Champion News

 

Sometimes it is wonderful to be wrong. For example: We thought there would be few walnuts this year because we saw hardly any blooms in the spring, but the harvest was phenomenal! Then it was generally figured that our fall colors would not be particularly spectacular because the summer had been so dry, but the sassafras and dogwoods and mulberries and sumac are telling a different story. Then we thought we had seen the last of Wilbur, but he showed up Wednesday to glean tomatoes out of the compost. Another mistake had to do with the new typesetter at The Douglas County Herald, Tiffany. In a conversation welcoming her to the staff, she seemed to be suggesting that The Champion News was about twice as long as it needed to be. Rethinking the conversation, that was probably not what she implied, and we may have jumped to conclusions. An email arrived from regional manager, Kimberly Combs, saying “We do not have a limit on words for your column. You are welcome to write as much as you want. Normally, we are looking for copy to fill pages.” So, the good news is the words may flow freely, though, as to quality, perhaps less is more, which is advice often given by real writers. Tiffany is the sixth or seventh typesetter with whom we’ve become acquainted since 2008. It’s a difficult job and the changes to The Herald over the last couple of years have been unsettling. They say change is inevitable, but sometimes it takes a while to adjust. Good luck to Tiffany, from folks on the Bright Side.

The community turned out in a big way for the Skyline R2 School Fall Carnival Friday. Local merchants contributed interesting items for the silent auction. Imaginative games and contests kept the fun and laughter going all evening. Talented pumpkin carvers competed for the grand pumpkin prize. Mr. Luna said he had never seen so many baked goods as were covering the library tables for the cake walk. Had Mary taken the chance this time, she might well have won her first cake ever in all her many miles of cakewalking over the years for every good cause. Mary is a good sport. She and Bob made it all the way over from Studibakerville for chili, Frito pie, and hotdogs. Skyline VFD fire fighters, students, staff, parents, grandparents, alumni, and nice folks like Bob and Mary came together for the fun of it and to support our great little rural school. The PTO reported a profit of $1800.00, which they will doubtlessly put to good use for the benefit of our students.

A Champion football fan, new to the sport, surprised herself by shouting, “Get that so and so!” Realizing that she found herself almost happy when a player on the opposing team was hurt during the game gave her pause. The players are full of adrenaline, energy, and excitement, but they are not angry. Often players are seen helping an opponent up off the field they hit so hard. They are competitors, the opposition, but not the enemy. They have respect for each other, understanding that there is no game unless there are two teams. That is quite a lesson for a grown up old person to learn watching football for the first time. Anger serves no purpose. Too bad the Chiefs had a hard time in Tennessee, but they will live to play again. Hopefully they will be more successful in the future. The best hope is that lessons learned from football can translate into healing some of the divisiveness that seems so pervasive these days. As the World Series begins, we will see if we can root for both teams like Champions! Looking on the Bright Side!

 

Denlow was the scene of much family fun Saturday as the Alsup – Ousley Reunion drew folks from Alaska, Idaho, Kentucky, and many points in between. It was reported that there were sixty odd people there, meaning sixty people, more or less. The people were not necessarily all odd, but they all had a good time getting acquainted and reacquainted with one another. The memories made will be everlasting. Some of them were stored on the internet where a good bunch of the Pioneer Heritage Festival can also be seen. Organizers of this event did a splendid job of adapting to a new venue. This must be the season for fun.

Our Skyline Cross Country team made a good showing at the Thornfield meet on the 6th. The next meet will be in Ava on the 13th, sponsored by Skyline. The 17th is the birthday of Alain Ambroziac, an eighth grade Skyline student. Excitement is building for the Skyline Fall Carnival which will take place on October 22nd. Tabitha Hurt said, “We are asking parents to help decorate our walking trail if they would like to. Each family can select a ten foot or so section and decorate with fall or Halloween decorations.” This will be a chance for people in the community to see the recent upgrades and improvements made to the campus. There will be lots of games and good food and an opportunity to visit with neighbors and to get to know the staff of our terrific little rural school. If you are saving those Best Choice UPC codes (bar codes), the carnival will be a good time to turn them in. They bring in a little cash for the benefit of the school and every little bit helps.

Some folks are shy and do not like to see their name in the paper, so even if you do not know who they are, these Champions know they are being recognized and appreciated. A guy who does not know how to fly a flag has his birthday on the 11th. The wife of the guy who searched for Booger County celebrates on the 12th. Manes Cathy of the Pivot has the 13th for her big day and the 14th is for the father of Teagan and Luxe, and for our Champion Nurse who had great adventures with Doctors Without Borders. Then the guy who went up and down with the Otis folks enjoys the 15th. Your families and your friends will be baking cakes, making ice cream, and singing songs to you. Bask in their spotlight and enjoy yourselves.

The UPS driver who came up the drive in the U-Haul truck the other day remarked about the good quality of the county roads over in this area. He said that he frequently travels over roads in other parts of the county that are barely passable. Those handsome gentlemen from the Drury shed do excellent work. The beautiful, smooth hairpin turn where Cold Springs Road meets the High Road invites some drivers to ‘put their foot in it,’ that is, step on the gas just for the fun of it. But we resist the temptation since we are safe, prudent drivers in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

 

 

Kaye and Fae

Fae and Kaye

Apologies are extended to a favorite fine fiddler if the question about the relative meanness of a red hog caused him any domestic difficulties. Country musician Tex Renner shares this quote: “O, but to have the wisdom of the oyster, that I might take an irritation and make of it a pearl.” “Boy, howdy!” as they say in Texas. Eddy Arnold sang, “I got a humpback mule, a plow and a tater patch, eggs that are gonna hatch someday. I got my Lord above and a good girl to love me. I’m the richest man in the world.” Music and musicians make the world a more lovely place. Carol Green is just such a musician–a banjo player. She is part of the trio known as TLC. Her birthday is October 6th, and she shares the day with Skyline pre-kindergarten student Alivia Vivod. The 7th is a big day for Betty Dye and for Vicki Trippe. Madeline Ward’s birthday is October 10th. She recently attended a surprise birthday party for her grandmother and her great aunt. This party was a blow out with family from all over Missouri, from Tennessee, Alaska, and Idaho. They are a big bunch—all of them grateful for the abundance of family.

Family from Seattle came with energy to spare to help out on the farm over in Champion-East. They were dinner guests up in Champion-North on Saturday, arriving and leaving in the rain. The retired labor and delivery nurse has become a rabble rousing union organizer. She has had splendid results, especially in Montana. Having previously made his mark as a purveyor of gentlemen’s fine footwear, he is a working philosopher, producing learned papers in collaboration with younger, less experienced colleagues. The conversation was lively over a broad range of subjects. Life is very different in their part of the world. For example, they have routine recycling pick up at their very door and their tooth paste comes in tablet form that must be chewed.

Skyline’s Cross Country team made a great showing at their meet in Ava on the 29th competing with Plainview, Mark Twain and Thornfield. Superintendent Donnie Luna has a chart that he will share with a smile showing the progress of our Skyline athletes. This week the meet will be in Thornfield and next week Skyline will host again at Ava. Helen Batten wrote, “Everyone cheered for ALL the runners. Parents applauded for everyone that crossed the finish line. And one boy that won a first place medal stayed by the finish line and told all the other boys, ‘great job.’ That was wonderful to hear.”

Colors are beginning to show themselves as if it will be Fall soon. We’ll be singing about the autumn leaves drifting by our windows. Rain was welcomed by many and not so much by others who had roads washed out and new fences knocked down. The Cowboy has his work cut out for him to repair the damage done by four plus inches of hard rain. The Pioneer Heritage Festival could have used some dryer days. On the plus side, a man who relies on a puddle to obscure his driveway does not have to fill it up with buckets. Counting blessings in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

 

Groundhogs do not seem to be mean, but it is said that red hogs are. How mean is a red hog? That is the kind of information a person must get from another person. Googling the question gets lots of information, but not a precise measure of relative meanness. It is true that relatives can be the meanest. One Champion Mother would say of any difficult task that it was like putting a side saddle on a hog. She did not specify color. A favorite fine fiddler probably knows the old tune, Root Hog or Die, or the Pig Ankle Rag, which he probably plays with a smile on his face thinking about his lovely wife. He knows he is a lucky man and, if he forgets, she will tell him.

Bud Hutchison’s Fall Trail Ride will be coming up soon. Andrew Harden will head it up again and will let us know the date. Looking back through the archives here the ride generally takes place around the second Wednesday of October or sometimes later. It is a recurring reminder of a charming old Champion and a delight to see young Champions following Bud’s same sweet trail. Meanwhile, a group of jolly cowboys, discussing plans at ease, are looking for their reward when their work is all done this fall. Fall has just started, so we have until December 21st to “get ‘er done, Sis.” The expansive plans that were hatched in the air conditioned summertime for fall projects may well exceed what is possible now that it is time to get started. “Just do what you can and don’t feel bad about asking for help.” It always makes a body feel good to be of help. Whatever your task, find a moment to enjoy the changing of the season–something tame, something wild. We live in a beautiful part of the world. With any kind of luck, some seldom seen sight seeing friends and family will wander by in time to lend a hand.

Our Skyline R2 School is in an excellent spot in the world. It is about equidistant between Mountain Grove and Ava, enjoying the generous support of both towns. The Mountain Grove Lions Club brought their special $10,000.00 camera to school last Thursday and did vision screening for every Skyline student. It was an efficient and interesting process, a real amenity to the school community. This week, on September 29th, Skyline will be hosting the Cross Country meet for all the small schools around the area at the Ava High School track facility. It is nice to be in the middle. The next Cross Country meet will be at Thornfield on October 6th and then back at Ava on the 13th when Skyline will again be hosting. Skyliners are getting excited about the school carnival coming up on October 22nd.

Jana Brixey, pre school teacher, and Debora Barker, special education teacher, head up the archery program at Skyline. Ms. Brixey shares her birthday on the first of October with the Prominent Champion who subscribes to the notion that if you act like you are having a good time, soon you will forget you are acting. If you ask him how he is doing, he might say, “If I told you, you would cry.” or “I ain’t worth a dime.” William Tucker Clark has his birthday on the second of October. He was born in 2015. Second grade student, Evan Homer, has a birthday on October 3rd, along with Tucker’s Grandpa Clark. Those twins, born up at the OK Corral three quarters of a century ago, celebrate on October 4th. Far flung family will be in town for the celebration–all the way from Alaska. Around here we celebrate birthdays and delight in our good fortune to be where we are. Lannie Hinote says it is already cold in Alaska. Visitors from there are sure to feel warm and welcome in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

 

Tonight, Champions will delight under the Harvest Moon, the full moon that takes place closest to the autumnal equinox.  On Wednesday the 22nd, with the sun directly over the equator, we have the equilibrium of day and night.  The sun will begin to rise later, and nightfall will come sooner as autumn arrives.  Meanwhile, south of the equator, spring is about to begin.  They probably have another name for this moon, but up here, we will call it the Harvest Moon and sing that old song.  The harvest as been a good one and the festivals celebrating it make this a busy time of the year.  The old Pioneer Descendants’ Gathering down at Yates on the Edge of the World was one of those great events fondly remembered.  Its exciting spinoff is the Fourth Annual Pioneer Heritage Festival of the Ozarks. https://heritage417.com/  It will be Friday and Saturday October 1st and 2nd at the Fox Trotters Park.  The Apple Festival in Seymour, the Hootin and Hollerin in Gainesville, and those bluegrassers up on Starvy Creek just primed the pump for this kind of wholesome family fun.  The exhibitions of pioneer skills, the music, the games and contests will have something for everyone to enjoy.

Gratitude has been popping up in our lives in surprising ways all the way from “Thank goodness it’s not worse than it is.” to ‘Wow! There’s a bee!”  Some Old Champions are grateful for Ethel Leach’s green tomato pie recipe.  It finally got made right at the end of the season, and it is a winner, destined to be a family favorite henceforth.  Thanks Ethel!

Appreciation is due a gentleman named Warner Minor in Mountain Grove.  He heard that the Skyline R-2 School is looking for donations of guitars for the music program there being taught by Cheyenne McIntosh.  He shared a beautiful ‘Espana’ classical guitar, complete with a tuner, a case, and a guitar stand.  Gene Skinner, the master of ceremonies up at the Starvy Creek Bluegrass Festival, made the announcement from the stage there that our little country school would be a great place to pass along those good guitars that are not being played.  Tim Tamburrino of the Midwest Bluegrass Directory gave him that information while he was there at the festival having a good time.  Tim goes to bluegrass jams, festivals and shows all around the Midwest, documenting the music and the music communities.  His photographs and videos have been requested by the State Historical Society to be place in the Missouri State Archives.  He includes Vanzant on his circuit and says that he is excited to think that bluegrass might be part of rural school curriculum.  “There’s a lot of music in Douglas County!”

Thanks also goes to the Douglas County Health Department for the beautiful, paved quarter mile walking trail built a few years ago, and for Lisa, the nurse, who spends Tuesdays and Thursdays at Skyline.  Lisa says she very much enjoys being at the school, “The students and the staff are great, and it is beautiful out here.”  Seventh grade student, Tristian Jeffrey, will have his birthday on Saturday the 25th, so he may not get a party at school, but Melanie Hall, in the third grade, will celebrate with her classmates on Wednesday the 29th.  The first of October, on Thursday, will find eight grader Lydia Harden and third grader Myson Loveless enjoying their birthdays in school with their friends.  Happy birthday to all you students, and to Sandy Ray Chapin, In Search of Booger County, on the 24th, and to Cathie Alsup Reilly, with deep Denlow connections, though partying in Kentucky on the 27th.  We are lucky and grateful to have people in our lives to celebrate and enjoy.

We understand that there is no glory in defeating a weak opponent, but the loss by the Kansas City Chiefs by one stinking point on Sunday evening was not what we had in mind.  Our Norwood/Skyline basketball team won their game against Mark Twain on Thursday by one point.  We always try, but sometimes struggle, to be good sports in Champion–Looking on the Bright Side!

 

 

Some Champion gardens are winding down now. The giant sunflowers that turned their seedy faces to the sun now bow their heads. Peppers are still producing and looking good, but beans and black eyed peas are being left on the vine to dry. The last episode of fried green tomatoes will happen any day now. Linda makes a great green tomato relish and hopes are that she will share her recipe. Other gardeners, who put their crops in later, are still enjoying cucumbers and summer squash. The garden has been a great comfort and delight for Old Champions, mostly marooned for many months. A reason to get up with something to do keeps them positive and optimistic. Seeing the shelves fill up with wholesome home canned food is a satisfying reward. Only Best Choice product barcodes are now being redeemed for the benefit of our Skyline R-II School. In years past, Always Save brands and Box Tops for Education were also collected and converted into money for the school, but neither of them participates in this program now. So, if you have a choice, choose the Best Choice brand, and save those UPC (barcodes). Drop them off or mail them to the school at Rt. 72 Box 487, Norwood, MO 65717-9439. Every little bit helps.

Ely Young is in the third grade at Skyline. His birthday is on September 8th. That is the same day as Jeanette Crayola who is a great bridge player. Senator Sanders shares that day as well. Back in August on the 10th and the 12th, sixth graders, Jaycee Hall and Cryslynn Bradshaw, enjoyed their birthdays. Leonard Peltier was 77 years old on the 12th and has been in prison since 1977. Tanna Jo Krider Wiseman, Skyline alumnus, celebrates on the 13th. Ellie Strong is a prekindergarten student with a birthday on September 14th. The 14th is a day we remember Laine Sutherland, and the 15th was the big day for the late Elmer Banks. Celebrated spoon virtuoso Pat Kim Smith celebrates on the 15th. Back in August, Lee Border-kindergarten, Hoyt Webster-prekindergarten, and Kaydi Ambroziac-kindergarten, were celebrated by friends and family on the 16th, the 19th, and the 20th. Then, two second grade students, Lauren Collins and Brantley Kilgore, had parties on August 25th and 29th. The 29th was also the birthday of Jason smith, Skyline first grade student, not the politician. Jenna Brixey, eighth grader, and Aiden Ray Hurt, fifth grade, both celebrated on August 31st. That was also the special day for Kalyssa Wiseman, Champion granddaughter. Birth anniversaries of the young, middle aged and old people in our lives, past and present, keep us mindful of the swift passage of time. We are admonished to enjoy now. Tim McGraw says, “Always be humble and kind.”

Glen Brandstedder says it is convenient for him to find The Champion News on or near the same page as the obituaries in the Douglas County Herald. He looks for his name in both places. He said he has some place to go five days a week to enjoy music and church for the other two days. He is a busy man. If you are not too busy, wander over to the wide, wild, wooly banks of Auld Fox Creek and sit a spell out on the wide veranda. It’s alright. That is one of the cool places at the Historic Emporium on the North Side of the Square—Champion! Looking on the Bright Side!

 

 

Eight hour workdays and forty hour weeks are a couple of the accommodations to the Nation’s workers due to the efforts of the labor movement begun back in the late 19th century. It took a while, and it did not come easy. The Fair Labor Standards Act and the Social Security Act were largely due to the hard work of Frances Perkins. Take a day off and thank Ms. Perkins and Labor Unions. Nabisco workers are currently striking as the company is requiring double shifts and week end work without overtime pay, while moving much of the production to Mexico, amid great a great rise in revenue due to the pandemic. So the struggle for workers rights is ongoing. Farmers never take a day off but can celebrate anyway.

There is a big yellow stripe right down the middle of scenic Highway C that runs from Evans in the south to Norwood. Fog lines, those white lines on the edge, flank the thoroughfare. They are new to this road and most welcome. New air-conditioned school busses sail up and down that road to the intersection with 76 Highway to our Skyline R2 School. The Champion News recently enjoyed a tour of the summer’s construction projects and improvements, which are substantial and impressive. Promethean boards in the classrooms are a high tech innovation that replaced the white boards that replaced the blackboards that were the norm for a previous generation. Significant upgrades in the kitchen make it easier to feed 85 kids two meals a day. The new basketball backboards will see action on September 16th for the first game of the season. The 6th to 8th grade basketball players are teamed up with players from Norwood and will be competing against Mark Twain. The game starts at 5:30. The community is welcome to come enjoy the game and the concessions and to see some of the improvements for yourself. The Skyline PTO is looking for fund raising ideas and music teacher, Cheyenne McIntosh, is hoping for donations of guitars to get our youngsters picking and grinning. A couple of Champions have already committed to sharing their extra guitars. If you have ideas or guitars to share call Tabatha Hurt at 417-683-4874.

The Champion News is celebrating birthdays again. They make us smile. Betty Thomas, Larry Wrinkles and Wilma Hutchison all celebrate their birthday on September first. Smiling on the second of September is Luke Hall, a prekindergartner at Skyline. The third is for third grader Serenity Merryman and for Phoebe Ward. Dailey Upshaw celebrates on the forth, along with his uncle, Vernon Upshaw. Kindergartner Brayden Ellingsworth has the fifth of September for his birthday and Caleb Harden, sixth grader, had his on August 5th. The next day, August 6th, was a big day for second grader Jaxton Harley. Happy birthday to all you friends, family, neighbors, and students. Consider yourselves celebrated and appreciated.

“News Break: From the Fox Creek Foul Fowl Bird Sanctuary and Flyway. A comprehensive three minute study of hummingbirds (flapping their wings really fast) over the last five months by the aforementioned sanctuary laboratory specialists have come to this conclusion: Their wings can also make a humming sound.” That quote comes direct from The General Vanzant Bugle Express. An Old Champion comes up with the information that hummingbirds do not walk. Nevertheless, our hummingbirds seem to be loading up for their southern trip. If, on their rest stop in Louisiana on their way to the Yucatan, they could somehow convey our best wishes and hopes for a speedy recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Ida, it would fulfill the desires of many Champions, Looking on the Bright Side!