Country music show going strong; popcorn to return

Long gone are the days of the Fort Scott Jubilee that occupied the stage at Memorial Hall for 14 years -- or are they?

After two attempts by different groups to resurrect a country show after Fort Scott Jubilee organizers Jack and Lil Sanders walked away from their event in 2008, local residents Steve and Nancy Cliffman think they have found the secret to keeping such a show alive in Fort Scott.

The Fort Scott Country Show began with a trial performance in February at the Buck Run Community Center and drew a crowd of more than 320 people. Nancy said there were so many at the concert that there wasn't enough seating for everyone and that they ended up letting people in for free because they would have to stand against the wall.

"The first one was the most awesome, because you had people screaming and cheering ... It was real good," she said.

Since that first show, the Cliffmans have signed a contract with the city to use Memorial Hall for their monthly show. Cliffman said they signed a three-month agreement and have renewed it twice with the most recent renewal taking place last week. In August, they went from one show per month to two shows per month.

Cliffman said the only complaint they have received since reviving the show is that they aren't selling popcorn. After meeting with Fort Scott City Manager Dave Martin on Wednesday, Cliffman said the deal is done -- popcorn will be returning Sunday.

"That ought to make a lot of people happy," she said.

The shows have been drawing crowds of about 200 people regularly, Cliffman said. They made the decision to keep the ticket prices lower at $10 per show and offer free coffee. The show's objective is to provide quality entertainment and fulfill a lifelong dream.

"Steve said, 'I'm not in it for the money; I'm in it for the people, and it's my lifelong dream,'" Cliffman said. "It's kind of a privilege and an honor to do it ... It's something that we both enjoy."

The Cliffmans do not pocket any of the profits. A special bank account has been set up for the show, and any gain goes toward making the show better through the addition of guest performers.

The most important motivation for doing the show, Cliffman said, is the people who attend. She said a woman from Pleasanton called her recently to inquire about the popcorn and the two ended up chatting on the phone for an hour about the show.

"For every little 'God bless you' and this and that, it's just awesome," she said.

The band, led by Dewayne Bowman, features artists with loads of experience. All of them performed in the Fort Scott Jubilee and Fort Scott Jamboree. Cliffman said the band has grown to be like family, and they could not be any more proud of their show.

"It's something Fort Scott needs," she said. "It just seems, so far, that this show is going over really big. We're very proud of it because we're very proud of our band."

The Cliffmans have made a personal investment in the show, marketing it and promoting it themselves. Cliffman said that Steve posts flyers and sends emails daily to get the word out after he is done working a 12-hour shift at his day job at Peerless.

The Fort Scott Country Show will be back in action at 2 p.m. Sunday, featuring Stan Stuckey, who was the keyboard player for the Fort Scott Jubilee.

More shows are set for Oct. 9 and 23 and Nov. 13 and 27. The Oct. 23 show will feature special guest Wade Landry and his wife, Teresa. Landry is known as Branson's Cajun fiddle player and his wife sings along with him.