Champion News

Dear old friends and kind good neighbors joined the family members who had come on long journeys from the four directions. They came to Veracruz on the first of July to honor the Old Champion on his birthday. He liked a good party. The crowd gathered under the big shade trees, getting acquainted with each other and telling their stories about an Old Guy who taught them a variety of valuable things over the many years. They splashed in the cold creek and feasted on an amazing spread of picnic food. They talked and laughed sharing their memories and they knew for certain that he would have approved of being remembered in such a loving way on what would have been his 87th birthday.

The General tells us there will be no Vanzant Jam on July 9th, because the 60th annual Vanzant Community Picnic will start on Friday, July 10th. It will go on from 6:00 to 10:00 pm on Friday and Saturday with fireworks at 9:30 on Saturday night. There will be games for all ages, lots of great food and music, music, music. The Eastern Douglas County Volunteer Fire Department sponsors this annual event that draws all our little communities together. See you there.

A regular visitor to Champion over the years, Sophia Zappler of Austin, Texas will celebrate her birthday on July 13th. The 15th is the big day for Champion Blaine Denlow Woods (BD), a barrel racing cowgirl, a t-ball player and a good singer. She will be in the first grade at Skyline this year. Sarah Harden enjoyed her birthday on July 1st and her husband, Andrew the trail blazer, will have his on the 17th. The 18th is for Champion daughter Janet Hazzard over in Georgia and for Skyline third grader Eli Johnstone. Nathaniel Kolterman-Young, a fifth grader, celebrates on the 21st, and Doug Larabee, a Veteran who serves in the American Legion Honor Guard, will celebrate on the 22nd. One fellow said he enjoys his un-birthdays more because there are so many more of them. Another fellow said that courage is knowing it might hurt and doing it anyway. The same is true he says for stupidity and that is why life is so hard. “Life gets tedious, don’t it?” Maybe so, but we stay grateful and optimistic in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

In following the advice of a favorite Old Champion we try to say so when something good happens. Something good happened to a good Champion friend when his nephew, described as a friendly knucklehead, struck up a conversation with a fellow at the Walmart gas station. The guy was following his favorite soccer team from their game in Kansas City and headed to the next game in Atlanta when he pulled into Mt. Grove for gas. The friendly nephew suggested that the traveler might enjoy exploring the little town and maybe even enjoy lending a hand with some mowing and weed eating. So, the guy checked into a motel and spent a couple of days seeing the sights and helping his new friend. Then for the gift of friendship, the traveler offered to take him and his cousin and his uncle to the FIFA World Cup game. It was an all-expense paid adventure for the big game in Atlanta on Fathers’ Day—gas, hotels, restaurants, and tickets. They had a blast. Champion’s friend said it is a memory they will never forget. It is one of those good happenings resulting from showing kindness to a stranger. While soccer may not be our favorite sport, it has been lovely to see people here from all over the world learning about each other and getting along nurturing friendships. Champion.

July 8th is the birthday of Hagen Miller who was a prekindergarten student at Skyline last year. Landon Simon was in kindergarten, and his birthday is on July 9th. Lily Truillo was a sixth-grade student last year and enjoys the 10th for her big day. The country’s big day is coming up on Saturday. We celebrate the First Amendment to the Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Our grievances may vary among us and there are plenty of them, but, to our credit, we know how to get along. Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

The next time Father’s Day will overlap with the Summer Solstice will be June 20, 2037. While that may seem a long way in the future, just look at how fast the last eleven years have gone. Those kindergarten students who graduated back in May will be high school seniors in 2037. Some of us who are in our third trimester may just be distant memories. But on this longest day of the year, we remember our fathers for their strength and courage, for their sacrifice and encouragement, for their good life lessons and for the love and kindness they freely shared. For those observing the holiday for the first time without their fathers it is particularly poignant. We miss our auld man.

Champion’s own Beedee, wearing a t-shirt that said “Mama Tried” did some fine singing out on the wide veranda Wednesday. “Twinkle Twinkle,” “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” and “Jingo Bells” were her tunes. Later in the week she was busy shaving seconds off her barrel racing time. Mena D. is making progress toward being a real fiddler. “The Old Spinning Wheel” and “Cripple Creek” are a couple of her good pieces. The General was in the company of an aspiring banjo player and Carissa from up on the High Road reached new heights with her lovely voice. As the afternoon progressed a few Veterans sat around to reminisce about their time in the service. Thank you, gentlemen.

The number of beautiful things in your life depends on your ability to notice them. Friends and family will gather down at the Mill Pond on Wednesday, the first of July, to celebrate a very special Old Champion. Skyline School’s bookkeeper, Sarah Harden, and pianist, Mike Upshaw, up in Springfield, will also have birthday parties that day. We remember the lovely Beverly Barnhart on July 2nd. That’s the birthday of Erica Sudderth, our Skyline School custodian and a detailer deluxe. Virginia Canada lives up in Moline, Illinois, but has a slew of Denlow kinfolks. On the 5th we celebrate her and the 6th is for Janet Burns down in Arkansas and Hunter Hall who was an eighth grader at Skyline last year. Walter Darrell Haden (7-6-31—10-28-2019) wrote “All the Late News from the Courthouse.” The 6th is the birthday of the Dali Lama who says happiness comes from our own actions. We are active in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

David Scrivner fiddles all over the place and surely was fiddling somewhere on his birthday on Saturday the 13th. Mena Dutton fiddled out on the wide veranda on Wednesday and is looking forward to meeting David as she transitions from violinist to fiddler. Other birthdays to celebrate include those of Tyler Clark on the 20th, Champion Linda Krider Watts on the 21st, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Ava’s beloved Cinita Brown on the 22nd. The 24th is for Skyline 8th grader Kash Hurt. On the 25th we remember friend Nicholas Massey and George Orwell whose fiction seems to be altogether too factual these days. The 25th will be on a Thursday and the whole Vanzant Jam will be singing “happy birthday” to Sherry Bennet, whose songs always make us smile. It was all smiles there last Thursday with Miss Willow Rose and Master Jeffery Dutton cutting capers around the floor. The innocence and energy of toddlers somehow capture the attention and brings joy to the hearts of every old soul.

Dancers hit the floor at the Senior Center in Mountain Grove on Friday morning the way they do every Friday to the country, gospel, Bluegrass, and oldies tunes of the Whetstone Band. They were then ready for the good lunch served up by the Senior Center. Down the road it was a hot day for showing livestock at the Tri County Fair. Brixey farmers made a good showing of their Jerseys. Jenna won the prize for senior showmanship. Champion Blaine Denlow rode a bull at the rodeo. It was the second time she had ventured into bull riding, and she seems to like it. Saturday’s rodeo was cancelled due to the rain.

Rain did not stop Kaitlyn McConnell from taking some of her followers on a deep dive into Ozark Americana on Saturday where knowledgeable presenters gave detailed histories of the unique and interesting development, growth and changes of several sites along Route 66.

The Second Saturday Skyline Swap Meet went on in the wet morning with four vendors selling eggs, pies, onions, ducks, rabbits, chickens and some beautiful crochet items. The next one will be on July 10th and hopefully the weather will be better. It will be another opportunity to say, “Howdy” to some good neighbors and to tell them that their efforts go a long way toward making our communities better. Some old guy was feeling bad because he had to ask his son-in-law to help him with his firewood. His friend reminded him about how good he felt when he was young and able to help some old guy. The suggestion was that it is doing those young folks a favor when you ask for help. Whether or not they see it that way, one elderly neighbor is grateful for all the help of a couple of young folks from the Denlow Valley Ranch. Thanks! We enjoy gratitude and optimism in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

Ten years ago, it was reported by The Champion News that the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain but in Booger County it falls harum-scarum. Sunday afternoon gave us a twenty-minute deluge. Haymakers probably had all their bales up if their equipment was working well. Hardworking gardeners who got an early start are being rewarded with bountiful returns already. Though the year is about half over, there is still time for late planters to glean some goodies from their good ground. Trusted almanacs say June 10 and 11 and 14 and 15 will all be good days to plant root crops. Above ground crops will do well if planted on the 18th and 19th. Almanacs prioritize moon phases and astrological signs to maximize yields, but any time we can get out there to get something done is a good time and well worth the effort come harvest time if the deer, rabbits, ground hogs, moles and myriad insects, flying and crawling, allow.

Young Jeffrey Dutton’s provided some excellent entertainment out on the wide veranda on Wednesday. His sister, Mena, played her fiddle with the Sometimes Porch Band while he charmed the crowd with his two-year-old antics. Kaitlyn McConnell and Mike O’Brien stopped in for a brief visit and heard the Seed Tick Song inspired by David Richardson who has yet to hear it. They were on their way to CedarCreek to see the new roof going on the firehouse there. Many fans of Ozarks’ Alive look forward to Kaitlyn’s next Folk Lure Exchange program on Friday, June 12th — “Ozarks Ghost Towns and Lost Landmarks.”

Kaitlyn celebrated her birthday on the 6th. She enjoyed good wishes from all around the Ozarks. Skyline School’s fourth grade teacher Sydney Fox has June 9th for her birthday. Sonny Reed will be a second grader in the fall and his birthday is the 10th of June. Champion grandson Zachary Coon rides a loud motorcycle and celebrates his birthday on June 15th. Foster Wiseman, also a Champion grandson, will enjoy his birthday on the 16th over in Tennessee where he lives now. Happy birthday to all of you from your Champion friends.

Meanwhile, cowgirl Blaine Denlow had her best time so far earning second place in the six and under barrel races and her first time getting money at a rodeo—good for her. And following the Old Champion’s advice, “when it’s good, say so,”: Good neighbors are a blessing. The Denlow Valley Ranch is full of good neighbors. Farm Fresh Eggs from Madelyn are especially good. She is a Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

The fortieth and final Denlow—Fairview School Reunion occurred on the Saturday of the Memorial Day weekend. Somewhere between 30 and 50 people attended and among them four alumni—Frankie Proctor, Robert Upshaw, Kenneth Anderson, and Pete Proctor. One of them speculates that there are about seventeen students still living, though some of them have never attended the reunion. The Denlow School closed its doors in 1955. The first reunion was held in in 1987 with 250 in attendance. Though the numbers have dwindled, the nostalgia, the fun and feeling of community persists. Pete and The General waxed eloquently over the old school days and a bevy of beauties, Elizabeth Lawrence, Debora Barker, Phoebe Ward, Elva and Loretta Upshaw, and Tanna Wiseman, reprised their cheer squad from the late 1980s. Ed Williams and his staff provided the main course and the tables were filled with all the favorite potluck dishes that cause us to overeat. The dinner will continue next year under a new and as yet not determined name, and the community feeling will carry on. The Memorial Day weekend was designated as the most appropriate time for the reunion for a number of reasons, not the least of which had to do with the many Veterans who had attended the school as children. It is said that a true tribute is in living a life worth the sacrifice made by our Veterans. It has been said that there is good in this world, and it is worth fighting for.

Some of the good things to celebrate are the birthdays of the grandpapa of Felix the Farmer on June 2nd, and of banjo expert, David Medlock who will celebrate on June 6th, which is the kickoff day of the 43rd Annual Heart of the Ozarks Bluegrass Association Spring Bluegrass Festival. He will have fun. On the 7th we remember Champion Wayne Sutherland who was 85 in 2015. He is well remembered for his good humor and is much missed by his many friends and family members.

In these fast moving, tumultuous days, an Old Champion insisted that there are plenty of things to aggravate us and to complain about, but when things are good, we ought to say so. So spread the appreciation around any chance you get the way we do in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

Because of the early deadline all the exciting news about the Denlow/Fairview 40th School Reunion will have to wait for the next edition. Expectations are that it will be/will have been another lovely affair. Stay tuned. Memorial Day barbeques, picnics and parades give us a chance to gather to celebrate all those who have sacrificed their lives in the U.S. Military during our two hundred fifty years as a nation. Many folks make a tour of all the local cemeteries to pay homage to their friends and loved ones resting there. It seems the longer we live the more people we know who have moved on off into the afterlife. Rest in peace.

When Tom Peters posts a video of elders dancing at the McClurg Jam on Mondays, it turns out they are Elders! Jane and Andy Elder are regulars at McClurg and reported that there was a rousing happy birthday chorus for Alvie Dooms who had just turned 96. They paid a visit to Champion on Wednesday just for the fun of it. They made some new friends, enjoyed the picking and singing, and had the opportunity to observe a tick struggling to get out of a white enamel ash pan by the old wood stove. It came in on a piece of early morning firewood. The General named the tick David after his fellow guitar player who has great curiosity about them. He kept asking, “What do they eat?” They eat blood, David. He thinks a song should be written about ticks.

Among those polled, it seems that the favorite ground beef to fat ratio is about 80/20, though a few are 90/10 people, while Donnie Strunk thinks 83/17 is about right. He, like the pollster, probably enjoys fish as much as ground beef…maybe more. It might be a seasonal thing, but it is clear that cowboys like to go fishing.

Skyline’s Summer Learning Academy had students learning about tie-dyeing and some carpentry skills building bluebird houses, and about weathering, erosion, rivers and mudslides. They also enjoyed a program presented by Mrs. Rebecca from the Missouri Extension office through the 4H program on insects. School is out and all the joy of summer is upon us. As children, summer seems to stretch out into the far distant future. As old folks, it slips by in a trice. We are grateful for every beautiful day in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!