Pioneer Harvest Fiesta to include plenty of music, entertainment

Planners of the downtown Friday night concert series this past summer have been fortunate enough to get several of those performers back on stage this weekend.

"We're privileged to get all of those performers back together," concert co-organizer Ralph Carlson said.

Several musicians and music groups who performed at the free concerts this summer at the Heritage Park and Pavilion will return to entertain crowds during the 51st Annual Pioneer Harvest Fiesta that begins Friday and continues through Sunday at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds near the corner of 23rd and Horton streets.

The Friday evening concerts were events that proved to be popular with the community each week, Carlson said. Many of the performers enjoyed participating in the concerts so much that they made plans to give additional performances this weekend during the three-day celebration of late 19th and early 20th century gas and steam engines and other vintage farm equipment, Carlson said.

"They (performers) were all well-received by the community and have agreed to perform at the Pioneer Harvest Fiesta," he said.

The music begins at 9 a.m. Saturday with a performance by the Fort Scott High School Band, followed by a performance by the FSHS Orchestra at 9:30 a.m. Local musician John Kendrick will perform old-time cowboy music and poetry at 10 a.m.

Fort Scott husband and wife duet Don and Mim Carlson will perform folk, country and historic music at 10:45 a.m. The Carlsons have performed throughout the Midwest for several years. They also play a variety of musical instruments. Don Carlson is the brother of Ralph Carlson, another guitarist and vocalist.

The Red Garter Saloon girls will give a performance at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, followed by a performance by local shopkeeper and organist Jim Shoemaker, who sings and has played the organ for 40 years. Shoemaker played with his band, "Jammin' with Jim" during one of the Friday night concerts. The band plays 1940s and 1950s-style gospel music and other popular tunes from that era.

Local musician Floyd Feezell, who is a member of "Jammin' with Jim," will perform historic cowboy songs at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Local resident Jesse Crum and his wife, Terri, will perform at 3:30 p.m. Saturday and 3:15 p.m. Sunday. Jesse, a vocalist and trumpet player, is the newest member of the Sekanaires Quartet and Singers, a group of local musicians who perform a variety of traditional hymns, gospel music and folk music.

The Sekanaires Quartet and Singers are scheduled to perform at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

The Saturday music line-up concludes at 5 p.m. with a performance by Chuck Cowan, a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame who lives on a farm in northern Bourbon County. Cowan sings and plays a mix of several types of music, including jazz, blues, gospel, country, Latin, Hawaiian, and many others. Cowan used to tour the country as a professional musician and is now retired.

Cowan will also perform at 3:40 p.m. Sunday at the fairgrounds.

The music begins again at 9:45 a.m. Sunday with a repeat performance by Don and Mim Carlson. A break in the music will occur until 1 p.m. that day, when the Sekanaires Quartet and Singers will take the stage. The group, which was formed in the mid-1960s, has performed at several local events throughout the years.

Fort Scott residents Lyle and Marilyn Adcock, who retired in 2005 and moved back to Fort Scott from Missouri in March, perform contemporary folk, traditional bluegrass, and even country music. Marilyn is a trained vocalist and musician who sings and also plays the guitar and the autoharp. Lyle, a percussionist, also plays a number of traditional folk instruments. Before retiring, the Adcocks performed in several state parks throughout Missouri for several years. They will perform at 1:45 p.m. Sunday.

Steve and Melody Fortenberry, who also live in Fort Scott, have performed music for 36 years. Their background consists of Southern Gospel, hymns and other Christian-based music. Steve is a backup guitarist and songwriter, while his wife plays lead guitar and sings along with the couple's son, Chase. In his younger days, Steve toured with several bands that each played a different musical style. The Fortenberrys will perform at 2:15 p.m. Sunday.

Fort Scott resident Jenny Wood, a concert violinist who also plays the piano, will give a performance at 2:45 p.m. Sunday. Wood has played at various events at the Fort Scott National Historic Site, and once played in the Heartland Symphony in Brainerd, Minn., Ralph Carlson said.

All of the performances will take place at the entertainment tent located just east of the main arena at the fairgrounds. This is the second year the entertainment tent has been present at the Pioneer Harvest Fiesta, Carlson said.