Champion News

CHAMPION—April 26, 2010

        Champions remarking on the need for rain may have caused it to happen.  It was welcome, certainly, from whatever source.  Champion friends spent a few moments on the phone describing their roof leaks to each other and coming to the marvelous conclusion they do only leak when it rains!  Others are grumbling about having to mow the whole place again, while having the dust out of the air and so many shades of green to enjoy, another walks smiling as if a veil were suddenly lifted from her eyes.  Enlightenment?  No, enlightenment is when some lovely Champion stands of a Saturday noontime pouring water from the kettle to make a nice cup of tea, and while not touching the electric stove, experiences something quite like the experience of touching an electric fence…things get very bright for a second.  That is a cup of tea with an enlightening buzz as Ms. Powell will surely agree.  Lightening struck her telephone pedestal out in the middle of nowhere and blew it to smithereens leaving a substantial crater behind and sending explosive and damaging shock waves further down line.  Sunday in Champion often has people feeling Gratitude.

        “Well, I ought to just have let that old truck run right over me.  If it ran right over my stomach I would die and then you would be sorry.”  This is the response of a brother who was called to task for having intentionally hurt his little sister.  He slumps dejected down on the ground, somehow requiring comfort himself, making the injuries to his younger sibling less egregious by his own suffering.  The end result will be an amazingly strong little girl.  With any luck at all she will not buy into the guilt of having caused her poor brother all that terrible punishment on account of her.  She is sorry he is in trouble because he is really wonderful and she really loves him and thinks he is the best big brother ever.  The beat goes on and may well be the training ground that causes a young lady to take stock of her situation.  She may decide to maintain a purse of her own.  That is to say, the more responsibility a person takes for him/herself, the fewer other people’s rules and conditions apply.  And later in life, a lady might find that financial acuity serves her well in terms of the choices she has the opportunity to make.

        A note came from Ed Peterka concerning the Barren Fork Spring Pre 1840 Black powder Rendezvous, which occurred on April 17^th and 18^th out north of Gainesville.  Those folks can be seen again at the Pioneer Descendant’s Gathering.  Dale Garrison sent e-mail from Dale and Betty Thomas with the flyer for that exciting event which will occur on October 2^nd and 3^rd this year.  Watch for the familiar flyer in all the local posting spots and on the www.championnews.us site.  The Denlow School Reunion will be coming up on Memorial Day and the Fairview Reunion will be the First Saturday in June.  Champion and its neighbors are in the full swing of the social season.  Already the Skyline Area Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary Picnic Society is making it known that the Skyline Picnic will be held August 13^th and 14^th and it will be another sterling event.  Friday, the 30^th of April, will end the Silent Auction for the April Mascot Monkey of the Month.  This is a Picnic Society feature set up to help the Skyline Fire Department make its big old fire truck payment.  The May Monkey will be appearing in Henson’s Store for inspection very soon.  Someone said, “Take the ‘k’ out of monkey and you have money!”  Money for the VFD!  Excellent!  Those Picnic Society Ladies are a lot of fun and they willing open their purse to help an excellent cause.

        Infrequent visitors to Champion will be surprised to find new buildings on the square!  The most recent addition can only be described as a ‘loafing shed.’  Adjacent to the temporary store building, this structure will serve to accommodate the various social functions that have always been a part of the store ambiance and it will also serve as a haven for the otiose.  These interim concessions have to be made not so much for the sake of progress as for the sake of maintenance of a good thing.  Everything will be back to normal in no time so, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”  That song was written in 1988 by Bobby McFerrin who performed it a cappella, though Bob Marley and a number of others recorded it over the years.  “In every life we have some trouble, when you worry you make it double.”  That is certainly a fine sentiment that even Bob Chadwell can appreciate, though it is unclear how he is connected to this affair since he is no longer the official Champion mail carrier.  That is an office being performed quite nicely by Karen Goss.  Champion!

        April’s full moon will occur on the 28^th.  The last few days of the month will be good for planting root crops, flowers and starting seedbeds.  It is also a good time to prune to encourage growth.  This is from Linda’s Almanac from the Plant Place over in Norwood.  Her hard work really pays off for the gardeners of the area.  Incidentally, Linda was the winner of the Fortnight bridge game hosted by Champion on Saturday.  A player from Champion East substituted for the Vera Cruz player and also furnished a delicious blueberry cake for the refreshments.  She and the Brushy Knob player came in second a third and Champion kept the nickels as the low scorer.

        Every opera lover has heard of the Pirates of Penzance.  It is a comic opera in two acts.  The Champion version is called the General of Vanzant and it can be seen most Thursdays at Plumbers—a singular act.  “The greatest gift in life is knowing folks like you.”  Champions surely do.  Champions are a tenderhearted lot especially when it comes to Veterans.

        Send good Champion news to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or to Champion News.  Visit Champion in transition and know that you are experiencing history while you are looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION–April 19, 2010

        Champion is a bustling place–full of commerce, community and fellowship.  As for commerce, Henson’s Store on the North Side of the square is opening an annex on the West Side of the Square to serve as temporary quarters while the Historic Emporium undergoes some rehabilitation.  It may be disruptive and as a consequence a curiosity, but the end result will be that nothing of significance will have changed visibly while the substructure is vastly updated and stabilized.  As to community, the Skyline Area Volunteer Fire Department Ladies’ Auxiliary held its post Chili Supper meeting on Tuesday the 13^th.  Those attending were President Betty Dye, Betty Henson, Esther Wrinkles, Fae Krider, Louise Hutchison, Sharon Sikes, Wilda Moses, and Susie, Karen and Tamara Griswold.  President Dye runs a tight productive meeting and the group addressed a few issues concerning upcoming events as well as some infrastructure maintenance.  The next meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, June 1^st, at 7 p.m. at Henson’s Store.  Any fire department member interested in participating in the auxiliary is welcome to attend.  The refreshments are always delightful and the company is just splendid.  And finally, as to fellowship.  Champion is the perfect place to take a break from the arduous chores of farm living.  One can sit back with an orange soda or a Starbucks Frappaccino and pass the time of day with some of the most colorful and reticent yokels to be found.  They are Champions!

        It is easy to get behind with chores or with the news.  For those who have missed a couple of weeks, those complete articles are available in the Archives section of the Champion News.

1. Champion is a place that accepts change gracefully and maintains its core values.
2. Revisionism has a limited place in human affairs and is generally considered to be dangerous and fraught with potential for misunderstanding and conflict when everyone will not participate in the revising.
3. Dillon Watts was in town with his entourage for the April First Celebration.
4. The General: Hijacked the Easter Parade; Was compared favorably with Ebenezer Scrooge in that Ebenezer’s run-in with Bob Marley’s ghost caused him thereafter to keep the Spirit of Christmas all year and in a similar fashion, the General faithfully maintains the spirit of the First of April all year though nobody has determined what has caused him to be like this.
5. Sharon Upshaw was recently recognized as having the Sweetest Smile in Missouri in a gala banquet celebrating her thirty-fifth wedding anniversary and that of the General which, curiously enough, is on the same day.  There was a great feast, much music and the joy of family and friends wishing them continued happiness.
6. Bob Marley and Jacob Marley were confused.  Jacob Marley was the ghost, and Jacob Coon put the winning bid in on the March Mascot Monkey to help the Skyline VFD make it’s big truck payment.  Bob Marley sang, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” and Bob Chadwell, erstwhile route 2 mail carrier, has a big bid in on the April Monkey in the month long silent auction.
7. Bob Berry had a birthday on the 14^th of April and several people paid taxes the next day and celebrated birthdays: Vivian Floyd, GG Jones and Dusty Mike, a disproportionately fortunate individual, who was spirited away by his ultra charming spouse to an adventurous sojourn that took him places he had never been.

That is seven salient excerpts.

        An email has come from Vicky Dooms.  “I am making a pile of things to bring for the picnic to donate.” [to the silent auction]

        Walt Whitman wrote, “In the door-yard fronting an old farm-house, near the white-wash’d palings, Stands the lilac bush, tall-growing, with heart-shaped leaves of rich green, With many a pointed blossom, rising, delicate, with the perfume strong I love, With every leaf a miracle……and from this bush in the door-yard, With delicate-color’d blossoms, and heart-shaped leaves of rich green, A sprig, with its flower, I break.”  This is from the poem “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed” that was written as an elegy shortly after the assassination of President Lincoln in the month of April.  It has been since then often used to honor fallen soldiers.  It has its place now.  Various composers have set the piece to music, though many prefer just the beauty of the words to convey the deep sense of loss.  Love and Gratitude for their service is the due of all those serving the Nation in the dangerous parts of the world.

        “The barefoot boy with his shoes on came running down the street with his pants all full of pockets and his shoes all full of feet.”  This is part of one of the printable verses of “It’s Aint a Gonna Rain No More.”  Of course, it would be very nice if a good rain would come drifting toward Champion.  Things are mighty dry and it may be affecting the mushrooms as well as the fire hazard and the overeager gardeners.

        Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says that the 16^th and 17^th and the 20^th and 21^st will be excellent days for planting crops that bear their yield above the ground.  All the blooming beautiful things just go to make Nature Lovers happy, but Grace Slick sings, “You’re only as pretty as you feel inside, only as pretty as you feel.”  This is the time of the year when the underutilized muscles…those lax from winter sloth are making themselves known.  Some old Champion Nature Lovers are hitting the anti-inflammatory tablets heavily and relying on horse liniment and Epsom salts to get them in good enough condition to get back out there and accomplish something.  The trouble with these old timers is they still have the ambition of young people…just not the steam.

        Report on your steam and how pretty you feel at Champion Items, Rt.  2, Box 367 Norwood, MO. 65717 or at Champion News.  Steam on in to Downtown Champion for a quality look at the Bright Side!

CHAMPION–April 12, 2010

        If this seems familiar, it is because for some reason the Herald repeated the previous week’s article, then did not print at all the following week.  It is their newspaper!

        Champions, alert to the inevitability of change, welcome it with the same ease and grace with which the seasons come and go.  Even so.  Let it be.  The genuine heart of Champion does not change, however, the part that acknowledges the importance of good neighbors and good deeds and that part that recognizes and celebrates the beauty of the place.

        Someone said that the farther down the hill a person goes, the more magnificent the view from the summit is remembered.  That is not entirely revisionism as the beauty of a moment is often only clear in retrospect.  Revisionism itself can serve the lofty purpose of sparing the old folks back home the worry when a young person is newly out in the big world experiencing unexpected adversity.  It can also spare the young person from the sting of an “I told you so” from those old folks.  Personal matters are eventually resolved.  In bigger matters, saying something over and over does not make it so and one is cautioned to be alert to the darker side of revisionism and collective deception.  Champions rely on their own memories for history and are not easily dissuaded from the truth.

        The big build up for the All Fool’s Day Fandango at Plummers was not big enough.  The place was jumping!  Champions, Tennessee boys, denizens of Denlow and Drury joined with the Vanzantians to swell the ranks of the celebrators until soon it was hard to tell the spectators from the spectacles.  “Now look here, some of you in the audience are going to have to go outside so we can get more musicians in here!”  That was the General’s idea of the way to handle things.  Once he settled down musicians continued to come and go.  Esther Wrinkles said at one point there were nineteen playing at once.  The crowd was twice that big and every one of them having a good time.  Wayne Anderson sat next to Jerry Wagner, the yodeling fiddler, and they sang The Wabash Cannon Ball and Wayne did his famous train whistle.  There were a number of young musicians in the group as well as the regulars who make Thursday such a high spot in the local week.  It is lovely to see the established, practiced, accomplished musicians being generous and encouraging with the younger ones.  While in the music business it is true that everyone has to pay his dues, it is also true that everyone needs a chance and a place to start.  The evening started off with a good joke on Himself, as the General ordered his burger and fries.  “Order up!” and he was served a burger that measured somewhat larger than a quarter but less than a silver dollar and the tiniest little French fries you ever saw!  Not everyone saw it, but everyone heard about it and the generally good natured General had a good laugh about it along with the pranksters.  It was said of Ebenezer Scrooge, after his run in with Bob Marley’s ghost, that he thereafter kept the spirit of Christmas every day.  That is the way the General is about April Fool’s Day.  About any day of the year he can be found up to some sort of mischief.  He hijacked the Champion Easter Parade and had it organized, orchestrated and over on Saturday afternoon!  It was quite a surprise to Easter Sunday parade goers to have missed it by 24 hours.  He and his great nephew, Dillon Watts, took center stage at Henson’s on the North Side of the Square and performed some tunes that many more would have been happy to hear had he only made a courtesy call or two ….  Well, no use beating a dead horse.  That was Jacob Marley, anyway, not Bob Marley.  Bob Marley sings, “Don’t’ worry.  Be Happy.”

        Ms. Mae Grell of Louisville, NE reads the Champion column in her neighbor’s paper every week so she is pretty close to being a Champion already.  She wrote about the bumper stickers mentioned recently as having been some of the favorites of some Marines.  “If you can read this, thank a teacher.  If you can read it in English, thank a Marine.”  It really struck a cord with her though it is unclear if she is a teacher or a Marine or both or neither.  She likes the sentiment, though and doubtlessly joins all her fellow Champions in extending Love and Gratitude to all those in uniform serving in the dangerous parts of the world.

        The website Champion News has a good picture of young Jacob Coon and this March Monkey as he was high bidder in the Silent Auction that ended at 5 pm on March 31st.  The proceeds of the auction are destined to help the Skyline Area Volunteer Fire Department to make its Fire Truck payment.  The April Monkey has already sparked some spirited bidding as Bob Chadwell, the erstwhile Route 2 Mail carrier, and a Champion from Champion East battle it out.  They both are determined to have it and it is indeed a lovely monkey.  Go on down to Henson’s Store and give it a look.  Bidding closes April 30^th.  It seems like each monkey has its own personality. 

        The fourteenth of April is Bob Berry’s birthday.  It is also the New Moon and a day to prune to discourage growth…a good day for a haircut.  The 15^th is also a good day to prune to discourage growth and to pay your taxes! It could be a good day to weed the garden or to celebrate the birthday of Dustin Cline who shares his birthday with Vivian Floyd and G. Gary Jones.  One would have to know all three of them to determine that there is something to astrology.  There definitely seems to be something to it.  Amazing.  The 16^th and 17^th will both be good days to plant crops that bear their yield above ground and to transplant.  This is according to Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood.  While many have been daydreaming about getting Lem and Ned to come pick rocks, cut sprouts and plow, Linda has already been quite busy.  She has about anything a person might need to get a good start in the garden, including her Almanac for April.  Pick one up there or look on the Champion website to print one out for yourself.

        The thirty-fifth wedding anniversary of Robert and Sharon Upshaw was the focus of a pleasant evening over at the Skyline School on Saturday night.  A sumptuous pot-luck spread was laid out and some very tasty cake was enjoyed by a good sized crowd composed of kinfolks and kindred spirits.  There were plenty of jokes going around and a slideshow featuring the couple from their youth to their present…still quite young, at heart, at least.  Robert joined Buzz Woods, Kirby Clark, Wayne Anderson, Jerry Wagner, Linda Anderson, and Sue Murphy in making some lively music to the delight everyone.  Jerry Wagner said, “It takes a big dog to weigh a ton.”  The General said, “Fifty pounds of flour would make a big biscuit.”  Nobody knows why they said those things.  It probably does not matter.

        “Going up Cripple Creek, goin in a run.  Goin up Cripple Creek to have a little fun.  Going up Cripple Creek goin in a whirl.  Goin up Cripple Creek to see my girl!”  Champion, Dillon Watts lives over in Tennessee near Cripple Creek the same way Champions live on Fox Creek or Clever Creek.  Probably there are some tunes about Fox Creek too.  If you don’t know one, make one up and come on down to Henson’s Store on the North Side of the Square in the heart of the entertainment district of Historic Downtown Champion any afternoon and give it a try out on the locals passing the time on the promenade.  Send a copy of it to Champion News or to Champion Items, Rt.  2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  Buy a Champion picture postcard and transcribe your Fox Creek Song to share with distant friends and family marooned elsewhere out in the big dreary world.  Pick up their spirits and help them remember Champion–Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION–April 5, 2010

        Champions, alert to the inevitability of change, welcome it with the same ease and grace with which the seasons come and go.  Even so.  Let it be.  The genuine heart of Champion does not change, however, the part that acknowledges the importance of good neighbors and good deeds and that part that recognizes and celebrates the beauty of the place.

        Someone said that the farther down the hill a person goes, the more magnificent the view from the summit is remembered.  That is not entirely revisionism as the beauty of a moment is often only clear in retrospect.  Revisionism itself can serve the lofty purpose of sparing the old folks back home the worry when a young person is newly out in the big world experiencing unexpected adversity.  It can also spare the young person from the sting of an “I told you so” from those old folks.  Personal matters are eventually resolved.  In bigger matters, saying something over and over does not make it so and one is cautioned to be alert to the darker side of revisionism and collective deception.  Champions rely on their own memories for history and are not easily dissuaded from the truth.

        The big build up for the All Fool’s Day Fandango at Plumbers was not big enough.  The place was jumping!  Champions, Tennessee boys, denizens of Denlow and Drury joined with the Vanzantians to swell the ranks of the celebrators until soon it was hard to tell the spectators from the spectacles.  “Now look here, some of you in the audience are going to have to go outside so we can get more musicians in here!”  That was the General’s idea of the way to handle things.  Once he settled down musicians continued to come and go.  Esther Wrinkles said at one point there were nineteen playing at once.  The crowd was twice that big and every one of them having a good time.  Wayne Anderson sat next to Jerry Wagner, the yodeling fiddler, and they sang The Wabash Cannon Ball and Wayne did his famous train whistle.  There were a number of young musicians in the group as well as the regulars who make Thursday such a high spot in the local week.  It is lovely to see the established, practiced, accomplished musicians being generous and encouraging with the younger ones.  While in the music business it is true that everyone has to pay his dues, it is also true that everyone needs a chance and a place to start.  The evening started off with a good joke on Himself, as the General ordered his burger and fries.  “Order up!” and he was served a burger that measured somewhat larger than a quarter but less than a silver dollar and the tiniest little French fries you ever saw!  Not everyone saw it, but everyone heard about it and the generally good natured General had a good laugh about it along with the pranksters.  It was said of Ebenezer Scrooge, after his run in with Bob Marley’s ghost, that he thereafter kept the spirit of Christmas every day.  That is the way the General is about April Fool’s Day.  About any day of the year he can be found up to some sort of mischief.  He hijacked the Champion Easter Parade and had it organized, orchestrated and over on Saturday afternoon!  It was quite a surprise to Easter Sunday parade goers to have missed it by 24 hours.  He and his great nephew, Dillon Watts, took center stage at Henson’s on the North Side of the Square and performed some tunes that many more would have been happy to hear had he only made a courtesy call or two ….  Well, no use beating a dead horse.  That was Jacob Marley, anyway, not Bob Marley.  Bob Marley sings, “Don’t’ worry. Be Happy.”

        Ms. Mae Grell of Louisville, NE reads the Champion column in her neighbor’s paper every week so she is pretty close to being a Champion already.  She wrote about the bumper stickers mentioned recently as having been some of the favorites of some Marines.  “If you can read this, thank a teacher.  If you can read it in English, thank a Marine.”  It really struck a cord with her though it is unclear if she is a teacher or a Marine or both or neither.  She likes the sentiment, though and doubtlessly joins all her fellow Champions in extending Love and Gratitude to all those in uniform serving in the dangerous parts of the world.

Jacob Coon was the high bidder for the first ever Mascot Monkey Silent Auction which ended at 5 pm on March 31st.  The proceeds of the auction are destined to help the Skyline Area Volunteer Fire Department to make its Fire Truck payment.  The Monkey had been on display at Henson’s Store in Downtown Champion for about ten days while the bidding took place.  There were a number of bidders and Jacob happened to be at the right place at the right time.  For those who missed out on this auction, the next one has already begun with the April Monkey on the bidding block at Henson’s Store.  It can also be seen on line at www.championnews.us. There is also a very good picture there of young Jacob and his March Monkey.  Go look.  It seems like each of these monkeys has its own personality.

        The sixth, seventh and eighth will all be good days to plant root crops according to Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood.  The next good time for root crops will be the eleventh through the thirteenth.  Any of these days will be good to set out onions or any of those nice Cole crops.  While many have been daydreaming about getting Lem and Ned to come pick rocks, cut sprouts and plow, Linda has already been quite busy.  She has about anything a person might need to get a good start in the garden, including her Almanac for April.

        “ Going up Cripple Creek, goin in a run.  Goin up Cripple Creek to have a little fun.  Going up Cripple Creek goin in a whirl.  Goin up Cripple Creek to see my girl!”  Champion, Dillon Watts lives over in Tennessee near Cripple Creek the same way Champions live on Fox Creek or Clever Creek.  Probably there are some tunes about Fox Creek too.  If you don’t know one, make one up and come on down to Henson’s Store on the North Side of the Square in the heart of the entertainment district of Historic Downtown Champion any afternoon and give it a try out on the locals passing the time on the promenade.  Buy a Champion picture postcard and transcribe your Fox Creek Song to share with distant friends and family marooned elsewhere out in the big dreary world.  Pick up their spirits and help them remember Champion–Looking on the Bright Side!