Sharon G., Kasler

Sharon Kasler, 81, of Joplin, passed away Thursday, June 24, 2021.

No formal services are planned at this time. Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Parker Mortuary.

Lester Donald Ritthaler

Lester Ritthaler, 74, of Carl Junction, MO, formerly of Omaha, Nebraska, passed away June 24, 2021.

No formal services are planned at this time. Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Parker Mortuary, Joplin, MO.

Amber M. Hays

Amber M. Hays, 31, of Parsons, passed away June 15, 2021 at her home. Her death was unexpected.

Further obituary details will be announced later by the Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home of Parsons.

Bobby LeRay Scott

Bobby L. Scott, 60, of Chetopa, passed away at 12:37 p.m., Wednesday, June 23, 2021 at Oswego Health and Rehab in Oswego, Kansas.

Bobby LeRay Scott was born March 21, 1961 in Oswego, Kansas, the son of Raymond Scott and Julia Ann Scott. At the age of four, Bobby moved with his family to New Orleans, Louisiana where he attended school until moving to Chetopa in 1973. He graduated from the Chetopa High School in 1979.

Bobby served his country in the Kansas Army National Guard for 30 years. He worked for several years for Cooling Products, a company located in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Bobby was a train enthusiast and enjoyed all aspects of railroads. He also enjoyed spending time with his family as well as photography and drawing.

Bobby was united in marriage to Rose Mary Humphry on July 4, 2003 in Chetopa, Kansas. She survives, of the home.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by: His Mother: Julia Ann Woodson – Chetopa, Kansas and nieces that he loved.

A graveside funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, June 30, 2021 at the Oakhill Cemetery at Chetopa. The family will receive friends from 7 to 8 p.m., Tuesday at the Bath-Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home in Chetopa where friends may call after 2:00 p.m., Tuesday.

LARPing event held in Parsons

 

PARSONS, Kan. — “This is a cross gaming event so there is a lot of medieval. Mele battle that will be going on over in the field. We play out different scenarios, mock bridge battles, sieges, raids on villages, also some things with more fantasy elements,” said Zachary Sellers, an event organizer.

LARP-ing, or live-action role-playing, not only allows participants to dress up and meet new people.

It’s a part of who they are.

“A bit of a hobby and for a lot of people it’s a large part of their life…The larger LARP community is amazing and while we all still have our differences, we still obviously love coming together, beating each other with foam sticks, and then after having a good laugh of all the battle stories that we made that day,” Sellers said.

On Sunday, LARP-ers from all over Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri came to Parsons Kansas to battle it out with folks from other “realms”.

“You get exercise while you do it. You make a lot of friends. And it’s really an open and caring community. We all help each other out and have a good time,” said a LARP-er who goes by Angus, the Beefy.

For participants, the event is a way to connect with like-minded people, stay active, and relieve stress.

“For me, it’s a reason to get out of the house, it’s a really good way to exercise and learn self-defense at the same time. And all the connections I have made, I’m gonna be learning how to make the weapons soon. It’s just a lot,” said a LARP-er who goes by Noot.

He even said being a part of the larping community was life-changing.

“I always sat around the house, and sitting in the house all day in the dark, gets you down, and so I finally saw them in the park one day and I said hey what’s this and they said its dag you should come to fight with us, and so I came and fought with him. Adrenaline rush came through. Greatest time of my life and I just never stopped,” Noot said.

For many out at the event, these people are family and say it’s the one thing that makes sense when the rest of the world doesn’t. 

Patients evacuated from Mercy Carthage

CARTHAGE, Mo. – A fire scare caused patients to be evacuated from Mercy Carthage on Sunday.

They were eventually allowed to return later in the day.

Officials say an air handler motor overheated causing smoke to enter the building close to where hospital administration is located.

Patients could smell smoke in the air, so Mercy officials decided to get them out of the building as a precaution.

They also say the patients were able to return to their rooms around 9 PM and that nobody was injured.

Cruisin’ for Camp Corral returns to Joplin

JOPLIN, Mo. – The Golden Corral parking lot in Joplin was the place to be Sunday afternoon, especially if you’re a fan of cool cars and helping local children of fallen and wounded military heroes.

Morning rain couldn’t keep the crowds away from the 12th annual Cruisin’ for Camp Corral car show.

The show’s emcee tells KOAM that they know the last year has been tough on plenty of people, and they’re just grateful to raise as much as folks can spare for the kids.

“This year and after last year especially, we are totally excited with what we’re able to do. In the past, we’ve been able to send three or four kids locally to the all-expense paid camp. This year we want to stay on that goal, but if we just send two or three, that’s a fantastic year for us,” said show emcee Max Hill.

If you couldn’t make it to the Sunday show, you’re not out of luck. There will be a second car show on the last Thursday of October at Joplin’s Golden Corral with the money going directly to local veterans.