Area Youth Chorale Christmas Caroling Schedule

Pittsburg Youth Chorale Christmas Caroling

Pittsburg Youth Chorale, under the direction of MJ Harper, will perform Christmas Carols at many venues this
holiday season:

Sunday, December 1st , Pittsburg Youth Chorale will provide music for the service at First United Methodist
Church (415 N. Pine), 8:30 AM.

Monday, December 2nd , 6 PM, Root Coffeehouse (402 N. Broadway) will host a Pre-Parade Prelude featuring
Pittsburg Youth Chorale.

Saturday, December 7th , performers will serenade Via Christi Villages (1502 E. Centennial) at 10 AM and
during the Kiwanis Pancake Feed at Memorial Auditorium (503 N. Pine) at 11 AM.

Monday, December 9th , 6 PM, Pittsburg Youth Chorale will sing for the “Remember Me Tree” celebration at Meadowbrook Mall (202 E. Centennial).

Tuesday, December 10th at 5:15 PM, Pittsburg Youth Chorale will host the public at First United Methodist Church (415 N. Pine) for a Holiday Finale Concert, free of charge.

Thursday, December 12th wraps up PYC’s holiday caroling with a performance at 1st Christian Church (705
Centennial Drive), 6 PM.

Area youth in 4th, 5th, or 6th grade meet Tuesdays 5-6 PM at First United Methodist Church (415 N. Pine) and
are available for future bookings.

If you are interested in booking this ensemble or enrolling for Spring 2020, contact MJ Harper at 620-719-6633 or email [email protected] .

Obituary of Marcella Timmins

Marcella R. Timmins, age 89, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away Thursday, November 21, 2019, at the Medicalodge of Frontenac, Kansas.

She was born November 23, 1929, in Anamoose, North Dakota, the daughter of William C. Roufs and Josephine Hanenburg Roufs.

Marcella graduated from the Ft. Scott High School with the Class of 1948.  She married George Timmins on September 3, 1949 in, Seattle, Washington.

Marcella had worked as an audit examiner for the Western Insurance Company for thirty-eight years.  She also assisted her husband, George, with their jewelry business.

 

Survivors include four nephews and three nieces and several great-nieces and great-nephews.

Her husband, George, preceded her in death on October 29, 2006.  She was also preceded in death by her parents and four brothers, Ralph, Harold, Clifford and Orville Roufs.

 

At Marcella’s request, a simple graveside service will be held at 11:30 A.M. Monday, November 25th at the Evergreen Cemetery.

A time of visitation will be prior to the service on Monday from 10:30 to 11:15 A.M. at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Memorials are suggested to Paws & Claws 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.

City Offices Closed Nov. 28-29

The City of Fort Scott offices will be closed on Thursday, November 28th and Friday, November 29th, 2019 in observance of the Thanksgiving Day Holiday. The regular offices will reopen on Monday, December 2nd, 2019.

The City’s tree and brush dump site located on North Hill St. will also be closed on Thursday, November 28th, and Saturday, November 30th, 2019 for the Thanksgiving Day holiday. It will be open again on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2019 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Time for the Fall Extravaganza, Buy Local Nov. 25

Georgia Brown of Sunshine Boutique visits with customers during Fall Extravaganza in a prior year.

FREE childcare and an evening of shopping are offered Nov. 25.

The 10th Annual Fall Extravaganza is next Monday from 5-8 p.m. in the Fort Scott Middle School gym and commons areas. The school is located at 1105 E. 12th Street. The childcare is provided by Fort Scott High School PRIDE.

Don’t miss this opportunity to check out local crafters and businesses.

Homemade articles of cloth and wood, jewelry, locally made food items and other local small business offerings can be found at the event.

 

With over 60 vendors, there should be something for everyone on the holiday gift list.

There will be a full meal for sale from the 8th-grade Washington Workshop students,  and chances to win raffle prizes.

There will also be six $25 cash prize giveaways:

1) Every adult who comes to our event will be allowed to add a middle school child’s name into a drawing. At the end of the night, two student names will be drawn and those students will win $25 cash!

2) Every USD 234 employee who attends will have a chance to be entered into a drawing. At the end of the night, four names will be drawn and those employees will win $25 cash!

The event is sponsored by the FSMS VIPs, which is the parent group at the middle school.
  “This is one of about five fundraisers we do every year to raise money for our school,” Stephanie George, coordinator for the event and a middle school teacher. “Teachers and students benefit.  Every year we look at the needs of them both and decide what to do with the money.”
”  In past years, we have purchased laptops and iPads for student and teacher use, we have given money to the science teachers for lab supplies and to the music teachers for sheet music and instruments, and we give money each year to the teachers to purchase school supplies at the start of the year.  We also pay for software that the district wasn’t able to afford when budgets were cut years ago:  we have paid for Accelerated Reader (a reading supplement) for over five years now and we pay for video subscriptions that teachers want like Flocabulary and BrainPop.”
“The first year of our event was 2009,” George said. “We had 29 vendors and we held it all in our commons.  By year 3, we had so many vendors we had to expand into our gym.  This year we have 69 spots sold, plus a few booths manned by middle school student groups (Washington Workshop and the 8th Grade Technology Class), which is bigger than last year by one vendor.”
Approximately 400 people from the community come to shop during the event each year, she said.
. Fall Extravaganza 2017.

 

Israel Iron Dome by Patty LaRoche

Patty LaRoche

Four of us boarded our Tel Aviv tour bus, heading for Jerusalem. We were grateful to be here, considering the airport interrogation my sons Jeff and Andy, Andy’s wife Kristen, and I received when we left Miami, Florida, heading to Israel. We had anticipated a memorable—probably tearful– Christian experience as we would navigate the country where Jesus had spent much of his life.

To say it was memorable is an understatement.

The Miami El Al Airline agent began the questioning before we even checked our bags. “How do you know each other?” “Where did you sleep last night?” “While you were asleep, did anyone have access to your luggage?” “Has anyone been near your computer in the past few days?” “Why do you all live in different states?” “When was the last time you slept in your parents’ house?” “How many bedrooms were in that house?”

And that was just the beginning. Since Andy is coaching for the K.C. Royals and moves frequently, his answer to how many flights he had taken over the past few months raised eyebrows. Two senior agents were called in to further interrogate Andy and Kristen about their lifestyle, especially since they live in different states part of the time.

Obviously, not just anyone is allowed into Israel.

After convincing the panel of interrogators we were not a threat, we were allowed on board. Even Kristin, apprehensive (to put it mildly) about a trip to another country, later shared that the 12-hour flight had been an unexpected pleasure.

Jeff had arranged to rent a car, and at the AVIS booth in Tel Aviv, he was told that the actual price was five times the original quote because four of us would not fit into the size car he had rented. I chose not to take that personally. That, plus the hidden costs, caused the price increase. As we lugged our suitcases, backpacks, etc. to the pick-up zone, we were excited to see the sleek cars available. Unfortunately, those were not ours. Ours was in a different area. Ours was the size of a golf cart–a mini golf cart. Our laughter was uncontrollable as we crammed our possessions into whatever cavity we could find—including the dashboard, under our feet, behind our necks and in our laps.

Arriving at our rented condominium, we were pleasantly surprised at our spectacular view. Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, we could see hundreds of bikers, runners and walkers filling the trails along the beach. Israel was alive and inviting. Tomorrow we would bus it to Jerusalem and walk the Via Dolorosa. Let the tears begin!

Which is where this story starts. We awoke early to board our tour bus, but as we did, a siren sounded, an alarm similar to the ones I heard in drills as a child when we were given instructions on what to do if an atomic bomb headed our way. Everyone was removed from the tour busses parked by ours, and we were ushered to a stone wall nearby. Explosions were heard at a distance. Our tour guide explained that those sirens had not sounded for four years, and it probably had “something to do” with the fact that Israel had killed a Palestinian Jihad militant and his wife in Gaza the night before.

Or it has something to do with the fact that I am in Israel, I told myself.

When the sirens stopped, we boarded our bus, our nerves a little edgy. (Being bombed has a way of doing that, you know). Shortly after leaving Tel Aviv, our guide explained that apparently Gaza had retaliated with air strikes, but because Israel is protected with an “Iron Dome,” the Gaza missiles had been shot down. Supposedly the Dome is 90% effective. Still, there’s that little 10% element that would keep us on our toes.

What can I say? We wanted a memorable experience, and we were getting one.

Not surprisingly, it would not be our last.

Obituary of Marvin Gates

https://s3.amazonaws.com/CFSV2/obituaries/photos/6493/587117/5dd5bf3d303cf.jpg

Gates, Marvin Ray, 95, cherished husband, father, grandpa, and retired agricultural mechanic with International Harvester Co., passed away peacefully on Tuesday, November 19, 2019.

Marvin served his country with the U.S. Navy during World War II and was preceded in death by his wife of 73 years, June Gates; parents, Albert and Grace Gates; and sister, Viola Bowers.

Survivors include his daughter, Marsha Shrack (Chris); son, Alan Gates; brother, Norman Gates; grandchildren, Chelsea, Emma, Gates, and Sam Shrack, Dustin and Kenton Gates; three great-grandchildren.

Memorial Service, 11 am, Friday, Nov. 22, at First Missionary Baptist Church, 100 5th St., Uniontown, Kansas.

Graveside, 1 pm, Uniontown Cemetery, Uniontown,

KS. Memorials to Heartland Hospice and the Alzheimer’s Association. Share condolences at www.CozineMemorial.com. Services by Broadway Mortuary.

Buy Local: HPA Stocking Stuffer Dec. 7,8

Articles for sale in a past Stocking Stuffer.

The annual Historical Preservation Association Stocking Stuffer, after skipping a year, will be the weekend of Dec. 7 and 8.

Several area crafters will be offering their wares, along with some small business owners.

“We didn’t have it last year, and this year I have a couple of gals who have stepped up to help,” Carolyn Crystal, event coordinator said. ” Julie Norris and Charlotte Kite.”

On Saturday, Dec. 7 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. vendors will sell homemade crafts, home decor, jewelry and fashion accessories at the Fort Scott Middle School Commons Area, 1105 E. 12th Street.

The 2014 Stocking Stuffer in the gym of the Fort Scott Middle School.

Admission is free.

The Sharing Bucket organization will serve lunch as a fundraiser to provide support for local cancer survivors.

“I invite you to come back and see what all the vendors have,” Crystal said. “There are lots of new things.”

There are currently 30 vendors signed up, and Crystal is seeking more.

The booth space is 10 feet by 10 feet and costs $45. Vendors must provide their own tables. Electrical sites are available.

“If electricity is needed, I need to know ahead of time,” Crystal said.

For more information contact Crystal at 620-215-1969 or Kite at 620-224-0931.

 

 

Uniontown FFA Places 5th at Nationals

 Left to Right: Haydon Schaaf, Clay Brillhart, Makenzee Franklin, Nich Hathaway, Scott Sutton.

 

The Uniontown FFA Livestock Judging team placed 5th at the National FFA Livestock Evaluation contest held on October 30th and 31st in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Uniontown represented  Kansas at the national event after earning the opportunity with their state championship win this past May at the Kansas FFA contest.

 

Haydon Schaaf, Clay Brillhart and Nick Hathaway led the team with their gold division finishes.

Makenzee Franklin was also on the team and landed in the silver division.

On day one of the contest members had to place three keep/cull classes of livestock and complete a written exam on their own.

They were then paired up and had to complete a team breeding and marketing activity.

On day two each member had to place eight livestock classes and talk four sets of reasons.

The team is coached by Uniontown FFA Advisor Scott Sutton.

 

Franklin and Hathaway are freshmen at Fort Scott Community College. Franklin is on the livestock judging team at FSCC and Hathaway is on the meat judging team there.

Schaaf is a freshman at Redlands Community College in Oklahoma and is on their livestock judging team.

Brillhart is a junior at Uniontown High School.

 

Bourbon County Local News