A Tuesday afternoon found an Old Champion sitting on the front porch listening to the birds and marveling at the approach of Spring even as the persistent drought has things thwarted so far. The promise of rain in the coming week will liven things up considerably. The big sound of the tiny Black Capped Chickadee filled the air though the little critters were nowhere to be seen. A pleasant warm afternoon became more pleasant with the arrival of a couple of big noisy road graders. Bobby Emery on one was showing a new hire to the road crew Cold Springs Road and giving him some good instruction. With several hundred miles of dirt/gravel roads to maintain it is a red-letter day when Bobby and the road guys can come our way.

It was smooth sailing down to Champion for the Wednesday Jam on the wide veranda. Thursday’s Vanzant Jam was on hold for the week as significant upgrades were in progress on the Community Building. Good things can happen at any time. Among those good things are birthdays like that of Skyline fourth grader Frederick Smith who celebrates on April 4th. The 5th is the big day for Fox Creek Cow Farmer Mandi Boehs. Carissa Rene of Hero’s Rest may tune up her mandolin and sing that song to herself on April 6th. We remember Bud Hutchison on his birthday on April 8th. He headed up a trail ride out of Champion in the spring and fall for years. These days it is called Bud Hutchison’s Memorial Trail ride and Andrew Harden has kept it going. Donnie Luna keeps our wonderful Skyline School going. He shares his birthday on April 9th with Candace Mayberry, Skyline’s SPED coordinator. Happy birthday to all of you. Enjoy your special days.

Saturday was a special day for seventy-seven stalwart citizens of Ava who were among the more than eight million people who took to the streets of the Nation to exercise their right to free speech. While opinions may vary widely on any given subject, the right to express them is one that was secured for us by the efforts of many generations of our brave forbearers—Champions—Looking on the Bright Side!

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