February 22, 2016
CHAMPION—February 22, 2016
An Old Champion was working out in his shop late Wednesday morning when he heard and then saw the largest flock of geese he had ever seen. They filled the sky as far as he could see from south to north. He suspects the open waters of the Lake of the Ozarks, and Truman Lake and the prospect of gleaning fields of grain have them on the move. On Sunday morning February 21st (Happy Birthday Joanna!) there were daffodils already showing their beautiful butter hue. In the weeks ahead the countryside is slated to be well buttered with daffodils and perhaps with snow, ice, and/or mud. It will be what it will be in Champion.
The big beautiful news for the Skyline Area Volunteer Fire Department comes because Marjorie Carter, Linda Keyes and Darlene Stigall of The Downtown Pawn Shop on the Square in Mountain Grove put their heads together and decided to make a generous and substantial donation to the Skyline VFD for its annual fund raiser. The gift (Thank you, Dear Ladies.) is a dobro. It is a gorgeous thing in a good case with a slide bar and a couple of finger picks, plus a book that tells a person how to teach him/herself to play the dobro. The instrument made its debut at the Wednesday Salon in Downtown Champion where the first tickets sold were to The General Himself! (He sets a fine example for his sister and nephews, Dailey and Dean, in attendance, as well as the rest of us.) Thursday night the wonderful instrument was on display at the Vanzant Bluegrass Jam, where tickets sold like hot-cakes and from whence a call is going out for local dobro players to make it to the jam this Thursday to demonstrate the power, range, brilliance and lovely tone of the instrument. It will be like that old song, “The Touch of the Master’s Hand,” where a disreputable looking fiddle was not getting bids at an auction until some old guy picked it up and played the daylights out of it. ‘Johnson’ is the maker of the dobro, but the year is not known. It is in lovely condition and can be inspected at Henson’s Grocery and Gas on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion as well as at the Recreation of the Historic Emporium. The Skyline Auxiliary will be meeting there on the 1st of March as the particulars of the upcoming chili super are being finalized. Everyone is welcome to participate in the good community effort to support the little volunteer fire department that provides us with help when we need it most. The meeting starts at 6:30. J.C. Owsley was the first to address an envelope “Dobro Tickets, c/o The Champion News, Rt. 72 Box 367, Norwood, MO. 65717.” He has 12 chances to win for his ten bucks and his friends here wish him good luck.
Birthday celebrations this week start with Drayson and Carson Cline’s dear Mom. It was just 12 years ago that her friends and family gathered at Skyline School one Saturday night to celebrate her 21st birthday. She is having all kinds of fun with those little guys. She shares the day with Judi Pennington over on Tar Button Road who is already planning her morel mushroom holiday. Ava’s Farmers’ Market guy, Arne Arhnstat, celebrates on the 24th. Matty Hutsell is a kindergarten student at Skyline and her happy birthday song will get sung on the 27th. One of Ruby’s boys, Frankie Proctor, will celebrate on the 29th. The Champion News salutes you all! Huzza!
It was sweet to see young Drayson and Carson on Sunday. They are growing quickly and will soon not be babies. A new arrival to Champion is a nice young man named Chace. He is around three years old and will walk right up to shake your hand. There is some speculation that he will be a politician, but time will tell and no one will hold it against him. He might be the good one that will show up at just the right time. Old folks at a distance from their own grandchildren just love the little ones they are with. It is hard to remember being young parents. It was so long ago and recollections of the hectic business of making a living and ‘riding loose herd’ on a houseful of youngsters fade. The day to day struggles seem not to play a big part in the memories of old folks. Shala Clark and her husband have three children. She says, “My oldest, Brylee, is 5. She has been a great helper with the baby. She is a little mother hen to any children younger than herself. Kabela is 4. She loves to play and cuddle her kitty. Our newest is a little boy, Tucker. He is 4 months old.” Shala said that she would like to start offering a babysitting service here in the area, “…since I am home so much more now.” She would like to keep children in the age range of her own and during regular business hours. Her number is 417-259-7969. Her Champion friends wish her good luck in this endeavor and are glad to remember those days of youth and vigor when a house full of children was a joy and no trouble at all.
It is nice to be on a road that is traveled by horses. Divots in the dirt give a clue to the direction of the travelers and occasional fragrant deposits of that good garden additive that horses make might give a clue as to when they passed that way. Mysteries are abundant in Champion. Gardeners can hardly contain themselves. Some are hauling that soil additive from near and far. Some have seedlings that they have started much too early for an early May frost. Some are sensibly spending cold days in sharpening their shovels and hoes and oiling the handles. They are removing last year’s debris from the garden and getting ready to turn pea vines back into the soil. The Skyline School students will be busy in their greenhouse and soon their garden beds will be showing the rewards of their efforts. Reports are that the archery tournament there Saturday was a great success. An uninformed person drove by in the early afternoon and was impressed at the number of cars and the overflow parking at the church across the road, but did not snap to the fact that something marvelous was going on. The mystery is revealed and soon the results of the tournament will be revealed for all those who somehow managed to miss it. On April 5th voters in the Skyline R-II School District will have the opportunity to approve a 48 cent tax levy increase which may make all the difference in the survival of our great little school. The raise in the levy will bring the amount up to $3.43, which is the minimum that would allow the district to receive additional state funding. There will be another forum on Thursday, March 24th at 7 p.m. at the school that will more fully explain the need for the increase. About 60 years ago ten little schools combined to make Skyline and it has served the area beautifully. Steve Moody says, “We value our school, students, and their education. We value our community and Skyline is the hub of the community. A little extra money once a year will help save the school and the community.” Well said! Champion– Looking on the Bright Side!
