Champion News

On Wednesday, when Old Champions were having dinner, it was midnight UTC (Universal Time Coordinated, which used to be Greenwich Mean Time) and their sailor daughter was crossing the equator. When she is on land again or somewhere with the internet, perhaps she will tell if there was some ritual connected with that auspicious crossing. She is generous of spirit and will not mind our vicarious adventuring with her while she bravely hauls on the bowline. Her last missive to her other half was, “Hola from almost zero latitude! Four days and nights of intermittent torrential rain squalls.” She said the rain was warm and that she was happy for clouds to block the direct sun. “Neptune expected to greet us in the next couple of days.”

Friends rendezvousing at Skyline for a bridge adventure in Norwood around mid-day, found the Skyline School parking lot jam-packed with cars and trucks. A pleasant young man, who identified himself as Travis Burnette, said the throng had gathered to celebrate the 90th birthday of his aunt, Juanita Scheibel. He was not sure of the spelling, but he said that she had worked at Skyline for many years. By five o’clock when the bridge players returned, the parking lot was empty, save their own cars. It may have been a surprise party, or she may have known. She surely learned how many people love and admire her. Perhaps she received a birthday card like one that came to Champion from Ethel and Bob Leach: “What would you like for your birthday? A sporty, foreign car? A villa by the sea? A rare, expensive work of art? A cruise to Waikiki? To find a million dollars….and buy all you’d want to buy? You’d like these things for your birthday? I don’t blame you, so would I!” They went on to say, “Have a happy birthday, anyway!” Bob and Ethel are a nice couple who have been regular visitors to Champion in the past. Bob has a sweet little mandolin-banjo, which he does not play, and will not rent, lend, or sell, and probably will not give away. We like him anyway, even if he drinks his java from an old tin can while the moon goes riding high.

Second grader, Grant Strong, had his birthday on October 24th. Roger Miller was born on October 25, 1936 and passed away in 1992. We miss him, but his music lives on. Harley Krider shares his birthday on the 26th with Brian Oglesby, his nephew by marriage. Shala Clark has that day too and will likely have a huge party with all her children, nieces and nephews and maybe her grandmother, Kathie. The 28th is for another second grader, Kayleigha Crownover. We remember Champion Royce Henson on his birthday on October 30th. His mother, Sylvia Henson, used to write the “Champion Items” from the very spot where it is being written today. The 30th is also the big day for sixth grader Addison Burns and for Connie Landsdown. Connie is a big KC Chief’s fan, which is evident by the banner in the front yard there at the Farmhouse. She surely was jubilant on Sunday as her team was triumphant. They are five and two now and will have a bye next week. That we know what that means now makes some old people laugh in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!