Champion News

CHAMPION—September 28, 2008

        The good news in Champion is on every hand.  There has been more hay to make.  The community is overrun with visitors, friends and family.  The ravages of Hurricane Ike are being repaired.  Apples have made well this year.  The weather has been delicious.  While some are fighting off colds and more serious maladies, there is scant complaint to be heard.  Champion is one of those places “Whur the honeysuckle smells so sweet/ It durn near makes you sick.”   That is a metaphor for the place as being beautiful and tranquil and it is also a line from a favorite Champion song “I’m Goin’ Back to Whur I come From.”  Carson Robison was the author of that one and “The Wreck of the No. 9.”  He was from Oswego, Kansas and wrote many other 1920’s songs including “The West Plains Explosion.”  This information came in a note from Darrell Haden the other day in response to a recent plea to him for reminiscent songs of an uplifting, toe tapping, light hearted type.  He said, “We’ve all had a surfeit of honeysuckle on occasion.”  Another lovely letter has arrived from his cousin, Ethel McCallie.  It is ten pages of excellent penmanship in her free flowing conversational style of writing.  She is a great fan of Champion and was most pleased to have been able to stop in at the Champion Reunion back on the Labor Day week-end.  The full text of her letter can be found on the website: www.championnews.us.  It can be located in the “Champion Friends” section under “Oklahoma Friends.”

        Haymakers Barbara and Harley Krider have spent a few days in the Village.  Barbara says the apples have been good up in Illinois too.  They made a nice tour the other day that took them down to Brixie and to Rockbridge and Hodgson’s Mill.  Even Champions can get so caught up in their daily struggles and victories sometimes that they neglect the local wonders.  That can be easily remedied on October 4^th and 5^th when Dale and Betty Thomas once again host the Pioneer Descendants Gathering.  Somewhere down county road 341 is a sign that says “The Edge of the World.”  Their place is a sprawling farm at the end of the road down by Bryant Creek.  It is nice and flat down there at the bottom of a long steep hill and the Gathering spreads out over several acres.  There will be demonstrations of cow milking, corn grinding, rail splitting, horse shoeing, molasses cooking, chair caning, soap making, basket weaving and the like.  Antique engines and tractors will be exhibited together with a number of classic cars and trucks and old implements and wagons.  This is a public event that runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.  There will be music and food and plenty of Champions in attendance.  It is an excellent opportunity to run into neighbors and friends seldom seen.

        This is the kind of weather that finally gets some old Champions off the porch and out in the garden.  They are getting ready to plant garlic and getting ready to think about getting the garden put to bed for the winter.  Walnuts are falling at a fierce rate.  Maybe the price will hold.  Currently it is $13.00 per hundred.  Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says that all the way through October 5^th will be good to plant crops bearing yield above ground….leafy greens and things that can stand the cold.  Sweet potatoes will be filling the larder soon and the persimmons are beginning to change colors.

        A sweet little granny of an old Champion woman used to talk about making a nice green persimmon pie for the Yankee boys.  She was not particularly interested in being politically correct.  Some are saying there is hardly anything correct about politics but finally an old Champion has stepped up with some information about how the Presidential election works.  “The Electoral College is an example of an indirect election.  It consists of 538 representatives.  Each state has a number of electors equal to the number of its Senators and Representatives in the United States Congress.”  (Missouri has eleven electors but most folks don’t know who they are or exactly how they got to be there.)  “The candidate that wins the most votes in the state wins the support of all of that state’s electors.  This system was decided upon on at the Constitutional Convention on September 6, 1787.  Over the years numerous constitutional amendments have been submitted to replace it with a direct popular vote, however no submission has ever successfully passed both houses of Congress.”  It is a ‘winner-take-all’ system and Champions are more than ever convinced that every vote counts.  Now perhaps this expert will fill in the information gap about just who those electors are and how they got to be there.

        “When Johnny comes marching home again Hurrah! Hurrah! We’ll give him a hearty welcome then Hurrah! Hurrah!”  This beautiful song is happy or sad depending on the tempo at which it is sung and on whether it is sung by a single plaintive voice or by an enthusiastic crowd.  All the returning soldiers from the conflicts in the Middle East could benefit by a reception that reflects the Love and Gratitude of their Nation.  The survivors of those who do not return may be comforted by these expressions but their loss is enduring.  The war wounds that are not apparent now will be making themselves known for years to come.

        Good news is always welcome at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  Fill in the information gaps concerning politics, gardening, good neighbor gossip, and music at Champion News and look for all the words to “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” at www.championnews.us.  Lean on a porch post at Henson’s Store in downtown Champion and listen to the crack-pot notions of the opposition or drown out their rantings with a stirring rendition of any Champion song.  Those are the ones that Look on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—September 21, 2008

                In Champion Summer is making an elegant and graceful exit.  Spring’s green has lingered long and the dog days have been few.  Violent storms and a bountiful harvest mark a memorable season. 

                The annual Wagon Train of the West Plains Wagon Club came rolling through on Thursday.  They must have made an early start that cool morning.  They had already passed by when Esther Wrinkles got over to the Bluegrass Park on Highway 95, so she didn’t get to see them this time.  Ruby Proctor came out to Champion, though, as did quite a number of other Champions including Elva Ragland and Violet Hinote.  Sharon and Louise brought some excellent deserts and then set them down on the table in front of Jackie!  The other outriders, wagon drivers and passengers did get to enjoy those goodies too, however.  It was a nice rest stop for the train and a good chance for the community to get an eyeful of the past.  They rolled out of Champion headed up Cold Springs Road about one in the afternoon.  Hurricane Ike played havoc with that route on Saturday night but early Thursday morning a fast moving, efficient road grader came through and set things to rights.  There were still trees partially blocking the road in areas, plus low water crossings buried in gravel and big chunks of the road just washed away.  Those guys out working on the road equipment are real masters of their art and the country people are glad!  New Champions who have recently moved to WW Highway from Springfield are Steve and Darlene Conner.  They came to see the Wagon Train and brought Steve’s Aunt and Uncle, Roy and Darlene Conner, with them.  They had come down from St. Joseph especially for the occasion.  They were celebrating their 49^th wedding anniversary and enjoying the sites.  Ms. Conner said that the Pony Express was headquartered in St. Joe and that they are most interested in the old days.  From April,1860, to October, 1861, mail routes ran across country from St. Joe to Sacramento, California.  The first westbound trip took 10 days, 7 hours and 45 minutes.  It was 1,966 miles!  That’s another story.  Maybe Uncle Roy and Aunt Darlene will be regular visitors and will share more of that history.  The Wagon Train has been coming through Champion every year for a long time now—regular as clockwork.

                Champions are delighted to learn that Sally Miller has passed the test required of those who want to become Citizens of the United States of America.  Huzza!  It would be interesting to know how many citizens born and raised on These Shores could pass that test.  Sally has already registered to vote.  It is the first time she has ever enjoyed that privilege.  Living in a participatory democracy implies some responsibility and it is a tribute to Champions who take it seriously.  It was not so many years ago that women were imprisoned, beaten and committed to insane asylums for perusing their voting franchise.  Women’s Suffrage is a part of American history that merits remembering.  The electoral college is something that gets forgotten about between presidential elections and it has yet to be explained to the satisfaction of some particular voters and now some of those voters are concerned about the use of paperless voting machines.  Those produced by the company, Diebold, are used extensively throughout the country.  Princeton University studies have proven that there are great security concerns about the Accuvote TS Voting Machine.  Malicious software can easily be installed that can circumvent the logic and accuracy tests and steal votes.  Moreover, a virus can travel from one machine to another teaching them all to steal votes. There are proven examples of such chicanery already, they say.  Whoever ‘they’ are, they sing, “Oh Beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain.  America! America! God shed his grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea!”  That is a Champion song!

                An e-mail came from Pete Proctor who verified the news that Ruby had reported on Thursday:  “..letting you know that Bryan shipped Monday the 15^th  (back to Afghanistan).  Also on the 15^th in 1968, 40 years ago, I came home from Viet Nam.  I am proud of Bryan and everyone else who wears the Uniform.  I hope all come home soon.”  Champions share that pride and hope with Pete.  One who will not be coming home is a 53 year old soldier from Wentzville, Missouri who died ‘over there’ this week.  Love and Gratitude is what his survivors need.

                Paul said, “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.”  He may not have been talking about politics.  A liberal helping of apple pie is generally thought to be a good thing.  The word “liberal” is said out loud by some folks as if it were something that needed to be scrapped off the bottom of their shoe, though its definition is “favorable to progress or reform.”  “Conservative” is also a nice word and it means “disposed to preserving existing conditions.”  A conservative piece of that pie might not be as satisfying, but these are just words.  So far Champions of both persuasions are coexisting in harmonious respect for their neighbors and for the freedom to believe what they will.  More words to that song are:  “America!  America! God mend thine ev’ry flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law.”  

                Champions congratulate Terri Ryan, Lannie Hinote and Deborah Barker for recently earning their masters degrees.  This is no small feat!  It represents serious effort and the students of Skyline School are the beneficiaries of their diligence!  More congratulations go out to Zoey Louise of Austin, TX.  She has celebrated her fifth birthday in a gala party.  Grandparents expect DVD’s and expansive detailed reports of the fun.  She shares her birthday and party with her cousin, Penelope Zappler, also of Austin, who is now three years old.  They share the date with Louise Hutchison of Champion. (It will be interesting to learn how she observed the occasion this year!) Tanna and Roger Wiseman have a wedding anniversary that day too!  It’s the last day of  Summer and a special day for many–Champions all!

                The 25^th through the 30^th of the month will be very good days for destroying weeds and doing general work around the farm, according to Linda’s Almanac.  Then the signs change and it will be good planting again starting on the first of October.  Harley and Barbara Krider will be in the neighborhood for a week or so ‘making hay.’  They always lift spirits when they show up.  A pleasant note arrived from Darrell Haden who hopes to attend Ray Cunningham’s Five-School Reunion on the last Saturday in September.  Soon the Pioneer Descendents Gathering will be happening over at Yates, so Champion and its neighbors are in full swing celebration mode….it’s a Champion kind of thing.

                The hurricane winds did more damage to parts of the Ozarks than anyone expected.  Eva Powell had Granddaughter Emily and her family visiting the night of the storm.  With the power out and trees down on power lines, buildings and fences it was more excitement than any wanted.  The good thing is no one was hurt and progress is being made on the clean up.  The Skyline Volunteer Fire Department lost some big trees on the picnic grounds, but sustained no damage to the buildings, fortunately.  Some in Arkansas are still out of electricity.  Champions are quick to compliment the hard work of the White River Valley Electric Co-Op people.  They did a good job of getting things up and running in short order.  Hopefully, those Arkansawyers and Texans will get some relief soon. 

                Katherine Lee Bates wrote “America the Beautiful.”  Look for all the words on the website at www.championnews.us.  Send explanations of the workings of the electoral college to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or to Champion@getgoin.net.  Stand on the porch at Henson’s Store in downtown Champion and sing that song or any other patriotic, uplifting, heart warming song right out loud.  Nobody will complain if the singing is heartfelt and sincere (and close to on key) because it is well known that singing is beneficial to the health, particularly the health of the singer.  With or without musical accompaniment, Champions are Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—September 15, 2008

        In Champion people just roll with the flow.  Whatever comes along next is the very thing they are ready for.  That is not to say they can’t be surprised, but they are fast adapters.  Hurricane Ike’s destruction and detritus is strewn about everywhere.  Someone said that it was all on account of the Adlai Stevenson fans in these parts.  That is just more political hogwash.  It makes about as much sense as most of what is being heard these days.  People do not seem to be able to agree on what is important—personalities or the pressing problems the Nation faces like the collapse of the financial infrastructure and the like.  Some Champions are just delighted that the lights went out (de-lighted) if only for the respite of a timely political break.  Lowing cattle, hooting owls and ticking clocks make a peaceful replacement for the ruckus and racket that comes along with the conveniences of electricity.  For those who enjoy the quiet, for a little while, it is a real pleasure.  Champions are mindful, however, of the many others who have not faired so well due to the storm.  Everyone will be chipping in to help his neighbor recover from the disaster.  From one end of the country to the other—that’s Champion!

        It has been noted that coincidences occur in Champion with the same regularity as in other less convivial places.  Recently, at the Champion School Reunion, it was revealed that an Old Cemetery in Birdstown, TN has buried in it ancestors of both Kaye Upshaw Johnston and Pete Mullins who is married to Bonnie Brixey Mullins, formerly of Champion.  This was discovered when Richard and Kaye visited out in that part of the country last year when they attended the Brixey Family Reunion.  They got their feet wet out in the Atlantic Ocean on that trip too.  There are no photos of that happening, but there are quite a number of pictures of the Champion Reunion on the internet at www.championnews.us  Surprise!

        While Champion seems like the center of the world to some, it is clear that the world is getting smaller.  Some of that has to do with the population—about six billion now—and some of it has to do with the relative ease of travel these days.  When the West Plains Wagon Club pulls in to Champion on Thursday it will be another excellent opportunity to learn how things were really done in the old days.  The movie and television depictions of life “back then” doesn’t necessarily provide an accurate picture of what it was really like to travel across the country.  Events like this trail ride and the Pioneer Descendants Gathering coming up over at Yates provide a valuable insight into the daily existence of Champion forbearers, so “Wagons Ho!”

        “Head ‘em up!  Move ‘em out!”  Those “Rawhide” sentiments are applicable to a notable Champion who has become too well acquainted with the rear ends of a few of his neighbor’s cattle as he chases them up hills and hollers trying to get them to go home.  His neighbor does not maintain his fences and seems glad to turn the cattle into his neighbor’s good grass when his own grass gets thin.  The offended neighbor is the very essence of restraint.  While there is some legal recourse to be had, he seems to take the long view of the situation and is not inclined to escalate to a contentious level.  These are good lessons.  Things eventually work out.

        Brother and sister, Foster and Kalyssa Wiseman have recently celebrated their Mother’s birthday!  It occurred on the 13^th of September and her Champion family and friends wish Tanna many happy returns.  She is making a good recovery from a recent illness in is just the picture of radiant good health.  She is a Champion!

        The 18^th through the 20^th will be timely for planting root crops according to Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood.  Linda has some fast making cabbage plants that form a small, compact, golden head.  She also has a variety of broccoli that produces well after the Frost.  Frost!  The wild grapes will sweeten up.  Persimmons will let go of their tree and the walnuts will keep falling.  Ike shook a lot of them down, but in some places there are many yet to fall.  Perhaps prices will be good this year.  Paw paws are plentiful and paw paw lovers are in paw paw heaven.

        It doesn’t take much to make some people happy.  Some Old Champions will be glad to have the power back on.  Those serving the Nation in the dangerous places of the world will be happy with the acknowledgement of their Nation.  Things are not easy for the returning soldier and it is hoped they will be met with Love and Gratitude.

        “Walking in the sunshine—sing a little sunshine song—put a smile upon your face as if there’s nothing wrong.  Think about a good time you had a long time ago.  Think about—forget about your worries and your woe’s.  Walking in the sunshine—sing a little sunshine song!”  That is Champion musical advice and that sort of thing is welcome at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or at Champion News.

        Sing that song or any happy little ditty out on the porch at Henson’s Store near the hitching post in Downtown Champion—the hub of the Douglas County and the place famous for Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—September 8, 2008

        Champions generally consider themselves to be observant people—especially when it comes to good things.  So it was quite a surprise to one driving east on 76 Highway the other day when he happened to glace over to see the new sign on the Firehouse at the Skyline Area Volunteer Fire Department.  It’s a beauty!  “When did that happen?”  Well, it happened back in early August when the Fire Department was getting ready for the Picnic.  It was those Mastrangelo girls that did it—Elizabeth and Loren.  “I was sort of used to that ‘A’ being tilted over to the right, (or was it to the left?) and the whole thing looking sort of ‘catawampus.’”  Now he’ll just have to get used to the new and improved look.  It is a perfectly wonderful sign that identifies the place with the suggestion that it is substantial, well maintained and well regarded.  Moreover, no committee assigned the work.  No delegation spurred on by complaint caused it to happen.  These young ladies saw that it needed doing and did it.  They are Champions!

        Aged Champions grew up watching Ward Bond on TV shouting, “Wagon’s Ho!”

        Champions are excited that once again the West Plains Wagon Club is about to pass through town.  Wagon Master, Clifton Luna, says that the train will leave West Plains on the 15^th of September.  It will be in Champion about lunch-time on Thursday the 18^th.  Champions are urged to make that their regular shopping trip to the Village that week.  Some plan to bring a basket of dainty vittles just to share with the trail riders.  The chance to experience the sounds and smells and general atmosphere of a wagon train comes around infrequently and often has passed by before many Champions knew it was going on. So Champions Look Out!  Here they come!  Maybe Shelby Blades will have his three-up again.  (That’s three mules.)  Jim, Sam and Sue are the three up of Bill and Blanche Jackson of Ozark.  Last year Blanche told about a trail ride they had been on from Corpus Christ,  Texas to San Antonio through the King Ranch.  It took them about ten days.  They were in a train of 35 or 40 wagons with 300 outriders.  Champions wonder what they’ve been up to since then.  Luna said that ferrier Mutch Stone wasn’t shoeing but about a dozen a week last year.  He’s been doing that work for 37 or 38 years now and hopefully he’ll be around to chew some harness leather with local ferriers..(Joe!)  Of particular interest will be the three quarter size Springfield wagon pulled by Rabbit and Ruthie.  This outfit belongs to Jerry Sanders of Norwood.  The wagon was built 29 years ago by a guy named Elvin Huldo.  It is authentic except for the rubber tires.  Mr. Sanders is a seasoned trail rider.  He once rode 200 miles horseback for the Boys and Girls Ranch.  It took nine days.  He has been participating in this trail ride since 1993.  Last year the Gee and Haw Club out of Salem Arkansas was well represented by Don Crawford from Salem and Randall Barnet from Warm Springs, Arkansas.  Don Crawford said that he and Clifton Luna had been on every one of these rides since 1989.  Some of these rigs are just amazing to see.  Some like to keep things as authentic to the old days as possible.  Others like to innovate and have solar collectors on their roofs charging batteries for their CB radio, their TV and Radio and cell phones.  Some have lights and some have ‘running water.’  It will be a spectacle and so the opportunity to observe something especially interesting won’t slip by Champions this year.  The train is, as in the old days, accompanied by a number of outriders.  They were scouts, herders, solitaries and security.  They all have interesting stories.  Some are relatively new to the train, but others like Gary & Pam Carder of Mountain Grove have been outriders with this wagon train for 15 years.  The squeak of saddle leather and general horse and wagon racket is music to the ears of nostalgic Champions.  Lonnie and Faye won’t get to see the train this year.  They are taking their “19^th trip to Tulsa.”  That sounds like a hard driving song.  Champions sing “Happy Trails” to them and wish for them safe and successful journeys.  Champions are still enjoying the music from the Champion School Reunion last week-end.  It was one of those perfect occasions.  Some good pictures of the reunion can be seen on the internet at www.championnews.us.   This is a thriving berg of constant entertainment.  Why, just around the corner on the 4^th and 5^th of October Dale and Betty Thomas will be hosting the Pioneer Descendants Gathering over in Yates.  That promises to be another spectacle full of wagon rides and demonstrations of all sorts!  Between now and then Farmer’s Days and other harvest festivals will be celebrated.  The social calendar around these parts is replete with fancy functions!  It’s a good time for family and friends to come wandering by.  That’s always a good time in Champion.

        As to the matter of standing on the corner and listening to the opposite point of view, some Champions struggle.  They are like King Agrippa almost being persuaded by Paul.  Abandoning momentarily their own prejudices and seeing the fervor of true belief in the faces of their friends and even misguided family members, they are pulled almost to believe the Contrary.  Ultimately, they know what is right, however, and hardly any except the politicians ever change their political minds once decided upon.  They resign to tolerate the crackpot opposition because sometimes they are married to them or have lived next door to them for forty years.  “Where do these off-the-wall ideas come from?”  One old Champion about teared up the other day saying that it is a heartbreaking shame that Adli Stevenson wasn’t respected.  He might have been the smartest man to run for office this century.  “Smart” doesn’t seem to mean much he laments.  The voting franchise has been hard won and Champions take it seriously.  This will be the first presidential election that folks who are ten years old now will remember.  Champions are hoping for the best!

        So are the Veterans of Foreign Wars.  There are many more of them now than ever and they could use the Love and Gratitude of their Nation. As of September 5, 2008 the Department of Defense reports that there are 320,000 Vets with brain injuries.  There are 18 Veteran Suicides per day among the Nation’s 25 million Veterans, according to Dr. Ira Katz, the VA’s head of Mental Health.  Clearly these patriots who step out there to protect the voting franchise could use some advocates.  They will be here for the duration.

        When the ground is so nice and wet, the weeds slide out of the ground with the least amount of pulling.  Sometimes they come out with the sound that the sod-busters loved as they turned the prairie grasses over to farm.  That same sound was the death knell for indigenous peoples and it was  their heartbreak.  It is all so subjective.  Linda’s Almanac says the 14^th will be good for planting above ground crops and the 15^th for root crops.  Both days will be good for vines.  The 12^th and 13^th will be good days to prune to discourage growth.  Encourage growth by pruning on the 23^rd and 24^th.

        Encouragement of any sort is welcome at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or at Champion News.  Sing like Roy Rogers and Dale Evans out on the porch at Henson’s Store at the way station:  “…Some trails are happy ones, Others are blue.  It’s the way you ride the trail that counts, Here’s a happy one for you.  Happy trails to you Until we meet again  Happy trails to you Keep smiling until then.  Who cares about the clouds when we’re together?  Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather.  Happy trails to you, until we meet again.”  Meet up with yer partners at Champion where they always Look on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—September 1, 2008

        The Champion Reunion of 2008 was one of those gatherings that is just the essence of good community.  Fifty people and a few more were on hand to reunite with old friends and family in a place so dear to them.  Someone said that there will be no need for a formal Labor Day Parade in Champion this year on account of the Reunion folks marching so steadily around the tables of food.  There was every thing from soup to hay!–ribs and chicken and enchilada pie, rolls, salads and vegetables and watermelon.  Then came the deserts, which were incredible except for the blackberry cobbler which was stupendous!  The grand old walnut trees shaded those gathered and a pleasant breeze stirred the air just enough.  Old friends Lonnie Krider and Wayne Anderson sat down with mandolin and guitar the way they have done for forty-plus years.  They were joined by Charles Lambert, Rod Humbird, Todd Miller and Robert Graham.  They sat in a loose circle the way musician do when they are playing for each other.  Low conversations gave the music room to move easily among the people as any welcome guest might.  “There’s an old spinning wheel in the parlor” and “Rank Strangers” and a hundred more old tunes drifted out among the folks.  It was easy to see people were actively making memories—sharing old ones and making new ones.  For a few hours on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in the old school yard under the amazing old trees people shared the best of the past and the best of the precious present.  It is a gift that Champions share—knowing when things are good.  This was the 26^th Annual Champion Reunion.  These are the people who came.  If there is a “*” by their name it means they won a door prize.  Robert Graham*-Drury, Mary Graham-Drury, Lorene Johnston-Marshfield, Pete & Bonna Mullens-Wichita, KS, Shirley Brixey-Springfield, Karen Krider-Champion, Lonnie Krider-Champion, Linda Watts-Murfreesboro, TN, Ruby Proctor-Mtn. Grove, Barbara Cooper*-Norwood, Debbie Massey*-Norwood, Elsie Curtis*-Norwood, Daniel Kingston-Norwood, Linda Kingston-Norwood, Pete Proctor, Mtn. Grove, Betty Henson*-Champion, Verla & Lonnie* Mears-Springfield, Vivian Floyd*-Rogersville, Esther Wrinkles*-Vanzant, Elva Ragland*-Drury, Wilda Moses*-Champion, Tom* & Arlene Cooley-Mtn. Grove, Charles Lambert-Ava, Dakota Watts & Dylan* Watts-Murfreesboro, TN, Robert Upshaw-Vanzant, Lucille Ketchum-Mtn. Grove,  Bertha Wood-Mtn. Grove, Russell, Sue & Dean* Upshaw-Mtn. Grove, Dain Lambert-Ava, Larry & Theresa Wrinkles & Quinton-Vanzant, Benton Hutchison-Ava, Tommy Sutherland-Mtn. Grove & Branson, Wesley Lambert-Ava, Kenneth E. Anderson*-Mtn. Grove,  Barbara Schwartz-Republic, Wayne* & JoAnn Anderson-Ava, Fern Bishop-Ava, Linda Clark, Marty Watts-Murfreesboro, TN, Frances Sutherland-Mtn. Grove, Shirley Elaine (Laine) Sutherland, Nashville, TN, Greta Cope, Rita Coble and granddaughter-Mtn. Grove, Todd Miller-Ava, Rod Humbird, Ethel McCallie-Nowata, OK.

        A hot bridge game came off without a hitch up in Riley Holler on Saturday night.  The looser (the host) won a dollar and the winner walked off with $1.75.  Not bad earnings for five or six hours of work!  A couple of the players had just returned from a bridge match that had lasted twenty-three hours over a two day period.  The winner there came out with $4.80.  She says, “It’s not about the money.”  Really?

        Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place says that the 6^th and 7^th will be good days for planting above ground crops.  The 8^th will be an excellent day to celebrate Carol’s birthday!  Her sweet Mother-In-Law, Sally Tharp, gave her some wonderful garden advice:  “Cultivate lasting friendships.  Sow seeds of kindness.  Listen to sage advice.  Don’t let the little things bug you.  Be outstanding in your field.  Take thyme for yourself.  No Vining!”

        There was a substantial crowd at the Denlow Cemetery on Sunday afternoon for the dedication of the Civil War Memorial.  The ceremony was well orchestrated by Catherine Alsup Reilly of the Daughters of the Union Veterans of the Civil War.  There were several speakers including the monument designer and builder Rick Alsup.  A twenty-one gun salute was presented by Civil War Re-enactors David Coffman, Gary Lee Riley, and Mike Metcalf with their muzzleloaders.  Pete Proctor raised the Colors, which include the American Flag and the black flag commemorating the US Soldiers Missing in Action and the Prisoners of War.  The contributions of many individuals toward the realization of the Memorial were recognized, particularly those of Cletis Upshaw who has done a great deal over the years to preserve the stories of Denlow and Douglas County.  Friends were happy to see him in attendance.  Jared Moore played Taps as the ceremony drew to a conclusion.  There were a lot of photographs taken and overall it was about the most proper and dignified event imaginable considering the degree of participation by a certain General Upstart.  The starkness and difficulties of living in a war torn area were brought to mind by re-enactor Mike Metcalf.  He said that the war had been particularly hard on the women who lived around the fighting.  That is true in every war then and now.  The dedication of this memorial brings to mind those serving now.  Love and Gratitude is their due.

        Champions agree with E.B. White who said, “There is no limit to how complicated things can get, on account of one thing leading to another.”  Everybody likes to stand around on the porch or the street corner and talk with people who believe exactly the same thing that they believe.  They can agree with each other and feel smart when everyone agrees with them.  They aren’t likely to learn anything new, however, or to gain an understanding of people who believe the exact opposite.  Even if they are honest, hardworking, loveable people–even some of them friends and family, it’s hard to listen to that other opinion with an unbiased ear.  Champions do all agree that they find themselves living in an Extraordinary Nation–one shaped and strengthened by diversity.

        Monday rolled around and the AF of L and the CIO were suitably honored in the Champion Labor Day Parade.  The American Federation of Labor has been around since the early 1880’s and the Congress of Industrial Organizations sprang out of the New Deal.  They were acknowledged with a cursory salute as Champions resumed their orderly and productive activities.  The day was warm and quiet enough for a nap, much needed after the frenetic pace of the week-end celebrations.  There is at least one Old Champion that says, “Any day you get a nap is a good day.”  He makes it a point to have as many good days as possible.  He’s been thinking of an old song “Ain’t We Got Fun!”  “In the morning, in the evening, Ain’t we got fun? ..Not much money, Oh but Honey!  Ain’t we got fun?…  There’s nothing surer.  The rich get rich and the poor get poorer.  In the meantime in between time Ain’t we got fun!  The song lists any number of things that have gone wrong but it doesn’t seem to matter.

        Any old song that brings back memories…sweet or sad or silly…is welcome at Champion Items, Rt. 2. Box 367 Norwood, MO 65717.  They all are beneficial to the health if they are sung with heart.  Perhaps Champion’s Tennessee Friend, Darrell Haden, will remind Champions of one that has over time slipped their minds but once heard again is as familiar as an old friend…some toe tapping tune that brings a smile automatically.  That’s the ticket.  E-mail anything like that to Champion News.  Stand out on the porch at Henson’s Store in historic downtown Champion or on a street corner somewhere (where they have corners) and listen carefully without derision to the logic of a different point of view.  Think about it and ask questions.  That’s the Champion thing to do.  Once you’ve parted company with the crack-pot you can slap your thigh and guffaw, but be polite and Look on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—August 25, 2008

        In Champion the Labor Day celebration starts off with the Champion School Reunion, which is traditionally held on Saturday.  People return to the old place so full of memories of precious days gone by, of good times and bad times of their youth now spent.  They always pull someone along with them — some spouse or child or cousin or friend and then those persons have Champion as part of their lexicon of good experiences.  Before you know it people who never darkened the door of the School are ‘reunionizing’ and reuniting from one end of town to the other year after year.  Then some Champions who are great fans of Theodore Roosevelt say, “Bully!”  Bridge players say, “What a Deal!”  It is a Champion Notion!  Saturday is also the traditional date for the Haden Family Reunion over in Ava.  Champions hope to get some spill-over in the form of some visits from some Hadens and McCallies.  Celebrating friends and family is a Champion notion no matter where it happens.

        The Sunday part of this Labor Day week-end is to be taken up with the usual Sunday Fair of Love and Gratitude.  The Civil War Memorial will be dedicated at the Denlow Cemetery at two in the afternoon.  Representatives of the Douglas County Historical and Genealogical Society will officiate in what promises to be an interesting and informative program.  It would be a good idea to get there early so as not to miss any of the preliminary entertainment sure to be provided by the esteemed Alumni of Denlow U.  Board members of Denlow Savings and Loan and National Indemnity Life Assurance of Denlow, LLC, as represented by the firm Upshaw, Upshot, and Unshod will also be on hand to oversee the propriety of the presentation.

        Jenna Kaitland Brixey and Kalyssa Ariel Wiseman will both celebrate their first birthday on Sunday, August 31^st!  It is amazing how quickly the year has passed and it is a delight to see the happy changes wrought in the lives of so many people by these delightful little girls.  Love and Gratitude meets them wherever they go.

        Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in the United States since the 1880s.  Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those ‘who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.”  Someone else said that it was Matthew McGuire, a machinist, who first had the idea of a holiday.  Anyway, the form for the celebration was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday—a street parade to exhibit to the public “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations.”  When Monday rolls around the Champion Labor Day Parade will spontaneously erupt the way it does every year and in a short while the throngs will disburse to resume their orderly lives.  What a Champion place!

        Americans also celebrate Labor Day as the symbolic end of summer.  The summer was green and passed quickly.  The fast green summer of Champion still leaves time for some planting and Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood indicates that the 3^rd all the way through the 7^th will be good for planting crops that bear above ground, particularly leafy vegetables.  So much of gardening is just paying attention.  The rest of it is hard work — It might require a thousand shovels of manure to get the plot ready, then maybe a thousand more!  September’s Moon is the Harvest Moon and its birthstone is the sapphire.  A gangly garden crooner with romance in his heart might woo successfully with, “The night was mighty dark, you could hardly see, because the moon refused to shine. There’s a couple sittin neath the willow tree.  For Love they Pine.  The little gal’s kind of scared of the dark, so she says, ‘I think I’ll go.’  The boy began to sigh.  He looked up in the sky and told the Moon his little tale of woe.  ‘Oh! Shine on shine on Harvest Moon up in the sky…”  Or he might fall off the porch while he’s singing and get his foot stuck in a slop bucket and then get chased by a bad dog and knock a knot on his noggin and loose his hat on a low branch of a walnut tree and then roll his foot on a walnut and go sailing hip pocket over tea kettle and hit the ground flat of his back with the breath whooshing right out of him.  Maybe he should just go home before he starts singing.  Music is good medicine, but in some cases it ought to be applied sparingly.  Perhaps a nice original poem written in a legible hand and folded neatly in a box with a pretty sapphire would do the trick.  Wooing is tricky business in Champion as elsewhere and can easily turn into a calamity.

        Calamities come in many forms and they are almost always unbidden.  Those many thousands of wounded soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan certainly didn’t plan to live out their lives missing limbs, eyes, motor function or mental acuity.  Some are making remarkable recoveries and some are not.  They and all their families could use the support and understanding of a Grateful Nation that Loves them for their Sacrifice.  On August 26, 1998 it was reported that Air Force Senior Airman Bryan J. Proctor had graduated from the Airman Leadership School at Yakota Air Base, Tokyo, Japan.  He is the son of Pete and Kathy Proctor of Mountain Grove.  At the Skyline Picnic this summer Pete reported that Brian is now a Staff Sergeant and that he has served multiple tours of duty in the Middle East where he is currently serving.  “It’s my job,” he says.  He’s a Champion.

        Part of the prize give-away at the Skyline VFD Picnic this summer was two Angel Food Packages.  Foster Wiseman won one of them but the other one has not been claimed.  Louise Hutchison has collected the food and has it on hand for the winner, but this person needs to contact her in order to make arrangements to pick it up.  Her number is 948-2443.  The certificate says: “Good for One Menu from the Angel Food Ministries donated by the Skyline Full Gospel Church.”  It is quite a lot of food and it represents quite a generous donation made by Louise’s church organization.

        Champion notions or tricky business or examples of generosity can be reported to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  Calamities of a romantic nature should be left untold, unless they are particularly humorous, then e-mail them to Champion News.  Search the archives at www.championnews.us for references to Champion Parades.  Think of some happy, uplifting song to sing on the porch at Henson’s Store on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion.  Get those endorphins moving, but hold on to the porch railing and be sure that you’re Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—August 18, 2008

        Champions are experts at living in the here and now.  When the weather is perfect, they recognize it, neither comparing it to other perfect days or to less perfect days of the past.  As to the future, there is every possibility that each of the coming days will be perfect and Champions are always ready to celebrate a beautiful day.

        “Celebrate” is the Champion word of the hour.  The Champion School Reunion is coming up on Saturday, August 30.  People will be coming from far and wide to get in on the fun.  Old acquaintances will be renewed and nostalgia will mix with lots of good food for another memorable reunion.  Locals are still reeling from the fun at the Skyline VFD Picnic.  An e-mail came:  “I really appreciated you plastering my picture holding one of my grandson’s all over the Douglas County Herald.  Thank goodness you didn’t use my real name.  Now, for you to get on my good side again, would you place something in the Champion News about the Civil War Memorial dedication at the Denlow Cemetery on Sunday at 2 p.m. 31 Aug., 2008.  Thanks, General (Alias ).”  The Memorial was scheduled to be dedicated back in May, but there was a hold up with the engraver and members of the Douglas County Historical and Genealogical Society wanted it to be just right.  There are thirty Civil War veterans buried at Denlow—some from each side.  That War ended in 1865, and 143 years later people in this part of the world are still honoring those who served—on both sides.  War is still claiming lives of soldiers and still breaking hearts of those left behind.  Love and Gratitude for their service is due them and their survivors no matter when they were lost.  The current number of US service people to die in the current war is 4,143.

        Any Champion gardener who needs a lesson in humility need only go out to Western Spotted Hog and visit Linda’s garden.  “Of course!  That’s her business.  She’s supposed to have a beautiful garden.”  Well, boy howdy!  She does.  It is a veritable Cornucopia!  It’s a journey.  It’s a goal.  It’s a process.  It is a beautiful garden.  Anyone who fights with jealousy, envy, and avarice ought to just stay home and pull some weeds.  Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says that the 20^th and 21^st will be good days to harvest crops and the 22^nd and the 23^rd will be excellent days for planting root crops.  “Harvest” is a lovely word—the product of labor.  Champions know they reap what they sow, so the malcontents and slackers can soothe their wounded spirits via shovel as they augment their little patches with some nice old well-rotted manure and hope for a better yield next time.  What goes better with A than B?  Alvin and Beverly have a pretty garden.  They’ve got rocks balanced on rocks and some very tasty watermelons!  They generously share their produce to the delight of Champion gardeners whose efforts have been less fruitful this season.  It is a Champion kind of thing to do and a kind thing too.

        Charlie and Erma Cline were in the neighborhood over the week-end.  They came down from Republic with Delmar and Cindy and rendezvoused with Dustin and Staci who were over from Seymour to visit her folks.  So the place was full of Clines and that made it a pleasant place.  Delmar has a beautiful singing voice and it is well known that singing is an uplifting activity.  Singing can be a valuable skill to have.  When a person wakes up in the middle of the night–mind racing from one worry to another and sleep is illusive, it is a good time to dredge up a long old song with lots of verses like “Poor Little Sadie.”  “Poor Little Sadie is down from the Mountain, the orphanage took her away.  Her Mama ran off with a revival preacher and her Daddy forgot how to pray.  They scrubbed on her knees and her elbows.  They cut off her long tangled hair.  They turned a loose of her old dappled pony and loaded her into the car.”  Well, it goes on and on and Sadie grows up learning the ways of the world.  In her heart she longs for the peace and beauty of her old mountain home, but she never gets back there.  It’s a sad song.  Then there is “The Letter Edged in Black” and the “Lady and the Soldier” and a great number of ballads that speak of love, waiting and loss.  Sad songs do a body about as much good as happy ones if the singing is heartfelt.  If it is the middle of the night and other people are sleeping, a person can just imagine singing, or can just sing silently and think the words and tune.  That way this person can imagine having an excellent singing voice, which may not be the case in the cold light of day.  There is a wonderfully sad song called “Two Little Boys.”  It’s a Civil War song about brothers who fought on different sides, but still loved each other.  Hopefully it will not be sung at the dedication of the Memorial in Denlow.  The General was so emotional over a song last May (“Hear that lonesome whippoorwill.  He sounds too blue to fly.”) there is some speculation that the dedication was really put off on account of his histrionics.  The community is alerted to his proclivities now, however, so perhaps a decorous ceremony can be expected.

        Somebody has suggested that a ‘webcam’ be installed in Champion so that misplaced Champions can look in on their old stomping grounds from their computers at any time to see what’s going on.  They think they might be able to catch a parade or a rally on the Square.  It is not very likely that the idea will get much play, since Champions are a live and let live lot and are respectful of the privacy of others.  Besides, a contraption like that needs a sponsor and an administrator.  Nobody like that lives around here.  Old news is the best there is to be had.  Some of it can be found at www.championnews.us.  There is a picture of a tidy little garden there.

        Mrs. Violet Hinote shared some reports of her cruise to Alaska that she took with Lannie this summer.  She said that they had a spectacular time.  School is back in session and Lannie is riding loose heard on those eighth graders again.  She does a great job with them and has a long list of people on whom she has been an excellent influence over the years.  She is inspiring–such a Champion!

        Old news and any kind of Good news and reports of beautiful days are welcome at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  Any kind of song that lifts the spirits and imparts courage or offers comfort is welcome at Champion News.  Sing that song right out loud for maximum health benefit.  If a person wants to sing especially loud, they ought to do it out on the porch at Henson’s Store in the heart of Champion’s thriving entertainment district.  It’s on the North side of the Square where folks are always Looking on the Bright Side!