Champion News

CHAMPION—August 23, 2010

           Champions are as much subject to the laws of the universe as are any other people. “Plum” is the nickname of one favorite Champion granddaughter and also happens to be a carpentry term meaning a line, which is exactly vertical, or perpendicular to a level horizontal line.  “Level” is another nice Champion grandchild and the spirit of his name goes to the definition that there is no part higher than another; having an even surface; being in a plane parallel to the plane of the horizon.  It is said to be horizontal at a given point if it is locally perpendicular to the gradient of the gravity field.  Now considering the topography of the environs around Champion, being at the bottom of several different hills and the churchyard being the only flat place for miles, ‘level’ might be hard to find.  Fields in these parts are most generally kind of up and down, gravity notwithstanding.  There have been devices invented for just such a situation (sometime before February 2, 1661 by some guy named Thevenot) and Champion carpenters have them and have put them to excellent use.  To put the icing on the cake, that shiny slick galvanized roof went on just before the short hard rain on Friday and so all is well.  The even surface of Champion prevails and is highly decorated by its new structure. 

           An unhappy individual forced to live elsewhere and to eat sour grapes assailed the Champion mailbox a year or so ago.  His complaint was that Champion’s Bright Side is abbreviated as “BS” and his inquiry was whom did Champion think it was fooling pretending to be such a metropolis, since it is only a wide spot beside a road at the end of the pavement.  This note caused stir and offers to sell the malcontent a couple of dry acres over in Chigger Flats that had just been logged off—such a bargain.  While there has been no reply it does occur to some Champions that the Bright Side is not the only BS around.  There is a business in Mountain Grove called Mountain Grove BS and a patron there the other day overheard some discussion of the ‘specialness’ of Champion builders.  And so they are.

           “Did you hear about Alvin Barnhart’s watermelons?” one Champion asked another.  He gave a couple of them to the silent auction over at the Skyline VFD picnic last week.  One of them weighed 62 pounds and the other just 60 pounds!  A report from one of the purchasers was that it was delicious.  They are long watermelons about a foot in diameter and very sweet and luscious.  “The rind is kind of thick but it is tasty too.”  So Alvin and Beverly have once again given the Skyline Fire Department something quite wonderful.  Ruth Hamilton picked a big bunch of okra that sold well in the auction.  It was big, but tender.

           Eli and Emmy Rose celebrated their Mother’s birthday on Sunday.  Eli is excited about starting school and Emmy has more to say these days.  There were many phone calls and reports of lots of new puppies and quail.  Their cousin, Kalyssa, will have her third birthday on August 31^st.  She spent Sunday night with her Grammy all by herself for the first time.  Foster started to school on Monday and so all the little Krider grandchildren are growing up.  Teagan will be four months old on the 30^th.  Cousin, Madelyn Ward, will start to kindergarten this year.  Those Brixie children up north of Champion are growing up and so it is with all the Champion children.  It represents the passage of time and seems more pronounced, as Champions get older, especially when the intervals between visits are long.  This is another of those universal laws.  Bonnie Parker’s beau wrote a note to Henry Ford to praise him on the quality of his V8 automobile saying that they were his favorites when he could get away with one.  He signed it “Clyde Champion Barrow.”  Perhaps someone will use Champion as a middle name soon to better exemplify the appellation.  “No, no, Hon. These is the Ozarks.  The Appellations is back east.” 

          A regular reader of the Champion column who lives in Iowa happened to be at the Skyline Picnic this year.  She said that as often as not she has a hard time following just what is going on in the Champion News, but she reads it anyway and sometimes figures it out.  Champion!  An email from a real Championista says, “I’ve heard that this year is the hottest on record since the 1880s.  I’ve given it some thought and decided a perfect outdoor environment for me is 67 in the daytime and 72 at night.  Know of any place on earth like that?”  Reply with an answer to that question to Champion News or to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.

           It is to be noted that Pete Proctor is now officially retired.  He had a long career with Town and Country and is, these days, doing just what he pleases.  A lot of what pleases him is his work with the VFW Post 3770 over in Mountain Grove.  Pete is always pleased to remind us of the importance of supporting our Veterans of the Armed Services.  In addition to the Love and Gratitude of the Nation they have served, the Veterans returning from current conflicts will have requirements for understanding, opportunity and support from the community.  Champion.

          Gardeners will be glad that the Plant Place and Gift Corner over in Norwood will be opening up again soon.  Pop in there for an Almanac for September or copy one from the www.championnews.us website.  The 26^th and 27^th will be good days to plant root crops as will the first of September.  Time flies!  One Champion writes, “Time’s fun when you’re having flies.”

          The Loafing Shed over on the west side of the square in Downtown Champion has been getting some good use as regular Champions, visitors and kibitizers all have the chance to see history in the making.  The Champion School Reunion will prove to be an eye opener to many who rarely get back.  “Nothing to do, Nelly darling?  Nothing to do you say?  Let’s take a trip on memory’s ship back to the bygone days.  Sail to the old village schoolhouse.  Anchor outside the school door.  Look in and see there’s you and there’s me—a couple of kids once more.”  Sing your favorite school days song those good old golden rule songs.  That’s Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—August 16, 2010

          There was a mighty rush of wind in Champion as Champions heaved a collective sigh at the breaking of the brutal heat wave that has held the country in its grip for what seems to have been a long, long time.  Uncomplaining Champions have gone on about their businesses with their regular good humor and enthusiasm, though some are moving a little more slowly.  It is important to be cautious in extreme weather.  Champions know that heat exhaustion is every bit as dangerous as hypothermia.  Hot or not Champion is a very cool place.

          The Skyline VFD Picnic for 2010 was one of the hottest on record.  Still the staunch supporters—long time loyal friends of the Skyline Volunteer Fire Department came out in numbers.  Those firefighters and auxiliary people who do all the hard work that makes the picnic happen were rewarded by a good turn out and the community seems grateful to have this wonderful tradition to count on year after year.  Not everyone can volunteer to fight fires—drive the big trucks and drag those big hoses—but the chance to participate in a meaningful way in such a solid community organization is one of the reasons people choose to live here.  Increasingly the population of the area is of retirement age.  Those pies that get baked for the Picnic kitchen, the cakes made for the cakewalk, and those quilt tickets purchased, and bingo games played all add up to some significant participation in the fire department.  It is a privilege to serve and it is clear to see that the Skyline VFD Association Membership takes pride in doing so.

          Marilee Richards was the lucky winner of the quilt at the Skyline VFD Picnic this year.  Esther Wrinkles made the queen size quilt; a pattern called Stripes and Scraps, and sold the winning ticket as well.  Ms. Wrinkles said that she had stepped into the First Savings and Loan to get some copies of the tickets made, which they are pleased to do in support of the Skyline VFD.  Ms. Richards made the copies of the tickets and bought the very first ones that Esther sold this year.  She will receive the quilt later this week and will have plenty of reason to be happy.  Such a beautiful quilt will likely keep Ms. Richards participating in the Skyline Picnic for years to come.

          Brenda Paul was the winner of the $100.00’s worth of free electricity donated to the Skyline VFD by Jeff Pardeck of the White River Valley Electric Co-Op.  The annual gift by White River Electric is one of the mainstays of the Skyline Picnic.  Bernard and Brenda Paul moved to the area about a year ago from Oklahoma.  She said that this was certainly a good welcoming to the community and she is looking forward to becoming acquainted with the area and with the people.  She was pleased to hear about the Chili Supper that comes up toward the end of February every year.

          Buzz Woods won the drawing for the Nikon 3 x 9 x 40-rifle scope that was donated by Out Back Gun and Rod of Norwood.  The Out Back outfit has long been a big supporter of the Skyline Volunteer Fire Department.  So has Buzz Woods.  The 2010 Skyline Picnic was a win-win situation.

          Will Rogers said to get someone else to blow your horn and the sound will carry twice as far.  Standing in the center of the square in Downtown Champion looking up through the trusses and purlings at the bright Champion blue sky, it is easy to imagine being in a great shipyard long ago where the magnificent wooden sailing vessels were built from the ribs out. Light alternating with the long row of identical members plays intricate geometrical games on the eye.   If the builders of this elegant structure are shy about having their horn blown, they should have kept the thing under a bushel.  It’s just too pretty not to be admired profusely.  Moreover it is inspiring building in the most unlikely spots.  One old girl is thinking about building a building out of old pianos.  Newcomer, Joyce Donaldson, is having a little Victorian cottage built down by her pond. Linda and Charlene have been having extensive renovations done to the pavilion over at the Plant Place and Gift Corner in Norwood.  This was not so much a renovation as a continuation of a long-term plan.  It sometimes takes years to get things just right and it is lovely to see a good plan coming together.  They will be open for business again on the first of September and Linda’s Almanac will be available then.  It is nice to see local businesses thriving.  As things continue to cool down it will be timely to plant some lettuce for the fall and maybe some spinach. 

          Pete Proctor was at the Skyline Picnic standing in with Commander Donnie Bunch of American Legion Post 30 from Mountain Grove as they presented the Colors on both evenings.  Pete is a member of the America Legion and is a Commander of the VFW Post 3770.  Picnic master of ceremonies Ray Bradley does an excellent job of leading “The Star Spangled Banner” and has no trouble with the high notes in “the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave!”  During the ceremony Pete asked Veterans of the various conflicts past and present to stand to be recognized.  He wants local Veterans to know that they are welcome to attend the VFW meetings the second Saturday morning of each month.  Ed Hawley is the Service Officer for the 18^th District and Pete will have Veterans know that there are benefits available and Ed Hawley is the man to see to get things moving if they need help.  The Love and Gratitude of the Nation they have served is the least they are due.

          The Champion School Reunion is coming up the 4^th of September.  There are some excellent photographs of  previous reunions on the www.championnews.us website.  It is a nice place to go to reminisce.  Some will be surprised and pleased to see the changes that have taken place since last year.  Others will be saddend by what they see as a loss of history.  The history is still there and so is the place.  It is living yet—living history and Champions are proud to be part of it. Will Rogers said not to use up too much of today with yesterday, but Champions have a good sense of balance.  Share some Champion history that would otherwise be lost were it not for you.  Tell it out loud right there in the Loafing Shed next to the Temporary Emporium of Henson’s Store on the West Side of the Square in Historic Downtown Champion.  Send it in an anonymous note to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or to Champion News.  Published in 1912, this song was already old when Champion was young: “We were sailing along on Moonlight Bay.  We could hear the voices ringing.  They seemed to say, ‘You have stolen my heart now don’t go ‘way’ as we sang love’s old sweet song on Moonlight Bay.”  Sail on into the Square and stand in the sunshine to gaze through the fanciful framework of the town’s newest structure—Champion!  Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—August 9, 2010

          Champions are perforce tree lovers and the spectacle of a great intricate stack of new pine lumber is, in every Champion view, spectacular.  The afternoon sun gleams off the stately structure all golden and precise against a Champion blue sky as visual poetry. Now it has purlings and soon it will have the galvanized and will be what they call “dried in.”  Builders are special people and are given leeway to be ‘special’ because of the good work they do.  Their attentions may be required elsewhere this week as the Skyline Picnic is in the works and so if the roofing is a little slow getting on, it will just give the populace opportunity to admire the substructure all the more.  It is the very nature of tree lovers and Champions to be patient.

          Fishermen are patient people too.  Dillon Watts just returned to his home near the Cripple Creek in Tennessee from an Alaskan fishing trip.  He went with his cousin and his grandfather, Steve Watts, flying from Nashville to Atlanta, then eight hours to Anchorage, then five hours driving to the spot where they got on the boat.  There was some reported seasickness, but the catch was remarkable and great memories were made.

       There were half a dozen seven foot long fishing poles auctioned off the other night at the benefit for Sharon and Buzz Woods.  These were some very fancy rods and reels, new and donated by a local prominent professional fisherman.  Prominent Champion quilt maker, Esther Wrinkles, donated a lovely quilt to the benefit.  Tickets were sold and the winner was Mrs. Judy Hutchison.  She said that she had never won anything and was just delighted with the beautiful quilt.  J.D. Shannon did the auctioneering and made a fine job of it.  He has an excellent voice and has obviously been to a few auctions in his young life.  The first sale of the evening was a peach pie purchased by Robert Upshaw.  The basketball tournament, the good food, the quilt raffle, the music and the auction all went to making a great benefit.  Sharon and Buzz are life long residents of the area and are starting over after losing their home to a fire.  The pictures and precious personal mementoes cannot be replaced, but the friendships and support of the community are solidly in place.   Young Rowdy Woods is making a good recovery from his appendectomy so there is good news to report on many fronts.  The General was getting around pretty well accompanied by his guileless little grandchildren and saintly sweet wife. 

          The ‘Dog Days’ of summer are scheduled to end on August 11^th.  The calendar says that they began on July 3^rd.  If this means the dog gone hot weather is really gone, that will be good.  Gardeners in the area are experiencing bountiful harvests and are freely sharing with friends and neighbors.  There is still some good growing season left and Linda will have the fall Cole crops ready when she opens the Plant Place back up in September. 

          Champions are ever looking for the opportunity to improve themselves or their environs.  For example, one now says that one of the defining features of an inexpensive hose is that it frequently kinks.  Previously he had said things about the ‘dad blamed lousy cheap piece of junk hose’ and just what ought to be done with the no good miserable outfit.  Realizing that swearing at it does not keep it from kinking up at the critical moment, he now puts a little more effort in to handling it in such a delicate way to prevent the problem and is sure that when it is time to replace this hose he will do so with one that costs twice as much.  Surely someone makes a good quality garden hose.  Rich people probably do not have the problem.  They probably hire somebody to do their watering and let them do their swearing as well.  

          Some of Wally Hopper’s cousins were surprised to learn that their distant uncle John Sevier Upshaw was an Indian Agent appointed by Congress.  Wally’s letter brings up a number of historical issues and Denlowites will be most interested to learn more.  This part of the country is less populated now than it was when Wally was a boy and some think that it is less populated now than it was before Columbus made his trip.  How would current residents respond to being colonized by a foreign people with odd features and peculiar ways?  Champions are hospitable by nature but would most likely balk at being elbowed out of their hills and hollows.  History is a tool best used to understand the present and to shape the future. 

          The picnic grounds are shaping up nicely.  Firefighters and other volunteers have been out getting things ready for the big picnic.  The Skyline Picnic is the highpoint of the social year in these parts.  It looks like the weather will cooperate to make it the perfect occasion.  Friends who only see each other at this event will be out in force and the membership is getting ready to stick those pies in the oven.  The music is lined up and there are some great things coming in for the silent auction.  Local merchants are generous and there will be great prizes given away all through the evening on both nights.  It is an excellent opportunity for folks new to the area to get acquainted in a pleasant unconfined, informal environment.  Champion!  Leading up to the picnic is the Perseid meteor shower–the biggest, splashiest meteor shower of the year.  As the debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle scatters into the atmosphere, they say that as many as 60 shooting stars an hour can be seen on Thursday night into early Friday morning. Mars, Venus and Saturn will be lined up with the moon in the western sky so the whole week has promise to be celestially entertaining.

          School busses are practicing their routes, which reminds Champions that the school year is about to begin again.  The year certainly is rushing by.  For those waiting at home for their soldier to return, the time can drag out long.  Champions are reminded that the Nation’s soldiers belong to everyone. All citizens benefit from the willingness of the people in the Armed Services to put their lives at risk in the dangerous parts of the world.  Blood kin or not, all the Soldiers belong to all the Citizens and they have Love (with a capital L) and Gratitude (with a capital G) due them.  They are our soldiers now and will be our Veterans (with a capital V) when they get home.  They are Champions.

          Champions ‘of an age’ remember Shelley Fabares.  “On a picnic morning without a warning I looked at you and somehow I knew.  On a day for singing my heart went winging.  A picnic grove was our rendezvous. You and I in the sunshine, we strolled the fields and farms.  At the last light of evening, I held you in my arms. So when days grow stormy and lonely for me I just recall picnic time and you.”  Sing your favorite picnic song out in the Loafing Shed in the heart of Downtown Champion.  Send it or any good history to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or to Champion News.  Look for history at www.championnews.us and get yourself a hand full of those Champion Picture Postcards so that those unfortunates out in the dreary world can get an eyeful of Champion—Looking on the Bright Side.

CHAMPION—August 2, 2010

          Champions are, by nature, students–curious keen observers with good eyes for detail and beauty.  Those are traits that come with the place.  The place has much to offer any time of any year, but these days particularly Champions have available to them an example of joinery suitable for serious study.  Anyone interested in seeing just what is under the skin of a solid building can benefit from a protracted gawk at the skeletal structure of the authentic and only Replica of the Historic Emporium on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion.  As seen from the vestibule of the Temporary Annex or from the portico of the Loafing Shed, the clean geometry of the structure is stunning.  One hears of an elegant solution to a math problem when doubt, uncertainty and difficulty present themselves.  The difficulty with the Historic Emporium had to do with the tenuous fragility of materials expected to be ageless when indeed they were quite old and depleted of their strength.  The Elegant Solution stands as an example.

          Examples of good neighbor fun were plentiful at the Holt Up and At It Picnic.  This event supports the 4 H Clubs, a very worthwhile program in a rural community.  Reports were that it was close to a record-breaking crowd and that everything was just lovely.  The food was good, the games were fun, the prizes were neat and the music quite pleasant.  Everybody was having a good time and that is the point of the whole thing—community involvement for the overall benefit of the community.  This is a great part of the world for just this sort of thing.

          Another chance to step up to be a good neighbor is coming up on Saturday, the 7^th.  There is to be a “three on three shoot out” basketball tournament for Sharon and Buzz Woods at the Skyline School.  The tournament play will start at three in the afternoon and before it is all said and done, there will be juicy burgers, hotdogs, music, a quilt raffle, fun and games including a pie auction and an auction that will include lots of new fishing equipment and many surprises.  Sharon and Buzz lost their home to a fire recently and this benefit will help them get started again.  They have been good neighbors and steadfast supporters of all the local fire departments and community organizations as well benefits just like this one for people in the area who have found themselves in similar situations over the years. 

          Dr. Amanda Zappler, a well-known audiologist, researcher, and instructor at the University of Texas was visiting in the neighborhood recently.  She works extensively with Veterans in the Temple, Texas Veterans Administration Hospital.  She reports that hearing loss among returning Veterans is very common.  There is much hearing loss precipitated by constant exposure to loud noise and this loss is generally in the high range of sound.  There is also a great deal of hearing loss connected to percussive injuries.  In some cases the mechanisms for hearing sound are damaged and in other cases the person is still able to hear but the damage has been to that part of the brain that assigns meaning to the sounds.  So a person may be able to hear but not know what the sounds mean.  This same person is still able to read and to communicate in that way, but there is much work that needs to be done to assure that these Veterans get the opportunity to return to a normal and productive life.  They have the Love and Gratitude of the Nation, for which they have sacrificed so much, and of Champions everywhere.

          There is an old Champion woman who spends her time naming imaginary grandchildren.  Among the names she has chosen are Dreary, Impunity, Florid, Precipitous, Rationale, Ennui, and Hearken.  Recently she has been neglecting her own work in order to spend as much time at the building site in Downtown Champion as she can without drawing too much attention to herself.  She likes to observe from the sidelines and this exposure to has been an eye opener for the old girl.  She has become a great fan of the Greek inventor Archimedes.  She now thinks that is the ideal name for a grandchild, male or female.  She would not say just which of the famous innovator’s is her favorite invention is or how it relates to the building going in Champion.  Perhaps some study of Archimedes will reveal the answer.

          Linda’s Almanac from over at the plant Place in Norwood indicates that the 7^th and 8th of the month will be the most beneficial days for planting beets, turnips and other root crops for a fall harvest.  Those will be good days to start seed beds.  Many are already bringing in considerable ‘sheaves’ and the bounty of a good healthy garden is the reward for all the planning and work that it takes.

         A note comes from Wally Hopper saying, “I wanted to let you know that I have been tracing my ancestry and discovered that the Denlow store has lots of history.  I have written a letter to State Rep. JoAnn Emerson to pursue the possibility of erecting an historical marker at that location.  You may remember seeing it on Hwy 76. It is in bad condition right now and I am going to see if there is a possibility of the state to restore it.  I found out through my research that it was built in 1899 by John Sevier Upshaw (my distant uncle) and was used as a trading post with the Osage Indians.  He was appointed an Indian Agent by Congress after the Osage Indian War.  Just thought you might like to know and I will keep you updated on the progress after my meeting with JoAnn Emerson.  Thanks, Wally Hopper.”  There is indeed much interesting history surrounding Denlow.  Cletis Upshaw was a real fount of information and he is still much missed by so many who wish for another chance to sit down with him again to hear his stories.  It will be good to hear that the General has resumed his business of keeping track of everything and keeping everyone informed.  He has the good wishes of the whole Denlow/Skyline/Champion population.  Those good wishes are extended to young Rowdy Woods too.  Little guys have their own troubles sometimes and need as many good thoughts as do Old Generals.

          “I’ll build a stairway to paradise with a new step every day.”  Sing your favorite George Gershwin song right out loud in the Loafing Shed next to the Temporary Emporium on the West Side of the Square in Downtown Champion.  Watch the good stuff happening and be glad to be a witness to history in the making.   Share your own accounts of history at Champion Items, Rt.2, Box 367, Norwood, MO or to Champion News.  Look in at www.championnews.us for a clear view of the beauty of the place.  Take a little drive in your air conditioned car some afternoon…Get out to Champion and Look on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—July 26, 2010

          Champions find themselves curious beyond good decorum when it comes to the construction of the replica of the Historic Emporium on the North side of the Square.  The great nephew of the builder of the original emporium is in charge of this building and is representing his family trade well.   Sunday found the four walls up all the way to the top plate and a stack of trusses blocking the West entry to the Square.  Windows and doors are framed in and the overall configuration is beginning to take shape in the imaginations of happy Champions who see that change is a positive thing.  It is clear that the tenor of the place will not have changed.  The Bright Side will still be in clear view.  It is Champion.

          The 29^th through the 31^st will all be good days to plant root crops for the fall according the Linda’s Almanacs from over at the Plant Place in Norwood.  The turnips and beets can go in now as well as another bunch of radishes and some lettuce and greens.  Champions are lucky to have such a good growing season.  Last frost is typically considered to be May 10^th, but it has been earlier in recent years.  The first one of the Season can come as early as the end of September, but is frequently weeks later.  A little planning can have food coming in out of the garden for much of the year.  Linda has started the Cole crops and in a few weeks the fall cabbage and broccoli plants will be ready to set out in the garden.  The Plant Place will be closed for the month of August while some remodeling happens there, but the doors will open again just at the right time.   “They” say that if you see a pretty garden there is generally someone in it. 

          The political candidates are out in full force campaigning and a-politickin.  The ladies of the Skyline Auxiliary are laying in wait for them to come knocking.  Since the summer fundraiser for the fire department comes after the election, chances for the candidates to tangibly exhibit their support for the community are few and needs must be aggressively addressed.  While there are certainly some beautiful babies in the neighborhood to be kissed, of more service is the purchase of big blocks of quilt tickets.  This year’s quilt is called Stripes and Scraps and it is just stunning.  Esther Wrinkles pieced the quilt and it has her mark of excellent craftsmanship and her good eye for color all over it.  Political candidate, Mary Lou Sallee, in years passed purchased the winning ticket for the Picnic Quilt.  Last year the presiding commissioner bought the winning ticket for the free power that Jeff Pardeck from over at the White River Valley Electric Cooperative awards the fire department every year.  Some old Champions are thinking that their electric bill will be pretty high this month on account of the air conditioning and a hundred dollars worth of free power will be worth the dollar it takes for a ticket. The real winning ticket is the chance to be of help to the fire department.  The July Mascot Monkey of the Month finally made it to Henson’s Store in Downtown Champion.  It is a real cutie with patriotic attire suitable for the month of July.  The Picnic Society sponsors this monthly silent auction to assist the fire department in making its big truck payment.  The bidding ends at 5 p.m. on the last day of the month.  There will surely be some good pictures on the www.championnews.us website of the lucky winner holding the patriotic monkey.  Just now that quilt is up on the Neighborhood Events page and it is dazzling!

          Summertime finds people coming and going in Champion.  Visiting double-cousins have brought some fun with them from Texas and Champions took some real fun with them to Tennessee.  Foster and Kalyssa were glad to see their Grammy home again and to see lots of visitors from Tennessee in Champion.  There has been a young people’s meeting going on over in Marshfield and Champion has benefited from the proximity.  Louise and Wilburn Hutchison have been entertaining two of Louise’s brothers from Iowa and her sister and brother in law from Oklahoma.  It is pretty well figured that some serious cooking and eating has been going on in the general area.  It seems that the General has been laying low for a while, however and the mischief quotient is on the low side as a result.  Things will all be getting back to normal soon…whatever that may be.  The picnics and summer gatherings are what Champions think about during the wet cold months of the year.  There is to be a three on three benefit tournament for Sharon and Buzz woods on Saturday the 7^th of August at the Skyline School.  They lost their beautiful home to a fire recently and it will be a great opportunity for the community to lend a helping hand. These folks have been wonderful supporters of the Skyline VFD for years, and of the Skyline School and every community organization and cause.  “What goes around comes around,” they say, and so Sharon and Buzz can look for a lot of help to come around, delivered up with much affection and genuine good humor.

          Sarah Bettens is a singer from Belgium.  She sings “The Soldier Song” that says, “Mother, I’m fine, everything’s ok.  It doesn’t help to miss me anyway.  I’ll be in your heart you know and you will be so proud to know I was strong, I didn’t let you down.” The story of the song is the story of soldiers serving today.  They tell their Mothers they are fine, but Mothers know they are not.  They will be needing some comforting and some understanding when they get home.  Those serving in and out of uniform have the Love and Gratitude of their Nation and they will need it just like they need a Mother’s love. 

          Sing your own sweet or sad song out in the Loafing Shed in Historic Downtown Champion.  Tell some stories of the old days to whoever is there to hear them or send those old yarns to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or to Champion News.  There are changes going on in Champion but big chunks of the past will tenaciously hold on and before long the old and the new will be indistinguishable from each other.   It will take a little time, but shoot! Champions have plenty of that going way back and stretching way out into the future.  It’s Champion…Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—July 19, 2010

          The good news in Champion is all about family and friends.  That is just the way this place is.  Cousins, brothers, sisters, children, parents, aunts and uncles and those grandparents, as well as long time dear friends, are all having a field day with visiting and feasting.  It is a great time of the year in Champion to do just that.  In the winter time a trip out into the snow for an armload of wood, or a shoulder against a brisk wind to finish up the outside work just requires pulling on a sweater or a chore coat and a visitor is happy to lend a hand.  In the summertime, the hard work better be done early in the morning, and while a visitor may have it in his heart to turn a hand to help, the oppressive humidity might suffocate that good impulse.  Some may rail about the softness of a society that cannot do without its air conditioners, but few will turn them off.  Older folks find themselves enjoying the softness of a good sofa and quiet visiting on the hot afternoons.  Naps are also nice.  Some visitors have said that they have never seen Champion so very green this time of the year.  They need to come back more often.  Champion!

          A week later finds the construction of the Replica of the Historic Emporium on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion well under way.  In spite of rain delays and a great surplus of supervision, the rest of the floor joists are in and the whole thing has been covered by quite a substantial sub-floor.  It is amazingly flat–big and flat and very square.  “All the world’s a stage,” they say, “and all the men and women merely players:  they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.”  The they in this case is that old square Willy Shakespeare.  The quote comes from his play “As You Like It.”  Champions like it fine.  There was talk of mounting an impromptu stage play on the big, flat, square stage of the sub-floor, but the timing was a little off.  By the time the General could get his rabble of players together the walls would be going up and he would just be a complication. Now if there is one thing the General is really good at, it is complications.  His music career is a prime example.  It may be that the Backyard Bluegrass will be willing to let him sit in again the Skyline Fire Department Picnic.  His last appearance on his custom made instrument with that group was captured in a series of still (silent) photographs which can be seen in color in the Champion Friends Category on the website www.championnews.us.  Look under ‘Generally Speaking.’   Those pictures do a good job of conveying the lively atmosphere of the picnic.  It’s going to be a doosie this year.  Anyone interested in volunteering to help ready the grounds, can show up Tuesday morning, July 27^th at 9 a.m. at the picnic grounds.  There will be plenty to do and an opportunity for meeting friends and neighbors.  A great colored photo of the Picnic Quilt is right on the neighborhood events page.  It is Bright and Beautiful.

          Sixty pounds of protective gear and equipment is what the soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan carry around in the same kind of intense heat that Champions are experiencing these days.  The Love and Gratitude for those who serve cannot be expressed often enough or completely enough.  World War II Veterans still remember clearly their military experiences and the friendships forged in that difficult time in their youth.  Every age finds young people bound together by the common experience of National Service.  For each group the feeling is that nobody who was not there can possibly understand exactly what it was like for them.  Veterans cross generations to help and understand each other.  They are Champions every one.

Just being able to stroll out to the garden to bring in a little picking of black-eyed peas or a few peppers is enough to wear out some old Champions. There is still time to get some good gardening done and Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood, says that starting the 25^th root crops can go in the ground again.  The 22^nd and the 23^rd will both be good days to prune to discourage growth…a nice time to get a haircut. Louise Hutchison has more welcome company coming and one of the bunch is an Iowa brother who is bringing her a sack of corn…ten dozen ears.  That is quite a lot of corn.  A Champion’s Aunt used to stand the ear of corn up on the middle part of an angel food cake pan to cut the corn off the cob.  It is not supposed to make such a mess that way.  Linda Mallernee takes eight cups of corn, a cup of water, a teaspoon of salt and a stick of butter and boils it for three minutes.  She lets it cool and freezes it, and it is said that it is the most delicious corn imaginable.  If Louise says it is good, it is good.   Louise is all smiles over the birth of another great-granddaughter.  Ryleigh Elizabeth Deal arrived on Friday the 16^th.  She has a two-year-old sister named Emily, and the family lives in West Virginia.  Louise will have pictures to share soon. 

          Take a moment out of your busy schedule to stop in at Champion.  The rare opportunity to see something substantial rise up as an example of how things just ought to be does not often come along.  Wood frame construction is exacting and quite interesting.   While many feel free to ask questions and make comments about how if they were doing it, they would have done it thus and such a way, most Champions are just standing back and enjoying the spectacle.  One of the duties of a non-participating observer is reticence.  One is reminded of an old Earnest Tubb song, “I love my gal, she’s a little bitty booger, just as cute as a bug and sweet as sugar.  I’m a gonna buy her a diamond ring, and we’ll get married in the spring.  Do you need any help?  No help wanted.  Could you use a little help?  No help wanted.  Just call on me if you need any help. Do you need any help?  I’ll handle this job all by myself!”  That July Monkey is finally there on the counter at Henson’s Store and you never saw a cuter monkey!  The silent auction is a monthly endeavor by the Skyline Picnic Society to help the fire department make its truck payment. Sing your favorite Earnest Tubb song in the Loafing Shed next to the Temporary Annex on the West Side of the Square while enjoying progress in the making.  Spin a yarn there or at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or at Champion at getgoin.net.  Change is in the air, but Champion is always the same at heart—Looking on the Bright Side.

CHAMPION—July 12, 2010

          Champion is poised for change.  It is an attribute that distinguishes the character of the place.  Poised.  Stable and steady, yet ready.   An evenly balanced place, carrying itself in equilibrium, supported by the fulsomeness of the past, near and distant, bears the wonderful weight (wait) of tradition and history.  Residents had become accustomed to the unadorned foundation of the Replica of the Historic Emporium as it baked in the sun of haying season with the promise of the finished edifice hanging heavy in the air.  A great mound of pea gravel covered the piping inside the foundation and it baked in the summer sun a while.  Then, as if suddenly, a stem wall appeared and evened out the foundation that now had a sill beam of pressure treated two-by material fastened to the jay bolts.  Now a forest’s worth of two by twelves are lined up on narrow centers—hundreds of feet of perfectly parallel floor joists are lined up just waiting for all that sub-floor stacked up under the big tarp. Things will move quickly now—except for rain delays and the like.  Poised and patient—Champion!

          Ladies of the Skyline Auxiliary, meeting in the Loafing Shed, were entertained at their last meeting by a pair of young deer who wandered out of the dense woods on the Fox Creek side of town.  The sleek young animals strolled about at the crossroads with impunity to the delight of the onlookers. However, the ladies soon got down to business with the serious planning for the Skyline VFD picnic.   A workday at the picnic grounds has been scheduled for Tuesday, the 27^th of July.  Members and volunteers will meet at 9 a.m. to ready the kitchen and to begin the work that will need to be done to the grounds to make them pleasant and comfortable for the many hundreds of people who will attend the stellar event of the summer.  Anyone interested in joining the skyline Ladies Auxiliary or who would just like to pitch in for a little old fashioned volunteering is welcome to come.

          Gardens are burgeoning and neighbors are sharing produce with each other.  Linda’s Almanac from over at The Plant Place in Norwood says that the 17^th through the 20^th will be good days for planting above-ground crops and seed beds.   The 21^st and 22^nd will both be good days to prune to discourage growth.  Eva Powell and her family enjoyed the bounty of granddaughter Emily’s garden as she cooked dinner for the bunch on Sunday.  Tennessee boys with their parents were visiting over on the Krider Farm and the merriment spilled over to much of the Champion community.  Summer-fun is Champion.  Look for Linda’s Almanac in the ‘links’ section on www.championnews.us.  There is also a beautiful picture there of the Skyline VFD Picnic quilt that will be a featured part of the fundraiser this summer.  A big colored picture of Jr. Mudd and his June Monkey can also be found there.  He surely has a sweet smile.  The Skyline Mascot Monkey of the Month for July is said to be ‘on its way.’   Champions are patient.

          Neighboring Vanzant had a grand picnic success with a huge turn-out. The politicians were out in full force pressing flesh and making their positions clear.  Every psephologist in the area will have eyes on the upcoming elections.  They will be clean and orderly—an example to the rest of the world.  All eyes were on the spectacular fireworks display as the picnic came to an end Saturday night.  Roger Wall had just finished his presentation when the sky across the road erupted in booming showers of colored light.  It went on for twenty minutes with the spiraling, whistling, crackling, sputtering and spewing effusions of brilliance and the boom, Boom, BOOM.  Those sounds were softer on Esther Wrinkels’ front porch.  She left the picnic a little early so she could be home in time to see the fireworks from there.  She gets a nice view.  She had really enjoyed the picnic and the chance to visit with many old friends as well as the chance to finally meet Taegan Krider, who was at her first picnic in the arms of her parents.  Ruby Proctor had a good time as she usually does.  She just brings a good time with her, wherever she goes.  She came to the picnic with Pete, who was still reporting on his excellent experience at the Viet Nam Memorial Wall that had been in Cabool over the 4^th of July.   Many conversations included statements to the Love and Gratitude felt for the Veterans who served during the Viet Nam era and those who serve today.  A whole new generation of Veterans will hopefully be met with the understanding and support they have earned from the Nation.

          Some Champions were mighty pleased to make the acquaintance of Mark McIntosh.  He is from Norwood and works for those nice Centurylink people.  After years of struggle and waiting, Champions are one by one getting connected to the high speed internet.  Mr. McIntosh has been in the area doing the final hook ups and everyone is happy to see him coming up the drive.

          During these ideal summer days when the temperatures are about to rise again, Champions are encouraged to spend some time in the Loafing Shed next to the Temporary Annex of the Historic Emporium on the West Side of the Square in Downtown Champion.  The opportunity to see magic happen—to witness History in the Making does not come around every day.  “Your cares and troubles are gone.  There’ll be no more from now on.  From now on Happy Days are here again.  The skies above are clear again.  So, let us sing a song of Cheer again.  Happy times, Happy nights, Happy days are here again!”  This was a popular song in 1932, about the time of the original construction of the Emporium.  Spin some yarns, make inquires, or report any kind of happy times to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or to Champion News.  A trip to the bustling burg itself is the best idea.  If you are there, you are in Champion and perforce Looking on the Bright Side!