Tickets still available for Taste of Fort Scott

The Taste of Fort Scott, sponsored by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, is Saturday at the Liberty Theatre, 114 S. Main.   

Taste of Fort Scott Chairman Martha Scott said, "This event is usually conducted in larger communities and we feel fortunate that the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce is able to host this event."

With an admission ticket, guests will receive a commemorative glass with the Taste of Fort Scott logo, samplings of adult beverages, tastings of food specialties from local restaurants, the chance to win items on the silent auction tables, and a chance to bid on the live auction items.  

The Taste of Fort Scott will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Liberty Theatre and will last until 9:30 p.m.  

The live auction will start at 8 p.m. and the silent auction will close at 8:30 p.m.

"We are really excited this year about the live auction items," Scott said. "We have experiences rather than items."

Scott and her husband, Jim Scott, are donating one of the live auction items, a Margarita Party for 12 people. Jim, who for many years owned Scotty's Wine and Spirits, is known to make a wicked margarita and Martha, a columnist for The Fort Scott Tribune, loves to cook and share her recipes. It is an evening of Mexican food and drink at Linderhof, the Scotts' home.    

"It will not be just appetizers," Scott said, "but more substantial food as well." Her famous chicken enchiladas will also be featured on the menu at the party.    

Local insurance agent Kale Nelson, also known as "Salsa Man," is also donating salsa to eat with chips at the start of the party. The value on this Live auction item is priceless.

2006 Fort Scott barbecue champion Mike Coyan is donating a barbecue dinner for 20 to be conducted at the winning bidder's choice of location. The dinner will feature some of his amazing smoked meats as well as two sides of the buyer's choice.    

"It's all about the beans," Coyan said in jest. Last year, Coyan beat out some well known barbecue champions at the First Annual Fort Scott BBQ Championship.    

Anyone who has ever tasted Coyan's barbecue can attest to why he won.   

"Mike's always been a big supporter of the Taste of Fort Scott" Scott said. "We appreciate not only this donation for our live auction, but he's also going to fix food to sample at the 'Taste' itself."     The value on this live auction item is priceless.

A new event at Fort Scott this year is the very first Blue and Grey Golf Tournament between Nevada and Fort Scott, a fund-raising event for tourism. A team entry fee is one of the live auction Items for the Taste of Fort Scott.   

Scott said, "It's your chance to not only get your team entered in this tournament, but also make a donation to the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce."

  The value of this live auction item is $500.

"We're real excited about this Live Auction Item," Scott said. "The wholesaler who helps us put this event on is donating a Wine 101 course."   

It's a course for 16 people and will feature 12 wines.  The buyer will be able to taste and learn about the differences in wines from red to white.     Roger Fowler, vice president with Standard Beverage Corporation, is teaching the Course.    

"It is an opportunity to learn about wine from an expert in the industry," Scott said.      The value of this live auction Item is $750.

"The most priceless live auction item we have is the autographed poem by Gordon Parks," Scott said.     This poem signed by Gordon Parks was donated to the chamber several years ago by Parks himself to be used as a fund raiser.    

"We auctioned several poems like this off while he was alive," she said, "but this is the first time we've auctioned one after his passing. His autograph on eBay goes for many hundreds of dollars. I can't fathom what one of his poems signed by him might be worth."   

The value of this live auction item is priceless.

There are many silent auction items that Taste of Fort Scott guests will have a chance to bid on throughout the evening. Each item will have a "buy it now" price, those who don't want to wait around until the auction is over can immediately purchase an item with this feature.

"We hope that you will come and join us Saturday night at the Liberty for this fun event," Scott said.