Champion News

Daffodils drooping a little after a couple of nights of hard frost will recover and will be resiliently holding on to their role as the first and brightest harbinger of spring.  To call the weather unsettled or unusual is just to concede that the new normal is odd.  Meanwhile, some young housewife’s garden of the 1920s survives when every trace of the house is gone, the property has changed hands a dozen times and her grandchildren have become old people living in cities.  The anonymous lady, in her youth and energy, planted a few bulbs.  Her mother-in-law shared some peonies.  Lilies and iris were traded with friends.  She surely raised mustard and turnips while she was doing the laundry on the rub board, milking, churning, canning and quilting.  Her flowers survive, wild along the road side, and she is a sweet, distant ephemeral memory in Champion.

Some peaceful little spot of farm land in southern Idaho near the Utah border was the sight of the Battle of Bear River on January 29, 1863.  Perhaps because it occurred while the Civil War was raging in the east, or because it is embarrassing, history seems to have paid little attention to it.  Archeologists surveying the area along the Bear River say there are compelling signs that it is the site of an event whose gruesomeness is matched only by its obscurity.  It was the largest single massacre of Native Americans in U.S. history–The Bear River Massacre.  Too bad those Shoshone did not have the world wide web looking after them at their winter camp the way the Standing Rock Oglala Sioux have.  The Sioux have still been ravaged, robbed, and wronged, but at least they have not been slaughtered by the hundreds.  Rubber bullets, mace, pepper spray, sound cannons, attack dogs, arrests, strip searches and confinement in dog kennels have been the tools used by the corporate purchased police against peaceful, prayerful people, journalists and observers.  The great relief when the National Guard was called in was soon dispelled when the water protectors realized the Guard was there on the side of the pipeline purveyors.  Many American Military Veterans joined the camp to protect the elders and the internet watched it every day.  The national news media had its attention diverted elsewhere while indigenous peoples and environmentalists around the world engaged.  Because people are watching, there has been no “Standing Rock Massacre,” but the Black Snake Crawls on.  The struggle is not over.  It is reported that as a result of public pressure, the Bavarian owned public bank, Bayern LB, will divest $120 million from the Dakota Access Pipeline.  They say, “Wasser ist Leben—Water is Life.”  What seems most tragic here is that the market for this expensive, nasty oil will likely be short lived.  Even if good fortune prevails and a spill does not contaminate the water supply of millions of people downstream with toxins, it will likely be abandoned eventually and all of this suffering will have been for naught.

Thursday’s Vanzant Bluegrass Jam carried on a little longer than usual and it carried on without mention of Ruth Fish Collins’ birthday which occurred the very next day.  This beautiful redhead has a wonderful velvet voice and a soulful repertoire.  Happy Birthday, dear Ruth!  Shaelyn Sarginson is an eighth grade student at Skyline School.  Her birthday is March 3rd.  She shares the date with Mrs. Barker there at the school, and second grader, Rylee Sartor, will celebrate on the 6th  Linda Hetherington and Krenna Long, both up Norwood way, celebrate their special day on the 5th.  Linda is in the middle of big time bridge tournaments and Krenna is likely just keeping up with her Billy—her Sweet William.

“Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed.  Everything else is public relations,” said Eric Blair, writing as George Orwell.  By Mr. Orwell’s standard, “All the Late News from the Courthouse” definitely falls under the scope of journalism.  The song, written by Walter Darrell Haden back 1971, accurately (“very blunt and very briefly”) described the political condition of Ava in those days.  It did not get much local play at the time.  There has recently been a resurgence of interest in the song.  Sally Brown Taylor was looking for a copy of the lyrics.  She said, “My dad taught Darrell at Silver Shade and Darrell was gracious to keep in touch through the years.  My dad was Lyle Brown.  He also taught Bob Holt.  What a privilege.”  She later messaged to The Champion News Facebook page that a Haden relative had shared a photo of his hand written lyrics.  Gary Hutchison, over in Dunn, shared a copy of the song that had been transferred from a 45 rpm record to a CD.  The 45 was recorded October 25, 1971, by Darrell Hayden and The Courthouse Gang at Hilton Studio in East Nashville, Tennessee and released in late January, 1972 by State Fair Records of Nashville.  Look at www.championnews.us to see the hand written lyrics.  Professor Haden was a great friend of The Champion News and wrote many post cards with positive critiques and great encouragement.  Get some postcards of criticism or encouragement written to your elected officials at the following addresses:  Roy Blunt at 260 Russell Senate Office Bldg., Washington, D. C. 20510, to Claire McCaskill at 730 Hart Senate Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20510, or at her District Office 324 Park Central W, Ste. 101, Springfield 65806, and to Jason Smith at 118 HOB, Washington, D.C. 20515 or at his District Offices 35 Ct Square, Ste. 300, West Plains, 65775.  A member of Jason Smith’s staff will be at the Chamber of Commerce Office in Ava from 1 to 2 pm on March 2nd.  That is just off of 5 Highway by the Cox Health Clinic.  “To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.”  Voltaire said that sometime in the 1730s.

“Sit down and tell me a big one,” said Ronnie Medlock to The General on Wednesday at the Historic Emporium.  Ronnie gets back to the area every now and again just to stay in touch and he most likely got an ear full as he and The General spent quite some time visiting.  Modeen McGowin also made an appearance and caught up with some of her local friends from years gone by.  Carson and Drayson Cline are in the neighborhood from Tennessee for a few days.  They will join Chase and Luxe to make a very active younger set looking up to the older grandchildren–Taegan, Foster and Kalyssa.  Grandmothers are often some of the most happy people in the world.  More happiness comes to some Old Champions who have been adopted by a stray dog.  It would seem that Tank, the big (90 lbs.) Boxer up on Highway WW, may have made the acquaintance of a local Beagle sometime before his operation.  Young Johnnie may well be the result of that tryst.  She is a long legged, big footed individual with some very hound dog qualities.  She has had her operation and is learning from her new family not to chase cars and how to howl.  “Some friends of mine ask me to go out on a hunting spree, ‘cause there ‘ain’t a hound dog in this state that can hold a light to me.  I ate three bones for dinner today, then tried to tree a ‘coon.  You’ve got me chasin’ rabbits, scratcin’ fleas and howlin’ at the moon…” in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!