2019 Denlow Reunion

Saturday was a beautiful day for the 33rd Denlow/Fairview School Reunion. Those little schools closed long ago, but the memories of the ‘good old golden-rule days’ are still fresh. Students, along with their families and friends, gathered for a great lunch, a little music with the One-Day Fox Creek Band and some wonderful reminiscing and visiting. It took three men to do what Lavern Miller used to do, but Kenneth Anderson, Pete Proctor and The General did the best they could as auctioneers. Right in the middle of the auction there were simultaneous screams from the south side of the pavilion as a big black snake slithered across Dean Upshaws foot and right out onto the concrete floor. For the record, it was not Dean who screamed. To the rescue came Paul Upshaw, Whitey’s son, who summarily snagged the serpent and carried it safety, releasing it in the wild woods at the edge of the cemetery. Paul came back to a hero’s ovation. He is from down around Gainesville, but will always be welcome in Denlow! The snake was four to five feet long, but may become larger as the tale is told. The stories shared about the old days and the new connections made are part of what keeps this community going.

The Memorial Day weekend generates gatherings like this one at Denlow all over the country. Pete Proctor talked about the moving experience he had on the Honor Flight of the Ozarks a couple of years ago and was pleased that Robert Upshaw had recently had the opportunity to go on the flight. Our all-volunteer military force now (as of April, 2018) is about 1.29 million, or less than 0.5 percent of the U.S. population. They are deployed out there in the big world keeping us safe. They have a lot of Love and Gratitude coming to them as do the 18 million or so Veterans living today. Thank you for your service.

It appears that the weather is about to settle down for us in this part of the state. We have been fortunate to have escaped the devastation that many have endured. Even as we celebrate our good fortune, we acknowledge the difficulties of those impacted by the tornadoes and flooding around the country. Recovery will be a long term process and your Champion friends wish you well. Hopes are that the attention of the Nation will turn away from the circus of politics and toward healing and rebuilding of areas devastated by winds, tornadoes and floods. Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!


The Denlow Reunion’s unexpected guest!
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