Mr. Stone came into the store on Wednesday with a 1997 copy of the Historical and Genealogical Society Journal of Douglas County, Missouri. The article he brought to the attention of The General was about a Civil War rifle that had been abandoned by a soldier who left it leaning up against a tree. The tree grew around it over time. It had been discovered many years later, an interesting local artifact. The gentlemen had both had occasion to see it in various locations. The 1996 issue of the Douglas County Journal has a great piece on The Champion Store. It is featured on the cover. Find a copy in the reading room at the Recreation of the Historic Emporium on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion.

A cool misty day with a brisk breeze may have hampered Easter egg hunts in various Champion haunts, but family gatherings and church meetings still made for a lovely day. Holidays, especially religious ones, call us to closeness with our dear ones, those close at hand, those far away and those who have gone on. We count our blessings to have, and to have had, so many precious people in our lives as we feast and fellowship with family and friends. These days find much of the world in furious turmoil. Wars and disasters both, natural and manmade, are taking their toll. Even if all we can do to help is hope, Champions hope for peace and mediation of suffering.

Grandparents invaded the Skyline R2 School on Thursday afternoon. They came ready to play games and to enjoy some quality time with their young ones. Cookies and punch sweetened the already sweet time, and the library was jam packed with the wonderful book fair going on. Some of those grandparents are alumni of the school and have stories to tell about the old days. The quality improvements to the building and campus over recent years were met with approval. More than one expressed gratitude that such a great little country school still exists out here in the middle of Douglas County and that it is staffed with such genuinely good people. Our Skyline Tigers will go on to run the world before long, and they are getting a good start right here.

A good neighbor who wrote ‘The Champion Items’ for fifty years prior to this permutation once advised that sometimes it is a good thing to make a mistake in the paper. That allows for an opportunity to revisit a subject. Therefore, we gleefully revisit the birthday of Beverly Coffman Emery who will celebrate on April 7th, not April 6th. She will be celebrating with other family members whose birthdays are near her own and with all the population of Vanzant who think she is a Champion.

By the time these words are in ink, the April Fools’ pranks that were played upon us will still be causing chuckles. It turns out that balloons can be used in a wide variety of hilarious ways. It was reported that meatloaf disguised as cupcakes, iced with mashed potatoes, and garnished with chocolate bacon was a better prank than the sandpaper on that other roll of paper. The idea of chocolate bacon might catch on.

Monday’s music jam in Willow Springs is followed by one at Roy’s Store in Dora on Tuesdays, and by jams on Wednesdays at Champion and at the barber shop in Ava. Thursday has one in Vanzant. We have learned via the internet that the Acoustic Jam Session at The Barn will be moving to the Ava Community Center near the square starting April 2nd. All start times remain the same—the door opens around 6:00 to 6:30 pm and the music starts at 7:00pm. Doubtlessly there are jams going on Fridays and Saturdays somewhere in the area. Music is good for us, especially live music. It is especially good for musicians.

Musician and a Champion Scots daughter is sojourning on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. She celebrated her birthday on Sunday and said, “It’s been a crazy Easter weekend here. Madrid must have been empty on Friday because they were all crammed onto the beach in the roasting hot sun. Today we had black skies, howling wind and icy rain, but I still had a good day!” She is a real Champion–Looking on the Bright Side!

Facebook