July 5, 2010
CHAMPION—July 5, 2010
Champion again finds itself uplifted and improved by the observance of the Nation’s Birthday. Grand Marshall, Dustin Cline, led the parade in his slick, black, souped up show truck festooned with extra chrome, while his charming wife dazzled the crowd with her radiant smile and regal wave. Miss Taegan Rae Krider was this year’s Champion Parade Princess and appeared in a very fetching black and white ensemble featuring a patriotic motif in Red White and Blue. She has been enjoying the company of visiting Aunt Linda and cousin Dakota as well as other close and distant family. Over a month old now and already a full participant in all community activities, this young lady is a Champion! The parade route started in the church parking lot and proceeded out the Eastern Gate to the pavement, thence west past the city limits sign, reentering the square from the north. The Loafing Shed provided comfortable viewing while dignitaries had available to them the prime location of the Emporium West Annex Veranda. This is perhaps the most ‘green’ parade in the Nation, as there routinely is less detritus at its conclusion than at its beginnings. Not a trace is left except the fullness of heart borne of the Love and Gratitude for the Founding Fathers and their Great Idea: America! That is Champion.
The high-speed Internet connection is almost connected in Champion. The Centurylink people are out in the area getting everything in place to tie Champion to the rest of the world through the Ethernet. Cool. It will be delightful to get into the www.douglascountyherald website and rumble around. It looks as if the Champion column and all the other correspondence columns will eventually be available there. Another very interesting place to visit online will be the State Historical Society of Missouri website. It is at http://shs-umsystem.edu. Links to both these sites can be found at www.championnews.us. That is also the place to see photos of Jr. Mudd, who won the silent auction at Henson’s Store for the Skyline Mascot Monkey of the Month for June. The picture of July’s monkey will soon be there as well, together with a good color photo of the Skyline Picnic Quilt. It is a real beauty! The Ladies Auxiliary will have had it’s meeting on Tuesday the 6th dealing with preparations for the Skyline Picnic coming up on the 13th and 14th of August. The picnic season is in full swing now, so there will be many chances to meet up with friends and family while supporting local community efforts. This is a good time of the year in this excellent part of the world.
Esther Wrinkles said that Rege Kelly’s 4th of July celebration in Norwood was another great success. She said there was a great turn-out and the music and fireworks were good. She had a dozen for dinner at her house and spent some of the rest of the holiday fishing. She went with Larry and Theresa to a springfed pond down by Hunter Creek. It is a comfortable place to fish and she caught quiet a few. Fishing is good pastime anytime.
That bunch of tree-huggers were together again at the Mill Pond for the Fourth. Old acquaintances made the time to reacquaint with news of empty nesting and grandchildren and a wide variety of other topics. It seems that there will be many people turning sixty-four this year. “Will you still need me? Will you still feed me when I’m sixty-four?” Back when the Beatles wrote this song, sixty-four seemed old! Gardening was a great topic of conversation during the afternoon. A nasty little black flea-beetle has appeared in profusion to wreck havoc in many gardens. Dave Miller has 500 yellow tomato plants out over in Woodpeckerville and many others elsewhere—a new variety with which he seems quite taken is called “Hillbilly Delight.” There was also much conversation concerning the Viet Nam Memorial Wall that was brought to Cabool. Some had been to see it and some were unwilling to go because of the deep emotion that it evokes. Jan Liebert from over at Teeter Creek said that she receives the new public radio station from Cabool well at her place. She said that Sandy Ray Chapin had been on the radio in marathon since the evening of the first. He was interviewing Veterans who had come to see the wall. As he told their stories he played the music that they were listening to while they were serving over there. Jan said that Sandy was doing a splendid job. This is a great radio station that some people are just now discovering. It is KZ88.1 on the FM dial. They play a lot of local music and focus on local events of interest. A link to their website, www.mykz88.org can be found in the www.championnews.us site. World affairs, philosophy and politics were fairly well hashed out among the group as a potluck feast of mammoth proportions was consumed. The day passed sweetly, another year gone by.
The 7th and 8th will both be good days to plant root crops. The 11th and 12th will be first good days of the month to plant crops that bear their yield above the ground. This is from Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood. Gardeners are reminded that now is a good time to plant for a nice fall harvest. Citizens are also reminded that it is important to be registered to vote by August the 3rd for the upcoming primary elections. It is to be noted that the complaints of nonparticipating observers bear little weight. It has been said that the General has been having a little trouble bearing his own weight. Champions all wish him good luck in getting the lead out and getting back to his routine mischief making and surprise hijinx. The fun quotient slips a little when the General is not quite up to snuff.
Amble on over to the Loafing Shed on the West Side of the Square. It is adjacent to the Temporary Annex and offers an excellent vantage point for kibitzing the construction of the replica of the Historic Emporium. A substantial amount of fine pea gravel now covers the water pipes inside the foundation. It is obvious that progress is pending, just about to break out all over. The changes will be substantial if not what one might call swift in the here and now. Time is so subjective. “Send me a postcard, drop me a line, stating point of view. Indicate precisely what you mean to say, Yours sincerely, wasting away.” There are still available plenty of those Champion Picture Postcards with views of the previous permutation of the most pleasant place around. Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!
