Great Fort Scott!

On a Friday morning, I headed south to take my aunt on a daytime adventure. The hustle and bustle of urban Johnson County gave way to the open road of rural southeast Kansas. Pastures of cattle soaked up the sun and the blades of the massive wind turbines spun to generate electricity. I turned off the highway and worked my way down the country roads to my aunt's house. The two farm dogs announced my arrival with a volley of barks as they raced to the car. It is always a competition between the pair to see who can shove their face in the car first to be petted.

While I had two inches of snow at home, my aunt had two inches of rain which left a muddy yard. After carrying in things I had been saving for her, we departed for Fort Scott, the county seat of Bourbon County. Fort Scott has a population of 7,552. In 1842, the United States Army established Fort Scott. Named after General Winfield Scott, the fort served an important role for settlers until 1853. In 1857, settlers laid out the city of Fort Scott which officially became a chartered city in 1860. It is home to Fort Scott Community College, the oldest community college in the state of Kansas.

The city is older than the state and has seen its fair share of ups and downs over the years. I still remember reading with horror, when a fire ravaged downtown Fort Scott almost twenty?years ago. The fire destroyed several historic buildings.

My aunt served as navigator riding shotgun. We drove through Bronson, Kansas population 304 and my aunt pointed out Perry's Pork Rinds & Country Store. A couple started this business in a garage and has now expanded to a brick-and-mortar store. Business has been good for them, and they are keeping the shipping companies busy with their online orders. The business has plans to open an RV and campground site along with Hog Wash Coin Laundry Mat this year. It is encouraging to see a small family-owned business breathing new life into a small community. In addition to pork rinds, they have fudge and roasted nuts.

We reached Fort Scott and weaved are way through the downtown streets until we found a parking spot near our first stop. Hedgehog Ink! Bookstore sells new and gently loved books. It is a well-organized bookstore with a children's area. The adjoining room has more books and tables with board games on them. Up a flight of stairs is a small reading nook with two armchairs overlooking the books and games below. In addition to books, the store features handmade cards from a local artist, another display has bags made by another local artist and a display of lavender products from an area small business.

I carried a heavy bag of books in for my aunt so she could get store credit. While she perused the shelves for new adventures in reading, I selected two vintage Fort Scott postcards and a couple of mysteries. While I waited for my aunt, I sat in a chair next to a display of CDs and spied a journal decorated with hedgehogs. I thought it would be a good memento. In a small art supplies area, I found a pack of stencils and a book about dot journaling for a gift.

Independent bookstores are not as prevalent as they used to be and even some of the big chains have closed their doors for good. A few months ago, I had planned to stop at a local bookstore in Emporia only to find out it had closed two years prior. We made our purchases. Those that spend $25 or more receive a royal purple tote bag with the store's logo printed on the side.

The owner asked us if we were doing the chocolate crawl. We had not heard of this two-day event, so she handed each of us a card with local stores on it. Each store stamped the card and offered the visitor some chocolate. After so many stamps, one could turn in their card to be entered in a drawing for Chamber Bucks.

Our next stop, The Iron Star Antiques & Such features a variety of home decor, furniture, home goods etc. I found a small painting of red geraniums and a couple of greeting cards. Our third stop, Barbed Wire and Roses Vintage Market, I would describe as a little like the show American Pickers. They had all sorts of collectibles and Americana. The owner had gone all out on the chocolate-chocolate candy, chocolate cupcakes, and hot chocolate to warm up shoppers on this brisk February day.

Celebrating their second anniversary, the owner gave each of us a nice ink pen with a stylus on the top. In a booth, I discovered some intricate works of crochet. I admired the skill the creator had to make these items. I carefully laid these vintage works on the checkout counter and put in my mental to do list on how to display these works of art.

My aunt decided it was lunchtime and we ended up at Aunt Toadies. The friendly staff in green shirts told us to sit where we wanted and brought us menus. The markerboard listed to special as "Chicken Bowl" and which flavors of pie they had for dessert. My aunt went with the special and I went with a cheeseburger and fries. A short time later, our meals arrived. The food was good and the prices reasonable.

Exploring the rest of Fort Scott would have to wait another day. If you need an idea for a day trip, Fort Scott is a good choice. Once a year, historic Fort Scott has a candlelight tour with re-enactors giving patrons a look into the past. Fort Scott also has one of the three national cemeteries in Kansas. There are many things to see and do in this corner of Kansas.