Champion News

CHAMPION—September 15, 2025
Our Champion hummingbirds are headed south on their way to Mexico and Costa Rica.  It seems the males all leave first, then the females and adolescence.  Every day there are fewer around the feeders, but it is suggested that we leave feeders up through at least mid-October or later to support any late migrating stragglers that might pass through.  We will miss them, but we will have lots of other birds for entertainment, together with the armadillos, ground hogs, squirrels, racoons, skunks, deer, possums, chipmunks, rabbits, bobcats, bears and mountain lions.
Jackson Johnson is a second-grade student at Skyline who shares his birthday on September 17^th with Patrick Mahomes of the KC Chiefs.  Bailey Kilgore, also a second grader, shares his day on the 18^th with Champion Donald Krider up in Illinois.  Archer Johnson is in prekindergarten.  He and Jack Perry over on Fox Creek Road celebrate on September 20^th.  Kindergarten student Estelene Bellefeuille will have her party on the 21^st, which is also the day we remember Champion Louise Hutchison.  Sandy Ray Chapin wrote “Searching for Booger County.”  His birthday is September 24^th.  The 25^th is for Shelby Squirrel and for prekindergarten student Elainea Stewart, who will be old enough to ride the school bus.  Cathy Alsup Reilly over in Kentucky has deep Denlow connections. She is married to one of the famous Kentucky twin chefs who work their magic as a team.  She shares her birthday on the 27^th with Alicia Borders who is an aide at our Skyline School. We remember Lucille Gayman on the 29^th.  The 30^th is the big day for seventh grader Melanie Hall and kindergarten student Jaxon McIntosh.  Your Champion friends and neighbors wish you all happy birthdays.  Have some fun.
Lake Wolf Pen has turned into a dust bowl. Desperately dry conditions are making things hard on our farmers and the persistent fire danger has us all hoping for some repeated episodes of gentle rain soon.  Fans will be optimistic that the KC Chiefs will fare better in their next game.  We stay positive, cheerful, and hopeful.  On Monday, friends who were fewer than five miles north enjoyed an inch of rain.  Ronnie, the Postmaster in Norwood, said they were getting a good rain midday.  Neighbors less than two miles south had significant sprinkles while dust blew under cloudy thunder rumbling skies on Cold Springs Road.  That is what we get for living out here in the beautiful hills and hollers.

The “Lost Indian” said, “Johnny, Don’t Come Home Drunk.”  “Dance Around Molly” while “Waiting for a Train.”   We saw on the internet that Alvie Dooms was in attendance, as he often is, at the McClurg Jam.  It is most encouraging to see him there and to see how many young folks regularly show up to play.  It may be that some of them are students of David Scrivner who is a mainstay of that illustrious jam.  It also happens, according to host Tom Peters, that David won second place after Charlie Walden the Midwest Invitational Fiddle Contest that was held on September 14^th.   They are busy celebrating the old traditions and inspiring the next generation.  They are fiddle Champions—Looking on the Bright Side!

 

“What’s that? What’s that?” cried the Wolf Pen cow farmer.  “It’s a woad grater!” replied his clever young daughter.  Sure enough, Bobby Emery guided the big machine up and down Cold Springs Road on Wednesday doing the best he could to make it better.  They are hard workers.  With much more than half of Douglas County’s 800 miles of gravel roads out on this end, it is a big job, and we are grateful for what little they can get done.  Give them a wave and a thumbs up when you see them out working, and some chocolate chip cookies if you catch them.

Ely Young is a seventh grader in our great Skyline R2 School.  He shares his birthday on September 8th with such notables as Jimmie Rodgers (1897-1933), with Vermont’s loveable Senator Bernie Sanders, and with the charming Carol Tharp of Veracruz.  The 13th of September is the big day for native Champion Tanna Krider Wiseman, and the 14th is for Skyline third grader Ellie Strong and for a welcome Champion nephew, a newcomer to the Bright Side.

J.c. Owsley has visited Champion on a number of occasions.  He recently said that he never earned much money during his years as a teacher, but getting a lovely card with warm wishes from one of his school kids many years later is priceless.  This one came from a journalism student at Warsaw when he was teaching there in 1965.  He is dealing with serious health problems now  that have his students, friends, and family all wishing him well.  He shared some wisdom from his friend, John Swisher, who said, “It doesn’t matter how many times anyone says it, ‘woke’ doesn’t mean anything other than loving your neighbor, being empathetic to others seeking wholeness in your community, speaking truth about past, present and future, and broadening the table so that all people have a seat.  It is to name the truth of the past so that the future can be one of reconciliation and hope.”  J.C. has been planting turnips, taking care of his cows, spending some time in the saddle and being a voice of reason in these tumultuous times.

It is easy to spot country people in town with their dust and dirt coated rigs.  Maybe they will be splattered with mud one of these days if the hope for half an inch of rain every third day comes to fruition.  While it is late for prime gardening season, any amount of moisture will help reduce the fire danger.  Already the Sumac is bright red in spots along the roadways.  A neighbor, Ruth Hicks, quoted a poem, “When the goldenrod is yellow; The corn is turning brown; The trees in apple orchards With fruit are bending down.” (The internet told us the poem was written by Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885).  It captures a lot of September’s nature.  Look for the whole thing at “September”.  It takes some looking to see Orville’s old barn as vegetation and decay is taking hold.  Like the old Coffman place up on 76, you would miss it if you were not looking for it.

We looked up to see Kaitlyn McConnell at the Vanzant Jam Thursday.  She was just there for a little while, on her way somewhere from somewhere.  She had been at the Fruit Station in Mt. Grove that morning for a bag of apples and to share some of the great history of that place.  She gets around.  We are excited to know that her book “The Ozarks Pie Project Diary” is at the printers and will be available at The Great Ozarks Pie Potluck on October 11th in Mt. Vernon.  Chances are good that it will be available at the Historic Emporium in Downtown Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

 

Thirty-seven names appeared on the sign-in sheet at the Champion Reunion on Saturday and a dozen or more unsigned, plus four of the McConnell family brought the total up substantially. There was plenty of good food to go around and lots of good conversation. Newcomers mixed with old timers sharing stories of where they came from and where they live now and some of the rich history of Champion. A couple of the few remaining Champion School alumni had stories to tell rich with nostalgia. While harkening back to the old days we appreciate these days and the Champion community that extends far beyond its geographic boundaries, whatever they are.

School seems to be off to a great start. Parents who have both children in school for the first time were out on the wide veranda on Wednesday experiencing the precursor to the ‘empty nest syndrome.’ In twenty or thirty years they will really understand what that means. The swift passage of time is often referenced, particularly by some who have seen a lot of it go by. Other subjects had to do with the savagery of racoons in the hen house. One reported that a racoon with two bullet holes in it already was still taking the heads off the chickens even as it was dying. Racoons seem to be some of the few animals, humans included, who kill for the fun of it. Stray dogs can be a nuisance too, but Clyde, the fifty pound eight-month-old Basset hound, will probably not cause much trouble. He has trouble staying out of the way of his own ears and is described as ‘getting more stupid’ every day, but loveable.

Earlier, inside the store, there was talk about the problem of black vultures which are known for damaging property and, more seriously, attacking and preying on newborn or sick livestock. Permits to kill them come through the Conservation Department but might be applied for after the fact. All kinds of pleasant conversations go on around the cold old wood stove, often with some joking and chiding. Occasionally a misinformed bloviating local might need to hear the quote by the author Nathan Rustein who wrote numerous books about life, spirituality, racism, education, and the oneness of humanity. He said, “Prejudice is an emotional commitment to ignorance.” We laugh and say, “My prejudices are better than your prejudices.” We have plenty of reasons to laugh in Champion.

Monday morning had upwards of forty stalwart citizens meeting on the corner of Highway 5 and Springfield Avenue with their clever signs sharing their sentiments with passersby on a variety of issues including healthcare, democracy, the value of unions, calls for civility. They say fact is objective information. An opinion is a personal belief. Ignorance is a lack of facts. And stupidity is a rejection of facts in favor of opinions. George Orwell said, “However much you deny the truth, the truth goes on existing.” It is generally thought that the purpose of government is to secure the wellbeing of the governed.

Monday evening had forty plus people enjoying the music that fifteen of them made at McClurg. Tom Peters reported that Lila Robinson played the beautiful “Shepherd’s Wife Waltz.” Other tunes he shared were David Scrivner’s “Five Miles from town,” and an “Un-named Tune in C” with Emily Garoutte-Boldman on lead fiddle. Dot Cohm played “Clinch Mountain Backstep” on the banjo and on his banjo Gordon Gosh played “Shine on Me.” Other videos Tom shared were “A and E Waltz “and “Dark-Haired Girl.” We are grateful to all the musicians and purveyors of music for the beauty, solace, and fun they share. Our glorious hymns in church and our extraordinary solo performances alone in the car on the way to town lift our spirits. Champions–Looking on the Bright Side!

Tuesday evening’s rain had Champions reporting a half to two and a half inches on Wednesday, though one of those rain gauges may have been watered along with some nearby foliage.  Still, they were happy for every drop and grateful for the prospect of cooler temperatures.  Other talk around the table had to do with catastrophic farm accidents over the years with balers and brush-hogs.  Take care, dear farmers.  We need you.

Birthdays to celebrate on September 1st include those of Betty Thomas, who lived down on the Edge of the World at Yates.  She and her husband Dale hosted the Pioneer Descendants’ Gathering there on their farm on Bryant Creek for many years.  Larry Wrinkles, son of Esther and Clifford Wrinkles, grew up in Champion was part of an acclaimed gospel trio back in his school days in Champion.  Wilma Hutchison married Bud Hutchison in 1959.  She made sure all the riders had their horses lined up properly for their photograph at all of Bud’s Champion Trail Rides.  September 2nd is for Skyline third grader Luke Hall and the day we remember smiling banjo player Wayne Anderson.  He was part of a group that entertained at the Skyline Picnic back in 2007.  Find a video of that performance in the Music category at www.championnews.us.  Serenity Merryman is a seventh grader at Skyline sharing a birthday with Champion granddaughter Phoebe Ward.  Skyline prekindergarten student Brickton Housley celebrates on the 4th.  That was the birthday of Vernon Upshaw and is the birthday of his nephew Dailey and of Vanzant’s Patricia Harrison.  Skyline fourth grader Brayden D. Ellingsworth will party on September 5th.  Your Champion friends wish you all beautiful, happy birthdays.

Our friend Tom Peters said that on Friday evening there was another nice jam session at Beaver Creek Campground in Brownbranch, just down the hill from McClurg.  Monday had forty folks including twelve musicians at McClurg, which is designated as one of the twenty-five most secluded towns in southwest Missouri.  We look forward to securing a copy of his book “Ozark Jubilee Encyclopedia.”  We are also excited that our friend Kaitlyn McConnell’s pie recipe book may have gone to print.  We will need several copies in Champion.  We look forward to what she  has to say about her recent visit to Washington D.C. where there was a big Ozarks musical moment going on with the duo called Creek Rocks.  Music is good for us.  Plato viewed music as a “moral law” that could instill virtues and attune the soul to goodness.  It certainly enriches our lives.

President Grover Cleveland signed the law in 1894 that made Labor Day a federal holiday, recognizing American workers’ contributions to the Nation’s prosperity and well-being.  We have labor unions to thank for fair wages, good hours, and safe working conditions, among many other beneficial things like overtime, sick time, and holiday pay.   The holiday gives friends and kinfolks the chance to visit and they are most dearly welcome but are cautioned to be cautious with their city cars on our country roads.  Go slow and save your suspension system, your axels, tires, tail pipes and check books.  The pavement is beautiful.  Take that option if you can on the Saturday of the holiday weekend to enjoy the early noontime pot-luck luncheon Reunion of Champions—Looking on the Bright Side!

 

Two bass guitars, ten six stringed guitars, three mandolins, and two banjos plus a couple of vocalists made Vanzant’s Potluck Jam a humdinger on Thursday. On Sunday Vanzant’s entertainment came from beautiful rolls of thunder and a light shower. The thunder was distant, but lovely, in Champion where there were reports of twelve drops, and seven drops by neighbors just to the west. We remember what rain is like and are grateful for even distant thunder to remind us. We are also reminded that until we get some real rain, we need to be extremely cautious about any outside burning.

Even way out in West Texas back in the 1950’s when we heard “The Sugarfoot Rag” we knew it was time for the Ozarks Jubilee, a program we never missed on our brand-new television. It is lovely to hear it again along will all the other tunes Tom Peters shares from the McClurg Jam and the Oldfield Opry. Thanks, Tom! This week we heard that one and “Muleskinner Blues” and “I Saw the Light” from Oldfield. From McClurg we were blessed with “Seamus O’Brien,” “Oklahoma Redbird,” “The Cat Came Back,” “Home Brew Rag,” “Milk Cow Blues,” and “Great Big Taters in Sandy Land.” The potluck goodies, the visiting and all the musical camaraderie do not come through on the internet, but distant Champions are grateful for the virtual windows into the old store on nights filled with music.

“Dry and Dusty” is another great old fiddle tune and it truly speaks to current conditions in these parts. In the old days when the kids were young and there were no air conditioners, some Champions spent a lot more time at the creek than they do now as old folks, cozy and cool watching the electric meter spin. We must appreciate the farmers and merchants, construction workers and laborers of all kinds performing necessary tasks out in the heat. They are keeping the country working. Of course, those ball players, Chiefs, Royals and Cardinals are out there perspiring for glory and for our entertainment. Thanks. Most folks have a cell phone these days and have it with them when they go out. It is also a good idea to have a hat and water in the car or truck and to be sure our shoes are built for walking. Weather prognosticators seem to be saying that the worst of it is almost over. We will believe it when we feel it. Critters are feeling it too. Deer, groundhogs, squirrels and birds and all our local fauna are also at risk. All those cows out there in their fur coats huddle in the shade when they can find it.

Thursday evening had our Champion friend Kaitlyn McConnell up in the Nation’s Capital enjoying a concert at The Library of Congress by the “Creek Rocks,” a musical duo comprised of Mark Bilyeu and Cindy Woolf. They have been studying in the American Folklife Center Archives listening to songs recorded by Ozarkers many years ago. Kaitlyn and Mike O’Brian visited Champion on a Wednesday on their way to lunch at Rockbridge. She told us then that she would be going to D.C. and was only lamenting that the Capital would be militarized while she was there. We look forward to her report on the concert and on the state of the Capital city!

We are also looking forward to a visit by Bobby Emery on his big road grader. One Champion up on the North end of Cold Springs Road says when he hears that machine he will rush out and greet him with a cold beer. A neighbor further to the south on that road has chocolate chip cookies ready for him. We have confidence that if and when he gets here, he will roll those big rocks out of the road and smooth the path to Champion.

All the excitement and hard work getting ready for the start of school is paying off. Students have been busy getting haircuts and new school clothes while teachers and staff have been getting the campus ready for another great year. The Champion School was consolidated into Skyline along with Denlow and a couple of other small schools back in the 1950s. It is one of only two little rural schools left in Douglas County. School days, dear old golden rule days, will surely be some of the conversations going on at the Champion Reunion on Saturday the 30th. It is a potluck luncheon with everyone welcome. Bring a dish and join the fun down at the end of the pavement (the very fancy new pavement with the bright yellow stripes down the middle of it) on the wide, wild, wooly banks of Old Fox Creek in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

 

The second Saturday Skyline swap meet was the next to the last one, that is to say there will be another one, the last one, on the second Saturday of September, September 8th. This Saturday the Skyline Area Volunteer Fire Department had a prominent display of firefighting gear there and added some newcomers to the membership. Dues help cover the expense of operating this vital outfit. Those first responders do not just fight fires, they work car wrecks, floods, any kind of catastrophe as well as health emergencies among the membership. Hopes are that some young folks (a subjective term) among the newcomers to the area will join the diminishing ranks of the aging volunteers. We need you and thank you in advance.

Sunday found old Champions standing out in the heat watching the beautiful billowing clouds, moisture laden and dark in spots, swirling about, listening to the thunder rumbling from all directions, longing for a drop in the temperature and drops of rain. Gardens three miles away may well have been drenched. J.C. Owsley had an inch in his rain gauge up in Cross Timbers. Most likely folks in Ava, Sweden, Norwood, Mountain Grove and Vanzant got a few drops while we parch out here on the Bright Side. Alas. We are reminded that there is no amount of money, oil, or gold that is worth more than having bees, trees, and clean water. Master gardener, herbalist, and master chief Edie Richardson tells us that Lee’s Bees are doing well. It’s about time to harvest and his new hive is thriving. Lee is a luthier as well and has helped our Skyliners with their music making.

Monday at McClurg featured a dozen musicians and twice that many enjoying the music and the community. “Little Liza Jane,” “Rattlesnake,” and “Red Wing,” “ Snowshoes,” “Horse and Buggy-O” and “Treasures Untold” were just some of the great tunes coming out of that little building that help us keep our spirits up. Music is a gift of joy, sweetness, sadness, hope, defiance and tranquility. We especially like the tranquility. Peace is not when everyone agrees. It is when we can respect our disagreements and still play in the sandbox together or play music together. A prominent economist and historian said, “Some things are believed because they are demonstrably true, but many other thigs are believed simply because they have been asserted repeatedly and repetition has been accepted as a substitute for evidence.” Charlie Chaplin said, “You need power only when you want to do something harmful, otherwise love is enough to get everything done.” We love music and music makers. We will also love to see Bobby Emery out this way on his road grader. “Don’t that road look rough and rocky?”

The Back to School Bash at our Skyline R-2 School was a great way to start the week. The first day of school will be on the 19th. Teahna Krider Oglesby is a Skyline alumnus with a birthday on August 22nd. The 23rd is for her nephew Drayson Cline over in Tennessee and for Skyline second grade teacher Carolyn Willhite. Dakota Watts, another Champion grandson, parties on the 24th. Barbara Krider, up in Illinois, shares the 25th with Lauren Collins, a seventh grade Skyline student. The 26th is for Reta Krider, also up in Illinois, and for Seneca Parsons, father of Felix the Farmer. Mia Trujillo, a third grader at Skyline, celebrates on the 27th. The 29th is the big day for seventh grader Brantley Kilgore, second grader Chaseton Shelton and sixth grader Jason Smith as well as for Wes (Bill) Smith and Mini Jo Henson, who lives up in Springfield, but is a Champion at heart. We remember Laine Sutherland on the 30th. Education was important to her. She worked as a curator for several universities and had wonderful stories to tell about her Champion ancestors. Kalyssa Wiseman, Champion granddaughter, and Jenna Brixey, dairy farmer and Norwood High School’s FFA President, share August 31st for their birthdays. We celebrate you all and wish you happy days.

Champions expect a happy day on the 30th. That is the Saturday of the Labor Day Weekend when the old timers and newcomers come together to celebrate Champion. It started as The Champion School Reunion years ago and has recently become The Champion Reunion. It is a potluck luncheon held in the air-conditioned comfort of the Historic Emporium on the north side of the Square. Everyone is welcome in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

Cool mornings in the garden, watching birds and butterflies, get us off to a good start. Cool dry days have been good for farmers and for old Champions, but it is August. These days, August means school. There are lots of fun things coming up at our great Skyline R-2 School. August 11th the ‘Back to School Bash’ will be going on from 4 to 6 pm. ‘Open Enrollment’ will be from 9am to 3 pm on August 13th. ‘Open House’ will happen the next day from 5 to 7 pm. Summer has been wonderful, but at least one young Champion has said she is ready to get back to school to be with all her friends. Kindergarten teacher Sarah Goss will celebrate her birthday on August 13th. (That is a day we celebrate Dean Upshaw. He enjoys a good song.) Morgan Johnson was in the eighth grade at Skyline last year. His birthday is on the 14th. Skyliner Lee Borders celebrates on the 16th. School days and birthdays are days to be remembered.

Remembering the old days, we miss Cletus Upshaw because he knew the deep story behind everything around these parts. He has kinfolks with good memories. We relish those afternoons here on the north side of the Champion Square when The General and others harken back. We are grateful to the Douglas County Museum and Historical Society for all they do to keep us grounded in the past. They have an Open House coming up on August 16th that will be a chance to tour the twelve rooms of the museum again and to support that important institution. ‘Dora Historian Ozarks’ is a Facebook page that often shares photos and stories of the far eastern part of the county. Our friend Kaitlyn McConnell with Ozarks Alive shines a light on Champion and interesting places all over the country. Ozarks Watch Magazine on public television gives us a deep look into the history of the Ozarks with a particular emphasis on the music. Tom Peters over in McClurg is helping to keep old music alive in a spot that has been doing that for many years. The Douglas County Herald, even in its current diminished form, is still sharing things from 125 years ago. A famous man said, “There are people in every time and every land who want to stop history in its tracks. They fear the future, mistrust the present and invoke the security of a comfortable past, which in fact, never existed.” Another famous fellow said, “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” This quote highlights how those in power can manipulate historical narratives to maintain their control over society and shape future actions. By controlling what information is available and how it is interpreted they can influence public perception and behavior. Mother said, “Behave! Act like you have good sense.” We try and hope. Another guy said, “Education is learning how to spot the signs of history repeating itself.” Hopes are we will repeat the good and the neighborly parts.

Our friend Johnny Burkdoll visited again in Champion on Wednesday. He has a big job taking care of several hundred miles of rough country roads on this big end of the county. We have fewer people out this way and many more miles of county roads. He says Bobby Emery will be in this neighborhood soon. We will be glad to see him on his big machine and glad to have some smooth sailing down our lovely country lanes.

A large and spreading damp spot emanating from the front left side of an old ugly truck parked under a giant oak tree was visible only because the gravel there was so dry. Good fortune comes in the form of good neighbors, knowledgeable good neighbors, willing and able good neighbors. They diagnosed the problem, a loose radiator plug, and set about to reseat it and to top off the radiator with antifreeze and water. Chances are very good that without their help the old truck would not have made it the mile and a half home without something catastrophic happening. Those guys know who they are—Champions! —Looking on the Bright Side!