Champion News

 

On the last night of winter a family up in Vanzant lost their home to a fire.  The Eastern Douglas County VFD, along with the Skyline VFD and the Cabool Fire Department responded to the call. The homeowners and their pets barely made it out with the clothes on their back, according to the EDC.  We will look for more information and for ways to be of help to our neighbors.

Wilbur the groundhog hails the arrival of Calendar Spring, strolling leisurely about the grounds. Apparently Atmospheric Spring arrives later in Champion.  It is cool yet.  The 28th and 29th will be good days to start seed beds, plant flowers and other above ground crops for those who plant by the signs.  Spring Cleaning advocates say cleaning can be done any time.  A pleasant employee of the Town and Country Grocery in Mt. Grove, dealing with a basket of random unsaleable things said, “I hate clutter.”  She went on to say that her house is always ‘company ready,’ a concept to ponder. Spring beckons old Champion housekeepers outside away from the clutter and the dirt and out into the soil and sunshine.

Our Champion daughter, sunning and studying in Argentina, shared a video of a trio she encountered at a local jam—a guitar playing singer, a rub board percussionist and a spoon virtuoso making some fast, exciting, melodic music.  The spoons were heirlooms passed down from his beloved grandmother.  Argentinians share their love of spoon music with Greeks, Turks, Brits, French, Canadian and Russian folk musicians, as well as with South Carolinians and Champions.  Musical spoons kept in the Historic Emporium entice a favorite retired mail carrier to join in a Wednesday jam.  ‘Soldiers’ Joy’ cannot be played too fast for her.  A fast picking banjo player said he had made a trip to Champion recently.  He had not been there for years and had good memories of Ed Henson, his smiles, and jokes.  The General says the Wednesday jam (starting around 11:00) could use a banjo.  Bring what you play and play along with Mr. Day when he brings his mountain dulcimer.

Another Champion daughter shared a video of herself back in February snow/ice sledding headfirst, whizzing down the long steep stretch of pavement that ends in Champion.  Her dad said she must have been going sixty miles an hour—too fast.  She said, “Was it exciting? Yes.  Would I do it again? No.”  She might add a chapter to “The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook,” through which she browsed while her talented Mom played the spoons.  She read about how to stop a car with no brakes and perhaps how to deal with a tarantula.

While no one seemed willing to spend the $.63 on a postage stamp, the champion@championnews.us mailbox received both criticism and suggestions in response to the invitation for those things last week.  A regular reader suggests that we include Johnny Cash’s “What is Truth” in our music selections in the website edition (www.championnews.us).  The criticism: “not enough local history appears in these articles.”  The remedy for that comes from one of the seven big binders of newspaper clippings, obituaries and notes compiled by the late Lorene Johnston.  A random selection concerns the retirement from the post office after 41 years of Cletis Upshaw.  “When Upshaw started his work on July 12, 1958, the route involved 42 miles and 150 box holders.  Today the route covers 106 miles with over 270 box holders.  Even with the mileage going up, flat tires have gone down.”  Better tires and better roads were cited as reasons for the improvement.  During his tenure, Cletis saw an almost complete turnover in customers on his route with few of the originals remaining.  The article was written in in 1999, so the route may be longer now with even more boxes and even fewer of his original customers.  We lost Cletis in 2008.  The Champion article Lorene clipped said, “A person could set his clock by Cletis and could always count on him for good humor.  He was a genuine historian and a genial, good natured person.  Champions are grateful to have had him in their lives and are glad that he knew the community held him in high esteem.”

Friends visiting Champion on Saturday came south on Cold Springs Road from 76 and reported the road to be in excellent shape. The cliffs, twists and turns, hills and low spots, deep woods and unexpected splashes of daffodils mark it as memorable. Those charming and handsome gentlemen from the Drury Shed make it passable.  Whether via a beautiful country lane or the pavement, one could hardly find a more lovely destination than Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

Time, according to the clock, has little impact on old, retired Champions and farmers.  We just go about our business regardless of the big hand and the little hand.  School teachers, students, and other people with jobs may or may not like the change.  Linda will be pleased since the clock in her car will be correct again for a while.

“I am glad that I paid so little attention to good advice; had I abided by it, I might have been saved from some of my most valuable mistakes.”  Edna St. Vincent Millay, the great American poet, shared that valuable concept.  Esther Wrinkles wrote for The Douglas County Herald for over fifty years.  She advised that sometimes it is good to make a mistake in an article, as one is given the chance to revisit the subject.  Ever willing to be corrected, it happens that all those young people called ‘second cousins’ last week, are actually ‘first cousins once removed.’  Apologies to all the Watts, Krider, Oglesby, Cline, Upshaw, Wiseman, Johnston families and others for the misnomer as they welcome Waylon Iker Watts to the beautiful briar patch of his family tree.

The lovely Elva Upshaw was welcomed into the world on March 23rd.  On that day welcomed also were Don Bishop, who has an extraordinary wood pile stacked carefully at the top of a steep hill; Donald Powell, the Maytag man; and mushroom maven, Judie Pennington.  All arrived in different years, different places, to different families, but all were welcomed.  Nurse Raquel will be celebrated at Skyline School on March 24th.  Champion Troy Powell was born March 26, 1926, and passed away on his birthday in 2001.  He loved the old gospel music and had a beautiful smile.  The 27th is for Skyline fourth and fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Downs, and for first grader Aliyiea Trujillo.  Fourth grader Brailynn Cumby claims the 28th and seventh grader Braxton Mayberry has the 29th for his big day.  Fourth grader Tucker Johnson and third grade teacher Mrs. Melissa Willhite share the 30th.  Our great little rural school gives us plenty of reasons to celebrate as excellent teachers and staff help our country kids become excellent, educated, solid citizens.

Three doghouse double basses, two banjos, two fiddles, two mandolins and beaucoup guitars made for a jumping jam at Vanzant Thursday.  Music is good for us.  It is particularly pleasant to see the help and encouragement that accomplished musicians share with the beginners—carrying the tradition forward.

A rare trip to town finds friends in unexpected places.  There was a banjo player in the grocery store.  Apparently, they eat too.  Charming Barbara Anderson paused in her shopping to visit a moment.  Charlie Lambert was checking out at the register when he was spotted and entreated to find a way to the jam sometime.  Way off in the big town of Springfield, Beverly and Alvin Barnhart had a few minutes to visit before their medical appointments.  Alvin had recovered from a face plant off his porch that had left him with two black eyes.  Beverly was grateful to have met a cardiologist when it was important to meet one.  She was in good spirits despite battling numerous health issues.  Champions are grateful to be able to access good health care, grateful to have friends and to meet them in unexpected places.

Constructive criticism helps us be better.  Feel free to point out mistakes, share a story or a song, or poke fun at The Champion News, Rt. 72 Box 367 Norwood, MO 65717 or at champion@championnews.us.  For a little optimism, come down to the wide, wild, wooly banks of Old Fox Creek to Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!