Champion News

During World War 1, the fighting ended on November 11, 1918, when an armistice went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Veterans’ Day is a special celebration, but we celebrate and honor our Veterans every day of the year. They make up about six percent of the civilian population currently. Thank you for your service. Active-duty service members now comprise less than one percent of all U.S. adults. Thank them too. Our Skyline School had a lovely Veterans’ Day tribute this morning. Mrs. Barker’s second grade class up in Norwood produced some fine art in celebration of the day and were given a chance to visit with the Master Sargent General himself.

Monday’s torrential rain wreaked havoc on Champion’s beautiful country roads and made creek crossings difficult and dangerous. Fox Creek jumped its banks and rose to the third step of the Recreation of the Historic Emporium and floated the pews in the church. Road crews are busy, but it will take some time to get everything back to normal. People downstream may find treasures though they might be in rough shape. Lawn chairs, picnic tables and barbeque pits among other things like propane tanks and outhouses may be sowing up in unexpected places. Champion neighbors have stepped up to help with the cleanup. We have hopes are that neighbors up and down the flooded areas will have such good neighbors.

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Though the Brushy Knob Church polling place was without electricity on Tuesday, votes were cast, and poll workers reported a good turnout. Some are happy about the results and others not so much, but knowing that it was a free and fair election is a comfort to everyone. The majority rules in America.

Sharry Lovan’s Benefit was a beautiful success. Auctioneer Billy Sexton said it best, “This community never fails to show up for somebody.” Tonight, this community showed up for a very special person. It was an honor to witness the generosity, love, and prayer poured over this woman.”

Saturday found the Manes community up north of Mountain Grove gathering to celebrate the lives of Chuck and Cathy Baldwin who lost their lives in flood waters on their way to work in the election. Family, friends and neighbors filled the Manes School gymnasium to share their stories and memories of the couple who had made their home there for more than fifty years. They will be remembered for their willingness to help anyone in need, for their commitment to the community and for their zest for life—Champions who were looking on the Bright Side.

 

It happens that there are currently 8.2 billion people in the world. Over in Edinburgh, Scotland, 5.43 million people are overnight guests there in a year’s time. 36% of them are domestic local visitors, 64% are international, 52% are repeat visitors, and 15% are taking the trip of a lifetime. The town teams with excitement. Over here in Douglas County we have our share of visitors who come for the family ties, the beauty, the quiet, the nostalgia and the calmness of a bucolic interlude from the hecticness of the world. Welcome. For those of us fortunate to live here, we sing, “There’s no place like home.”

The time has changed. We have fallen back. Just last week Halloween was everywhere. Pictures have emerged of people who were nuns last year and are now witches—tap dancing witches. The Gipsy seemed much the same in her lovely exotic regalia, while The General seemed to have taken on a look more like that of a vaquero. The Whetstoners turned into a Pink Lady, a Motorcycle hoodlum and Ms. Stands with a Fist. Meanwhile, on Halloween, Skyline preschool and kindergarten students enjoyed pumpkin activities. They estimated how many seeds might be in the pumpkin, scooped out the guts, and counted the seeds by putting them into groups of 10. 628 seeds later, they were given to Mrs. Rhonda to roast and enjoy during their party that afternoon!

Counting is important. In order to serve as an election poll worker, one must raise his or her right hand and swear to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Everyone who has served in that role comes away with confidence that the system works well. It makes for a long day, but it is an excellent experience to participate in democracy. Do it if you have the chance.

The amazing amounts of rain falling Monday night will likely have an effect on voter turnout. We hope everyone gets to exercise their franchise and it will be an interesting week waiting for the results. Another big win for the Kansas City Chiefs helped to keep minds off the election for a few minutes.

As daylight reveals the extent of the flooding and storm damage we hope for the best for our neighbors out here. A favorite Scots sailor says, “Worse things happen at sea!” Optimism is the watchword in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

Pictures of the big full Hunters’ moon and the T-Atlas Comet from all over the world remind us that we are all living here together, that closeness has not all that much to do with geography. To quote Monty Python, “Just remember that we’re standing on a planet that’s evolving and revolving at 900 miles an hour!” He goes on to say things about our galaxy and the universe that give us a good perspective on our own tiny little spot in it.

The report is that it was a beautiful day at Vera Cruz for the celebration of the life of Chris Tharp—a sunny warm day with many old friends sharing good memories of a good friend. Among his many talents was storytelling and a gathering at the creek was just the place for it. A friend writes, “Through the fog this morning the forest below the glades just seems to be a bit empty.”

The Skyline VFD and the Eastern Douglas County VFD caution against burning. They say chances for showers are on the horizon and we hope they materialize. Today in Edinburgh we had 53 degrees with a sustained wind of 20 miles an hour with gusts up to 60 miles an hour with intermittent rain and sunshine, often simultaneously. We hear the wind is strong in Booger County too and we hope everyone is being prudent. The woods are full of fuel from our wonderfully wet spring.

Felix the Farmer is getting postcards from Scotland and reading them to his old grandfather. He has probably been busy doing those garden chores that make it a productive patch year-round. If his energy could be harnessed and duplicated to share with old folks, the way he is willing to share his beautiful garlic, their gardens might be as beautiful as his.

There will be an auction, supper and concert at the Sharry Lovan Benefit at the First General Baptist church in Willow Springs on November 9th. Sharry has her hand in about every good work around, including bringing HOBA bluegrass to Cheyenne McIntosh’s great guitar classes at Skyline. Someday those kids will be in the circle at the Vanzant Jam. The therapeutic value of music cannot be overstated, particularly in these extraordinarily stressful times. Cheyenne and Sharry are keeping it going for future generations.

Brad Oglesby and Shala Clark have birthdays on the 26th of October. That is also the day we remember Champion Harley Krider. Skyline 4th grader and prekindergarten student John Sudderth both celebrate on the 28th. Addison Burns is an 8th grader at Skyline. His birthday is the 30th, also the big day for Connie Lansdown. It is a day when we remember Royce Henson who often made the ‘Walk of Ages’ to the Champion School Reunion.

Every year, the Missouri Division of Tourism recognizes one of the state’s media outlets with its Navigator Media award. According to its website, the award is “presented to a media outlet that promotes tourism in Missouri and its importance to the state’s economy.” This year, Kaitlyn McConnell and Ozarks Alive were chosen for this honor. Kaitlyn is a frequent welcome visitor down at the Historic Emporium on the wide, wooly banks of Auld Fox Creek, often bringing a pie, and always shining a bright light on Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

It has been an eventful week all over the northern hemisphere. The aurora borealis wowed about half of the world. It was spectacular here in Edinburgh, Scotland. For those of us who had never seen it, all expectations were beautifully met. Then Saturday found an enormous comet making its closest pass by Earth. They say it should be visible through the end of the month clear skies permitting, a fuzzy circle with a long tail streaming behind it. Somebody on the news will tell us where to look.

Plans had been to send postcards from Scotland to many friends and family, but we find that a postcard costs $.44, but it costs $3.67 to mail it to the US, so they might get hand delivered or mailed from home. The Royal Mail has been privatized over here, which has made it less efficient and more expensive. We hope that never happens to our great USPS. Thank your rural carrier and leave a treat in the mailbox every now and then.

Darcy Upshaw Cecil, down from Boise, Idaho, looked up to see Trevor Richardson in his paraglider coming in for a landing at the Vanzant Jam on Thursday. The General reported that flight time is 42 minutes from Norwood to the Vanzant Air Strip. While in the neighborhood Darcy took a drive up County Road 153 for some sightseeing. The Quarter Mile Racetrack is up that way, commemorating her Alsup ancestors. Meanwhile, the whole Alsup, Ousley, Livingston gang, numbering fourteen, were together for another family reunion, this year sadly missing, Karen Fae Upshaw Krider who passed away on October 6th. Her place in the Champion community can never be filled. She was a kind, gracious good soul, mother of a big loving family and dear friend to many.

The second wave of linemen from our wonderful White River Valley Electric Cooperative that were sent to assist in restoration efforts from Helene are still hard at work. Crews are still facing many hours of work because many of the repairs that remain are individualized; crews may work for hours on one repair and that repair may only bring power back to one member. The White River folks say, “As they face these challenges, we can’t help but think back to the summer storms of 2023 when our members were without power for several days. By day four, it seemed like eons they had been in the dark. These Cooperative members are on day 17 of now power due to the destruction. We ask our members to keep all these Cooperative family members in their thoughts as they deal with the reality that is their situation.”

Birthdays to celebrate include those of Darlene Connor and Champion grandson Carson Cline on the 18th. We remember Anna Henson on the 21st. The 22nd is for Donna Moskaly and for Skyline first grader London Coon. His lovely Aunt Eva Clark had her big day back on the 14th. Another Champion grandchild, Esther Grace Ogelsby, has her big day on the 23rd. The 24th is for Skyline fourth grader Grant Strong and for Champion Breauna Krider. We always celebrate songwriter Roger Miller on the 25th. He was born in 1936 and passed away in 1992. He gave us a lot of good music. Another great musician we have been remembering is John Prine, who lived from October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020. He was known for his signature blend of humorous lyrics about love, life, and current events, often with elements of social commentary and satire, as well as sweet songs and melancholy ballads. Then we think of Waylon Jennings who said, “I’m just a man, no more or no less. Bad as the worst, good as the best.”

Sarah Harden shared photographs of the Champion Trail Ride, while we do not have the names of the riders and their horses or where they hail from, we know they had a great time in and out of Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

 

Travelers to distant places are blessed with the option of not being engaged with the rancorous politics of their homeland, having their minds made up already. Yet, the tragedies unfolding in the wake of the terrible hurricanes cannot be ignored. We will learn of heroic efforts of ordinary people and of the heartbreaking loss of so many. Loss comes with life. We have all experienced loss to some degree. Champions are feeling it now with the passing of a dear friend and neighbor.

Champions in Skyline R-2 School’s 5K Run/Walk were Kash Hurt, Ava Hurt, and Elaina Homer in first, second and third place in the 11 and under division. In the 12-17 division Ray Hurt took first and Evan Homer second. Rowdy Woods was first place in the adult division. Rowdy, a Skyline alumnus, during his first year of high school attended the Fun Run and was overheard offering encouragement to eighth graders saying they were going to love high school. Encouragement is a gift! Thanks, Rowdy. More fun will happen at Skyline’s Fall Carnival happening Friday October 11th. It will start with dinner at 5:00 and activities at 6:00 with food, games a bounce house and prizes. Come support one of the two little rural schools left in Douglas County. This sterling little outfit is preparing the leaders of tomorrow—those people who will be running the government, the banks, the hospitals and all the important things that make America tick!

Bud Hutchison’s Memorial Trail Ride happens Wednesday, heading up in Champion about 10:00 a.m. They will make a wide loop and return to the wide veranda in the afternoon for refreshment and good stories. Perhaps someone will recall the one about Bud backing his mare up to the church building and flanking her. She kicked the building with both hid feet during the church service. There are many stories about that good man. Those of us who only wish we could saddle up and ride look forward to the report and hope that it is a joyful amble with no bad dogs and plenty of water for the hot, dry trail.

Visiting Texans were delighted with the Pioneer Heritage Festival saying, “The jam session was delightful and the lunch fare delicious. Vendors were sharing demonstrations of their craft and wares for purchase at each stall. Who doesn’t need a pretty shawl made right while you watch the maker create other things? And the brooms – I want one of each!” We will challenge those Texans or anyone to answer this riddle: “If Hanna’s daughter is my daughter’s mother, what am I to Hanna?” Send your answer to The Champion News, Rt. 72 Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 and expect a prize for the earliest post marked correct answer. Not that we know what it is. That is why we are asking you. The prize will be some little treasure from Scotland to be awarded sometime in November.

Bluegrass promoter, Timothy Tamburino and his faithful companion, Sarah, passed through Champion last week, pausing for a little while to hear the Sometime Porch band. They were on their way to an adventure that has taken them all the way to New Mexico. The General reports that Thursday’s jam at Vanzant was great. He said there were listeners from Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida. Meanwhile, over here in Scotland jams happen often. Many music venues in Edinburg have ‘open sessions’ where patrons are welcomed and encouraged to share a song or a poem. Many have house instruments, guitars and pianos, just for the use of any aspiring musician or one who used to be or one who is away from home. Music seems to be the universal language. We remember the great Kris Kristofferson who said, “Tell the truth. Sing with passion. Work with laughter. Love with heart. ‘Cause that’s all that matters in the end.” In the truest sense a Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

 

HOBA fun started on Thursday over in West Plains and the jamming went on until after midnight. The festival went on through the weekend with Tacie and the Sunshine Band reporting that their first time attending was awesome. “The festival grounds and the atmosphere are wonderful! We enjoyed visiting with old friends and meeting so many new ones. Thanks to the HOBA gang for having us out.” The Greenland Station Bluegrass Band echoed the sentiment. “We got to join an incredible lineup of bands in a beautiful venue with a fantastic audience.”

Friday’s fun at the open house event for the Skyline Area Volunteer Fire Department included a special appreciation award from Danny Maggard and Brian McFarland with the Douglas County EMA Office. For members who were not able to attend, the internet is full of photos and videos of the event. The splendid new building was full of fire department members enjoying each other’s company, some great food and the satisfaction of knowing our vital volunteers are working in a much-improved facility. There is space for training and hopes are that some of the many new folks to the area will join in the good work of protecting the whole community.

Carol Green the “C” in the lovely trio called “TLC” has her birthday on the 6th of October. Betty Dye, past president of the Ladies Auxiliary, celebrates her birthday on the 7th. Theresa Toast, who gives us important information during bad weather, shares her birthday with Skyline kindergarten student Preslee Trujillo. Champion grandniece, Madelyn Ward celebrates on the 10th. The 11th is for newcomer Steve Conner, and the 12th is for Janet Chapin and the late Evelyn Woods Carol who used to live on Cold Springs Road. Champion Leslie Krider, Skyline fifth grader Evan Homer and third grader Tinsleigh Miller all party on the 14th. Up on C Highway, Joe Moskaly will be partying on the 15th. Happy birthday to all of you.

It happens that both Colorado and Georgia have Douglas Counties. To get to the one in Georgia one might leave the HOBA festival and wind down through Arkansas, then try to skirt Memphis to get on some rough roads in Mississippi. Do this in some moderate to torrential rain with various vehicles hydroplaning off into deep ditches. Cross over into Alabama for beautiful road conditions. The road surfaces are wonderfully smooth and the right of ways perfectly manicured. The welcome center in Georgia is enormous and well appointed. A brochure in the entryway there details the many features of Douglas County including a Butterfly Trail. It may be that Colorado’s Douglas County has a butterfly trail as well. That calls for another adventure. This adventure, all the way to Atlanta, has Booger County residents hesitant to wear their KC Chiefs gear, their team having recently trounced the Falcons. Chief’s fans are delighted that the team is undefeated so far. It is a dangerous hard-hitting game with frequent injuries. With luck players can recover quickly.

How the country will recover from the ‘biblical’ devastation of Helene is to be seen. Often in the past we have observed that catastrophic events draw people together and bring out the most compassionate and helpful parts of us. Our hearts go out to all those suffering and we do not take for granted our good fortune in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

 

Autumn has arrived right on schedule. Sudden hard rains Sunday evening washed the dust off our lush green spring growth. Persimmons are about to ripen and walnut trees that have not borne fruit in years are heavy-laden and breaking limbs. Squirrels are busy gathering those ankle breakers and the Hammons people will be buying them starting October 7th. Meanwhile, deer will be feasting on the persimmons that Grannie did not pick to make a nice green persimmon pie for some unsuspecting newcomer.

Not all the 500 students attending The Future Farmers of America Greenhand Leadership Conference on Tuesday were in the Mountain Grove Pharmacy that afternoon eating ice cream, but it was standing room only. A sea of smiles and blue jackets. There were 27 chapters of the FFA represented and many of them were in the drug store. It is heartening to see the young people who are getting ready to feed the country before long. Thank you in advance!

The brand-new Skyline Firehouse got its start back in 2020 with a grant from the Central Ozarks Council of Governments and a Community Development Block Grant from the Feds and HUD. There is to be an Open House celebrating its completion starting at 4:00 p.m. Saturday the 28th. It is a big red beauty. The Skyline VFD has long needed this upgrade, and hopes are the facility will encourage new volunteers. All our first responder volunteer firefighters have worked to make this happen and have worked protecting our lives and property, some of them for decades. Thank you for your dedication and service, and Party On! Many remember all the years of the pre-pandemic Skyline Picnics. The new firehose sits about where the old bingo parlor stood. In its last years, it barely stood, but those games—bingo, ring toss, dime toss, silent auction, duck pond, archery, bounce house, cake walk, etc. made for great community fun. The cook shack was legendary for the good food and there was always topnotch entertainment down on the stage. Local merchants were generous with donations for door prizes. The picnic was much more than a fund raiser for the VFD, it was a community gathering where seldom seen friends could reunite and catch up. The stage and cook shack are still there. We will see what happens in years to come.

We remember the old days of Dale and Betty Thomas down at ‘the end of the world’ in Yates with the Pioneer Descendant’s Gathering. Those were some good times. We are enjoying more good times with the 7th annual Pioneer Heritage Festival of the Ozarks on October 4th and 5th. Sherry Bennett does an outstanding job of rounding up young musicians for the Youth Talent Show. She is right in the middle of music all over the place and is much appreciated for her efforts. Just the other night when the sheriff was struggling his way through “The Folsom Prison Blues” at the Vanzant Jam, she came to the rescue with the lyrics on her tablet. The sheriff and the road commissioner stopped in to explain the Local Use Tax that will appear on the November ballot. It’s not an additional tax, but an accounting issue that will return to Douglas County a portion of the sales taxes paid on internet purchases and Wal-Mart pickup. That money will come back to Douglas County from the state to be allocated to the general revenue fund, the county road departments and the sheriff’s office.

This is an exciting time of the year with so much going on. Baker Creek folks over by Mansfield invite you to celebrate the harvest and autumn at their farm and pioneer Village on October 6th and 7th. This has grown into an enormous event during recent years.

Prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers in each age division of the 5K Run and Walk at Skyline School on Saturday, October 5th. Free registration starts at 8, and the race starts at 9. All ages are welcome, including great-grandmothers of Skyline students. On October 1st, sixth grader Myson Loveless shares his birthday with the Prominent Champion who is annually reminded: “If you act like you are having a good time, soon you will forget you are acting, and you will really be having a good time!” That is also the big day for Champion Jana Brixey and the day we remember Pete Mullens. Mahatma Gandhi was born October 2, 1869. William Tucker Clark was born on that day in 2015. His grandpa Gary will celebrate on the 3rd as will fifth grader Evan Homer. The 4th of October is the special day for sisters Karen Fae Upshaw Krider and Linda Kaye Upshaw Johnston, special Champions. President Jimmy Carter was born October 1st, 1924. He is about to be 100 years old. He and Rosalynn were married for more than 77 years.

Bud Hutchison’s Memorial Trail ride will take out of Champion on Wednesday, October 9th. Riders who never had the chance to meet Bud will hear the great stories about him that go way back. Lots of ice cream will be enjoyed and epic yarns will be spun on the wide veranda of the Historic Emporium at the end of the trail in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!