August 17, 2015
CHAMPION—August 17, 2015
Cool, foggy mornings have mists rising from the valley floors and walnut leaves drifting down in golden glides and in sudden breeze-blown twirls. The quiet beauty of this rural life is astonishing even to people who have never known any other. It is the Champion way to be where you are. That ‘be’ should be italicized to emphasize the state of presence. Neither a clutching desperation for the past nor a fearful, grasping anxiousness for the future serves peace so well as does recognizing the beauty of the moment. Champion, indeed.
School is well underway again. The summer slipped by quickly. Some nice landscaping, cool new water fountains, the brightly painted gym and a few new faces met the Skyline student body on the first day. The year ahead will be full of challenges–the memories and lessons that will usher our children into their future. New arrivals to this part of the country and old retirees with no children or grandchildren in school find the minimal property tax levy attractive here and may not consider that they have an interest in the lovely little school at the crossroads. However, in a short twenty years these students will be the adults who are in charge of the important things that the old folk need. An investment in their future now is an investment in our own. This could be a case for raising property taxes up to the state recommended levels, particularly in light of the fact that State and Federal funding for schools is based on enrolment. It is a quandary with which the school board wrestles at every meeting. The school board has the appreciation and support of their friends and neighbors in the community due them for doing the hard work that it takes to keep Skyline R2 School up and running. Thanks.
Lannie Hinote gets her mail at PO Box 32412, Mountain Village, AK 99632. The other day she was on the internet saying, “Hello World. I am temporarily connected in between storms. Mountain Village is a beautiful village and the people are so very nice. Enjoyed moose stew yesterday from a fresh hunt, but have not been fishing yet due to all the rain. A note to all my past students that are still in school: Hope you all have a great start of the new school year this week (we don’t start until August 26th) so while you are in class falling asleep, think of me still enjoying the outdoors!” A later post revealed that she had been to her first Eskimo dance and that she would soon have the technical capability to post pictures and videos. Her friends down in the lower 48 are missing her and are pleased that she is willing to share her great Alaska adventure. Good luck, dear Lannie!
Skyline students with upcoming birthdays are Dana Harden who will be nine years old on the 25th. Rowdy Woods will be ten on the 29th and Jenna Brixey will be eight on the 31st. She shares her birthday with Kalyssa Wiseman who will also be eight years old. Other Champions celebrating in late August are: Tianna Krider Ogelsby—the 22nd, Drayson Cline—the23rd, Dakota Watts and Daniel Cohen—the 24th, Barbara Krider—the 25th, Rita Krider—the 26th, Wes Smith and Minnie Jo Henson–the 29th, Wayne Anderson—the 30th and then Jenna and Kalyssa on the 31st. Happy Birthday everybody—all you Champions near and far know how truly special you are!
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Alvie Dooms was sitting front row center at the Summerscape 2015, the concert conducted by Barbara Deegan on Saturday at the Ava Performing Arts Center. It was a lovely program full of Salieri and Mozart. Proceeds from the concert performed by 29 professional musicians from symphonies and universities around Missouri and Arkansas go toward The Ozark String Project, a rural string program providing affordable string lessons for local students. Mr. Dooms has a great granddaughter attending the String Project and being taught by concertmaster Danyal Collins. He also spends some of his time and considerable talent supporting the project. It was reported on Thursday evening at the Vanzant Bluegrass Jam that Wayne Anderson has had a heart attack and is in Mercy Hospital at this time. Banjo music has taken a real hit. His friends and admirers all wish him well. Cards can be sent to Wayne Anderson, Mercy Hospital, 1235 East Cherokee, Springfield, MO 65804.
It was a treat to see Betty and Dale Thomas down at the Historic Emporium on Wednesday. They are year round busy people. On this trip they brought the flyer advertising the Pioneer Descendants Gathering which will be October 3rd and 4th this year. This is the 14th year for this sterling event that features all kinds of exhibits and demonstrations of the 1860 to 1960 era. Lots of live music and good food and the chance to appreciate the past and to see old friends are all good reasons to venture over to the Edge of the Earth. It will be interesting to see if Betty and Dale have been experiencing the odd situation that is becoming evident in Champion. There are almost no black walnuts on any of the big trees in the area. Someone will ask Harley if he has ever seen anything like this the next time he comes back. He was at the Emporium Wednesday. He had been in town a few days to mow his grass and get more hay put up. He went home to Elmwood to admire Barbara’s new jewelry and to catch up on the chores she has in store for him there.
Guess which beloved past President of the United States asked, “What are the things that you can’t see that are important? I would say justice, truth, humility, service, compassion, love. You can’t see any of those, but they are the guiding lights of life.” Send your guess to champion@championnews.us or to The Champion News, Rt. 72 Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717. Molly Ivins said, “When politicians start talking about large groups of their fellow Americans as ‘enemies,’ it is time for a quiet stir of alertness. Polarizing people is a good way to win an election, and also a good way to wreck a country.” The Heritage Foundation describes itself as a research and education institution—a think tank—whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense. It was founded and supported by billionaires starting with Joseph Coors in the 1970’s all the way to the Koch brothers today. If these super wealthy people are using their valuable time to think about the well-being of the people who are just living their day-to-day lives out in rural Douglas County, then it is incumbent upon us, if not to be grateful, to at least pay attention and evaluate their ideas and to consider who benefits from the policies they promote. Ms. Ivins is right. Polarizing the population is a dangerous thing. This was brought home neatly in a response to last week’s The Champion News article. At the end of a long thoughtful statement the writer said, “I find both sides can be intolerant. A good idea I heard the other day—how about one Day of National Forgetting About My Rights or My Views and Doing Something Nice for Someone or Sitting Down With Someone we Disagree With.” He goes on to say, “That, to me, is the Old Hippy Way.” The Old Hippy Way of peace and love is quintessential civility. Civility is worth the effort. When the voting is done, we will still be friends and neighbors—fellow Americans.
“As the soft breezes blow through the meadow I go, past the mill with the moss covered stone. Up the pathway I climb through the woods and the vines to be with my Colleen Malone.” The General is learning this song. He lives over in Vanzant, but he is a Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!
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