Champion News

Skyline R2 School’s Christmas Program on December 20th.

Christmas greetings came from Wes and Suzie Freeman, hillbillies at heart, living down in McKinney Texas, say they are still kicking.  Champions, Royce and Jody Henson, celebrated 61 years of marriage on December 13th.  They have long Champion roots and leanings.  Herbie Johnston, whose birthday is the day before winter starts, has had a nice thing happen.  He fiddles in the Possum Trot Band, nominated for Album of the Year with SPBGMA Midwest (Society for the Preservation of Blue Grass Music in America).  The band will be performing at the awards show and convention January 10-11, 2020, at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City.  Yea! Herbie!

The house was packed for the Champion Christmas pot luck luncheon.  Butch came in sporting a new hat, something like a business man’s Stetson, but not quite.  It needs a feather.  Charlie Lambert asked if he could have it, since he had come out without his own chapeau.  They did not strike a deal, but it was a pleasant get together nonetheless.  The Prominent Champion had to leave before the festivities were under full swing.  He said he had women waiting on him.  “Hand and foot?” he was asked.  He indicated that it was more like women waiting on him to do things.  Deward’s granddaughter and her husband are in the perpetual fence repair business (not for hire).  They were regaled a few nights earlier by a bellowing, growling bear in their very yard.  A noted local woodsman affirmed their suspicions and suggested that the bear was female advertising her presence.  Three times she roared, enough to put a chill on a person.  Beverly and Alvin Barnhart have bears in their neighborhood too.  It is good to see Beverly feeling better.  The Partells (too blessed to be stressed) made their long journey back to this favorite place for the day.  There was Reba, wearing different colored shoes, though no one noticed.  Leslee joined in the music to sing “Star of Bethlehem.”  Thanks to a gracious host for providing such a lovely place for a couple dozen Champions to share good food and the pleasure of fellowship.

Happy New Year!  A prominent Champion spouse posts, “OK.  Now that Christmas is over, can we just go straight to spring?”  She has a birthday in January and a party in May.  Between now and then there will be days when she can wear her flip flops.  Christmas day and the day after were such days and there were no complaints to be heard.

While visiting a friend during the holidays, the friend received a phone call with pictures of a newborn great-nephew—just hours old and already known across the country.  Technology has changed the way we do things.  An uncle told a story about visiting his sister down in the Rio Grande Valley in the late 1930s.  She had a new baby, her first.  Their Mother lived way out in west Texas and was not likely to see the little one for some time.  As a way to share a ‘picture’ of the baby, his sister took off the infant’s clothes, her little dress and bonnet and her booties.  She made a bundle of these precious things to send to her Mother via her brother, who was going directly to see the old folks.  He was riding the rails, as many did back in those days.  He recounted that he was running alongside the box car and tossed his pack in the open door.  Then he stumbled and missed his chance to scramble in.  He said that he still felt bad about it all these many years later.  Technology has made the world smaller and larger at the same time.  It is hard to imagine a time when parents might have their child leave home with no expectation of ever seeing them again the way it must have been for many immigrants to America or for those in the western migration.  We are all here because our forbears made those perilous journeys with no GPS or internet.

Two presidential quotes to start the New Year:  “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”  And “Real power, I don’t even want to use the word–fear.”  The opposite of fear is love, according to some, others say faith, and others, peace.  They say that courage is not to not be afraid, but to act even if we are afraid.  Whatever we must do to counteract fear, we must do.  Champions are vigorously promoting optimism and patience, particularly with those with whom we disagree.  Listen respectfully to the other side.  No name calling.  Civility is the mod-o-day in Champion.

Champion grandson, Eli Oglesby, has the 30th for his birthday.  His sisters will help him celebrate.  “I’d just like to gain a little weight” was the answer to the question about New Year’s resolutions posed to The General on Thursday evening at the Vanzant Jam.  He exhibited a modicum of annoyance at having his New Year’s Eve birthday broadcast to the crowd.  “Thank you,” he said, though the statement was not fraught with sincerity.  Nevertheless, he has been immersed in family during the holidays who always find him a convivial avuncular figure.  Now we will call him ‘Uncle General.’  Arvin Schroeder will be one year old on New Year’s Eve.  He is a big music lover, seems to favor the guitar.  The year ahead will be full of learning and growing for people Arvin’s age and, hopefully, for the rest of us as well.

Kaitlyn McConnell visited Champion on Friday to share her first Passport to the Ozarks with the Champion Library.  She is looking for individuals, some local regular people, to profile as she works to expand her portrait of the Ozarks Alive.  Send any suggestions to champion@championnews.us and we will relay them to Kaitlyn.  Come down to the wide, wild, wooly banks of Auld Fox Creek to enjoy her book.  No passport needed to Champion!  Looking on the Bright Side!

Champion winter skies.

A brilliant day in Champion!

A Champion Christmas Potluck

Christmas greetings came from Wes and Suzie Freeman, hillbillies at heart, living down in McKinney Texas. In her lovely card she says they are still kicking. Champions, Royce and Jody Henson, celebrated 61 years of marriage on December 13th. They live in Springfield, but have long Champion roots and leanings. Herbie Johnston, whose birthday is the first day of winter, has had a nice thing happen. He fiddles in the Possum Trot Band which has been nominated for Album of the Year with SPBGMA Midwest (Society for the Preservation of Blue Grass Music in America). They will be performing at the awards show and convention January 10-11, 2020, at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City.

It was a packed house for the Champion Christmas pot luck luncheon. Butch came in sporting a new hat, something like a business man’s Stetson, but not quite. It needs a feather. Charlie Lambert asked if he could have it, since he had come out without his own chapeau. They did not strike a deal, but it was a pleasant get together nonetheless. The Prominent Champion had to leave before the festivities were under full swing. He said he had women waiting on him. “Hand and foot?” he was asked. He indicated that it was more like women waiting on him to do things. Deward’s granddaughter and her husband are in the perpetual fence repair business (not for hire). They were regaled a few nights earlier by a bellowing, growling bear in their very yard. A noted local woodsman affirmed their suspicions and suggested that the bear was female advertising her presence. Three times she roared, enough to put a chill on a person. Beverly and Alvin Barnhart have bears in their neighborhood too. It is good to see Beverly feeling better. The Partells (too blessed to be stressed) made their long journey back to this favorite place for the day. There was Reba, wearing different colored shoes, though no one noticed. Leslee joined in the music to sing “Star of Bethlehem.” Thanks to a gracious host for providing such a lovely place for a couple dozen Champions to share good food and the pleasure of fellowship. It was a brilliant day in Champion inside and out!

We are fortunate enough to live in a part of the country where wildlife is abundant. Deward’s daughter was a big fan of the bald eagle, which we are seeing in Champion already this year. Deer are still plentiful in the area even though there was a record harvest this firearm season. Alternative deer hunting season is from December 26th to January 7th and archery season goes all the way to January 15th. Alternative methods allow the use of muzzle-loading firearms, center-fire pistols, air-powered guns, bows, cross bows and atlatls. The Elks club in West Plains has, so far, collected more than 1200 deer hides that are used to make professionally crafted gloves for Veterans in wheelchairs. If you skin your deer yourself and want to participate, a local drop off location is Hub Beverage in Mountain Grove at 503 West 3rd Street. It is a worthwhile program. We are increasingly charitable at this time of the year. There are many in need even in this ‘good’ economy, so look around and help where you can. Ho ho ho!

There was a good turnout for the Douglas County Health Department nurse on Friday morning at the Champion Store. Shelby comes once month to check our blood pressure, helping us stay healthy. It is a valuable amenity for the community. As old friends gather after an absence of almost any length, frequently the ‘organ recital’ begins right away. This is particularly true of our aging population. Our serious health concerns wind up being foremost in our thoughts, so they spill out in conversation. Sometimes we get some relief from talking about it and listening to other people’s ills may help us be grateful that our own situation is not so bad. Suffering in silence may be a prescription too hard to fill, so just try to keep your organ recital short. Sympathy and compassion can be expressed in a heartfelt, “There, there,” and the conversation can go on about the weather, politics, or grand exploits of grandchildren.

Icy roads kept our Skyline R2 School closed on Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday was the date set for the annual Christmas program, so it was postponed until Friday. Look for a good report next week as it is sure to be another of Ms. Casper’s triumphs. She does a wonderful job with the student’s art and music classes and the community does a wonderful job supporting our precious little rural school. A winter break for students and teachers gives them a chance to rest up for a new start and a chance for ongoing fun until the bell rings again.

A Champion great niece and recent college graduate will enjoy her birthday on December 27th. She plans to fiddle around Champion again soon. Eli Ogelsby, Champion grandson, has the 30th for his big day. His little sisters will help him party. His great Uncle General waited until the last day of the year to have his birthday—ever the procrastinator. Arvin Schroeder will be one year old on New Year’s Eve. He is a big music lover, seems to favor the guitar. The year ahead will be full of learning and growing for people Arvin’s age and, hopefully, for the rest of us as well. Resolutions for the New Year are for people who wish to improve themselves in some way. Perhaps we can all live a little healthier, be a little more productive, a little more kind, patient and forgiving. We will give it our best effort. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from your friends in Champion-Looking on the Bright Side!

If the sun had come out on Monday, it would have had us over-dazzled. Each twig dripped with pearls that would have been short-lived diamonds with just a little sunshine. It is beautiful for folks who can look at it through a window or just step out to take photographs, but our farmers are out there in it, doing what has to be done. Our mail carriers are out there too. Everyone be safe. Chances of a white Christmas in our neighborhood seem pretty slim, with highs mostly in the 40s and 50s and lows in the 20s and 30s forecasted for the rest of the year, but who knows? After a cold, slick start to the week, Champions will be grateful for the warm up and hopeful that all those who are traveling home for the holidays will have safe travels to and fro and happy reunions.

Kennedy Hinote’s birthday was overlooked the last time The Champion News acknowledged birthdays, so we hope you had a happy day, Kennedy. She is a second grade student at Skyline R2 School. Seventh grade student, Destiny Surface, and second grader, Rachael Prock, share the 20th for their special day. That is also a day of significance for charming Mary Goolsby and for Herbie Johnston. Everyone will sing that song to them at the Vanzant Jam on Thursday. Maybe they will play Herbie’s Tune, which has another name and, some say, words. Paige Jonas, in the second grade, will celebrate on the 21st. She is in good company with Chris Dailey and with Lena’s sweetheart. He will fiddle around to make her smile and the Vanzant bunch will sing to him—in G. The 23rd has kindergarten student, Chase Cauthron, sharing a birthday with his Dad and with neighbor, Sharon Sikes, and with Butch Stone. What a bunch! Christmas Eve was the birthday of Sarah Emaline Putnam Hector, who was born in 1885. She was the kind of grandmother every kid would like. So is Granny Grunt (Joann Anderson), and she was born on Christmas Day. Celebrate!

Every day is somebody’s birthday. There were 3,788,235 children born in the U.S. in 2018, the lowest number of births in 32 years. The birth rate has been declining at about 2% per year over the past four years. It makes us wonder what things will be like in a few years with an aging population and fewer young workers to sustain key social systems. Young people are paying attention and want to be optimistic about the future before they plan their families and, for many of them, optimism is a far reach these days. We wish them all good luck. Meanwhile, we have adopted Champion granddaughter, Greta, putting forth effort to make things better. She endures some scorn, but hope is she will continue to inspire her generation. After sailing across the Atlantic Ocean two times, she will be home in Stockholm for Christmas and will take a break to rest from her world traveling activism. Her younger sister, Beata, is 13 and is said to have inherited their Mother’s magnificent singing voice. It will be a beautiful holiday for the Thunberg family all together again. Local families were caught on the internet singing “I’ll have a blue Christmas without you…” The older folks in The General’s big family circle knew the words, but all the young folks had to read them on their phones. It is strange to think that there are grown-ups who are not well acquainted with Elvis. Time must be marching on. We are being able to record memories in ways that were not possible a few years ago, and while that is a blessing, we are somehow more connected and less connected at the same time. Sometimes it is lovely to turn everything off and be still in the moment. Enjoy now.

Cletis Upshaw

Friday Shelby, of the Douglas County Health Department, will be in Champion to take our blood pressure. Shelby is there from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. helping us to stay healthy. There is a lot of hustle and bustle this time of the year, lots of reasons to be grateful and joyful, but the holidays can be hard on people who are missing loved ones far away or missing those who have passed on. Laine Sutherland reports that her Uncle Tom Sutherland passed in his sleep at his home in Branson Friday. He was 88. There will be a Graveside Service for him in Denlow on Thursday, the 19th, at 2PM. She said, “He was a good man.” He will be well remembered and much missed.

Compliments of Butch Stone, Charlie Lambert is sporting a classy chapeau. It is a small straw number with a rolled brim and a jaunty feather. It looks like it has a fascinating history. Asked about Homer Hale and his fiddle in a flour sack, Charlie said he and Homer played many a square dance together and that Homer could play all night and not play the same song twice. Like as not, there are more folks around here who could tell stories about Homer and probably some about Charlie or any number of other interesting characters. We often think of Cletis Upshaw and all the stories he could tell. It was said of him that he ‘knew where the bodies were buried,’ and, by that, he knew all the pertinent history that was to be known in these parts–home. We miss him. Come down to the wide, wild, wooly banks of Auld Fox Creek with your stories and reminiscences. Join in the reverie—Champion! Looking go the Bright Side!

 

A person looking for a unique and useful Christmas gift for a special person might wander into The Champion Store to find a handmade bird feeder. It is made of cedar and hardware cloth with a hasp and harrow closure on its hinged cover. One old Champion has been using one of these feeders since 2013. He says it has held up well, it is easy to fill, and the birds really like it. Well worth $35.00. It was made by Tim Scrivner who lives over at Vera Cruz and who has been a strong supporter of the Skyline School over the years. As a matter of fact, all proceeds from the sale of this feeder will go to the Skyline School! He has also donated a cedar bluebird house. It is pretty enough to use as inside décor, but it will last for years out on a fence post somewhere. Tim asked if we were still collecting Always Save, Best Choice and Box Tops for Education bar codes and coupons. Absolutely! Send them by mail to Skyline School, Rt. 72 Box 486, Norwood, MO 65717, or drop them by during school hours. There is a collection spot for them at the Champion Store as well. You could bring them with you to the Christmas program which will be on a Tuesday this year–Tuesday the 17th. It will be another of Ms. Casper’s great productions and an experience the kids will not forget. Whether or not you have children or grandchildren in school, it is a joy to watch the youngsters perform. Christmas goes all the way back to our own childhoods, quite a way back for some of us. Memories are in the making.

Ava Bears

Riley Bethurem lit up the internet on Saturday night, via her Great Aunt Linda Clark, when she opened the championship day of the Tri-State Basketball Tournament in Willard with a splendid acapella rendition of the National Anthem. She is the great granddaughter of Joann and Wayne Anderson. Music flows through this family. Riley has a beautiful voice. Aunt Linda said, “We’re all so proud of Riley, but I just know how proud Daddy and Brenda would have been of her singing like that. I know Daddy would have told her before she went up to sing…the same thing he would always tell Brenda and me….’You walk up there, lay your ears back and sing!’ It made it sound like he was talking about one of his old hound dogs, but we knew what he meant and was wanting us to do.” As for Grandma Linda, she also has plenty of reasons for pride. Her granddaughter, Maddie is a cheerleader for the Ava Bears. Linda and Gene and Granny Grunt were all up at the Show Me Bowl in Columbia, along with much of Ava, on December 7th, rooting for Maddie and the Bears. Later, Linda posted on her Facebook page, “I can’t say enough about this group of young people. They have played their hearts out all season. They have set such a good example on and off of the field. They have won and then finally lost their last game at State with such integrity.” She included a photo and said, “….they were lined up to receive their Second Place at State award, and the large group of Ava Bears fans applauded them like they had just won the Super Bowl. However, when I was the proudest of our team was when the other team was getting their award for First Place and their small group of fans wasn’t applauding very loud, and our players turned around and tried to stir up more applause for them. They did this after such a lopsided game and being beat by a team with players that were way bigger and had been recruited to their private school from the whole St. Louis area with a population many times over the size of Ava or even our whole county. Our team still respected them and gave them their dues. That, my friends, is class! I am so proud of our Ava Bears!” Well said.

Greta Thunberg

Adopted Champion granddaughter, Greta, is also showing real class. She was part of the 500,000 (half a million!) activists meeting in Madrid on Friday to discuss the condition of our climate. She speaks as well as Riley sings. We are proud.

While a bunch of fans were up in Columbia on December 7th, another bunch was over in Springfield cooking up a surprise 85th birthday party for Jean Farbin. Wander into Jean’s Health Way in downtown Ava to find out if it was really a surprise and find out how much fun was had. Jean has been meeting our health food needs in Ava for a long time. She has fans and knows she is appreciated.

We have a chance on December 7th every year to remember that date in 1941, ‘that will live in infamy,’ and to express appreciation to our World War II Veterans. They have been dubbed ‘The Greatest Generation,’ rightly so. We are losing more of them every day, and a great loss it is. Still, all our Veterans have stepped up to the challenge–putting their Country before themselves. Would that were a concept embraced by all our public servants and elected officials.

There is something about the air quality when it is humid and warm (50’s) in the winter, after all the leaves are down, that makes every distant vista spectacular and every near landscape inviting. The winter colors are subtle like old oil paintings, but vibrant in their depth and breadth. Now that we do not have to take our film to the drug store to get it developed, we can save hundreds, thousands of photos on little SD memory cards. It gives us the freedom to take as many pictures as we like. Of course, sometimes it is good to leave your camera behind and just stand there and see that everything is beautiful in its own way. Come down to the wide, wild, wooly banks of Auld Fox Creek any time for a visual delight. On the last Wednesday before Christmas, the 18th, Champions will gather and welcome visitors to a mid-day Christmas celebration. It will be a potluck with music and the chance to meet old friends and make new ones. Maybe there will be someone who can fill in the blanks about Homer Hale who used to carry his fiddle in a flour sack and could play anything if you could whistle or hum a few bars of it. Friday the 20th will be the day Douglas County Health nurse, Shelby, will be at the store from 8:30 to 10:00 in the morning taking our blood pressure in Champion! Looking on the Bright Side!

 

 

The wind and rain have taken most of the leaves down out of the woods, revealing home places that we may have forgotten were there because of lush spring and summer vegetation.  It turns out that we are more densely populated than we may have thought.  A nighttime ride along a ridge road in Douglas County shows the countryside sparkling with front porch lights in areas that were dark thirty years ago.  Since 1980 the population of the county has increased by about 1700 people, but with that increase we still have 2300 fewer people than were here in 1940.  Back then there were many small subsistence farms and factory jobs in towns.  Times have changed, but the splendor of the countryside is always present.  Winter colors are sensational.  The fog has its brilliance.

Cinco

Cinco is a lovebird who lives down near Vera Cruz.  Her special human celebrates his birthday on December 8th.  The 9th is for Richard Johnston who was born in 1955.  Mrs. Samantha is an aide at our Skyline School.  She and Mrs. Karen, Skyline’s bookkeeper, also enjoy the 9th.  The 10th is for a celebrator of un-birthdays and for two Skyline pre-kindergarten students, Westin Nava and Levi Hall.  The 11th belongs to a Coyote, the gentle trickster, now Kai, up in Portland and to Loretta, one of The General’s lovely daughters.  The 9th, 10th and 11th belong to three prominent lawyers in Ava.  Name them if you can.  Up in Champion North, high on the hill, Xue celebrates her very big coming of age day.  Enjoy the work of Shannon Alexander Photography at www.shannonalexanderphotography.blogspot.com.  You will want him to take your picture.  Shannon shares the 14th with Xue and a couple of extraordinary people who have passed on—Spike Jones and Judy T. Ing.  Amanda Mastin and Jesse Ing share the 16th for their special day.  They are dynamic, good-looking young people who do not know each other, but they have friends in common.  Happy Days!

With Christmas on the near horizon we are again privileged to watch George Bailey, via James Stewart, endure an existential crisis and be restored as he was shown the real impact of his life on his family, his community, on the world.  “It’s A Wonderful Life” was made in 1946, just after the war, where Stewart had flown twenty combat missions as Commanding Officer of the 703d Bomb Squadron.  He had a stellar military career, remaining in the USAF Reserve until he retired as brigadier general in 1968.  Biographers say that he suffered from extreme PTSD and that it evidenced itself in the emotional unraveling of George Bailey.  Perhaps the role gave the actor some cathartic relief.  We found him sympathetic in every part he played always.  He was a good guy.  Lionel Barrymore played some kindly characters over the years, but in this movie he was Mr. Potter—a warp, twisted, old man.  We are reminded that he kept the $8,000.  Those war years and postwar years were hard times for many people.  A far flung Champion relates to us that hard times make strong people.  Strong people make easy times.  Easy times make weak people.  Weak people make hard times.  It goes round and round.  Sometimes it is difficult to see just where we are in the cycle.  Share your opinion on the matter at champion@championnews.us or drop a line to The Champion News, Rt. 72 Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  It can be a real treat to go to the mail box.  Our postal carriers will be overworked this season, so a note of thanks or a cookie or two might let them know they are appreciated.

Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we went–all across the nation for the purpose of giving thanks.  Travel was difficult for many and hopes are that everyone made it back home to resume routines on Monday morning.  It was worth the trouble for the feast of family closeness and for the fun and fulfillment of long standing friendships.  By now most of the leftovers have been consumed.  The internet took a leap and patted its foot to “Dooley was a good old man he lived below the mill” as Tennessee and Champion cousins got together with a great uncle for a jam.  Music is one of those ties that bind.  Tammy (not Louise, though Louise is a lovely lady), a recent visitor from Washington, plans to come back next year for another deer hunt with her Dad, another family tie made of a shared experience.  The month ahead will be chock full of hopes and plans and expectations, of memories and nostalgia.  Enjoy it as it unfolds.  Recent rains may have the creeks up, but it will still be a beautiful trip to the wide, wild, wooly banks of Auld Fox Creek, even if you have to go the long way around.  Soon the Christmas tree will be up in the Historic Emporium on the North Side of the Square.  The atmosphere is always festive around the ancient wood stove that has warmed generations of Champions—Looking on the Bright Side!