Champion News

CHAMPION–September 24, 2012

          Champions are delighted that Esther Wrinkles has made her way out of the Autumn Oaks Short Term Rehabilitation care facility.  She spent a couple of months there getting over a broken hip and will be enjoying the hospitality of her son and daughter-in-law for a while until she can get all the way back home.   She still gets her mail at her home address and she reported that she has received more than 100 cards and that they were all thoughtful and much appreciated as were all the flowers, plants, pizzas, tomatoes and watermelon.  She had visitors every day of her stay there so things might seem a little quiet for her for a while.  It is a good thing the phones work.   She was happy to get to go to church on Sunday and to enjoy the fourth Sunday dinner there at Fieldstone.  Everyone was glad to see a favorite Champion.

David Hutchison of Mt. Grove is headed off to a family reunion in California soon and he will be glad to have a copy of the pictures that Lainie Sutherland sent in to the Champion News.  Anyone interested in them can request an email copy at Champion at getgoin.net.  Soon they will show up at www.championnews.us  under the title, “Old Champion Pictures.”    

Pete Proctor sent a note to inform Champions about the POW/MIA Day observations that were made by the VFW post on Friday.  There was a flag observance at 9:00 AM on the Mountain Grove Square.   The Patriot Riders formed a flag line for the ceremony.  They then went to the Town & Country Bank at 9:30 to raise the Flag there and to present them with a POW/MIA Flag.  It is such a service to the community to have an organization dedicated to the acknowledgement of those who have served the Nation in the US Military and those who are serving currently.  Champions join Pete and the VFW and the American Legion and the Veterans Administration and all those who would extend their Love and Gratitude to those who put themselves in harm’s way for the rest of the population. 

More good community service comes from The Skyline R-2 School Foundation.  Behind the scenes at the wonderful little rural school, the foundation is doing some good things to help the children in unseen and important ways.  The Dolly Parton Imagination Library is gaining some new members and new members of the foundation are bringing in some great ideas and wonderful enthusiasm and energy.   How much energy does a 5 year old have?  London King will be five years old on the 24^th and is a kindergartener at Skyline.  Dustin Johnson will have his ninth birthday on the 26^th of September and Newt Souder will be eleven on the 30^th of the month.  Dustin is in the third grade and Newt is in the fifth.  Champions remember their own school days fondly and hope these kids are appreciating their good old golden rule days.

          The big lightning storm that came through Thursday night was pretty exciting and lit the sky up bright as day intermittently while a good solid inch of rain came own in a deluge .  Lots of big booms kept livestock excited and several were reported to have been injured, not necessarily from the lightning strikes, but from their own panic.  Cowboy Jack had one of his horses to get tangled up in some fencing and get hurt.  Another report was of a horse seen loose up on C Highway that had sustained some cuts.  Terri Ryan frequently has unwanted horses visiting her yard, so maybe the storm will have scared them back across their own fence.  The rain was welcome.

The intrepid travelers have returned and are still speaking.  Family history has it that three sisters, related to some of this same bunch, went on a tour of the British Isles together a few years ago and came home not speaking.  No information was gleaned about how long ago it was that the trip was made, or the nature of the dispute, but it is reasonable to believe that they have, by now, resumed their harmonious communication.  This daring group of six, Elizabeth, Kaye, Faye, Bernice, Richard and Wayne, cut a wide loop through North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee on a week-long odyssey that ended back in Champion late Saturday.  There were bear sightings and photos of many enormous and some small elegant elk browsing in highland meadows.  Steep and winding mountain roads took them weaving through tunnels and along the edges of precipitous cliff faces in heavy rain that lasted for two solid days and nights.  Still the rain did not dampen the fervor of the vacationers.  They were determined to have a good time and they did.  Not all the traveling weather was bad and there were few complaints.  Champions!

The Champion Fall All City Yard Sale was a splendid success.  Having been rained out the week before, it was imagined that attendance would be a little down.  The weather was so lovely, however, that people out on sightseeing expeditions through the glorious green countryside just happened through the Square and found some excellent buys.  There were some unusual items for sale and some good trades made.  It will be interesting to see how this community market day evolves over the years to come.  The Pioneer Descendants Gathering has been an event for eleven years now and shows no signs of slowing down.  It happens on the first week-end in October every year, this year it is October 6^th and 7^th.   It is a public event with free admission.   The many who travel out to the Edge of the World every year find themselves enjoying exhibits and demonstrations of all kinds of skills from flint knapping to shingle making.  There are wagon rides along Bryant Creek and plenty to eat and vendors with interesting period merchandise.  It is definitely a great family oriented gathering with live music by local bands.  Dale and Betty Thomas have done a splendid job of it. 

Deer are on the move and it is to be noted that they can be seen crossing the road at any time of the day or night.  One Champion on her way home late Saturday night counted six live armadillos in the road.  It was her idea to run one over with her little car, but she thought better of it when the beast took off into the brush.  They can be so destructive to the garden; it might almost be worth a realignment job at the mechanic to get rid of one of them.  There are too many to take that approach.  Someone reported that there were fire ants coming into the area in hay imported from Texas.  Anyone discovering them should take immediate drastic steps to be sure they do not get a foothold in these parts.  The hope will be that it will be too wet in this area for them to feel welcome.  Linda’s Almanac from over at The Plant Place in Norwood informs that the 28^th will be a favorable time to plant above the ground crops.  The 29^th and 30^th will be good for root crops and for transplanting.  All those days will be good for vine crops it says. It is hard to know in advance what will have time to make.  Some people expect that there will again not be much of a winter and others think a hard frost is in order soon and then a warm October.  

In addition to being POW/MIA observation day and the birthday of Louise, Zoey Louise and Betty E., and the wedding anniversary of Roger and Tanna, the 21^st of September is counted as “The International Day of Peace” by countries all around the world. “All We Are Saying, Is Give Peace a Chance!” is the name of a great sing-along song.  In Europe, and in other places far flung, there were parades and great gatherings to support the notion of Peace and to recognize the efforts of those who have worked hard to end conflict.  Conflict resolution takes place out on the porch of the Recreation of the Historic Emporium over on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion every day of the week.  It is a pretty, peaceful place where you are encouraged to “leave your troubles on the doorstep.  Just direct your feet to the sunny side of the street!”  Champion!—Looking on the Bright Side.