September 15, 2025
CHAMPION—September 15, 2025
Our Champion hummingbirds are headed south on their way to Mexico and Costa Rica. It seems the males all leave first, then the females and adolescence. Every day there are fewer around the feeders, but it is suggested that we leave feeders up through at least mid-October or later to support any late migrating stragglers that might pass through. We will miss them, but we will have lots of other birds for entertainment, together with the armadillos, ground hogs, squirrels, racoons, skunks, deer, possums, chipmunks, rabbits, bobcats, bears and mountain lions.
Jackson Johnson is a second-grade student at Skyline who shares his birthday on September 17th with Patrick Mahomes of the KC Chiefs. Bailey Kilgore, also a second grader, shares his day on the 18th with Champion Donald Krider up in Illinois. Archer Johnson is in prekindergarten. He and Jack Perry over on Fox Creek Road celebrate on September 20th.  Kindergarten student Estelene Bellefeuille will have her party on the 21st, which is also the day we remember Champion Louise Hutchison. Sandy Ray Chapin wrote “Searching for Booger County.” His birthday is September 24th.  The 25th is for Shelby Squirrel and for prekindergarten student Elainea Stewart, who will be old enough to ride the school bus. Cathy Alsup Reilly over in Kentucky has deep Denlow connections. She is married to one of the famous Kentucky twin chefs who work their magic as a team.  She shares her birthday on the 27th with Alicia Borders who is an aide at our Skyline School. We remember Lucille Gayman on the 29th. The 30th is the big day for seventh grader Melanie Hall and kindergarten student Jaxon McIntosh. Your Champion friends and neighbors wish you all happy birthdays. Have some fun.
Lake Wolf Pen has turned into a dust bowl. Desperately dry conditions are making things hard on our farmers and the persistent fire danger has us all hoping for some repeated episodes of gentle rain soon. Fans will be optimistic that the KC Chiefs will fare better in their next game. We stay positive, cheerful, and hopeful. On Monday, friends who were fewer than five miles north enjoyed an inch of rain.  Ronnie, the Postmaster in Norwood, said they were getting a good rain midday.  Neighbors less than two miles south had significant sprinkles while dust blew under cloudy thunder rumbling skies on Cold Springs Road. That is what we get for living out here in the beautiful hills and hollers.
The “Lost Indian” said, “Johnny, Don’t Come Home Drunk.”  “Dance Around Molly” while “Waiting for a Train.”  We saw on the internet that Alvie Dooms was in attendance, as he often is, at the McClurg Jam. It is most encouraging to see him there and to see how many young folks regularly show up to play.  It may be that some of them are students of David Scrivner who is a mainstay of that illustrious jam. It also happens, according to host Tom Peters, that David won second place after Charlie Walden the Midwest Invitational Fiddle Contest that was held on September 14th.  They are busy celebrating the old traditions and inspiring the next generation. They are fiddle Champions—Looking on the Bright Side!
