Fellowship Baptist Church holds clothing and school supply giveaway

JOPLIN, Mo. — A local church is giving back to the community.

Fellowship Baptist Church in Joplin held a clothing and school supply giveaway Friday and Saturday.

Members of the church collected clothing and donated school supplies to give to the community.

Items included clothes for children of all ages, shoes, books, toys, crayons, markers, notebooks, backpacks and more.

Katelyn Western, Coordinator, says, “We really want to be able to share the love of Christ with the community in a tangible and practical way, so if we can meet the physical needs of the people in our community, then that gives us an opportunity to share the Gospel with them.”

This is the first year the church has put on the giveaway and Western says organizing it was a little overwhelming at first, but if it helps even one person, it’s worth it.

Fire in Girard sends two to the hospital

GIRARD, Kan. – Officials respond to a house fire with someone still trapped inside this morning.

According to the Girard Police Department, around 10:00 this morning authorities were called to a house fire at 300 East Prairie Street in Girard for a report of a structure fire with a person still inside. When responders arrived on scene, they located 65-year-old Gayla Reinkens still inside the home. She was transported to Girard Hospital.

39-year-old Samuel Reinkens was outside when the fire started. Officials say he suffered minor injuries and was also taken to Girard Hospital. The Kansas State Fire Marshall’s office was contacted to assist in the investigation.

Little Balkans Days returns after last year’s cancellation

PITTSBURG, Kan. —This Labor Day weekend, the city of Pittsburg returns to its roots.

“We honor our ethic and immigrant heritage because Pittsburg, Kansas, and the Southeast Kansas area was an immigrant melting pot. So every labor day we celebrate that history, the coal mining history of the area,” said Angela Meyer, President of the Little Balkans Days Festival.

The city does this with its annual Little Balkans Day festival. The three-day event showcases different cultures through, music, art, food, and more.

“So we have cooking demonstrations in Lincoln Park, we have all kinds of live music, the bagpipes are getting ready to start here. We’ll have a folklife festival all day long with local color, JT Colonel at the emcee, we’ll have poetry readings,  Slovenian music, Polka music, Country, Bluegrass,” Meyer said.

The bagpipes at this year’s festival were played by Orin Weiss, something he was shocked to be able to do.

“I like Little Balkans, we’ve attended before. I never really thought that I’d be on the stage though, my brother and sister were always the singers but I play the bagpipes and I guess that’s what ill be doing up there. I’m excited to play here,” Weiss said.

Saturday’s festivities also included a dog show. One winner, Chloe Riska says she’s proud of her dog Billie, especially for learning new tricks as an older dog.

“I was really proud of her because she learned all of those tricks super duper fast,” Riska said. 

These types of events are uncommon for local festivals, something Little Balkans days, which is in its 36th year, is proud of. 

“It’s not your average fall festival, we have a full lineup tomorrow as well, with a polka dance and a chicken dinner in the mall…. we even brought back the original cookbook from 1985,” said Meyer.

 

Pittsburg non-profit aims to help child abuse victims

PITTSBURG, Kan. —The little Balkans festival also brought out area non-profits.

One, in particular, guardians of the children, is a group of motorcyclists that work to prevent child abuse and educates the public to do the same.

The organization’s members act as mentors to abused children and offer protective and support services for them.

 “A lot of these children spend a lot of time anxious and afraid and they just need to be let go and you know we’ll have a dozen members around them there’s nothing to fear with us and they can just go out and have a good time and be a child,” said Boga, the Pittsburg chapter’s president.

Guardians of the Children is also looking for new members, and meets on the third Sunday of every month at the Holiday Inn,  in Pittsburg. 

Trolley time in Webb City

 

WEBB CITY, Mo. – The popular farmers market wasn’t the only thing bringing 4-Staters out to King Jack Park in Webb City Saturday.

Plenty of people were lining up to take a free trolley on historic streetcar #60.

Volunteers who keep the trolley in tip top condition say it’s been running since the early 70s and went through a few different engines before Watco in Pittsburg, Kansas stepped in to help.

“Several years ago, Watco in Pittsburg offered to put together the pushing unit that you see there. And they spent almost a year cutting that in two and building it in order to push the trolley around, so it’s worked really well ever since and we’re much indebted to Watco,” said volunteer Jerry Fisher.

If you missed the weekend trolley fun, you can catch the trolley again at King Jack Park on Saturday the 18th. Free trolley rides are offered every first and third Saturday of the month.

 

A number of parks in Columbus are undergoing construction over the next several weeks

COULUMBUS, Kan. — A number of parks in Columbus are undergoing construction over the next several weeks.

Crews have begun work on the standpipe in Lions Park near Mercy Hospital.

For the safety of residents, the entire park will be closed until further notice.

Discovery Park will also be undergoing changes of it’s own as work begins on the city’s highly requested splash pad.

Only a portion of the park will be closed while the splash pad is being installed.

The construction is expected to be completed sometime this fall.

Updates on construction can be found on the City of Columbus Facebook page.

We have a link to it on our website here

Southeast Kansas took a trip back in time Saturday

PITTSBURG, Kan. — Southeast Kansas took a trip back in time Saturday.

Saturday concluded the fifth annual Living History event at the Crawford County Historical Museum.

Visitors got the chance to explore the history of Southeast Kansas and Southwest Missouri during the Civil War.

The free event gave visitors a look into soldier camp life and Dutch oven cooking.

On Friday students stopped by for a hands on lesson in local history.

Shawn Pryer, Mighty Mo Chuck Wagon, says, “It’s amazing, because some of the questions they’ll ask, and then they’ll really get to realizing, ‘well that was hard work. They had to do that? Walk! They didn’t ride in these wagons?’ exactly and the kids have a great time with it.”

Saturday, the museum became a battle ground with Civil War battle re-enactments.

One Southeast Kansas town braved the rain to celebrate a monumental occasion

WALNUT, Kan. — One Southeast Kansas town braved the rain to celebrate a monumental occasion.

The city of Walnut, Kansas celebrated it’s 150th anniversary this weekend.

Everything kicked off with the city’s 5K fun run Saturday morning.

After the race the city gathered on Main Street to enjoy local vendors and food.

Families, businesses, state and county officials also marched in the festival’s annual parade.

Marena Kirkpatrick, Walnut Days Planning Committee, says, “It’s a huge accomplishment just to make sure that we all just come together, it’s just really pulling our community together and enjoying everybody’s company since it’s been some hard years and to make sure we honor the history of where we came from.”

Paul Schettler, Walnut Resident, says, “And a lot of people from out of town that had family here, they’d come back every year, just like the Fox’s over here they give out watermelons. None of them live here, but they come back every year and bring the watermelons.”

This year the committee behind the festival named Kathy Westhoff as the Grand Marshall of the parade.

Westhoff had been a major figure in the city before she lost her life to cancer earlier this year.

Little Balkans Days gets in the full swing of things in Pittsburg

PITTSBURG, Kan. — This weekend is Labor Day weekend and, in Pittsburg, the big weekend for Little Balkans Days.

On Friday, September 3, the festival featured events including a quilt show, the first ever Drag The Gut Car Show, and a food truck festival.

The festival continues through Sunday and wraps up with a concert from 80’s cover band Members Only.

You can find the full schedule at LittleBalkinsFestival.com

Local musicians performing at Just A Taste throughout September

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Just A Taste, located at 105 S. Main Street in Webb City, is hosting musical performances throughout the month of September in one of the building’s many hang out spots – its traditional Irish-style pub, Paddy O’Rourke’s Pub. The events will take place every Friday and Saturday from September 10 to 25.

The first two performances on September 10 and 11 are characterized by acoustic guitar and vocals. On September 10, Crystal Leah Hope will take the stage and Dillon Leggett will follow the next day. Both events will take place from 6 to 9 p.m.

The acts throughout the next two weekends include Dance Monkey Dance, Luke Smith, Eine Blume and Matt Harp. There will be a $5 cover charge at the door for each event.

While listening to the music, guests can enjoy specially curated pub food along with a lengthy beverage menu.

The September music series is taking place to signify the reopening of the classy Paddy O’Rourke’s Pub.

“We’re doing a series like this as a way of trying to drum up more interest in the fact that the pub is open… We opened for a little while during COVID and then we had to close. We just recently reopened and we’re trying to get people aware that we’re here,” said Event Coordinator and General Manager Stefanie Thomasma.

By attending the events, guests will be supporting local performers and a locally owned business, while enjoying a night out.

“If you want to have a chill night where you get to listen to some really fun music and try some really cool food, then it’s the place to be,” said Thomasma.

Just A Taste is a large, unique restaurant, cocktail lounge and tasting room. Along with offering a plethora of eats and drinks, it also hosts events, like concerts and trivia.

On Friday October 1, Just A Taste will host a Harry Potter themed trivia event from 6 to 9 p.m. There will be a costume contest with prizes for best dressed.

To stay updated on the music series and future events, visit Just A Taste’s Facebook page.