Events

Save the Date for the Fort Scott Good Ol’ Days Festival June 6th & 7th, 2025 CHECK THE WEBSITE FOR UPDATES ON THE 2025 EVENT! www.FortScottGoodOlDays.com

FortFest is a FREE fundraising Music, Food, Arts, Crafts & Kids Festival and Fundraiser forCare to Share Cancer Support Group. The music is mostly Blues with classic country, rock, soul, & R&B thrown in.

2025 GORDON PARKS CELEBRATION Schedule of Events ​ ​ Thursday, October 2nd PHOTO EXHIBITS will be on display in the Gordon Parks Museum and the Lunt Lobby of the Ellis Family Fine Arts Center PHOTO CONTEST/EXHIBIT — Sponsored by Merl Humphrey Photography and Don Thompson Images, will be on display with the theme of “What Does Your Heart See?” Winners will be announced at the Chamber Coffee, Thursday, Oct.2, 2025. POETRY CONTEST/EXHIBIT — Sponsored by Helen Townsend, Poet and Trabar and Associates, will be displayed with the theme of “What Does Your Heart See?” Winners will be announced at the Chamber Coffee, but presented at the Open Mic event on Saturday, Oct 4, 2025. SIGN DISPLAY & MURAL DISPLAY — Visit the Lowell Milken Center Unsung Heroes Park, 1 S. Main St. where Gordon Parks is featured on one of the signs. View also the mural of Gordon Parks at Riverfront Park, 400 N. National. 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. — Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Coffee at the Gordon Parks Museum. FREE. 9:25 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. — Showing of the Criterion Collection film The Learning Tree Directed by Gordon Parks. FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center Theater. FREE. 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. — Registration open outside of the Museum. ​ 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. — (Lunch and Learn) The Power of Imagery and Civil Rights Experience This presentation will delve into the impact of photography on the civil rights movement in the aftermath of the landmark Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education, tracing the evolution of how Black individuals and communities have been portrayed from historical beginnings to the era of Brown v. Board and up to the present day. Presentation by Ann Dean, an Artist, Freelance Photographer and Photography Instructor at the Lawrence, KS Art Center. Our program is brought to us by Humanities Kansas. The Lunch and Learn is free to attend, though pre-purchased sandwich wrap lunches are available for $12 each and must be ordered by Wednesday, Oct 1. Lunches can be purchased online at gordonparkscenter.org/events, by phone, or by mail. Attendees are also welcome to bring their own lunch and join us. Complimentary desserts and drinks will be provided. In the FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center. FREE to attend (except for lunch). ​ 12:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. — Legends and Historic Moments of our Lifetime Jason Miccolo Johnson, the 2025 “Choice of Weapons Award” honoree, will showcase photographs of some historic moments and legends that he has photographed over the past 50 years and talk about the art of being in the right place at the right time. In the FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center. FREE. 1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. — Showing of the film Moments Without Proper Names Directed by Gordon Parks. In the FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center Theater. FREE. 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. — Guided Trolley Tour of Gordon Parks’ Fort Scott & The Learning Tree Film Scene Locations   Meet at the entrance of the FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center. See the places in Fort Scott that are part of Gordon Parks’ history. Fee: $8. https://www.gordonparkscenter.org/events or by phone or mail. ​ 4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. — The Wayman Chapel AME Commemorative Church Park - Grand Opening Join us for a special dedication event honoring the historic Wayman Chapel AME Church, established in 1866. Celebrate its powerful legacy and community impact with a ribbon cutting at the new commemorative park.  Enjoy complimentary refreshments, including hot dogs and drinks. located at 301 S. Lowman St.  FREE. ​ Friday, October 3rd 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.  — Registration open outside of the Museum. 9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. — Back To Fort Scott: 75th Anniversary Join us as we commemorate the 75th anniversary of Gordon Parks’ returns to his hometown of Fort Scott, Kansas, for his 1950 assignment with LIFE Magazine. This event will feature a look back at some of Gordon’s remarkable photographs taken in Fort Scott and his essay that captured the essence of life in Fort Scott during that era. The program will also include a video presentation titled Gordon Parks: Coming Home Revisited featuring past Choice of Weapons Honorees reading Gordon Parks Fort Scott Revisited Essay, along with images. The essay was published in the Back to Fort Scott book in 2015. Produced by Nick Homberg, Professor of Media and Communications Technology, Kansas State University and Kirk Sharp, Director of the Gordon Parks Museum. FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center Theater. Coffee, water, juice, and light refreshments will be available. FREE. 10:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m. — A Conversation with the 2025 Choice of Weapon Honorees, Michael Cheers, Carol Friedman and Jason Miccolo Johnson.  FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center Theater. FREE. 11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. — The Legacy of Urban Renewal on Tulsa's Black Wall Street Urban renewal radically changed Tulsa’s landscape in the 1960’s and ’70’s in ways that many residents were deeply opposed to. Don Thompson, historian and photographer, will share his firsthand documentation from that era with powerful visuals from that time as well as an historical perspective on how Greenwood residents, still rebuilding after the 1921 Tulsa Massacre, experienced those tumultuous years. In the FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center. FREE. 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. — (Lunch and Learn) The Women of Brown Twelve Black women were at the forefront of the civil rights movement as plaintiffs in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case. Unfortunately, their contributions to the civil rights movement have often been overlooked, yet they are essential to the story of the Brown decision and its impact on American society. This presentation will shine a light on their stories and ensure that their names are not forgotten. Presenter Donna Rae Pearson is a Curator at Kansas Museum of History. Our program is brought to us by Humanities Kansas.  The Lunch and Learn is free to attend, though pre-purchased sandwich wrap lunches are available for $12 each and must be ordered by Thursday, Oct 2. Lunches can be purchased online at gordonparkscenter.org/events, by phone, or by mail. Attendees are also welcome to bring their own lunch and join us. Complimentary desserts and drinks will be provided. In the FSCC Ellis

Creepy Crawl 2025 – October 18 | 8:00 AM – 11:30 PM Get ready to creep, crawl, bounce, and snack your way through a jam-packed day of Halloween fun! Here's what's brewing this year: NEW: Monster Scavenger Hunt Gather your ghouls and goblins and scour the park for spooky essentials! Trade your finds for prizes at the office. Details will be provided at registration booth. Petting Zoo Returns! Snuggle up to some furry friends—because even monsters love animals. Double the Bounce Not one, but TWO bounce houses to keep the energy sky-high! Decorated Rig Contest Deck out your ride in its creepiest costume & compete for bragging rights and to win an annual pass! Trunk or Treat bring your candy and get ready for all the little goblins! No Costume Contest This Year But don’t let that stop you—dress up and show off your spooky style at the TRUNK OR TREAT! Dinner by Marsha’s Deli Enjoy their famous BIG BAG meal: a ham & cheese sandwich, chips, cookie, applesauce, and a drink. Every registration includes 2 meal tickets! Haunted Trail 2 versions: not so scary & FULL FRIGHT RIDE Trails will be open for regular business Fri 10/17 & Sun 10/19 Registration Includes 2 meal tickets & all activities Check out ksrockspark.com to see all the planned activities and to preregister Mark your calendars, rally your crew, preregister, make your camping reservations, and get ready to crawl into the season with us!

Almost KISS brings their high energy show to Fort Scott Kansas