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CHAMPION—May 31, 2010

        Champion is enjoying the fullness of the season.  The hay harvest is truly plenteous and while the laborers are few they have some big machines and all is well.  Harley, particularly, has some pretty hay down and up.  Visitors to the community, friends and family, are all made better by their sojourn in the tranquil environs.  The place was hopping on Wednesday morning with the ground-breaking ceremony for the replica of the Historic Emporium being constructed on the North side of the Square.  Visiting dignitaries included retired city planner, Thomas VanDyke, of Houston, Texas.  The illustrious Mayor of Champion was handed a stainless steel sharp shooter shovel and he summarily scooped up a representative clot of Champion Earth while cameras clicked and whirred from every angle.  Though the photographs are unavailable for publication, the oratory was emblazoned on the psyches of all in attendance.  The reconstruction was likened to the Phoenix Rising, representing the capacity for vision.  The mythical bird is the symbol of high virtue and grace, of power and prosperity.  Progress on the project is steady and substantial.  Champion–steeped in the classics and good planning.

        The 24^th Denlow School Reunion was a wild success!  There were sixteen former students in attendance as well as a great number of friends and family and some idle passers by.  The reunion was first started by the late Lucille Shannon Ketchum, who kept it tightly organized for nineteen years.  Mary Joe Cole Denner, who recently passed away, and Evan Williams were also a part of that original organizing group.  Williams, who attended school at Denlow in 1924 or 1925, enjoyed himself at the reunion, as did Lowell Lutrelle who attended in the 1930’s.  There were four Hoppers in attendance– Marilyn, Wally, James and Ricki.  People came from far and wide and Vernon Upshaw made it out from Mountain Grove!  One of the highlights of the program was a talk given by Gene Hendrickson.  He is from Fairfax Station, Virginia.  He grew up in North Dakota where he still owns his family farm.  He was on his way back there after the reunion.  He is a Bird Colonel, a veteran of 30 years in the Marines with tours of duty in Viet Nam and Desert Storm.  He remarked that young troops do most of the fighting and have done so all the way back through the civil war and beyond.  Generation after generation young soldiers enthusiastically step up to serve their Nation and the cause of Freedom.  He and his wife, Sharon Hammons Hendrickson, had been in Denlow last fall visiting the cemetery where her great granddad, James Hammons, is buried and they were invited back for the reunion.  They had a nice visit with second cousin Bertha Wood over in Mountain Grove during their stay.  After an amazing dinner, a big bunch of the group assembled in the pavilion where Laverne Miller conducted an auction.  He was in a hurry to get it done on account of a pending obligation up in Chicago at the National Billy Goat Auction.  He has been in charge of most of the reunion auctions over the years.  He is a veteran too.  He landed in Normandy not long after D-Day and as part of the signal corps, strung wire for General Patton.  His wife, Jessie Mae Miller, contributed several crocheted pieces to the auction including a filet crochet wall hanging saying, ‘Home Sweet Home.’  She had with her a photograph of her family with her great grandparents, her mother and father, her mother’s parents and numerous brothers and sisters.  Her granddad had passed away in 1913, so the photo was pretty old.  It was made right in Denlow, but was too full of people to see much of the scenery.  Barbara Anderson was the winning bidder on a set of Champion Picture Post Cards, which had been presented, “To Denlow with affection from Sister City, Champion, May 23, 2009.”  It took a year for the General to be willing to part with them—so picturesque!  The morning’s program had also been pretty scenic as Virginia Fuller, Kaye Johnston, and Sally Prock reprised their exotic Polynesian dance to the accompaniment of Robert Upshaw’s torture of an otherwise quite nice squeezebox, which he called a ukulele.  It is his notion that once word gets out about the spicy nature of this performance, the 25^th Reunion next year will be standing room only!  Esther Wrinkles and Ruby Proctor had a chance to sit and visit a while Saturday with Virginia Jacobs and others there on the benches at the entrance to the cemetery.  Esther was pleased to meet up with her cousin Louise Holt, who made it out to Denlow on Sunday.  She is from Excelsior Springs and came down to see her sister Betty Garrett who lives in Mansfield.  While she was in the neighborhood, she attended a church meeting with Esther, and Larry and Teresa Wrinkles.  The meeting was being held by 80 year old Johnny Elmore in Houston, MO.  Irene Dooms came out to Denlow in the afternoon to visit with her sister and their cousin Louise.  They saw a lot of people that they rarely see including Wayne and Frances Southerland.  He is doing better Esther says, getting around with his walker.  So it will take some of the committee a while to rest up from this shindig, but they are already thinking about the next one.

        Champions are reminded of the First Ripe Tomato in Champion Contest.  This is the fourth year for the contest and the rules are the same:  The winning tomato must have been grown in Champion and must be shared with the judges to verify authentic ripeness.  Donna Moskaly won in 2007 on June 28^th.  Louise Hutchison won the next year on July 12^th with a Parks Whopper, and last year Larry Casey won on June 30^th.  Prizes will be announced soon.  Time is flying by and Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says June the 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th will all be good days to plant root crops.

        Memorial Day is the time to stop to think of those who breathed their last in our Nation’s cause.  It is a comforting day also, a time to gather with family and friends, a moment to enjoy the Love of those closest to our hearts.  Judy Ing, of Bastrop, Texas, was a dear Champion friend, who visited here many times over the last thirty years.  She was taken from the world in a sudden tragic accident on May 22, 2010.  Judy was a true and generous friend and the many people whose lives she touched are Grateful to have had the chance to Love her.

        Step out into the Loafing Shed on the West side of the Square in Downtown Champion for an eyeful of excitement.  Bring your family and friends down to Champion to get their spirits lifted as the Phoenix rises.  The Temporary Emporium Annex over on the West Side of the Square is full of all the pertinences to keep a Champion life sweet—from ice cream to bailing twine.  “Miss your voice, your touch on my hand, just to know that you understand, my buddy!  My buddy, Your buddy misses you!”  Send your favorite sweet sad song to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO, 65717 or to Champion at getgoin.net.  Visit the website www.championnews.us for a beautiful view of Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—May 24, 2010

        Champions are enjoying the glorious weather and though they never complain about bad weather, they are pleased to be exultant about the good.  Things are green and luscious–vibrant and growing.  Haymakers are busy at it and little houses and big ones that had been sitting out in barren yards are suddenly hiding behind the overgrowth of the roadsides and disappearing in the dense foliage.  The fresh bright days of early summer weather are the prime time moments when Champions most often take their mental picture postcards.  “Do you mean they have French Postcards over there at Henson’s Store?” inquires an erstwhile Champion.  Indeed not.  It is probable that last week this person read about the possibility of a Frenchman having been in the neighborhood spouting proverbs about plucking geese.  It is funny how just a little bit of information is a dangerous thing!  Champion Picture Postcards are still just of Champion and are still available in good supply at the Temporary Emporium Annex on the West Side of the Square in Historic Downtown Champion.

        Champion neighbors are in a fevered pitch with the approach of the 24th Annual Denlow School Reunion. It will be Saturday, 29 May 2010.  Registration will start at 10:00 a.m., program at ll:00 a.m. in the Denlow Church, and a potluck lunch at 12:30 p.m. Door prizes, a raffle for a quilt, and Generally a great time is expected to be had by all.  Anyone wishing to donate something for the afternoon auction will have to use some imagination to come up to par with the offerings of the Denow Steering Committee.  Give it a try.  Everyone is invited to attend the reunion. Wally’s brother, James Hopper, is planning on making it all the way from up by Kansas City.  Aunt Elsie’s daughter, Virginia Canada, will be there all the way from Florida.  Hopes are that Vernon Upshaw will make it all the way from Mountain Grove!  It promises to be a another Splendid Occasion.

        Champion’s own fastionista, Barbara Krider, will not be making it to the Denlow Reunion as she is off on an extensive jaunt with her mother and her daughter, Karen.  They are headed to San Francisco for a couple of fun filled weeks that will include site seeing and some overdue visits with family members.  Harley may make it to the reunion if he can get out of the hayfield.  The consensus of opinion is that he quite likes making hay. Miss Taegan Rae Krider has been visiting her Grammy in Champion and helping to make it a special bright spot.  Bidding is climbing up there on the May Mascot Monkey of the Month Silent Auction being sponsored by the Skyline VFD Ladies Auxiliary Picnic Society.  It can be seen smiling over at Henson’s Store in the Temporary Emporium Annex or on line at www.championnews.us.

        Pete Proctor writes to say, “I enjoy what you put in the paper about the Veterans.  As one myself.  I salute all men and women that are serving.  The Vietnam Wall will be in Cabool July 1st thru July 4th.  I have been asked to come down to help greet the people as they come in.  They say there could be 60,000 to 65,000 people come by The Wall. It will be open 24 hours around the clock.”  It is always good to hear from Pete and Champions join him in expressing Love and Gratitude for those who serve the Nation in and out of uniform.

        An e-note has arrived from Arlene Cooley: “If you could incorporate the following into your otherwise fabulous writings……..It’s that time again!  The Cooley reunion for family and friends will be held June 26th at First Freewill Baptist Church in Mountain Grove from 10 to 3.  A potluck dinner at noon followed by auction and door prizes with music provided by Darrell Cooley.”  Arlene is part of that rowdy bunch of Cooleys that does all the laughing and grinning. They are a happy outfit.

        Days are favorable for planting corn and hay and flowers all the way up through the 26th of the month and the 27th and 31st will both be good days for planting root crops and leafy greens and seed beds.  All this is from Linda’s Almanac from over at The Plant Place in Norwood.  The 29th is not a good day to plant, so anyone can feel free to go on over to the Denlow Reunion.  Someone said that Pithy Adeline and Lem and Ned would be there.  It has been difficult to convince one old Champion that Pithy is not a French girl who had her picture taken for the post card business.  She does not figure in any of the Champion Picture Post Cards, though she is said to cut quite a nice figure.  People say all kinds of things.

        John Lukey McCreery wrote, “There is no death!  The stars go down to rise upon some other shore, and bright in heaven’s jeweled crown, they shine for evermore.  There is no death!  The dust we tread shall change beneath the summer showers to golden grain or mellow fruit or rainbow-tinted flowers.”  Upon the sudden tragic death of a precious friend, the preciousness of all friends is revealed again.  Drop a note to Champion News or to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 with stories about dear friends.  Spend some time with some dear friends over in the Champion Loafing Shed or wherever they may be found.  Champions are reminded to keep a happy heart and to Look on the Bright Side.

CHAMPION—May 17, 2010

        Feather by feather the goose can be plucked, is a French proverb.  Champion is made up of such a diverse population that most likely a Frenchman at least passed by and most likely observed that there was never such a lovely and more likely looking spot for a nice little store.  It is centrally located at the end of a downhill stretch of pavement and at the conjunction of two major county road arteries that split off and branch off and travel out to pavement all around–14 Highway, 95 Highway, 76 Highway, Highway C and WW.  Why, the little chunk of territory encompassed by that ring of pavement represents the absolute Heart of Douglas County, the Ozarks, Missouri, The Mid-West United States, North America, Western Hemisphere, Earth, Milky Way and beyond.  A happier little Spot one is Not likely to find.  Champion!

        Champion neighbors are busy.  “The 24th Annual Denlow School Reunion will be Saturday, 29 May 2010.  Registration will start at 10:00 a.m., program at 11:00 a.m. in the Denlow Church, and a potluck lunch at 12:30 p.m.  We will have door prizes, a raffle for a quilt, and anyone wishing to donate something for the afternoon auction will be appreciated.  Everyone is invited to attend the reunion.” This is from the infamous Denlow informant.  Guess who?  Get there early and stay late!

        Champion’s illustrious Postmaster in charge of Sunny Route 2 and many other local postal environs traveled with a great happy mob of family over to Springfield on Saturday to enjoy the commencement exercise of his son, Ryan Dooms, as he graduated from SMS.  The event was held at the Jon Q. Hammond’s facility and it was packed all day with three separate ceremonies and more than 2700 graduates!  Ava neighbor, Wes Davis, also graduated and will be teaching in the Republic area as will Ryan.  Smart, hardworking young people are what the country needs as a quick look at the median age in these parts lets a person know it will be very important to have some nice young people active in the area as many old time residents just continue to age, if they are lucky.

        Harley Dewayne Brixey was a native of Denlow, born in 1935.  He had an exciting and interesting life that included a career with Boeing Aircraft and a stretch, when he was younger, as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, where he spent some time training cadets at WestPoint.  He had been living in Florida since 2005, and he passed away there on May 8^th.  He came from a large family, many of whom were on hand as his ashes were interred at the Denlow Cemetery on Sunday.  His grandson, Tommy Perry, played Taps in his honor.  Every little community in the country has a Veteran to appreciate.  Champions join them all in acknowledging their service with Love and Gratitude.

        Pithy is new to Champion.  Pithy Adeline is her name and she has come on the arm of Ned, of the famed duo of ‘Lem and Ned’ and may well be the cousin of one of them.  She is just the kind of girl that parents might hope for their boys.  She has a big smile, a happy disposition, a quick mind, and is a strong and willing worker.  She can weed the garden all day long and laugh about how the weeds just jump into your hand after such a nice rain.  She has a rich alto voice that drifts melodically out over the garden in a mysterious quiet way.  Was it the wind?  She is like Poor Little Sadie and can sing with the birds and the frogs.  She’ll be planting corn soon.  Lem and Ned have been pushing wheelbarrows of horse manure for her and she has been sharing her turnips with them.  The next good days for planting above ground crops will start on the 24^th of the Month.  Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood is available there at the Gift Corner and on line at www.championnews.us in the Links section.  There is a nice picture there also of the Skyline VFD May Monkey.  It has big blue eyes and was sitting in Louise Hutchison’s rose arbor for its picture.  The month is already half over and the bidding on this month’s silent auction is already getting up there.  This is one of the many ploys of the Skyline Area Volunteer Fire Department (Association) Ladies Auxiliary Picnic Society.  They are continually looking for ways to aid and support their wonderful Fire Department in making its big fire truck payment and keeping the firefighters encouraged by the participation of the community.  Everyone cannot fight fires and do the critical medical assists that these trained firefighters do, so in the little ways they can serve, the ladies are happy to do so.  They will be having a meeting on June 1^st at Henson’s Store in its Temporary Annex on the West Side of the Square in Downtown Champion.  The meeting will be at 7 o’clock and any fire department member who would like to participate is welcome to attend.

        School is about out everywhere and soon Champions will be hosting friends and family from all over the country.  The weather will be wonderful, the groceries delicious and the company delightful.  “Now the kinfolks are coming, yes they’re coming by the dozens and they’re eating everything from soup to hay!  Right after dinner, they’re not looking any thinner and you can hear them say, “Y’all come!”

Send your Champion news to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or to Champion News.  Sing your summertime song out in the Champion Loafing Shed next to the Temporary Annex of the Champion Emporium on the West Side of the Square in the Heart of Douglas County.  Champion–Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—May 10, 2010

        Champions find themselves in a difficult situation.  Reconciling change can be hard on anyone.  Understanding the necessity for change is one thing, letting go is quite another thing.  Champions stalwartly carry on and make the absolute best of a trying time.  If it were easy, just anybody could do it.  Champions know that the end result of these much-needed changes will be excellent, but the process is startling and overwhelming.  The analogy of a can of worms fits.  The feeling of being a reed in the wind prevails, but Champions look on the bright side and meet the challenge with courage.

          Pictures were circulating around town on Sunday of Taegan Rae Krider, now ten days old and a real beauty.  Mother’s Day found Champion phones ringing and pleasant surprise visits from children and grandchildren.  Ms. Powell’s grandson, Bryan Barnes, spent the day with her.  Foster and Kalyssa had both their Grandmother’s with them for the day.  What could be better?

        Linda’s Almanac says that the 13^th will be the next good day for planting above the ground crops.  It will also be a fine day for transplanting so gardeners can take advantage of these cooler days and get some hard work done.  It will pay off on the dinner table.  Saturday, the 15^th, is Armed Forces Day.  Champions join the rest of the Nation in expressing Love and Gratitude to those who serve in and out of uniform.

         Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.  Nostalgia buffs will find comfort in the Champion Picture Postcards available at the Temporary Emporium Annex on the West Side of the Square adjacent to the Champion Loafing Shed, which is becoming quite a popular destination with loafers of every sort.  Wherever you roam in Champion you’re looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—May 3, 2010

        April ended with a flourish!  Champions celebrate the arrival of Taegan Rae Krider who made her appearance about 8:30 on Friday evening the 30^th.  Her parents are Breauna and Leslee Krider and they are well and happy with this beautiful addition to the family.  Taegan weighed about seven and a half pounds and has a lot of beautiful dark hair.  She has had many admirers come from long distances to make her acquaintance and to congratulate her proud parents. Foster, Kalyssa, Eli, Emerson, Dillion and Dakota now have another little girl cousin.  What could be better?  Her Aunt Linda Watts made the trip over from Tennessee to welcome her.  Friday was also quite eventful due to an outbreak of severe weather.  Champions were spared and are Grateful.  As the weather moved east it caused great flooding in the Nashville area, which may have delayed Linda’s return.  No one here will complain if she has to stay an extra little while.

        Champions are ever amazed at the rapid passage of time.  A chance trip to the Farmer’s Market in Ava on Saturday morning found several old friends reacquainting themselves.  Everyone has had the experience of seeing a face and recognizing it but not being able to place a name to it.  In a few minutes of talking, clouds disperse and old memories flood in.  Time melts away–the twenty years–thirty years–more…and the old friends are young again reliving a pleasant afternoon at the swimming hole.  The intervening years have been full for each of them but the catching up reveals that the good people have stayed good.  Wizened by life experience and a broadened worldview, the conversation strays to the changes in the world.  One remarks that world leaders and people in charge of important things should take a lesson from mothers with infants.  When they leave the house, they have everything with them that they will need for any eventuality.  Whatever is required is in the diaper bag and it is there because a thoughtful, intelligent person considered all the possible contingencies and made proper preparations.

Well met!

        The Farmers Markets in the little towns bring to mind life in these parts fifty years ago.  Saturday mornings would find Champion’s Square full of people who had some business to attend and some socializing to do.  Oscar Krider would be on the square in Ava with a songbook in his hip pocket ready to meet up with Arthur Peterson or some other singer to share a new song right there on the street.  While “There’s No Place Like Home,” a trip to any of our towns on a Saturday morning is worth the time it might take from the chores.  Last Saturday was a particularly good day to be out among the throng.  It was May Day with all the regular hoopla associated with Anglo-Saxon pagan and neo pagan festivals, the International Workers Day celebrations with its American roots in The Haymarket Affair, and then there were the gatherings and ceremonies to acknowledge the Veterans of the U.S. Military.  The Vietnam era Vets have their big annual gathering in Branson.  Korean Vets recently marked the 60^th anniversary of the beginning of that conflict in a remembrance of Sgt. Leo Wilson of Vera Cruz.  Like the words Love and Gratitude, the word Veteran always deserves a capital letter.  The Disabled American Veterans, (P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301) will be putting a lot of effort into the well-being of those who are serving now.  The same goes for local V.F.W. and American Legion organizations and one called Vets Helping Vets that advertises on KZ88.1, the new listener supported radio station in Cabool.

          Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says that Mother’s Day the 9^th of May and Monday, the 10^th, will be good days to plant root crops, to prune to encourage growth, to apply organic fertilizer, to wean, to transplant and it says those are some of the best fishing days.  It is a busy life.  Look for the almanac in the Champion Connections section of the www.championnews.us site.  Stop in the Gift Corner there at the Plant Place and pick up a printed copy.  In general, it is nice to have some help out in the garden—some expertise and encouragement.  Linda and Charlene have that to spare and some very nice thoughts on Mother’s Day.  Now, don’t go asking the General for help or for any reports of the May Day Affair of Denlow.  If you must ask him, get him off by himself before he starts telling you about it.  The first thing he’ll say is, “I just don’t have any idea what you are talking about!”  Yea, right.

        A conversation with Champion’s Esther Wrinkles informs that Bob Berry and Mary Goolsby were in the neighborhood of the Hillbilly Junction on Friday when the storm came through.  They are all right, but Esther said that the car was really damaged.  Champions are Grateful for their safety and are hoping that the 1946 Studebaker was not the car in question!  Esther said that her friend, Sue Needam, had been by to visit the other day.  She said that Sue’s was the first birthday card she received (June 29^th) and that they used to have fun playing basketball during lulls at the polls when they worked the elections together.  Esther had picked a handful of gooseberries off her 90^th birthday (a couple of years ago!) gooseberry bushes and she figures she’ll get enough for a pie this year.  She says the bushes are doing real well.  She also made a couple of lemon pies for the EE Fire Department Supper on Saturday.  She’ll make a cake for their cakewalk for their picnic this summer and the EE folks will make cakes and pies for the Skyline VFD picnic later on.  The Skyline VFD April’s Mascot Monkey Silent Auction closed on Friday with another happy child in possession of a new friend for life.  The May Monkey can be seen at Henson’s Store.  This one has unusually large ears and is quite charming.  The May Auction will end on Memorial Day.

        Champion friends and neighbors showed up to help transfer the merchandize from Henson’s Store over to the temporary emporium on the West Side of the Square late last week.  Sunday found tourists and others photographing the old building before the changes come about.  Some have their hearts broken already over the changes and they do not even know what those are going to be.  Champions are being reassured that every effort will be made to maintain the ambience, the character, the flavor, and that the heart of the old place will not change, though the sag may disappear from the roof line.  Champions are all for losing some sag if that were possible, and would be willing to pay big bucks, if they had them, for removal of certain sag, which they definitely have.

        Step into the Champion Loafing Shed to sing, “Wherever you wander, there’s no place like home.”  That is the way it is in Champion—Always Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—April 26, 2010

        Champions remarking on the need for rain may have caused it to happen.  It was welcome, certainly, from whatever source.  Champion friends spent a few moments on the phone describing their roof leaks to each other and coming to the marvelous conclusion they do only leak when it rains!  Others are grumbling about having to mow the whole place again, while having the dust out of the air and so many shades of green to enjoy, another walks smiling as if a veil were suddenly lifted from her eyes.  Enlightenment?  No, enlightenment is when some lovely Champion stands of a Saturday noontime pouring water from the kettle to make a nice cup of tea, and while not touching the electric stove, experiences something quite like the experience of touching an electric fence…things get very bright for a second.  That is a cup of tea with an enlightening buzz as Ms. Powell will surely agree.  Lightening struck her telephone pedestal out in the middle of nowhere and blew it to smithereens leaving a substantial crater behind and sending explosive and damaging shock waves further down line.  Sunday in Champion often has people feeling Gratitude.

        “Well, I ought to just have let that old truck run right over me.  If it ran right over my stomach I would die and then you would be sorry.”  This is the response of a brother who was called to task for having intentionally hurt his little sister.  He slumps dejected down on the ground, somehow requiring comfort himself, making the injuries to his younger sibling less egregious by his own suffering.  The end result will be an amazingly strong little girl.  With any luck at all she will not buy into the guilt of having caused her poor brother all that terrible punishment on account of her.  She is sorry he is in trouble because he is really wonderful and she really loves him and thinks he is the best big brother ever.  The beat goes on and may well be the training ground that causes a young lady to take stock of her situation.  She may decide to maintain a purse of her own.  That is to say, the more responsibility a person takes for him/herself, the fewer other people’s rules and conditions apply.  And later in life, a lady might find that financial acuity serves her well in terms of the choices she has the opportunity to make.

        A note came from Ed Peterka concerning the Barren Fork Spring Pre 1840 Black powder Rendezvous, which occurred on April 17^th and 18^th out north of Gainesville.  Those folks can be seen again at the Pioneer Descendant’s Gathering.  Dale Garrison sent e-mail from Dale and Betty Thomas with the flyer for that exciting event which will occur on October 2^nd and 3^rd this year.  Watch for the familiar flyer in all the local posting spots and on the www.championnews.us site.  The Denlow School Reunion will be coming up on Memorial Day and the Fairview Reunion will be the First Saturday in June.  Champion and its neighbors are in the full swing of the social season.  Already the Skyline Area Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary Picnic Society is making it known that the Skyline Picnic will be held August 13^th and 14^th and it will be another sterling event.  Friday, the 30^th of April, will end the Silent Auction for the April Mascot Monkey of the Month.  This is a Picnic Society feature set up to help the Skyline Fire Department make its big old fire truck payment.  The May Monkey will be appearing in Henson’s Store for inspection very soon.  Someone said, “Take the ‘k’ out of monkey and you have money!”  Money for the VFD!  Excellent!  Those Picnic Society Ladies are a lot of fun and they willing open their purse to help an excellent cause.

        Infrequent visitors to Champion will be surprised to find new buildings on the square!  The most recent addition can only be described as a ‘loafing shed.’  Adjacent to the temporary store building, this structure will serve to accommodate the various social functions that have always been a part of the store ambiance and it will also serve as a haven for the otiose.  These interim concessions have to be made not so much for the sake of progress as for the sake of maintenance of a good thing.  Everything will be back to normal in no time so, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”  That song was written in 1988 by Bobby McFerrin who performed it a cappella, though Bob Marley and a number of others recorded it over the years.  “In every life we have some trouble, when you worry you make it double.”  That is certainly a fine sentiment that even Bob Chadwell can appreciate, though it is unclear how he is connected to this affair since he is no longer the official Champion mail carrier.  That is an office being performed quite nicely by Karen Goss.  Champion!

        April’s full moon will occur on the 28^th.  The last few days of the month will be good for planting root crops, flowers and starting seedbeds.  It is also a good time to prune to encourage growth.  This is from Linda’s Almanac from the Plant Place over in Norwood.  Her hard work really pays off for the gardeners of the area.  Incidentally, Linda was the winner of the Fortnight bridge game hosted by Champion on Saturday.  A player from Champion East substituted for the Vera Cruz player and also furnished a delicious blueberry cake for the refreshments.  She and the Brushy Knob player came in second a third and Champion kept the nickels as the low scorer.

        Every opera lover has heard of the Pirates of Penzance.  It is a comic opera in two acts.  The Champion version is called the General of Vanzant and it can be seen most Thursdays at Plumbers—a singular act.  “The greatest gift in life is knowing folks like you.”  Champions surely do.  Champions are a tenderhearted lot especially when it comes to Veterans.

        Send good Champion news to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or to Champion News.  Visit Champion in transition and know that you are experiencing history while you are looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION–April 19, 2010

        Champion is a bustling place–full of commerce, community and fellowship.  As for commerce, Henson’s Store on the North Side of the square is opening an annex on the West Side of the Square to serve as temporary quarters while the Historic Emporium undergoes some rehabilitation.  It may be disruptive and as a consequence a curiosity, but the end result will be that nothing of significance will have changed visibly while the substructure is vastly updated and stabilized.  As to community, the Skyline Area Volunteer Fire Department Ladies’ Auxiliary held its post Chili Supper meeting on Tuesday the 13^th.  Those attending were President Betty Dye, Betty Henson, Esther Wrinkles, Fae Krider, Louise Hutchison, Sharon Sikes, Wilda Moses, and Susie, Karen and Tamara Griswold.  President Dye runs a tight productive meeting and the group addressed a few issues concerning upcoming events as well as some infrastructure maintenance.  The next meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, June 1^st, at 7 p.m. at Henson’s Store.  Any fire department member interested in participating in the auxiliary is welcome to attend.  The refreshments are always delightful and the company is just splendid.  And finally, as to fellowship.  Champion is the perfect place to take a break from the arduous chores of farm living.  One can sit back with an orange soda or a Starbucks Frappaccino and pass the time of day with some of the most colorful and reticent yokels to be found.  They are Champions!

        It is easy to get behind with chores or with the news.  For those who have missed a couple of weeks, those complete articles are available in the Archives section of the Champion News.

1. Champion is a place that accepts change gracefully and maintains its core values.
2. Revisionism has a limited place in human affairs and is generally considered to be dangerous and fraught with potential for misunderstanding and conflict when everyone will not participate in the revising.
3. Dillon Watts was in town with his entourage for the April First Celebration.
4. The General: Hijacked the Easter Parade; Was compared favorably with Ebenezer Scrooge in that Ebenezer’s run-in with Bob Marley’s ghost caused him thereafter to keep the Spirit of Christmas all year and in a similar fashion, the General faithfully maintains the spirit of the First of April all year though nobody has determined what has caused him to be like this.
5. Sharon Upshaw was recently recognized as having the Sweetest Smile in Missouri in a gala banquet celebrating her thirty-fifth wedding anniversary and that of the General which, curiously enough, is on the same day.  There was a great feast, much music and the joy of family and friends wishing them continued happiness.
6. Bob Marley and Jacob Marley were confused.  Jacob Marley was the ghost, and Jacob Coon put the winning bid in on the March Mascot Monkey to help the Skyline VFD make it’s big truck payment.  Bob Marley sang, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” and Bob Chadwell, erstwhile route 2 mail carrier, has a big bid in on the April Monkey in the month long silent auction.
7. Bob Berry had a birthday on the 14^th of April and several people paid taxes the next day and celebrated birthdays: Vivian Floyd, GG Jones and Dusty Mike, a disproportionately fortunate individual, who was spirited away by his ultra charming spouse to an adventurous sojourn that took him places he had never been.

That is seven salient excerpts.

        An email has come from Vicky Dooms.  “I am making a pile of things to bring for the picnic to donate.” [to the silent auction]

        Walt Whitman wrote, “In the door-yard fronting an old farm-house, near the white-wash’d palings, Stands the lilac bush, tall-growing, with heart-shaped leaves of rich green, With many a pointed blossom, rising, delicate, with the perfume strong I love, With every leaf a miracle……and from this bush in the door-yard, With delicate-color’d blossoms, and heart-shaped leaves of rich green, A sprig, with its flower, I break.”  This is from the poem “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed” that was written as an elegy shortly after the assassination of President Lincoln in the month of April.  It has been since then often used to honor fallen soldiers.  It has its place now.  Various composers have set the piece to music, though many prefer just the beauty of the words to convey the deep sense of loss.  Love and Gratitude for their service is the due of all those serving the Nation in the dangerous parts of the world.

        “The barefoot boy with his shoes on came running down the street with his pants all full of pockets and his shoes all full of feet.”  This is part of one of the printable verses of “It’s Aint a Gonna Rain No More.”  Of course, it would be very nice if a good rain would come drifting toward Champion.  Things are mighty dry and it may be affecting the mushrooms as well as the fire hazard and the overeager gardeners.

        Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says that the 16^th and 17^th and the 20^th and 21^st will be excellent days for planting crops that bear their yield above the ground.  All the blooming beautiful things just go to make Nature Lovers happy, but Grace Slick sings, “You’re only as pretty as you feel inside, only as pretty as you feel.”  This is the time of the year when the underutilized muscles…those lax from winter sloth are making themselves known.  Some old Champion Nature Lovers are hitting the anti-inflammatory tablets heavily and relying on horse liniment and Epsom salts to get them in good enough condition to get back out there and accomplish something.  The trouble with these old timers is they still have the ambition of young people…just not the steam.

        Report on your steam and how pretty you feel at Champion Items, Rt.  2, Box 367 Norwood, MO. 65717 or at Champion News.  Steam on in to Downtown Champion for a quality look at the Bright Side!

CHAMPION–April 12, 2010

        If this seems familiar, it is because for some reason the Herald repeated the previous week’s article, then did not print at all the following week.  It is their newspaper!

        Champions, alert to the inevitability of change, welcome it with the same ease and grace with which the seasons come and go.  Even so.  Let it be.  The genuine heart of Champion does not change, however, the part that acknowledges the importance of good neighbors and good deeds and that part that recognizes and celebrates the beauty of the place.

        Someone said that the farther down the hill a person goes, the more magnificent the view from the summit is remembered.  That is not entirely revisionism as the beauty of a moment is often only clear in retrospect.  Revisionism itself can serve the lofty purpose of sparing the old folks back home the worry when a young person is newly out in the big world experiencing unexpected adversity.  It can also spare the young person from the sting of an “I told you so” from those old folks.  Personal matters are eventually resolved.  In bigger matters, saying something over and over does not make it so and one is cautioned to be alert to the darker side of revisionism and collective deception.  Champions rely on their own memories for history and are not easily dissuaded from the truth.

        The big build up for the All Fool’s Day Fandango at Plummers was not big enough.  The place was jumping!  Champions, Tennessee boys, denizens of Denlow and Drury joined with the Vanzantians to swell the ranks of the celebrators until soon it was hard to tell the spectators from the spectacles.  “Now look here, some of you in the audience are going to have to go outside so we can get more musicians in here!”  That was the General’s idea of the way to handle things.  Once he settled down musicians continued to come and go.  Esther Wrinkles said at one point there were nineteen playing at once.  The crowd was twice that big and every one of them having a good time.  Wayne Anderson sat next to Jerry Wagner, the yodeling fiddler, and they sang The Wabash Cannon Ball and Wayne did his famous train whistle.  There were a number of young musicians in the group as well as the regulars who make Thursday such a high spot in the local week.  It is lovely to see the established, practiced, accomplished musicians being generous and encouraging with the younger ones.  While in the music business it is true that everyone has to pay his dues, it is also true that everyone needs a chance and a place to start.  The evening started off with a good joke on Himself, as the General ordered his burger and fries.  “Order up!” and he was served a burger that measured somewhat larger than a quarter but less than a silver dollar and the tiniest little French fries you ever saw!  Not everyone saw it, but everyone heard about it and the generally good natured General had a good laugh about it along with the pranksters.  It was said of Ebenezer Scrooge, after his run in with Bob Marley’s ghost, that he thereafter kept the spirit of Christmas every day.  That is the way the General is about April Fool’s Day.  About any day of the year he can be found up to some sort of mischief.  He hijacked the Champion Easter Parade and had it organized, orchestrated and over on Saturday afternoon!  It was quite a surprise to Easter Sunday parade goers to have missed it by 24 hours.  He and his great nephew, Dillon Watts, took center stage at Henson’s on the North Side of the Square and performed some tunes that many more would have been happy to hear had he only made a courtesy call or two ….  Well, no use beating a dead horse.  That was Jacob Marley, anyway, not Bob Marley.  Bob Marley sings, “Don’t’ worry.  Be Happy.”

        Ms. Mae Grell of Louisville, NE reads the Champion column in her neighbor’s paper every week so she is pretty close to being a Champion already.  She wrote about the bumper stickers mentioned recently as having been some of the favorites of some Marines.  “If you can read this, thank a teacher.  If you can read it in English, thank a Marine.”  It really struck a cord with her though it is unclear if she is a teacher or a Marine or both or neither.  She likes the sentiment, though and doubtlessly joins all her fellow Champions in extending Love and Gratitude to all those in uniform serving in the dangerous parts of the world.

        The website Champion News has a good picture of young Jacob Coon and this March Monkey as he was high bidder in the Silent Auction that ended at 5 pm on March 31st.  The proceeds of the auction are destined to help the Skyline Area Volunteer Fire Department to make its Fire Truck payment.  The April Monkey has already sparked some spirited bidding as Bob Chadwell, the erstwhile Route 2 Mail carrier, and a Champion from Champion East battle it out.  They both are determined to have it and it is indeed a lovely monkey.  Go on down to Henson’s Store and give it a look.  Bidding closes April 30^th.  It seems like each monkey has its own personality. 

        The fourteenth of April is Bob Berry’s birthday.  It is also the New Moon and a day to prune to discourage growth…a good day for a haircut.  The 15^th is also a good day to prune to discourage growth and to pay your taxes! It could be a good day to weed the garden or to celebrate the birthday of Dustin Cline who shares his birthday with Vivian Floyd and G. Gary Jones.  One would have to know all three of them to determine that there is something to astrology.  There definitely seems to be something to it.  Amazing.  The 16^th and 17^th will both be good days to plant crops that bear their yield above ground and to transplant.  This is according to Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood.  While many have been daydreaming about getting Lem and Ned to come pick rocks, cut sprouts and plow, Linda has already been quite busy.  She has about anything a person might need to get a good start in the garden, including her Almanac for April.  Pick one up there or look on the Champion website to print one out for yourself.

        The thirty-fifth wedding anniversary of Robert and Sharon Upshaw was the focus of a pleasant evening over at the Skyline School on Saturday night.  A sumptuous pot-luck spread was laid out and some very tasty cake was enjoyed by a good sized crowd composed of kinfolks and kindred spirits.  There were plenty of jokes going around and a slideshow featuring the couple from their youth to their present…still quite young, at heart, at least.  Robert joined Buzz Woods, Kirby Clark, Wayne Anderson, Jerry Wagner, Linda Anderson, and Sue Murphy in making some lively music to the delight everyone.  Jerry Wagner said, “It takes a big dog to weigh a ton.”  The General said, “Fifty pounds of flour would make a big biscuit.”  Nobody knows why they said those things.  It probably does not matter.

        “Going up Cripple Creek, goin in a run.  Goin up Cripple Creek to have a little fun.  Going up Cripple Creek goin in a whirl.  Goin up Cripple Creek to see my girl!”  Champion, Dillon Watts lives over in Tennessee near Cripple Creek the same way Champions live on Fox Creek or Clever Creek.  Probably there are some tunes about Fox Creek too.  If you don’t know one, make one up and come on down to Henson’s Store on the North Side of the Square in the heart of the entertainment district of Historic Downtown Champion any afternoon and give it a try out on the locals passing the time on the promenade.  Send a copy of it to Champion News or to Champion Items, Rt.  2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  Buy a Champion picture postcard and transcribe your Fox Creek Song to share with distant friends and family marooned elsewhere out in the big dreary world.  Pick up their spirits and help them remember Champion–Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION–April 5, 2010

        Champions, alert to the inevitability of change, welcome it with the same ease and grace with which the seasons come and go.  Even so.  Let it be.  The genuine heart of Champion does not change, however, the part that acknowledges the importance of good neighbors and good deeds and that part that recognizes and celebrates the beauty of the place.

        Someone said that the farther down the hill a person goes, the more magnificent the view from the summit is remembered.  That is not entirely revisionism as the beauty of a moment is often only clear in retrospect.  Revisionism itself can serve the lofty purpose of sparing the old folks back home the worry when a young person is newly out in the big world experiencing unexpected adversity.  It can also spare the young person from the sting of an “I told you so” from those old folks.  Personal matters are eventually resolved.  In bigger matters, saying something over and over does not make it so and one is cautioned to be alert to the darker side of revisionism and collective deception.  Champions rely on their own memories for history and are not easily dissuaded from the truth.

        The big build up for the All Fool’s Day Fandango at Plumbers was not big enough.  The place was jumping!  Champions, Tennessee boys, denizens of Denlow and Drury joined with the Vanzantians to swell the ranks of the celebrators until soon it was hard to tell the spectators from the spectacles.  “Now look here, some of you in the audience are going to have to go outside so we can get more musicians in here!”  That was the General’s idea of the way to handle things.  Once he settled down musicians continued to come and go.  Esther Wrinkles said at one point there were nineteen playing at once.  The crowd was twice that big and every one of them having a good time.  Wayne Anderson sat next to Jerry Wagner, the yodeling fiddler, and they sang The Wabash Cannon Ball and Wayne did his famous train whistle.  There were a number of young musicians in the group as well as the regulars who make Thursday such a high spot in the local week.  It is lovely to see the established, practiced, accomplished musicians being generous and encouraging with the younger ones.  While in the music business it is true that everyone has to pay his dues, it is also true that everyone needs a chance and a place to start.  The evening started off with a good joke on Himself, as the General ordered his burger and fries.  “Order up!” and he was served a burger that measured somewhat larger than a quarter but less than a silver dollar and the tiniest little French fries you ever saw!  Not everyone saw it, but everyone heard about it and the generally good natured General had a good laugh about it along with the pranksters.  It was said of Ebenezer Scrooge, after his run in with Bob Marley’s ghost, that he thereafter kept the spirit of Christmas every day.  That is the way the General is about April Fool’s Day.  About any day of the year he can be found up to some sort of mischief.  He hijacked the Champion Easter Parade and had it organized, orchestrated and over on Saturday afternoon!  It was quite a surprise to Easter Sunday parade goers to have missed it by 24 hours.  He and his great nephew, Dillon Watts, took center stage at Henson’s on the North Side of the Square and performed some tunes that many more would have been happy to hear had he only made a courtesy call or two ….  Well, no use beating a dead horse.  That was Jacob Marley, anyway, not Bob Marley.  Bob Marley sings, “Don’t’ worry. Be Happy.”

        Ms. Mae Grell of Louisville, NE reads the Champion column in her neighbor’s paper every week so she is pretty close to being a Champion already.  She wrote about the bumper stickers mentioned recently as having been some of the favorites of some Marines.  “If you can read this, thank a teacher.  If you can read it in English, thank a Marine.”  It really struck a cord with her though it is unclear if she is a teacher or a Marine or both or neither.  She likes the sentiment, though and doubtlessly joins all her fellow Champions in extending Love and Gratitude to all those in uniform serving in the dangerous parts of the world.

Jacob Coon was the high bidder for the first ever Mascot Monkey Silent Auction which ended at 5 pm on March 31st.  The proceeds of the auction are destined to help the Skyline Area Volunteer Fire Department to make its Fire Truck payment.  The Monkey had been on display at Henson’s Store in Downtown Champion for about ten days while the bidding took place.  There were a number of bidders and Jacob happened to be at the right place at the right time.  For those who missed out on this auction, the next one has already begun with the April Monkey on the bidding block at Henson’s Store.  It can also be seen on line at www.championnews.us. There is also a very good picture there of young Jacob and his March Monkey.  Go look.  It seems like each of these monkeys has its own personality.

        The sixth, seventh and eighth will all be good days to plant root crops according to Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood.  The next good time for root crops will be the eleventh through the thirteenth.  Any of these days will be good to set out onions or any of those nice Cole crops.  While many have been daydreaming about getting Lem and Ned to come pick rocks, cut sprouts and plow, Linda has already been quite busy.  She has about anything a person might need to get a good start in the garden, including her Almanac for April.

        “ Going up Cripple Creek, goin in a run.  Goin up Cripple Creek to have a little fun.  Going up Cripple Creek goin in a whirl.  Goin up Cripple Creek to see my girl!”  Champion, Dillon Watts lives over in Tennessee near Cripple Creek the same way Champions live on Fox Creek or Clever Creek.  Probably there are some tunes about Fox Creek too.  If you don’t know one, make one up and come on down to Henson’s Store on the North Side of the Square in the heart of the entertainment district of Historic Downtown Champion any afternoon and give it a try out on the locals passing the time on the promenade.  Buy a Champion picture postcard and transcribe your Fox Creek Song to share with distant friends and family marooned elsewhere out in the big dreary world.  Pick up their spirits and help them remember Champion–Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION–March 29, 2010

        Champion is a place full of rich history, a comfortable and pleasant present, and a future of promise when today will be the distant past.  The past holds its place in Champion affections because it is familiar and full of the favorite memories rehearsed in their recounting.  The Champion present is full of opportunity and surprise as well as the reliable features of the past maintained with care and respect for their appropriate usefulness and convenience.  The future of Champion is eaten up day by day by the present and never seems to arrive.  It is always just a Bright Spot on the horizon.  Personal circumstance dictates where individuals spend most of their time–past, present, or future–it is Champion!

        Thursday will be April Fools’ Day.  It is a much celebrated day among Champion’s neighboring tribes, the Spotted Hogs, Denlowites and the Vanzantians.  The latter, particularly, gather at the Junction on that most special day for feasting and merrymaking.  This year the legions of musicians will be augmented by one Dillon Watts, banjoist.  He is making the trip from Tennessee with his brother and Mother for the very purpose of passing the holiday with his Grandmother and their extensive and expansive family.  His great Uncle Harley is already in the neighborhood, incidentally tending to his estate, and his Great Aunt Vivian spent Sunday afternoon in Champion explaining the process by which one controls a neighbor’s dog that is want to steal the newspaper from the step and chew it up before it has a chance to be read.  (The process results in a limping dog and delicate relations with the dog’s owners who, it was revealed, are very nice people who get the message.)  The festivities at Plumbers will doubtlessly include a performance of some sort by another of Dillon’s Great Uncles, The General (from the other side of the family.)  After the St. Patty’s day fiasco, he is still willing to be seen in public and Champions just smile and sigh and shake their heads.  What is one to do?

        Some can get on out in the garden and get ready to get something done.  The full moon on Monday changed the sign so that root crops can be planted through the end of the week.  Some old Champions will rush to get their potatoes in and others will be setting out onions.  Little lettuces and radishes are coming up in some places and other people are keeping their eyes pealed for the peas to pop up out of the ground.  Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says that the first through the third of the month will also be good days to prune to encourage growth and to apply organic fertilizer.  Her Cole crops are ready and looking good.  Who knows why broccoli seems to taste better when it is fresh in from the garden…straight to the steamer?  Healthy eating is a Champion pastime.

        The Missouri Fire Service Alliance and other related organizations are sponsoring a 2010 Fire Fighters Day and Fire Fighters Memorial Service on April 14^th at the State Capitol Rotunda.  It is a chance to meet with and discuss pertinent issues with the legislators and to pay respects to those firefighters who lost their lives during the last year.  More information can be found about this event at www.dfs.dps.mo.gov.  Firefighting is dangerous business and the Skyline Volunteer Fire Department firefighters all go through extensive training to protect themselves while they are protecting the community.  They are all first responders and have all the lifesaving skills required to meet with accidents, injuries and health emergencies.  Those new to the community may not know that the Skyline VFD has a ‘jaws of life’ apparatus to extract auto accident victims from their cars.  It is one of those invaluable tools that all hope get little use.

        As of Monday morning the Skyline Mascot Monkey for the month of March was up to $10.00 on the silent auction bid sheet down at Henson‘s Store on the North side of the Square in Downtown Champion.  Bidding closes at the end of the month.  The on-line bidder, E. Jasmin from El Paso, TX, has taken a spring break vacation and so will miss out on this one as she has been overbid.  Perhaps she will be more attentive next time.  A picture of the March Monkey will be up on the Neighborhood Events page of the www.championnews.us website.  Anyone new to the site can rummage around over in the Category section and find the Skyline VFD Chili Supper and look at some nice pictures taken that evening.  There might be some surprises.  The current events page also has a list of birthdays and anniversaries and other special events in the lives of Champions.  Send anything of that nature that you would like to have posted to Champion News.  Note that the year of the birthday does not need to be published…some want to forget that part of their birthday!

        Irving Berlin wrote, “Never saw you look quite so pretty before.  Never saw you dressed quite so lovely what’s more.  I could hardly wait to keep our date this lovely Easter morning and my heart beat fast as I came through the door, for in your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it You’ll be the grandest lady in the Easter parade.  I’ll be all in clover and when they look you over I’ll be the proudest fellow in the Easter parade.” He goes on to say that he could write a sonnet about her bonnet.  It is a nice song.  Send your sonnet to Champion Items, Rt.  2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or step up on the porch at Henson’s Store and recite it to the gathering crowd.  J.D.  Shelton said that years ago Saturday morning would find the Square in Champion full of people who had gathered there just to visit.  “Sometimes there might be 75 people there,” he said.  Champion picture postcards continue to be a hot item and there is just enough room to write a nice sonnet on one if you write kind of small.  Whether you are composing, visiting, or just nosing around, if you are in Champion, you are Looking on the Bright Side!