Champion News

CHAMPION—August 11, 2008

        Most often in Champion and neighboring like-minded communities the skeptics, pessimists, and harbingers of dreary outlooks are thwarted, disappointed and rebuffed.  On Saturday a local Grump said, “I been looking at the radar and it shows that it’s raining buckets from West Springfield all the way South of Branson.  It’s huge,” he said, “and it’s headed this away!”  People came in from Marshfield and said it was really coming down over there.  It was raining in Mountain Grove.  “Steady.”  But Wilburn said, “It’s gonna slide on West of us.” (Others said, “South.”)  Anyway, Wilburn was right.  He regularly proves himself to be somebody who makes a person want to listen.  He says he talks over all his troubles with Sissy.  So with all his ‘by-passes’ intact, he spent the week-end selling pop corn at the Skyline VFD Picnic.  Saturday was the weather day in question, but it turned out to be a fantastic evening.  The temperature was lovely and the crowd was immense. The event can be chalked up as another grand success and already plans are in the works for next year.

        Mrs. Ruby Proctor enjoyed the Skyline Picnic and was happy to meet up with old friends and family that she doesn’t get to see very often.  She reported that she had recently had a visit with Janet Housley Spellman and Sue Housley Arnall.  They are the daughters of Ruby’s old school chums, William Housley and Jeanette McClellan Housley.  She went to school with William at Mint Springs and with Jeanette at Champion.  Janet and Sue now live in Springfield and it is a real treat for Ruby when they come out to visit with her.

        The eighth day of the eighth month of two thousand eight was the fortieth birthday of Roger Wiseman!  Fosters old dad is reaching his age of majority.  He is aging nicely and following the good example of his own parents and that of his Champion in-laws.  It is a reassuring idea that people who are almost middle aged now are the same people who were paying attention to the old folks as they were growing up.  It’s a Champion notion!

        There is a guy out on 76 Highway who has recently sold his place to some folks from the Carolinas.  They will be moving and taking possession of the property in December.  It sounds like they are nice folks and they are optimistic about their move.  Someone said that they are part of the first wave of thirty thousand people who call themselves “Believers” who will be moving to this area from the Carolinas before the year 2012.  That is an auspicious date in the Mayan calendar when it is thought by these folks that there will be cataclysmic occurrences that will cause the Ozarks to be the New Eastern Seaboard.  They say that there will be many people from the current Eastern Seaboard who will migrate to this area in the next few years so now might be a good time to be in the real estate business.  The Lenape Indians that were displaced by white settlers in the East came here in the 1600’s.  (See Searching for Booger County by Sandy Ray Chapin.)  They fought with and then lived with the Osage who were already here and together they fought more settlers from the East.  Four hundred years later settlers are still coming, but these days they find the Ozarks more hospitable.

        In the five years since the war in Iraq began seventy US Service Personnel from Missouri have lost their lives there.  The latest is Specialist Kevin R. Dixon of Steelville, MO who died August 2^nd.  4,138 is now the official death toll of US.  The number of wounded may never be known.  Including US service people and all the other members of the Coalition and the Iraqi people, the number must be phenomenal.  It is to be hoped that the living are being recognized by someone with Love and Gratitude.

        Semus Heffern, grandson of Sue and Bob, got into a yellow jacket nest recently when he was out with his folks on a camping trip.  It was no fun at all.  The weather was hot and they were far from home.  It is not likely to be something he will forget and certainly nothing he will want to repeat.  He is seven years old already!  Time is flying by!

        The General was reported to have been on best behavior at the Skyline Picnic.  Once again, happily, the bagpipes were locked in the trunk of the car and the keys were ‘temporarily’ lost so he was unable to take part musically in the Flag Raising ceremony presented by the America Legion.  The worst he was seen doing was influencing some innocent youngsters.  Their parents are well acquainted with the General, however, and will have some input to ameliorate any damage that he might do to their young psyches.

        Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says that the 14^th and 15^th will be good days to plant above-ground crops.  There is one Old Champion Girl who is thrilled to know that what she thought was the same non-bearing, ornamental, dwarf okra that she grew last year has decided to take off and make a few pods!  She may get a crop yet.  There are mixed reports of garden successes around the area.  Some folks are having bumper crops and some are having bummers.  Verla Meers from up in Springfield says that they are having to mow their grass too often these days on account of all the rain.  Someone else was remarking that by this time of the year usually things are brown and crunchy underfoot.  Champion in August, 2008, is a lush, verdant wonderland and there are some very beautiful and tidy little gardens in the neighborhood.

        There are some great musicians and singers in the neighborhood too.  Bands playing at the Skyline Picnic Friday and Saturday nights dedicated songs to the memory of Benny Pool, who passed away August 4^th.  He was very well regarded in the community and was an accomplished guitar and bass player who performed with Booger County Bluegrass for a number of years.

        There is a ‘link’ on the www.championnews.us site to the Missouri Department of Conservation all about Missouri’s toads and frogs.  There are pictures, descriptions, information about habitat and recordings of their peeps, trills, whistles, grunts and snores.

        It is very interesting to see which frog makes which of the various sounds heard at night in these parts.  A healthy population of frogs is indicative of clean and healthy water.  It is fun, some say, to imitate the frog sounds at night to see if the frogs can be fooled.  The eastern gray treefrog has a birdlike, musical trill that can be approximated with a little practice.  The good health benefits of singing are also available to frog imitators.  So go sit on the porch at Henson’s Store in city-centre Champion and try to fool a frog while releasing some of those good endorphins.  Also while there admire the most tidy and beautiful little garden in Champion.  Mail music and lyrics to any good frog songs to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  E-mail them or any pertinences concerning singing frogs, stray dogs, garden produce and any prognostications of weather or cataclysmic occurrences to Champion News.  Don’t forget, if you’re a Champion, you’re Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—August 6, 2008

        Champions said, “Hello” and “Goodbye” to Dolly on Wednesday evening last.  All of a sudden without warning a strong little storm swept through the place.  In the first few minutes over two inches of rain came down.  The weather bureau had said that some remnants of the Hurricane Dolly might make it out this way and that is certainly what it felt like—or maybe like a little tornado!  The rain actually came sideways and from every which way and the wind whipped centuries old trees around like they were saplings.  During those first minutes some big limbs came down in a number of locations.  In Champion proper some enormous limbs were twisted out of the tops of some of the biggest walnut trees.  One came down on the propane tank there at the store.  (The tank wasn’t damaged and some good neighbors made quick work of cleaning up the mess.)  Up the hill to the North Harleys big walnut tree out in the field East of the gravel road sustained some damage and on up Cold Springs Road there was debris in the road and reports of tree damage from various locations East of C Highway.  Before the system left the area a total of three inches of rain was deposited.  The ferocious winds were accompanied by frequent lightening strikes and much cloud to cloud lightening.  The rain was welcome, but the wind was not.

        Champions and Skyliners are on the move getting ready for the Picnic!  The Skyline Volunteer Fire Department’s Annual Picnic is coming up the 8^th and 9^th and promises to be a lively affair as usual.  A good sized crowd gathered on Saturday to get a jump on getting the grounds ready.  There was tree trimming, raking and mowing in preparation for setting up the various booths and games.  The cook shack was put in order and a big meal served to the workers who were most appreciative.  The heat was just astounding!  Fortunately the forecast for the picnic is for cooler days.  That will be a welcome relief.  Everybody will be glad for the chance to get out and about again to get together with friends and enjoy the fun of the picnic.  Over the years there have been some changes to the picnic grounds.  There was a story that circulated about how the old red cook shack met its demise.  According to a fellow who was there, “A big gust of wind took it off down the hill.”  It might have had some help!  The old ‘Ma’ and ‘Pa’ outhouses had some help burning down on Saturday.  There were firemen all around and a tidy job was made of it.  The old facilities have been replaced with some new fangled ones and it is overall agreed to be a good change.  Some things change for the better and some things stay the same for the better.  The constant things include the generosity of the community when it comes to the Skyline VFD and the solid service provided to the community by the Fire Department.  First responders answer to a lot of medical calls and auto accidents in addition to all the brush fires, flue fires, house fires, and other emergencies.  It is a long way to town and rural residents appreciate having these resources available nearby administered by friends and neighbors.  Henson’s Store in Downtown Champion has been joined by merchants from surrounding towns in donating a great number of excellent door prizes to be given away at the picnic.  It will be a good time!

        When a certain Champion long years ago shot his Dad’s big sow with rock salt out of his shotgun, his friends didn’t squeal on him.  The sow didn’t suffer overly, it is thought, and the questioning of the Father brought no information.  Champion friends are loyal ones.  But now friends and neighbors are on the look out for the General.  He’s on the loose again and will no doubt be making a spectacle of himself at the Skyline Picnic.  That alone is worth the price of admission! (Which is nothing!)  There is still time to get in on the drawings for the $100.00 free electricity being provided by White River Electric Cooperative and then there is the fabulous Rose Star Quilt!  As pictures of it have circulated on the internet it has sparked interest from California to up-state New York!  The lucky winner will be announced on Saturday night.

        It was reported here last August that as August 5, 2007 the number of US Service People who had lost their lives in Iraq was 3,671.  That included Staff Sergeant Gina R. Sparks of Drury, Missouri, who died October 4, 2004.  That number has grown to 4,128 now and does not count casualties in Afghanistan.  Gina was 36 years old when she died and had been in the military for 18 years.  She grew up in Drury and went to school in Mountain Grove.  She had one sister and two sons who are now teenagers.  They live out West somewhere with their Father.  Last week it was reported that Private First Class LaVena Johnson from Florissant, Missouri was the first woman from Missouri to die while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.  She died July 19, 2005, so she was not the first female Missouri soldier to die over there.  Nevertheless, they are both gone.  LaVena was 19 years old.  Her folks still don’t know exactly how she died.  Gina’s death has also been a mystery to her survivors.  Perhaps they will get some answers someday together with expressions of Love and Gratitude from their Nation.  It is also to be hoped that answers will be forthcoming in the electrocution deaths of 16 American soldiers in their living quarters in Iraq in the last two years.  Kellogg, Brown and Root is the company owned by the Halliburton Oil Company that was given the no-bid contract to provide housing, food service, etc. to the military personnel stationed there.  They are not performing adequately and soldiers are dying in the very place they go for rest and safety.  These contracts represent many billions of dollars.  They are being paid for with money borrowed from the Chinese.  Those debts will be paid by people who are now entering kindergarten, or by their grandchildren.  For sure a lot of big money is changing hands these days.  It will be nice if some of it comes in the form of support to the returning Soldier.

        E-mail has come to the effect:  “Hi Champions!  Contact Chester Smith.  He knows the huckleberry pie song.  He has a Drury address.  Bill Pool, Nashville, TN.”  It is rumored that Bill Pool is a huckleberry himself!  Another e-mail came from Bob Conrad.  He has been having difficulty communicating with the www.championnews.us website.  He said, “My wife went to school there and we have visited there.  I want to look on the Bright Side–Help!”  The problems he was encountering have been solved so he should be able to post his comments.  It will be exciting to learn what he has to say.  A picture of Esther Wrinkles standing beside the Rose Star Quilt can be seen on that website too.  An e-mail from Linda over at the Plant Place in Norwood contains her almanac.  From the 7^th through the 11^th the days will be favorable for planting crops that bare their yield above ground.  Request a copy of that almanac on line at Champion News.

        Song lyrics, pros and poetry extolling the virtues of Looking on the Bright side are always welcome at Champion Items, Rt. 2. Box 367 Norwood, MO 65717.  Expressions of relief that the elections are over for a while are also welcome there:  “Happy days are here again. The sky above is clear again. So let us sing a song of cheer again.  Happy days are here again.!” Any one visiting Champion with its architectural wonders and bucolic splendor will have difficulty refraining from some sweet refrain.  Nostalgic tunes evoking home and hearth are particularly good for the health when sung with feeling.  Any catchy tune that smacks of optimism is a Champion tune—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—July 28, 2008

        Over in Champion people are just perpetually grateful.  Champions don’t have to cast their vision very far to find people in much less comfortable circumstances.  A frequent Champion visitor and Champion Double Cousin weathered Hurricane Dolly with sustained winds over 70 mph for hour upon hour.  There were gusts between 90 mph and 120 mph!  Fifteen inches of rain later she is fine and busy helping out in her neighborhood those who did not fare so well.  Louise’s brothers, Larry and Gary Sexton and sister Gail Carson up in Iowa had some big winds come through last Monday morning that sent a limb down through one of their roofs and wiped out hundreds and hundreds of big old trees all over their area.  They say nobody in Buffalo or Des Moines will be hurting for fire-wood this winter.  They were not hurt, however, and they too are grateful.  More good news comes in the form of health reports on Foster, Kalyssa, Madelyn and Sharon Upshaw and Kaye Johnston.  Everybody’s doing well…improving and on the mend.  So Champion is a windy place from the sighs of relief going around!

        Gardening and Haymaking are going full tilt.  Some Champions reminded one Old Girl that the ‘fruit of the vine’ does not mean the cucumber vine.  Rumors that she’s spreading cucumber wine around the neighborhood are unfounded.  She does say that the juice is best cold after it’s had a chance to settle out a bit.  She seems to be its only fan.  As to the Haymakers, the tetter grabbed Harley’s hat and sent it for a sail.  He retrieved it and while it is on the fluffy side now, it is still quite serviceable.  Lonnie lost a hat altogether in a big round baler a while back.  Leslie was out mowing without a hat and got sunburned the other day.  Once Ed Henson baled his glasses up in a small square bale.  Later that winter he was feeding the hay and found them.  The lenses were fine and with a little bending he was able to wear them!  There are all kinds of stories about bailing up snakes and armadillos.  It is an exciting enterprise:  making hay.  Wilburn said that when the equipment breaks down and nobody keeps parts in stock, sometimes the hay is about ‘gold plated.’  He also said that his little hound dog will get tears in her eyes when he talks to her. “She’s the only one who listens to me.”

        Most welcome Tennessee Family and Friends came drifting through Champion early in the week.  Everybody’s spirits get a boost in the presence of grandsons!  Even old Grandfather Weltanschauung over on 14 Highway takes a trip to goofy land in the presence of Semus, Zack and Elizabeth!  Individually, collectively or in any combination they just send the Old Fellow into sublime grins.  He can’t help it.  Grandparents are Cool!  The Tennessee Grandsons are excellent singers and most likely endorphins were let loose all over Champion.  Endorphins are small, protein molecules that are produced by the cells of the nervous system and other parts of the body.  An important role of endorphins is to work with sedative receptors that are known to relieve common pain.  They are not a single molecule, but actually come in several forms anywhere from eighteen to five hundred times as powerful as any man-made analgesic.  And, they are non-addictive.  Singing releases endorphins that fight disease and depression.  Even sad songs like “Old Shep,” or bloody ballads like “The Knoxville Girl” do the good work.  Tra La!

        There was sure some good music “UP’N AT’T” 4 H Picnic over on EE over the week end. This was the 58^th year for the Holt Picnic.  A junior in Mountain Grove High School, Logan Driskoll, was working the snow cone stand.  She’s been in the 4 H since she was six years old.  She says that the proceeds from the picnic go to help the Club fund their projects for the Fair and various trips.  The group host a dinner for the Fire Fighters every year as well as other community service projects.  Logan’s cousin, Abby Peterson, was up visiting from Lampasas, TX and helped out in the booth.  Friends and Family can’t be beat!  The Champion and Skyline communities were well represented at the Holt Picnic and those folks are always present in good numbers for the Skyline Picnic that is coming up on the 8^th and 9^th of August.  It seems that every week-end this time of the year there is a picnic, festival or reunion.  When the ice and snow is on the ground it’s harder to get out and about.  Of course, gas prices are no small thing to country livers at this time, but still folks love to get together to help each other’s various causes.  The Skyline Picnic has been going on for close to thirty years now and the proceeds from this fund-raiser go to buy equipment and to fund training for the fire fighters.  The community wins with the fun and excitement of the get-together and then with the great community service provided by the Skyline Volunteer Fire Department.  The Membership really pulls together for this event with donations of homemade pies and cakes and interesting things for the Silent Auction.  Last year Mike Sims made an incredible rocking chair that he donated to the Fire Department and a nice guy from over in Cabool won it in the auction at a good price.  People are generous in these parts.

        Also in these parts are some seriously irresponsible individuals.  Before eight o’clock last Saturday morning an old 1980’s model Buick Skylark stopped at the foot of Mary Graham’s drive way and dumped two puppies.  They are pretty little things with some black and white hound in them but they are certainly not what Mary needs to have to take care of!  It is criminal to slough this responsibility off on someone else. If this were not bad enough, the exact same thing happened the previous Sunday morning at about the same time.  Mary doesn’t know if it was the same individual, but she is hoping that the description of the car together with other information will be enough for the Sheriff to take some action.

        A note in the www.vanzantmo.com website informs that the General has been barred from the Waldorf Astoria on account of some sort of shenanigan about a possum stew.  His computer is on the fritz currently so the world wide web is safe for the nonce.  www.skylinevfd.com is a good place to find out more about the Skyline Volunteer Fire Department.  The www.championnews.us has received some good reviews which are on account of the excellent efforts of the Huckleberry Geekeette, Carol Cleveland.  The mix of technology and nostalgia is an interesting mix and the world is getting smaller in some ways.

        It is also getting more dangerous.  Private First Class LaVena Johnson from Florissant, Missouri was the first woman from Missouri to die while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.  She was 19 years old.  She died July 19, 2005.  Her folks still don’t know exactly how she died.  They deserve some answers and the Love and Gratitude of their Nation.

        Hapless George, a new Champion Aficionado, reports that the “Historical Dictionary of American Slang” documents the use of the phrase “I’m your huckleberry” all through the latter 19^th century as meaning “I’m just the man you’re looking for!”  Champions are glad to welcome an erudite new neighbor!  Sometimes erudition is in short supply in these parts so for his good research abilities and his generous nature, H.G. will be designated as an official Champion Huckleberry! 

        Harley’s headed home to take Barbara, Elizabeth and Alexandra on a cruise!  Meanwhile, Champions are busy trading squash, peaches and green beans with each other.  Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says that August 1^st will be an excellent day for planting any crop that bears its yield above ground.  Send fantastic garden reports to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367 Norwood, MO 65717.  Snitch on that puppy dumper to Champion News.  Do some summertime lollygagging on the porch at Henson’s Store on the North side of the Square.  Sing right out loud just for the good health benefits and Look on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION-July 21, 2008

        In Champion the Harvest has begun!  Champions are rejoicing and bringing in sheaves.  Some have put up green beans until they’re blue in the face.  There are pickled beets on the shelf and every possible permutation of preserved zucchini.  Cucumbers are plentiful and the tomatoes are coming on.  Ahh!  E. B. White said that living in the country is a full time job in itself.  He indicated that there is hardly time to go off to earn a living with all the chores to be done.  He was born in 1899 and was a Champion wit.

        “Maybe this is the song you want, from 1918.”  This note was signed, “The Hapless Homesteader.”  It included this computer information:  DeVincent Sheetmusic, that will take a person directly to a copy of the sheet music “Huckleberry Pie.”  It is in the library at Indiana University.  “I  sat down and wrote a song not too short and not too long.  Doesn’t mean a gosh darn thing to you, but I hope you like it ‘cause I want you to.  It’s a tune that’s bound to cling, a simple little thing to sing. (Chorus) H U uc-kle buc-kel  B U uc-kle, buc-kle  that spells huckleberry Pie … …..I love that huc-kle berry Pie!”  It’s a sweet song made more so by a sweet memory associated with it.  Thanks for finding it, Hap!  Uncle Al, the Lonesome Plowboy, used to sing:  “I love you a gallon and a quart, a gallon and a quart, you dirty little wart!”  That is a Champion expression of affection!  Champions, who do a good job of living in the here and now, freely express affection for one another and are never embarrassed to do so.  Who doesn’t have a friend who managed to slip out of the world without hearing how much he was appreciated?  A Champion neighbor spoke of a friend who had been like a Leprechaun.  To paraphrase her:  “He could be in your face and get on your case, but he did it in such a charming and loving way that you could never be mad at him.”  A friend who teaches you about yourself is a gift.

        Hoovie’s sister, Eva Loyce Henson Phillips, had her picture in the Herald last week together with classmates of the 1953 graduating class of Ava High School.  She is a Champion from way back and still has a charming cousin living just over the hill from the old home place.  It is notable that the photograph shows twenty-seven or so very nice looking people.  Everyone is trim, fit looking and in a good mood.  No doubt yarns were spun and nostalgia ruled the day.  They are planning their next reunion for 2013.  Optimism is a Champion quality!

        A letter has arrived from Champion’s Friend from Oklahoma, Ethel McCallie.  She is looking forward to her 91^st birthday on August 11^th.  She has excellent penmanship and writes an informative and interesting letter in an easy conversational style.  She was recalling her visit to Champion last year and said, “I really liked seeing the little store in Champion.  It brought back so many memories of the old store at Smallett, Mo, where we went to sell eggs, frying chickens, old hens and roosters and to buy our groceries.”  She sends fond regards to Champion and hopes to get to come back this fall when she is in the area for the Haden family reunion the first week-end of September.  See a photo of Ms. McCallie at Henson’s Store and read more of her letters at www.championnews.us  She can be found in the Champion Friends section.  Also in that section there is a picture of her cousin, Darrell Haden and his wife Betty, when they made a Champion visit last year.  They are some of Champion’s Tennessee Friends.

        Champion Sam Moses sent an E-mail:  “Greetings from Greenwich, the arbitrary longitudinal center of world.”  From there he has moved on to Glasgow, “to my eyes, the most gorgeous city.”  He is making music and friends where ever he goes.  It is exciting on the other side of the pond!  On this side of the pond a lovely event occurred on Saturday the 13^th.  Esther Wrinkles and her sister Irene Dooms together with all of their children and most of their grand children met together at the home of Irene’s daughter Brenda Blake up in Strafford.  There were twenty-two family members altogether plus a neighbor who was a most pleasant and entertaining fellow.  It was the first gathering of the whole bunch at Brenda’s new home and from the sounds of it there will be more to come.  Champions love getting together with family and friends.  To the great delight of locals, Ruby Proctor spent Sunday morning in Champion.  She pointed to the place where she watched Johnny Hatfield wrestle a bear when she was ten years old.  There were both Hatfields and McCoys in this neck of the woods, but they seem to have been pretty peaceable.  It was the bears that had to be careful!

        One old Champion has said to another one, “That is just about the sorriest looking bunch of tomatoes ever I saw!”  The Old Girl agrees with him but is so far unable to come up with a remedy.  She doesn’t want to put poison on them and the ‘shield’ (stink bugs) are stinging them and that makes them ripen in an ugly way and then rot.  The blossom end rot has got some and then there are the black worms that show up on the inside of them.  It’s a caution.  The Old Dear struggles so but continues to fight her fight for beautiful tomatoes.  Recently she was told by a Native Champion that back in the old days when there were so many tomato canneries in these parts, the farmers would set aside some ‘new ground’ for the tomatoes.  Some place that hasn’t grown tomatoes in the past will have fewer insects and disease.  Then some gardening books suggest growing them in the same place year after year and in using compost made of the plants.  It is a learning process.  Linda’s almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says that the 26^th and 27^th will be good days for planting root crops and so will the 30^th and 31^st which will also be good for sowing seed beds and planting flowers.

        Champions are glad to hear that the General’s wife is home and feeling better.  Little Foster and his sister Kalyssa, and their cousin Madelyn have all been a little under the weather on these hot days.  Parents and grandparents much prefer the ruckus of slamming doors and rowdy play than to see the little fellows pale and feeling poorly.  Champions are anxious to hear that they are on the mend and back up to their rambunctious ways. 

        It has been reported that one million, one hundred thousand civilian citizens of Iraq have lost their lives.  Four million are displaced.  The US has lost 4,125 service personnel there.  Some who have made it home are being lost to the emotional stresses they suffered there.  The Love and Gratitude of their Nation shown in meaningful ways will be the first steps in their healing.  E.B. White also said, “Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time.”  Some Champions are now starting to worry about who owns the new voting machines that will be used in the Presidential Election this fall.  Who made them?  Who sold them?  Who profits?  It is said that it matters more who counts the votes than who does the voting.  Champions are pleased with their local election board, but some are suspicious of the National process.

        The Skyline Firefighters and Auxiliary had a meeting early in the week to kick off the official Picnic Plan!  The efforts of these hard working people and the organizational skills of their leader show up in a Great Picnic every year.  This one has an auspicious date beginning as it does on 08-08-08!  Point out auspicious dates by mail at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO, 65717.

        Tombstone was a movie made in 1993, staring Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp and Val Kilmer as the enigmatic Doc Holliday.  On the occasion of intercepting a foe in a wooded glade in the middle of the night Doc stepped forward and intoned, “I’m your Huckleberry!”  E-mail what you think he meant by that to Champion News.  Sing that Huckleberry Pie song down on the porch at Henson’s Store.  In Downtown Champion they are always looking for those spirit lifting, disease fighting, depression walloping endorphins released by song and they’re always Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—July 14, 2008

        “Good neighboring” is one of Champion’s best calling cards.  Champions know that you have to be one to have one and the community is blessed with excellent neighbors.  All around neighbors are having reunions, picnics and get-togethers.  They just turn off the TV and go see one another.  The Porter family recently had a reunion over not too far from Ava.  Bernie Porter was quite an interesting fellow.  He loved children and his place and his wife and story telling and music.  He could pick the banjo and sing one of the most bloody and gory versions of ‘The Export Girl’ ever and then convince a child that his bandana had a squirrel trapped in it.  There was a note in the Looking Backwards section of the paper that after many years someone had found a turtle that had Bernie Porter’s initials on it, put there sometime in the early twenties! (Turtles are neighbors too!)  Other good neighbor reports come from Norwood where the 4^th of July celebration was a glorious success.  The food, music, and fireworks were excellent and Reg Kelley kept the party going in his lively way.  He called Esther Wrinkles up to show off the beautiful Rose Star Quilt that will be part of the Skyline Picnic fundraiser.  He likes to tease Esther and to pull jokes on his neighbors and they are happy to put up with his good humor.  The Vanzant Picnic was also reported to be just wonderful!  It was packed with many old friends seeing each other for the first time in a year and in some cases much Ruby Proctor was there, they say, and looking good!  She always looks good.  It is that smile she wears and anyone who knows her is familiar with a certain twinkle in her eye.  The General was conspicuously absent from the festivities, but with good reason.  Sharon Upshaw has been in Cox Hospital for a few days and will be there for a few more days.  All of Champion send best wishes to her for a quick and good recovery.

        A couple of weeks ago at the Thursday music at Plumber’s Junction, Champion Elmer Banks mentioned a young couple from Kentucky who are building a straw bale house over on C highway.  They are at the location of the East Dogwood School.  They are Mark and Gabriel.  She is from Kentucky but has been in the Ozarks for twenty years.  They are happy to be here and are very interested in local history, particularly of the East Dogwood School.  A chat with Hoovie’s cousin over the hill reveals that they are in the location of the new East Dogwood School that was built by the WPA in 1937.  It replaced the old East Dogwood School, which was located on the other side of C Highway and down the hill to the west.  That building was still standing as of 5 to 10 years ago and was being used to store hay.  The little cook shack that was used when school was in session at the new East Dogwood School is still standing and is being used currently as the living quarters of Mark and Gabriel while they build their house.  It looks like the foundation is complete and that it is substantial and well made.  It will be exciting to see a new kind of building going up there even as they continue to preserve the past.  The couple is most genial and it is nice to have the chance to welcome some new neighbors.  Pictures and detailed history of the New East Dogwood School can be viewed at Henson’s Store in a book compiled some years ago by Mrs. Marion Conradi.

        Big news in Champion!  The First Ripe Tomato in Champion Contest is Won!  Louise Hutchison, with Wilburn at her side, brought two beauties into Henson’s Store on Saturday.  One of the tomatoes was cut and divided among storekeepers and customers and was pronounced “Ripe!” and delicious.  Louise was delighted with her prizes.  In addition to the Blue Antique Ball Fruit Jar for her collection, she received 6 tickets for the Rose Star Quilt that will be given away in a drawing at the Skyline Picnic on August 9^th, and two dozen canning jar flats, one each regular and wide-mouthed.  Pictures were taken and hearty congratulations were extended.  Well done, Louise!  A number of other Champions reported having had ripe tomatoes but for one reason or another chose not to enter them in the contest.  Some were just cherry tomatoes–too small to share and some were worm eaten or had the blossom end rot.  In the case of Grace’s daughter, she has them all year so it is no big deal to her!

        Staff Sergeant Ronald Blystone, 34, was hit by small arms fire during a dismounted patrol in Baghdad on June 26, 2008.  He was from Springfield.  His survivors are Champion neighbors.  He was based out of Ft. Hood, Texas.  Recently it was announced that all of the soldier and family assistance programs at Fort Hood have been consolidated into one facility.  A soldier can get help with the paperwork associated with disability issues, job training, employment counseling, emotional counseling and other services.  It is good to see the Regular Army stepping up to address these problems.  The National Guard Members who have served also need these kinds of attentions as well as the Love and Gratitude of the Nation.

        Congratulations to radio personality Rush Limbaugh!  He has lots of fans in this part of the world.  The New York Times reported that he has just been awarded another contract.  He will be making $34,000,000.00 (thirty four million) per year for the next eight years and will receive a signing bonus of one hundred million dollars from Clear Channel broadcasting.  Some are glad to learn that he has been successful in overcoming his addiction to prescription pain-killers.  Some detractors say that there sure enough is a lot of money in fomenting fear and bigotry.  It takes all kinds and Champions are always glad to see people living up to their potential!

        This is one of those super years for wild berries!  Jelly and Jam makers are going to busy for a while and Champion will be an even sweeter place!  There will be pies and cobblers all winter off the summer’s bounty.  Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says that the 18^th and 19^th will be good days for planting beets, carrots, and the like.  The 22^nd and 23^rd will be good for root crops and also for any vine crops like cucumbers and for setting strawberry plants. “Saddle me up a big white goose.  Tie me on her and turn her loose!  Oh, Me!  Oh My!  Love that Country Pie!”  That’s a Bob Dylan song.  A Native Champion who could use some of those disease fighting endorphins that are released by singing was talking about how his Mom used to make a Huckleberry Pie and how his Dad sang a funny song about it:

        Anyone with words to the Huckleberry Pie song are encouraged to send them in the mail to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367 Norwood, MO 65717.  E-mail them to Champion News.  Teach that song to the storekeeper at Henson’s Store on the musical corner of the Square in Downtown Champion.  She will be sure it gets to the right Champion.  Visit the new Champion web-site at http://www.championnews.us and read all the Champion News since August, 2006.  The website was designed and is being administered by the talented computer geekette, Carol Cleveland, of Champion.  Now there is yet another way that Champions can Look on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—July 4, 2008

        Champions find that enjoyment of family and friends is one of the definitions of a happy life.  Happiness derived from a life of activity governed by reason is said to be the best kind of happiness.  The reason some are happy is because their grandchildren live close and they spend time together doing ordinary things.  It is reasonable to think that making memories is an everyday chore that can be approached with the same kind of diligence as gathering the eggs or watering the garden.  To reason is to exercise the ability to think, form judgments, and draw conclusions.  Champions have concluded that grandchildren are some of the best family and friends!

        Upwards of fifty-odd old friends gathered on the Fourth of July at their traditional spot on the creek.  The air was full of laughter, yarn spinning, good memories, good food and fun.  Olivia is just now three and can whistle already!  Elizabeth is a watermelon lover and doesn’t care if it runs down her belly an into her Grandmother’s lap.  Her big brother, Seamus, is a tall drink of water!  He is a busy guy like a lot of fellows his age.  His cousin, Zach, has blue lips!  It may be that they were just temporarily blue on account of the frigid water and his unwillingness to leave it.  There was a lot of that going around among the younger set.

        A year ago some Champions were experiencing some dreadful heartache connected with an underhanded real estate deal.  A year later the Conservation Department’s liaison, Nancy Bates, has been instrumental in assuaging some of the anguish by pointing out the beauty of the land as it is now, sans forest canopy.  Native flowers and grasses are flourishing there and the wildlife has a new habitat to inhabit.  Perspective is tricky.  It is every bit as tricky as the nefarious business mogul bereft of principles.

        Some of the Patriotic fervor expressed over the holiday had to do with the beautiful Constitution of the United States.  Favorite amendments include the First–Freedom of religion, speech, press, petition, and assembly, and the Second—The right to keep and bear arms.  Others were mentioned fondly and someone registered fear that the current administration had stated early on that it would not leave office while the Nation is still at War.  The 22^nd Amendment to the Constitution limits the president to two terms.  So once again the Constitution is a Champion Friend!  Another Champion friend and neighbor is Sally Miller.  She will take her citizenship test on July 17^th.  It is hoped that the red tape will be finished in time for her to get to cast her first ballot ever in the next election!  She is very excited.  Sally lives over between Champion and Ava.  She is a gifted artist and currently has a show of her stained glass at the Waverly House in Springfield.  That is just behind the Red Lobster and near Aunt Martha’s Pancake House.  The show will be up through the end of the month and it is reported to be wonderful!  A little fresh blood in the mix makes America a better place!  The perspective of an intelligent person who has never had the right to vote is a sobering one.  Champions stay grateful!

        Shell shock is what they later called battle fatigue and now it is post traumatic stress disorder.  A Veteran was heard to remark on the Forth that the Viet Nam era Veterans were not so much disillusioned by the cold reception that they received upon their return as they were by the realization that their sacrifices served no real purpose.  It was suggested that the Service People returning from the current conflicts are in similar and dire situations with even less support from the Veteran’s Administration.  Love and Gratitude is the starting place for the compassion and understanding that will be required of all Citizens in the future when it comes to Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

        It was interesting to read the July 6^th, 1933 article in the paper that included the Champion School having burned 75 years ago.  There are any number of Champions who remember the event and more who just remember hearing about it.  No cause was ever determined for the fire but the building was insured and an Ava contractor by the name of Henley was given the job of rebuilding.  Otis Krider was a member of the school board who negotiated the contract, which included the stipulation that the building would be made of entirely clear lumber—no knots.  Interested parties monitored the work to be sure it was done according to the agreement and a number of boards had to be replaced.  The building is sound yet and sees much good use.  School was held there until the late 1950’s.

        Another interesting item from that 1933 article: “To struggle together, to endure hardships together, to be brave together in the face of a hostile world—isn’t that the very essence of young love?”  Yes, it is indeed and it is also the very essence of old and enduring love.  There is no magic date off in the indefinite future when everything will be ok.  In Champion, as everywhere, days have to be lived one at a time.  A true companion is a gift.

        Mr. and Mrs. Hoovie (Kenneth Henson) were in the neighborhood for his 50^th high school reunion in Mountain Grove and stopped in at the old home place.  It is still known as the Ezra Henson place though they have been gone for a long time.  Ezra and Sylvia moved to the place in 1941 from Iowa.  Kenneth and his brothers Randy and Royce and sister Eva all attended school at Champion.  Sylvia used to write the Champion Items.  Kenneth had some pictures and some vivid memories as well as some good information to share about the house—a pleasant surprise.  They went on over the hill to visit with their dear cousin Marion.  Kenneth doesn’t ever announce his visits in advance, so hopefully she was home and receiving!

        The Flag raising ceremony at Champion was a inspiring event on the Forth of July.  It was attended by various locals and visiting Dignitaries.  While the parade was longer than usual, it was noted that not a shred of confetti or spent firecracker was left behind.  Champions are an ecological bunch of Patriots!  Stars and Stripes Forever!

        “Garden” is a comforting sounding word.  It is evocative of plenty and of rest and home—an altogether nice word.  Some Champions find that other people’s gardens are always much more beautiful than their own.  Those are the people who need to stay home in order to be satisfied.  Linda’s Almanac from The Plant Place over in Norwood says that the 11^th through the 14^th will be a good time to plant anything that bears yield above the ground.  If there were songs that fought pests and disease out of gardens Champion would be even more musical than it is already!  “Shoo fly, don’t bother me!”  A good garden song out of Texas says, “There’s just two things that money can’t buy and that’s True Love and Home Grown Tomatoes.”  It’s getting down to the wire with the First Ripe Tomato In Champion Contest.  The Excitement is palpable!

        Report activities of old friends or odd friends to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367 Norwood, MO 65717.  Define the essence of new or old love at Champion News.  Release those excellent spirit lifting and disease fighting endorphins in song on the porch at Henson’s store in Historic Downtown Champion and Look on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—June 30, 2008

        In Champion Independence Day is a serious matter.  The federal holiday commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.  Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain and the tyranny of King George is highly prized.  The patriotic fervor of Champion balances nicely with temperate reticence of the community.  On every day of the year Champions celebrate Independence with orderly lives and indifference to the whims of the rest of the Nation and World.  Behind the pervasive laughter and good humor of the place is the deep thoughtfulness of a Grateful citizenry.  It can be said of Champions that they ”throw a tidy parade and participate consistently in their government at the ballot box.”  Huzza!  America!

        Good news comes from Champion’s Tennessee friend Darrell Haden, who says that “Old Man River” is twenty miles distant from him at Hickman, Kentucky.  He says he won’t be able to take the ferry to Missouri, but it sounds like he is high and dry.  Faye Twitty’s news from the Quad Cities Area in Iowa is much more grim.  Her poignant descriptions of families loosing homes and livelihoods is heart wrenching.  Champions have close ties with that area and wish them a speedy recovery.

        A number of current and former Champion residents attended the Thursday night music at Plumber’s Junction on the 26^th.  The musicians were:  Sue Murphy–vocals and mandolin, Norris Woods–vocals and banjo, Jerry Wagner—vocals, yodels and fiddle, Frank Mings—mandolin, and guitar players—Buzz Woods, Robert Upshaw, and Jeff Barch, who also played the French harp.  On any given Thursday evening around six these folks can be found there playing a lot of standard country and old time music.  Other musicians frequently sit in and the onlookers always have a good time.  Onlookers this week included Phil and Jan Blazius.  Jan is a good-looking Texas woman married to this guy from Connecticut and they have settled up on V Highway.  It seems like they like these parts.  They are neighbors with Elmer and Frances Banks and shared a table with them for the evening.  Elmer was talking about when he first met Frances.  He was working on rebuilding an old historic rock wall somewhere back east and she was a hod carrier.  He encouraged her in the use of a stone ax and she straightway broke off a piece of granite that smashed her big toe absolutely flat.  He must have been very consoling, because they are still together and it has been some little while now.  During the evening several stopped by to visit with Esther Wrinkles who was celebrating her birthday early.  She received gifts of music CDs and pickled beets as well as a lot of good wishes.  River Stillwood shared some of her tasty homemade ice cream.  The General says it is the ‘best I ever tasted.’  That is saying something, since he is reported to be a Champion Ice Cream Master himself!

        Sunday was a happy birthday for long time Champion, Mrs. Eva Powell.  Visits, cards and phone calls from children and grand children marked the day.  Dinner out and plans for more fun were in the offing as those Nettleton sisters go on a tare.  Champions wish her many happy returns!  More of those kinds of returns are wished for the Old Guy who says,  “Don’t pick it up until you know where you’re going to put it down.”  He’ll be sixty nine on the first!

        Donald & Rita Krider really were surprised at their 50^th wedding anniversary celebration on the weekend of the 21^st of June.  Somehow no cats were let out of any bags and the surprise was complete!  The party was held a week after their anniversary which they now share with Staci and Dustin Cline.  The heavy rains did not have any damaging effects on party-goer Vivian Floyd from Rogersville.  She did come home to a surprise, however, and said, “It’s for the birds!”  As for the Clines, Dustin said he’d just as soon watch cars go by in Champion as in Durango, Colorado.  The railroad there seems to be about the only advantage it has over Champion.  How lovely it would be to go up to Norwood and get on the train and head out for distant places to see family and friends or just to have wonderful adventures.  Poplar Bluff is the nearest port of train call and The Black River by the train station may well be out of banks!

        Little Wild Flowers, common and rare, are benefiting from the climate.  Just a stroll down a country lane or a familiar wooded path brings delight to the flower lover and berry picker.  The dozens of varieties of flowering plants that can be seen in Champion just add to the long list of positive attributes of the place.  It is a real garden spot.  Linda’s almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says that the 3^rd through the 5^th will be most favorable for corn, okra, beans, peppers, eggplant and other above-ground crops.  The 6^th through the 10^th will be a barren period—good for destroying weeds.  Robin Chotzinoff’s book, “People With Dirty Hands,” came as a gift from a Texas Champion and has proven to be a great read.  Interesting gardeners of all descriptions from all over the country share their methods and observations.  Any of them would fit right in Champion.

        A US Service Person died in Iraq for every day of the month in June this year.  Champions join the rest of the Nation in extending Love and Gratitude to them and to their survivors.  Supporting the troops who come home is as important as supporting those who are still over there.

        The Skyline Auxiliary’s meeting on July 1^st is slated to be a productive gathering.  Members will have the chance to view the Rose Star Quilt and to report on their ticket sales.  Details of Picnic preparations will be hashed out fully.  “It is auspicious” say some that the Skyline Annual Picnic will start on 08-08-08 this year!  August 8^th and 9^th will be some entertaining and busy days around Skyline.  Excitement is building and The Annual Picnic will doubtlessly prove to be another smashing success!

        “When we sing instead of speak, we have intonation, melody line, and crescendo, which gives us a broader vocabulary to express ourselves,” says Suzanne Hanser, chair of the music therapy department at Berklee College of Music.  “Because singing is visceral (relating to, or affecting, our bodies), it can’t help but effect change.”  It is proven that singing reduces stress and pain.  Studies have linked singing with a lower heart rate, decreased blood pressure, and reduced stress, according to Patricia Preston-Roberts, a board–certified music therapist in New York City.  Some Champions report that the song, “Be kind to your web-footed friends, for a duck may be somebody’s mother!” is sung to the tune of “Stars and Stripes Forever!”  Cool!

        Harley’s haying is done for the time being.  His wonderful singing voice will be missed, but it is time for him to go home for a while.  Barbara can hear him sing, “The barefoot boy with his shoes on came running down the street, with his pants all full of pockets and his shoes all full of feet.  He was born when he was a baby and he died when he got old and that’s how in the world the Old Folks tell that it ain’t gonna rain no more!”

Reports of fervor, fun, family and friends are all welcome at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  E-mail words to that song to Champion News.  Sing that song or any other on the porch at Henson’s Store.  This charming mercantile is on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion where Champions are ever singing, “Look on the Bright Side!”