Champion News

CHAMPION – February 25, 2007

Last week’s news:  CHAMPION – February 22, 2007 

        The good news in Champion once again has to do with grandchildren.  Those boys from Tennessee were back again making life on the Krider farm joyous.  Dakota and Dillon keep young Foster, visiting from Marshfield, well entertained and the three of them together is a sweet sight.  Foster is also an excellent entertainer and is currently practicing a duet with his Mom: “You Are My Sunshine.”  Some of the best news around has to do with the weather.  There has finally been a break from the deep cold.  Remembering that recent winters have been unusually mild doesn’t make the hard ones any easier to bear.  Buzzards were reported to be flying around the Skyline Ladies’ Auxiliary Shoot Out the other day, so that is  portentous of something, perhaps just the passage of time.  Warm days make the garden call out to Champions.  Linda, over in Norwood, says the cole crops are looking good and their second leaves are beginning to emerge.  Mailmen will be burdened with seed catalogues and the seasons keep rolling around.

        The sad news in the community is word of the passing of Murnice Hamilton.  She was a most consistently good humored person with an openness for friendship that is seldom seen.  Kind words, compassion and a sweet laugh were her hallmark.  Her gentle smile will be missed by all whose lives she touched.  She was a great repository of Love and Gratitude.

        Gunfire echoed throughout the hills and hollows of Champion as those Auxiliary women blew off steam.  Their chili supper will go off on Saturday.   It will be the event of the season.  People will be celebrating a change in the weather, a change in the season, and the chance to get together for some good visiting and good food.   The music will lift every spirit and everyone will benefit.  The Skyline Volunteer Fire Department will be the designated beneficiary, but the whole community will share in the uplifting.

        Monday was marked by The Return of the Buzzards,  then came Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, and then it was the birthday of Farel Sikes, and Friday the birthday of Staci Krider. Yipee!  Farel is  making a good recovery from his injury and is doing what he has to do regain his strength and mobility.  There are many people struggling to overcome serious injuries sustained in the line of duty.  There are more than twenty thousand veterans of the current war in Iraq whose lives will never be the same.  No one who has served there will return as the same person who left.  Hopefully they will be met here with Understanding as well as the Love and Gratitude that is their due.

        The Missouri Song List will surely become longer as a result of the Skyline VFD Ladies Auxiliary Chili Supper.  Words to “My Missouri Home” are still being sought.

1. The Missouri Waltz
2. Meet Me in St. Louie, Louie
3. I’m Goin Back to Whur I come From
4. The Wesphalia Waltz
5. The West Plains Explosion
6. My Missouri Home
7. Kansas City, Here I Come
8. May The Good Lord Bless and Keep You

        New songs for the Missouri Song List, old stories from around Champion, family histories, new or old news, poetry, admonitions, complaints, speculations, exaltations—all are welcome at Champion Items, Rt. 2 Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717, at Henson’s store in the heart of Champion and at Champion News.

This week’s news:  CHAMPION – March 1, 2007 

        Well the Skyline Auxiliary chili supper is past again for another year.  The big build up was worth it and Auxiliary members are still busy on the phone congratulating each other on a splendid success.  Also on the phone this pas week was Louise Hutchison and Marion Conradi.  They share the view of a beautiful open field where a large bald eagle has been putting on a show for their benefit this last week.  Ms. Conradi looks out East and Louise looks to the North.  When the eagle is there, the first one to see it calls the other one.  Champion has some excellent entertainment. 

        An email has been received at Champion News from the Webner Household of Midland, TX.  He says, “Read your article in the Douglas Co. Herald and see you are looking for lyrics to MY MISSOURI HOME.”  He sent a link to http://missourifolkloresociety.truman.edu/eyecandy.html that proved to be most interesting.  There were pictures there of some of those Missouri quilt blocks:  “The Missouri Daisy,” “Old Missouri,” and “The Missouri Star:”  He also included an address on EBAY to buy a copy of the original sheet music from 1930.  When the sheet music arrives at ‘Champion Items’ a full disclosure of the lyrics will be made.  Thanks, Scott C. Webner of Midland, TX!

        An email has been intercepted from a famous pitcher turned ice cream aficionado.  He says:  “I guess I will be making a lot of peanut butter ice cream this year.  I sure do have some great neighbors in this here hamlet of Vanzant.  I bet I have over 60 containers of peanut butter they have given me recently (although some are only partially filled).  Even some of the people I don’t even care about have been extra generous, and they told me I didn’t even have to make any ice cream for them.  So, anytime any of you can come by and visit just call an hour ahead and I will have a batch ready.”  There must be more going on here than rock salt and friction can freeze.

        The daffodils are starting to bloom and some trees and shrubs are beginning bud.  Some people just can’t stay out of the dirt and are already hauling manure and turning clods.  It is an example of the kind of eagerness that some can watch for hours from the comfort of their porch swing with no kind of guilt.  The story of the “Little Red Hen” is one that might benefit a number of fine Champions.  The garden is a place to learn a lot of lessons not the least of which is patients.  A few warm days can cause some folks to ‘jump the gun.’  Last week the saying about a day in February when the dog looks for a shade was proven to be true.  Another one of those February sayings is “thunder in February, frost in May.”  While time marches on, it is important to enjoy today.  No use getting in a hurry.  Haste makes waste.  Send any sayings, platitudes or cautionary tales to Champion Items, Rt. 2. Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.

CHAMPION – February 19, 2007

        The good news in Champion once again has to do with grandchildren.  Those boys from Tennessee were back again making life on the Krider farm joyous.  Dakota and Dillon keep young Foster, visiting from Marshfield,  well entertained and the three of them together is a sweet sight.  Foster is also an excellent entertainer and is currently practicing a duet with his Mom: “You Are My Sunshine.”  Some of the best news around has to do with the weather.  There has finally been a break from the deep cold.  Remembering that recent winters have been unusually mild doesn’t make the hard ones any easier to bear.  Buzzards were reported to be flying around the Skyline Ladies’ Auxiliary Shoot Out the other day, so that is  portentous of something, perhaps just the passage of time.  Warm days make the garden call out to Champions.  Linda over at the Plant Place in Norwood says the cole crops are looking good and their second leaves are beginning to emerge.  Mailmen will be burdened with seed catalogues and the seasons keep rolling around. 

        The sad news in the community is word of the passing of Murnice Hamilton.  She was a most consistently good humored person with an openness for friendship that is seldom seen.  Kind words, compassion and a sweet laugh were her hallmark.  Her gentle smile will be missed by all whose lives she touched.  She was a great repository of Love and Gratitude.

        Gunfire echoed throughout the hills and hollows of Champion as those Auxiliary women blew off steam.  Their chili supper will go off on Saturday.   It will be the event of the season.  People will be celebrating a change in the weather, a change in the season, and the chance to get together for some good visiting and good food.  The music will lift every spirit and everyone will benefit.  The Skyline Volunteer Fire Department will be the designated beneficiary, but the whole community will share in the uplifting. 

        Monday was marked by The Return of the Buzzards, then comes Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, and then it’s the birthday of Farel Sikes, and Friday the birthday of Staci Krider. Yipee!  Farel is making a good recovery from his injury and is doing what he has to do regain his strength and mobility.  There are many people struggling to overcome serious injuries sustained in the line of duty.  There are more than twenty thousand veterans of the current war in Iraq whose lives will never be the same.  No one who has served there will return as the same person who left.  Hopefully they will be met here with Understanding as well as the Love and Gratitude that is their due. 

        The Missouri Song List will surely become longer as a result of the Skyline VFD Ladies Auxiliary Chili Supper.  Words to “My Missouri Home” are still being sought.

1. The Missouri Waltz
2. Meet Me in St. Louie, Louie
3. I’m Goin Back to Whur I come From
4. The Wesphalia Waltz
5. The West Plains Explosion
6. My Missouri Home
7. Kansas City, Here I Come
8. May The Good Lord Bless and Keep You

        New songs for the Missouri Song List, old stories from around Champion, family histories, new or old news, poetry, admonitions, complaints, speculations, exaltations—all are welcome at Champion Items, Rt. 2 Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717, at Henson’s store in the heart of Champion and at Champion News.

CHAMPION – February 12, 2007

        The very good news in Champion this week is the beautiful weather!  Sunday was so lovely with such blue skies.  People felt good about being out and about.  Raymond and Esther Howard were visitors in Champion and Eva Powell enjoyed the company of three of her four children and their spouses.  Grandson Brian is always a welcome guest.  They all enjoyed lunch at the North and South and had some food and good conversation.  One thing that came out was that when it is all said and done Springfield is going to have produced what amounts to a brush pile covering forty acres three stories high.  Many Champions have not yet been up to the big town to look it over.  They should be ready for a shock. Mrs. Wrinkles said it looks pretty shaggy.  A number of folks from around Champion are lending their hand in the clean up.  Good neighbors are a gift.  Bad weather can happen anywhere. 

        Roses are red and violets are blue, Champion is Sweet and so are you! (Champions!)  The original poem may be “May All the Flowers” written in 1590 by Sir Edmund Spenser for his epic “The Faerie Queene.”

She bathed with roses red,
And violets blue
And all the sweetest flowers
That in the forest grew.

        As it was published in 1596, the epic presented the following virtues: Book I: Holiness, Book II: Temperance, Book III: Chastity , Book IV: Friendship, Book V: Justice , Book VI: Courtesy.  It sounds like a pretty wholesome read.  Perhaps a review of  “The Faerie Queen” will be appropriate for next Valentine’s Day.  Meanwhile Gratitude for Love is appropriate in Champion and everywhere.

        When Abraham Lincoln became President, the U.S. Population was 31,443,321.  There were thirty six stars on the flag when he left office.  Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

        As of February 13, 2007 Greenwich Mean Time,  at 3:16 a.m.  The U.S. population was 301,160,400 and the population of the World was estimated to be six billion, five hundred seventy-five million, nine hundred seventy-nine thousand, four hundred and eighty five people.  That’s 6,575,979,485.  Champion has a lot of neighbors.

        Looking for Missouri songs, Red Foley who touched the whole country with the Ozark Jubilee used to end the show with “May The Good Lord Bless and Keep You.”  It turns out that that is the work of  Meredith Wilson who wrote the songs for “The Music Man” and many other great songs.  He wrote it in 1951.  Wilson was from Iowa.  Champion has a solid connection with Iowa (Wilburn and Louise among others) and everyone has sung this song, from Perry Como, Roy Acuff, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, as well as Red Foley.  Until there is an oversight committee to say otherwise “May The Good Lord Bless and Keep You” will be included on the list of Missouri songs just because Champions have a lot of sweet connections out there in the big world including soldiers and sailors serving in harm’s way. During the week that ended February 10^th, twenty more Service People lost their lives in Iraq.  Here are the words to the song:

May the good Lord bless and keep you,
Whether near or far away.
May you find that long awaited,
Golden day today . . .
 
May your troubles all be small ones,
And your fortune ten times ten,
May the good lord bless and keep you,
‘Til we meet again . . .
 
May you walk with the sunlight shining,
And a blue bird in every tree.
May there be silver lining,
Back of every cloud you see . . .
 
Fill your dreams with sweet tomorrows,
Never mind what might have been.
May the good Lord bless and keep you,
‘Till we meet again . . .
May the good Lord bless and keep you,
“Till we meet again. . .

        Somebody always has something to say about maudlin sentimentality.  Too bad.  So here is the updated Missouri Song List.   Words for “My Missouri Home” are still being sought.

1. The Missouri Waltz
2. Meet Me in St. Louie, Louie
3. I’m Goin Back to Whur I come From
4. The Wesphalia Waltz
5. The West Plains Explosion
6. My Missouri Home
7. Kansas City, Here I Come
8. May The Good Lord Bless and Keep You

        Aw Shoot!  The Second Annual Invitational Shoot-Out of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Skyline Area Volunteer Fire Department has had to be postponed again!  For one reason and another, i.e. weather, illness, schedule conflicts and requirements to go off and meet new grandchildren, the fracas will have to be put off.  Last year there were about twenty people and about a hundred guns in attendance.  It may happen that it will have to be held in two “heats” in order to get all the shooters in. (Most everybody would like some kind of heat for sure.)  Anyway, it gives the ladies more time to work on their costumes.  Some will have hats with feathers and some long skirts that look good with holsters strapped across them.  It’s a fashionable affair, though marksmanship has  not much to do with wardrobe.  They are shooting at alarm clocks and wrist watches among other things.  There is likely to be a pile of shot up stuff on display at the Skyline Chili Supper.  Those Auxiliary women are a wild bunch and they make good chili, ham and beans and chicken and noodles.  The Membership is responsible for all the beautiful pies.  It’s coming around pretty soon.  Excitement is building! 

        Farel Sikes is making a good recovery.  He’s got some good weather this week for recuperating.  On a dreary rainy day the gardens are getting just what they will need.  On the cold days it may be that the ticks and chiggers are loosing ground.  Persevering through a hard season in hopes of better days ahead, Champions plug along.  Some of them are more careful about having an ‘emergency’ blanket in their cars during times like these.  These little pieces of reflective plastic just cost a couple of dollars.  They are folded up small so they can easily be carried in a purse or a glove compartment.  A moment to be safe and well prepared is a moment well spent.  Send your admonitions for prudent and safe behavior to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717, drop them off at Henson’s Store in downtown Champion, or e-mail them to Champion News. Valentine or other poetry, songs, statistics, observations and any other pertinences are welcome.  There were many eloquent elegies written about Molly Ivins.  Her most popular book is Molly Ivins Can’t Say That, Can She?

Champion – February 5, 2007

        There is an old saying in Champion that there will be a day in February when a dog will hunt the shade.  In Champion, as in other places, this past Friday was both Groundhog Day and February’s Full Moon, called the “Snow Moon” by some.  Some groundhogs saw their shadow and some did not. So anybody’s guess about the upcoming weather is sanctioned by a groundhog somewhere.  The Champion Woodchuck is a monster.  He stands up nearly as tall as the dinner table.  If he had been prowling around Friday night, C.W. could have seen his moon shadow and what weather that would portend is speculation certainly.  Speculators are a dime a dozen around Champion.  One of them thinks this whole Global Warming thing is a put up job by the Government because anyone can see that it is as cold a winter as has been had around here in a long time.  “It’s the frequency of violent weather in general that’s the result of the warming,” says one.  Somebody else said that man is not having any kind of effect on the weather because it is all in God’s hands.  Then somebody said that God gave man dominion over the earth and man is fouling it up.  Some say their point of view is backed up by scientific data.  Others say there is no point in reading all that stuff because a person can find paperwork to prove anything.  Cabin fever may be playing a part in this surly discourse.  Feel free to participate in the discourse at Champion Items, Rt. 2 Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717, at the Champion Store (write it down and give it to someone in the store who has recently had a birthday) or e-mail opinions to Champion News. The whole argument may be more compelling in late summer.

        In answer to a request, these are the words to “The West Plains Explosion.”  “ In a little town of West Plains In old Missouri state Twas in the month of April They saw the hand of fate.  The springtime flowers were blooming  The world was bright and gay  And no one dreamed the danger Would come to them that day.  Was there the young folks gathered One fatal Friday night  And to the dance they wandered With hearts so gay and light.  And there they spent the evening Without a thought of fear For nothing came to warn them That death was drawing near.  The dance was nearly over The evening nearly past When from the floor beneath them There came an awful blast.  The building all around them Came tumbling to the ground  And there they fought and struggled But the hot flames beat them down.  How quick the scene was shifted From one so gay and light How hard the brave men struggled To save their friends that night.  How sad the fears of loved ones Who came at break of dawn To see the great disaster Where forty lives had gone.  We can’t explain the reason These awful things must come But we should all be ready to say, ‘Thy will be done.’  And tho Our hearts are weary Our burdens hard to bare  We have one consolation We’ll meet them over there.”  That is a sad song.

        The  Missouri Song List currently is:

1. The Missouri Waltz
2. Meet Me in St. Louie, Louie
3. I’m Goin Back to Whur I Come From
4. The Westphalia Waltz
5. The West Plains Explosion
6. My Missouri Home
7. Kansas City, Here I Come

        The words to “My Missouri Home” have not yet been found.  “The Shotgun Boogie” looked like a pretty good candidate for the song list.  Red Foley used to play it, but it was written by Tennessee Earnie Ford and was his ‘hit.’  The subject matter looks like it’s straight out of Champion with its references to squirrel hunting, etc.

        Little Granddaughters, Zoey Louise and Alexandra Jean will have to look for someone else to teach them to lift up the underdog and to hate it when the wealthy make excuses for injustice.  Their great fellow Texan, Molly Ivins,  passed away this last week.  She was sixty two years old and had made every moment of her life count for something good.  It was her intention to keep the war in Iraq in the forefront of American thought.  With Love and Gratitude for her and for our precious soldiers over there, it is to be noted that eighty four of them lost their lives in January.

        UFOs have been reported between Willow Springs and Houston.  It is understood that there have been several sightings.  Champion has some interesting neighbors.  Linda over in Norwood at the Plant Place has some of her perennials in already and the Cole crops are about up.  When the moon sign is right in a few days she will plant the herbs.  It is nice to know that gardening season is coming up.  Plans need to be made.

        The much anticipated invitations are in the mail!  Auxiliary members will soon be donning their hats and six shooters.  Rifles will be slung over delicate shoulders and the order “Commence Fire!” will be heard.  The Second Annual Invitational Shoot Out sponsored for the Members of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Skyline Area Volunteer Fire Department is in the works.  Last year crock pots, coffee pots, toasters, and a few other things were the targets of their rage: “BLAST IT IF IT WON’T WORK!” was their cry.

        This year……who knows?

CHAMPION—January 29, 2007

        It’s cold in Champion.  No one is complaining, however, as the discomfort and damage has been so minor compared to neighbors close at hand.  Springfield will be a long time recovering from the ice storm that made the national news and was reported on the BBC around the world.  Some Champion residents are still going over to help in the clean up.  It’s a good feeling to be part of such a generous community.

        The big ‘goings on’ in Champion this past week revolved around cousins Foster and Eli and second cousin Madelyn Ward.  They, together with various parents and grandparents, descended on the Krider farm to the extent that hardly anything was accomplished.  Oh, the cows got milked and fed the way they always do, but the family focus was on the wonderful swarm of little people.  There is a reason for Love and Gratitude!

        The Krider ladies were not present at the Auxiliary meeting of the Skyline Volunteer Fire Department, but they were subsequently informed by friends and neighbors of the proceedings.  The meeting was held in the home of Esther Wrinkles.  Attending were Ms. Wrinkles, Louise Hutchison, Sharon Sikes, Sarah Sikes, Betty Dye, Ruth Hamilton, Murnice Hamilton, Susan Griswold, Karen Griswold and Wilda Moses.  The main topic of the evening was the chili supper which is scheduled for February 24^th.  In the event of bad weather an alternate date of March 3^rd was determined. Details of the menu were discussed and responsibilities were delegated and assumed.  In addition to chili and ham & beans, this year chicken and noodles will be available for those who can’t eat spicy food late in the day.  Ruth brought the Chipmunk 22 youth rifle to show the membership.  It is a lovely little gun with a walnut stock. There will be separate drawings for the Chipmunk rifle and for the Mossberg 535 twelve gage shotgun this year.  It was reported that ticket sales have been brisk.  Ruth also brought the lovely red, white and blue star quilt to show the members.  It was completely hand made by Loren Mastrangelo and has been donated to the Auxiliary as part of the fund raiser.  It is six feet square and hand quilted.  It would serve as a beautiful wall hanging or as a quilt.  The membership was happy to learn that the Bressler Brothers will perform again this year as will Back Yard Bluegrass and The Blades of Bluegrass.  Booger County Bluegrass and the Firehouse Quartet are perennial favorites and this year for the first time Bill Conley an Ozark String Band will perform.  Other items on the agenda included the report of donations of some new merchandize to the silent auction by Betty Dye and  rumors of an impending shoot-out somewhere in the suburbs of Champion.  The meeting was concluded with coffee and Ms. Wrinkles’ excellent apple cobbler. 

        Friday is Groundhog Day.  A few years ago there was a movie made by that name staring Bill Murray and Andy McDowell.  It is one of those ‘feel good’ movies that stresses the idea that a person can start over and do a better job of living, or that when a person extends himself to help others his own life improves.  There are several songs about groundhogs too.  One such, sung by the American Indian singer Buffy St. Marie, has a verse that goes, “Groundhog, groundhog, what makes you smell so bad?  I been livin in the ground so darn long, I’m mortified in my head, head!  I’m mortified in my head.”  Several lovely people have their birthdays on Groundhog day too.  One such lives over on the other side of Ava from Champion.  Judy Sharon is as lovely a person as can be found anywhere, full of  skills and talents with a genuine appreciation for and understanding of her many friends.  She’s got a smile like a sunny day.  Charlene Dupre over in Norwood is another one like that, multitalented, compassionate, high energy and ready for fun.  It’s a delight to have them for neighbors and a gift to have them as friends. 

        As the search was made for lyrics to “My Missouri Home,” other discoveries were made. (There are quilt blocks called “The Missouri Daisy,” “Old Missouri,” and “The Missouri Star.”)  The song was suggested by Darrell Haden for the Missouri Song List and when the words are found, they will be reported.  Perhaps one of those bands that will play at Skyline’s chili supper will know the song.  Meanwhile, someone inquired about “The West Plains Explosion.” On Friday, April 28, 1928, about sixty young people had gathered at the Bond Dancehall, on the second floor of an East Main Street building (the first floor was occupied by Wiser Motors.)  At 11:05 pm, as the orchestra played “Sundown,” a violent explosion occurred.  Thirty seven people were killed and twenty two were injured.  Twenty of the dead were never identified, but buried in the Oak Lawn Cemetery, where they are memorialized by the Rock of Ages Monument erected October 6, 1929.  No cause was ascertained, though leaking gasoline from the garage below was suspected.  Windows were shattered throughout the  Halstead block and the heat, combined with subsequent explosions twisted cars on the street out of shape.  It is said that no dances were held in West Plains for many years.

        For appreciators of the old days and the old ways, these stories are interesting.  The Looking Backward column in the paper is frequently the first one read and the Reminiscent History of Douglas County together with the Centennial photos are most welcome.  From time to time a person is heard to say that he was ‘born a hundred years too late.’  The implication is that those days were better and a person could have lived a better life back then.  Those things may be true, but it would be a rare individual nowadays, brought up in the comparative ease and sloth of today, who could make a go of it.  Some look back on the old days to get an appreciation of today.  Today, almost thirty-one hundred U.S. Service People have lost their lives in the current conflict in Iraq.  That their sacrifice is appreciated by their Nation is the Hope and it is hoped that their survivors are recognized with the Love and Gratitude that is their due.

CHAMPION—January 22, 2007

        There is jubilation in Champion!  Kyle Alexander Barker has arrived!  He was born January 21^st at about 4:30 in the morning.  He weighed 8 pounds two ounces and was 22 inches long.  His mother and father are Deborah and Tom Barker. Deborah is the Special Education teacher at Skyline School.  She has a large support group there and everyone is celebrating.  Young Master Barker enters an expansive family.  Next week end Robert Upshaw, his maternal grandfather, plans to make ice cream to celebrate the birthday of Gene Barker, his paternal grandfather.  It’s nice they all get along so well.  By this time next year the little fellow will have determined what his favorite flavor of homemade ice cream will be and doubtlessly will have made other preferences known that will have him identified as an individual.  He has deep roots in this community going way back.  He is already a lucky lad to have such a beautiful home place and such a rich family heritage.

        Grandpa Upshaw (Robert) was one of several who answered the call to fight that brush fire back on December 27^th.  He was within ten feet of Farel Sikes when he ‘disappeared.’  Robert reported that it was a difficult situation to get Farel out of the spot into which he had fallen.  Other firefighters reported that it was slick and steep and a ‘brake’ rope had to be attached to the backboard to slow them down if things got too fast underfoot.  Good fortune mixed with good training and a genuine sense community affected a positive outcome for Farel.  To answer a number of inquiries,  he is making excellent progress in his recovery.  He says he can do pretty much anything he wants to do.  “Gee!” said a neighbor, “If I fall off a cliff can I go to the circus?”  The neighbor misses the point and probably will not get to go to the circus, no matter how much he likes clown(s).

        Sixty five years ago when Wilburn Hutchison was eight years old, he and Fleming Gheer were out in a hay field just south of Skyline when they looked up to see a dirigible!  Wilburn said it was going east.  He just celebrated his birthday on January 11^th.  He was born in 1934, which he said was reported to have been a very cold winter.  He was born very close to his current residence with his grandmother and Ms. Jessie Mae Paige there to help his mother.  He and Louise married in the house where they love now.  It was 72 degrees that morning, December 30^th, 1967, and by they time they had the ceremony that evening (the preacher had gone fishing) the temperature had dropped into the twenties and there was ten inches of show on the ground.  It was a dangerous adventure getting back to Iowa for the newly weds.  On November 11, 1911, there was an even more dramatic temperature drop.  Tom Hutchison’s mother and dad had gone to Norwood by wagon early in the day.  It was 80 degrees when they left home.  By the time they got back it was 20 degrees with the snow blowing and it was a treacherous trip.  In those days, with no weather service to warn them of impending disaster, people stayed prepared.  They put up their garden produce, butchered a hog, made their soap and ground their sorghum,  cut bee trees and fire wood.  They also helped each other and built deep, strong friendships…the essence of community.

        Wilburn was a school mate of Darrell Haden from whom a postcard has been received at “Champions Items.”  They attended Ava High School.  Mr. Haden writes a complimentary note and provides some excellent information about some Missouri songs.  He reports that “I’m Goin’ Back to Whur I Come From” was written by Carson J. Robinson who also wrote “Life Gits TeeJus.”  Since life can be tedious everywhere, that one will not be considered as a strictly Missouri song.  He also wrote that Robinson penned “The West Plains Explosion” for Vernon Dalhart to record in June of 1928.  From the internet these words are found:

VERSE 1
In a little town of West Plains
In old Missouri state
Twas in the month of April
They saw the hand of fate

VERSE 2
The springtime flowers were blooming
The world was bright and gay
And no one dreamed the danger
Would come to them that day

VERSE 3
Was there the young folks gathered
One fatal Friday night
And to the dance they wandered
With hearts so gay and light

VERSE 4
And there they spent the evening
Without a thought of fear
For nothing came to warn them
That death was drawing near

VERSE 5
The dance was nearly over
The evening nearly past
When from the floor beneath them
There came an awful blast

VERSE 6
The building all around them
Came tumbling to the ground
And there they fought and struggled
But the hot flames beat them down

VERSE 7
How quick the scene was shifted
From one so gay and light
How hard the brave men struggled
To save their friends that night

VERSE 8
How sad the fears of loved ones
Who came at break of dawn
To see the great disaster
Where forty lives had gone

VERSE 9
We can’t explain the reason
These awful things must come
But we should all be ready
To say, “Thy will be done”

VERSE 10
And tho Our hearts are weary
Our burdens hard to bare
We have one consolation
We’ll meet them over there.

        While many Herald  readers may be acquainted with this episode in local history, it is news to many others.  The sesquicentennial celebration of Douglas County that will culminate in October this year will hopefully give residents and readers the opportunity to learn much more detail about the recent history (150 years) of the area.  Pioneer Days will also be the first week-end in October and promises to be another great event highlighting the old days and the old ways.  Perhaps Darrell Haden will consent to a reprint of “The Headless Cobbler of Smallett Cave, The Origin and Growth of a Douglas County, Missouri, Legend.”  Encouragement from the likes of Mr. Haden is encouragement indeed! He also suggests “My Missouri Home” for the song list. Words for that one are being researched.  Additional encouragement comes from Patty Squirell, via e-mail. “Really wonderful, and I love Westphalia, passing through as I did on my trips back and forth to Columbia, MO. I’m concerned that you have forgotten to mention my favorite Missouri song though. I can’t keep myself from singing anytime I head to my sister’s. “Going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come.”

        The Missouri Song List

1. The Missouri Waltz
2. Take Me to St. Louie, Louie
3. I’m Goin Back to Whur I Come From
4. The Westphalia Waltz
5. The West Plains Explosion
6. My Missouri Home
7. Kansas City, Here I Come

        Encouragement, legends, histories, poetry, grumblings, musings and music are welcome at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717, at the Champion Store, and at Champion News.  Corrections are also welcome there.  Some misinformation about the Evan’s store will be corrected in the near future.  It was erroneously reported that Jesse Henson had started that store, when it was the Evans family’s business in its beginnings.  Readers and writers are looking forward to learning more about the truth of that matter.  There was no response to the solicitation for ‘tails’ in last weeks column. The idea of rabbits and dogs and birds loosing their trailing parts due to poor word choices is a dreadful thought.  Having fur and feathers show up in the mail would be worse.  So, tales are welcome, but no tails, please.

        The Ladies’ Auxiliary of the Skyline Volunteer Fire Department will override the State of the Union Message this week with its meeting on Tuesday evening.  A full report can be expected in the next issue as plans are made for the Chili Supper on February 24^th.  Excitement is building as time is getting short!  There is much to do and energy levels are running high!  Champions ooze enthusiasm!

        American Soldiers young and old are doing what is asked of them.  Love and Gratitude is their due.

CHAMPION – January 16, 2007

        No complaints of any sort are coming out of Champion.  Cold temperatures make things a little inconvenient, but just a glance over into northern and western counties is enough to remind even the most grumpy that Champion is again the seat of good fortune.

        Some good citizens from this area have gone into Springfield to help out with tree removal and other tasks for some old folks up there.  It is a good time to show our neighborly nature.  Everyone who doesn’t have to go out, however, is cautioned to say home and stay safe.

        The Ladies’ Auxiliary of the Skyline Volunteer Fire Department has postponed it’s meeting again, this time due to the cold.  It will be held in the home of Mrs. Esther Wrinkles on Tuesday, January 23^rd.  It will be a productive planning meeting in preparation for the annual chili supper which is scheduled for February 24^th.  There is always a lot to do to get ready for one of these affairs.  Fortunately the ladies are up to the task.  Not much is going on around Champion in the cold. Even little shop keepers have let their special birthdays go by with no fanfare.

        The Westphalia Waltz” is a beautiful tune to add to the list of songs about Missouri.  Westphalia is up between here and Jeff City.  It’s a quaint little berg that has kind of a European look to it. (Champion is not a very European looking place, but it is picturesque as all get out.)  So far our song list is:  #1 The Missouri Waltz, #2 Meet Me in St. Louie, Louie, # 3 Take Me Back to Where I Came From and now # 4 The Westphalia Waltz.  One of the radio stations around here that specializes in old time music would probably have a recording of it to play upon request.

        In airports and bus stations around the country soldiers are leaving to go to war and some are coming home.  Outward bound, they part from their families without tears.  They are brave and stoic.  At a bus station recently a family was observed waiting for their boy.  Two teenage sisters, a wife, and a Mother and Father stood outside the terminal as the bus pulled up.  There were tender sweet hugs for the sisters and the mother and then an embrace with the Father that was at the same time beautiful and heartbreaking.  The young man, husky and a little taller than his father, seemed to shrink in the moments that they held each other.  The bristling tension of his body dissolved to a shaking that implied sobs with a Father’s comforting hand stroking and patting his son’s back, the way parents do when their children are hurt.  It was a long moment, held out no doubt by the rarity of an embrace between men.  When they parted at last and the young man opened his arms to his young wife they seemed to have a happy reunion, free of that great weight he had carried off the bus.  What passes unspoken between Fathers and sons is a gift of great Love and Gratitude.

        Send your stories of Love and Gratitude, your songs and poetry, your tails, your observations and news, your hopes and dreams, your criticisms and complaints to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  Leave them at the Champion Store or e-mail them to Champion News.