Champion News

The merry month of May is full of excitement with birthdays, graduations, and Mother’s Day. The second Second-Saturday Swap Meet at Skyline happens this week at the corner of 76 and C Highways from 8 am until noon. It was well received and well attended last month with hardly any advertising. This time Helen says there will be raspberry plants and other good things. Even if you are not in the market for baby ducks or goats, jewelry or cinnamon rolls, it is a chance to meet neighbors and enjoy another lovely spring morning. While you are there, check out the progress on the new Skyline VFD Firehouse going up across the road. It will be a significant improvement for the community. The planned meeting room might be a spot for a shindig someday.

Andrew Harden says that Bud Hutchison’s Memorial Trail Ride is still on schedule for Wednesday, the 15th. He says he will make a trial-trail ride Saturday to be sure. It is exciting to see the square full of horse trailers and to see folks that only show up at Champion once a year. They saddle up and ride off about 10 in the morning and amble back in around 2 or so for ice cream. The reports of the adventure they share out on the wide veranda are of great interest to the porch jockeys who may not have been on a horse for decades.

Along with all the much-needed rain in Champion has come welcome visitors. Wednesday before last, Kaitlyn McConnell of “Ozarks Alive” stopped in with an oatmeal pie she was concerned about sharing, but then discovered that it would have been alright. She renewed some old acquaintances and made some new ones. Her friends here will welcome her, with or without pie, any time. Meanwhile, she is putting more miles on her car traversing the Ozarks for the joy of celebrating its past, present, and future. Last Wednesday, Ken and Barbie of Mountain Grove, out on a lark, succumbed to the lure of the Bright Side. It was a lovely day for a drive and a welcome opportunity to satisfy their curiosity about the fabled hamlet at the end of the pavement. Hopes are they will make it a Wednesday habit. They already have made new friends and made the acquaintance of The General.

The designated whistleblower in the Vanzant Chapter of the Booger County Advisory Committee has revealed that the body has yet been able to solve any local problems. He says they are, however, uncanny with their ability to create problems for good solutions. He harkened back to last year’s meeting of the Booger County advanced technology and waste management fact-check team where, “as usual, after all was said and done more was said than done.” Otherwise, Thursday’s jam at Vanzant is a welcoming community. Some fiddlers would certainly be welcome.

The prognostication for more mild weather pleases gardeners who say it is too wet to plow. All winter’s whining about drought is over and mud takes its place for complaint. By contrast, we have little reason to complain as we look at the storm damage many have endured. The world is in an uproar with terrible natural disasters and the ravages of war with its far-reaching implications. Meanwhile, we are mindful of many who are dealing with serious health issues and continue with our wishes for speedy recoveries and good outcomes for all our families and friends going through hard times. Compassion and optimism are some of the good watch words in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

Champions have stopped fretting over the drought and are putting effort into becoming accepting of the mud. While they try to count and name all the different colors of green showing up in the wonderful wild, they remember that it all looked like a big gray brush pile just a few weeks ago. Things change, sometimes slowly and sometimes rapidly. Weather is an issue that people living out on the surface of the planet must endure. J.C. Owsley over in Cross Timbers said, “My pouting may have paid off. The rain gauge has three inches in it now and it’s still raining. My investment in fertilizer on hay fields may pay off this year.” The General of Vanzant said “I don’t know of any tornado or wind damage. The thunderstorm moved through the metro area quickly. We got 2 and .7 inches of rain.” Teresa Tost keeps us alerted to dangerous weather. We appreciate her warnings, updates, and radar explanations. Clever Creek went from dusty dry last week to a raging torrent on Friday and by Monday just a wide damp ditch with random puddles. T. S. Elliot said, “April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain.” It has been especially cruel to many across the country whose lives and fortunes have been dramatically altered by recent storms. We count our blessings and hope life gets better for those folks.

We cannot leave April without saying, “Happy birthday, dear Willie (Nelson).” He is 91 years old now and still sharing music and a positive perspective on the world. He said, “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” “We are the same. There is no difference anywhere in the world. People are people. They laugh, cry, feel, and love, and music seems to be the commons denomination that brings us all together. Music cuts through all boundaries and goes right to the soul.” Even bluegrass jams have some Willie in them.

El Cinco de Mayo is on Sunday. It is not really a Mexican holiday, but just a celebration of the victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Mexico has an interesting history. Linda Heffern up in Springfield is a history buff who could likely shed light on that whole era. Her birthday is May 6th. Skyline School’s first grade student Dahlia Winter will celebrate on May 8th. Champion grandson, Jay Williams, was born May 7, 1990. We remember Champion Bonnie Brixey Mullins on May 9th. She and Pete loved the Denlow School Reunion and have both been missed there in recent years. Skyline kindergarten student Wesley Boyd has his birthday on May 11th. The 12th is for another Champion grandchild, Alex Williams, born in 1989. Nurse Candi Bartch is no longer with us, but she was often at the Vanzant Jam with her fiddle and her kindness. Her birthday was May 14th. Elizabeth Heffern, Champion granddaughter, shares her birthday with a Champion grandmother, Linda Cooley on the 15th. Grandmother Karen Griswold shares her day with Champion Grandfather Alvie Dooms on May 16th. Every string playing musician in this part of the country knows Alvie or knows about him, a local treasure. Albert Einstein said, “Do not grow old, no matter how long you live. Never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were born.” So, happy birthday, you Champions—Looking on the Bright Side!