marketing and PR for the state, produces travel publications and advertising, manages state Travel Information Centers, manages both the Kansas By-ways program and the Kansas Agritourism program, approves tourist signage applications, produces the KANSAS! Magazine, and provides financial and educational support to the tourism industry in Kansas through grants, education, and support.
About the Kansas Department of Commerce:
As the state’s lead economic development agency, the Kansas Department of Commerce strives to empower individuals, businesses and communities to achieve prosperity in Kansas. Commerce accomplishes its mission by developing relationships with corporations, site location consultants and stakeholders in Kansas, the nation and world. Our strong partnerships allow us to help create an environment for existing Kansas businesses to grow and foster an innovative, competitive landscape for new businesses. Through Commerce’s project successes, Kansas was awarded Area Development Magazine’s prestigious Gold Shovel award in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and was awarded the 2021 and 2022 Governor’s Cup by Site Selection Magazine.
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FSCC Will Name Interim President: Dr. Kegler Placed on Administrative Leave
The Fort Scott Community College Board of Trustees and the Administrative Team have decided to move in the direction of naming an interim president this Thursday, May the 23rd in the absence of Dr. Jason Kegler.
Dr. Kegler has been placed on administrative leave with pay effective Monday, May 20th.
FSCC Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting on May 23, 2024 at 8:30 am in Cleaver-Burris-Boileau Hall.
After calling the meeting to order, the board will immediately adjourn to executive session for the purpose of discussing non-elected personnel.
Once an Interim President has been selected, an announcement will be made to the public.
We are working as hard as we can for the future of our students, our employees, and our community.
Submitted by FSCC Board of Trustees
620-223-2700 • 800-874-3722
www.fortscott.edu
FS National Cemetery Memorial Day Services May 27
Memorial Day Services
Monday, May 27, 2024
National Cemetery
Fort Scott, Kansas
UNDER AUSPICES OF
THE AMERICAN LEGION
POST 25
ASSISTED BY
VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS POST 1165
FORT SCOTT NATIONAL CEMETERY STAFF
MEMORIAL DAY MESSAGE
We are gathered today to pay tribute to the
memory of those who served their country
when called upon, and who now hand down
to us this torch of freedom to love, cherish
and carry high.
Let us be ever mindful of this heritage and
protect it well against those who would lead
us into despair and disunity
May each succeeding Memorial Day strengthen our
faith in a peaceful world
and a brotherhood of mankind.
MEMORIAL DAY SERVICES
Monday, May 27, 2024
9:30 A.M.
Prayer at Courthouse Steps in Honor of all
American War Veterans
11:00 A.M.
Welcome & Master of Ceremony.….………….………..Mr. Craig Stice
Technician Fort Scott National Cemetery
Pledge of Allegiance……………..…………….… Scout Grace Pommier
Troop 114
Invocation……………………..……………Rev. Chistopher Eschelman
Pastor, First United Methodist Church of Fort Scott
Commander’s Address…………………………………….Jessica Allison
Commander, American Legion Post #25
Memorial Day Address………..…Sergeant Major Anthony D. Worsley
Senior Enlisted Advisor
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Placing of Wreath……..…………Mrs. Michele Lyon & Grace Pommier
Legion Auxiliary & Troop 114
Benediction ……………………………….. Rev. Chistopher Eschelman
Pastor, First United Methodist Church of Fort Scott
Honor Volley………………………Legion Post 25 &V.F.W. Post 1165
Taps at both Services…………………………….….Mr. Christian Seals
In case of inclement weather services will be held in Memorial Hall.
Visit V.F.W. Post after Service for free-will donation lunch.
The County Is Looking For In-partial Members To Serve On Solar Setbacks Committee
At the Bourbon County Commission meeting on May 13, First District Commissioner Brandon Whisenhunt told fellow commissioners he would be in favor of selecting a bi-partisan committee of five volunteers that would consist of individuals who are both pro-solar and against solar to research aspects of the solar farms that are coming to the county, according to the commission minutes.
Third District Commissioner Clifton Beth stated those interested should submit a letter explaining why they want to be on the committee.
Beth said the reality is how do you put the cat back in the bag, because solar panel farms are here, according to the minutes.
Beth said he is 100% against zoning.
Second District Commissioner Jim Harris said a special use permit is just the beginning and it could potentially expand until it is full zoning, according to the minutes.
Harris made a motion to receive applications from concerned citizens who want to serve on a committee to help the commissioners review setbacks for solar panel farms.
Whisenhunt seconded the motion. Harris added that they would accept letters for 30 days and if the people applying are not unbiased, they would start over. All approved the motion.
The Bourbon County Board of County Commissioners is now receiving applications from impartial citizens who want to serve on this committee to help the Commissioners review setbacks for solar panel farms.
The statute that tells of setbacks:
Kansas Statute 58-3801. Creation of solar easements; recordation. Any easement obtained for the purpose of exposure of a solar energy device shall be created in writing. The instrument containing such easement shall be recorded with the register of deeds of the county within which the property affected by such easement is situated,according to: https://www.ksrevisor.org/statutes/chapters/ch58/058_038_0001.html
The Commissioners are accepting letters from citizens who wish to serve on the committee, ” Bourbon County Clerk Jennifer Hawkins said. “There is not a specific application for this committee, those interested should write a letter outlining why they wish to serve on the committee and submit to the Clerk’s Office by June 12, 2024.”
Please submit a sealed letter, clearly marked “committee application”, outlining why you wish to serve on the committee to the Bourbon County Clerk’s Office 210 S. National Ave. Fort Scott, KS 66701 no later than June 12, 2024.
