March 8, 2010
CHAMPION—March 8, 2010
Champions greet the second week of March with routine optimism and great waves of gratitude. The big news is the wonderful success of the Skyline VFD Chili Supper. It was a delight to see old friends greeting each other again after the long winter and enjoying the time just to hang out together. In addition to the need to raise funds for the fire department, the communities seem to need the wonderful tradition of this great mix and mingle. People come from all around— Ava, Dora, Drury, Brushy Knob, Buckheart. Gainsville, Macomb, Mansfield, Mountain Grove, Rockbridge, Springfield, Squires, Sweden, Vanzant, and maybe even Spotted Hog and other quaint places! Champions were well represented and days later are still all smiles from the experience.
Ruby Proctor’s friends were happy to see her smiling face again. She was there with her daughter, Barbara. Esther Littrel came with her daughter Jeanie Maddox. Irene Dooms enjoyed the evening with her sister, Esther Wrinkles and Esther’s son, Larry and his wife Teresa were there. Eva Powell had the company of her daughter, Sondra and grandson, Bryan, as well as her firefighter son, Donald. Ellie Web came with her Grandmother, Vickie Dooms. Lannie Hinote escorted Violet. Elva Ragland and her friend, Retha Forrest, from over at Rockbridge enjoyed the evening as did Sally Prock of Ava. Van Kelly, the James Brixie family and myriad Upshaws were in attendance. It will take until next week to recall all the names! Check in on the www.championnews website soon to see pictures of some of the bands and lots of the people including Dale and Betty Thomas.
Terry Chastain of Ava won the Queen Star Quilt in the drawing at the end of the evening. It was a timely win for him as he had lost his home in a fire last fall. He is a new member of the Skyline Fire Department and a welcome one.
The General and his cronies had a good time. Sorting out their various yarns will take every bit of a week. There were at least two versions of the Three Lads Hunting Incident, which has also been called The Great Mailbox Shooting. There was some talk about how one of the boys had ‘broke down’ under interrogation. Another version of the incident came on line from an anonymous source who claims to have been the triggerman. He said that the owner of the mailbox complained about only getting bills in the mail and was thinking about just tearing the blamed thing down so he and his friends came along one night and decided to help him out with the tearing down by shoving a twelve gauge shotgun in the front of the mailbox and pulling the trigger. He claimed not to know anything about the hollow log. Someone said that Cletus Upshaw’s mailbox was shot up much worse but that he never complained. Kenneth Anderson said that his dad, Homer Anderson, enjoyed cornbread and sweetmilk and as he was emptying the jar of milk into his cornbread one evening he discovered a big old crawdaddy in the bottom of the jug. Cletus was blamed for that on account of his having fetched it up from the spring and someone said that it was only a few years ago that Cletus owned up to having done that. It seems like there is right smart of owning up going on these days. The General promised the straight skinny on a well-known story about a certain Champion stepping over a log. Anticipation of that revelation is flat palpable.
There was great competition for Esther’s coconut pie. Murphy, Peggy Hancock, and Bob Berry dueled it out and Bob walked away with it for a mere forty bucks! A value! That Sue Murphy collects Tonka Trucks was just one of the excellent pieces of information gleaned during the evening.
There was a man by the name of Harold Goodnight at the Chili Supper. He had a diamond in his ear and Steve Moody said he was in the witness protection program and was masquerading as a base player. He proved out, however, as he played with the Green Mountain Messengers. They always do such a good job. It was nice to see D.J. of the Backyard Bluegrass, still being a nice young man after having achieved fame in the movies. Spring Creek played some great tunes and that duo of David Richardson and Erin Akers played some love songs that might have caused a couple to leave early. Big Creek finished off the evening with a very professional performance of some very good music in those nice blue plaid shirts. Champions and Skyline Firefighters are grateful that all these talented people are so willing to share their gifts with the community in support of the fire department. MC Steve Moody grew up just over in Macomb. He said that the nice thing about this part of the country is how people rally around each other. He said that folks around here can put a benefit together at the drop of a hat. He said that the Vanzant Community building can fill up at a moments notice when there is a need. “It’s just wonderful,” he says. Champions concur.
For the sake of brevity (“What a joke!” says one Old Champion.) the discussion of the controversy over the names of Bill Emory’s new Halflinger team, the reason that the Skyline VFD has chosen the monkey as its official mascot (some fire departments use Dalmatians) and the merits of the New Fire Truck and dispensation of the old one will all have to wait for next week. Linda’s Almanac says that the 10th through the 12th will be good times to plant root crops. The Disabled American Veterans association reports that after last month’s tragic earthquake in Haiti, American troops were among the first to hit the ground—providing security, flying in food, medicine, and saving lives. At any time, our troops can be called to deal with the gravest hazards. Champions do not forget to express Love and Gratitude for those who serve.
Send any Champion news or stories to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or to Champion at getgoin.net. Step up on the porch at Henson’s Store for a view that will do your heart good. (A complete set of Champion Picture Post Cards—all ten—brought ten dollars in the silent auction—another value!) Sing that old song, “When you are bending low and many evils your life betide and you almost lose your courage, Look! The shadows are lifting. Look! The dark clouds are rifting. Look on the brighter side—the brighter side!” That will be Champion!
