His Champion friends will not only correct Hovey Henson for claiming it was an upturned syrup kettle holding up the porch at the old store, but he will also be given what-for for misspelling Herbert Hutchison’s name on the back of the photo. There is no “en” in it according to one of Herbert’s distant kinfolks. Hovey is such a pleasant and gregarious fellow; he will likely be forgiven.

Skyline student Kayln Watkins had June 12th for her birthday. Hopes are she is having fun this summer. Friends at Vanzant sang that song to Sherry Bennett on Thursday, though her birthday had been earlier in the week. She smiled her sweet smile and sang some sweet songs of her own. An Old Champion, a real curmudgeon, celebrates on July 1st. Beverly Barnhart and Susan Dempsy share the 2nd for their big day. Virginia Canada has ties to Denlow and a birthday on the 5th. The Dali Lama and Janet Burns have their birthdays on July 6th. Walter Darrell Haden lived from July 6, 1931, to October 28, 2014. He was famous for his song “All the Late News from the Courthouse,” which shed humorous, if unwanted, light on Douglas County politics back in his day. Connie’s dad, Robert Brown, is one of the last alumni of the Champion School. He was 79 on the 7th in 2019. A Champion great grandson, Kruz Kutz, also has the 7th for his special day. Jenny Johns lives on her grandparents’ Centennial Farm. The 8th of July is her birthday and the big one for muleskinner William Chaffey. The 9th is for JoAnn Newberry. The ‘Newberry Shuffle” is a frequently heard tune out on the wide veranda. Skyline’s Lily Truillo has July 10th for her summertime birthday party. The 15th is for Blaine Denlow who will be four years old. She is already a mutton buster and can expect to get rodeo gear for her birthday. Blaine shares that day with Ruby Adams, a dazzling individual in dancing shoes.

Dora’s own Gina Hollingshad ushered in the Fourth of July observance with her high, clear voice in the Vanzant Jam circle on Thursday singing, “Oh! Beautiful for spacious skies.” It was a lovely way to start the celebration of events that were set in motion in 1640. It has been 384 years since the Mayflower landed. 248 years ago, we began to celebrate the Fourth of July as our day of Independence from the tyranny of the British. In 1838, Abe Lincoln said, “This task of gratitude to our fathers, justice to ourselves, duty to posterity, and love for our species in general, all imperatively require us faithfully to perform.” Those enjoyable performances at the jam will resume on July 18th. There will be no jam Thursday the 4th or on the 11th, because preparations for the Vanzant Community Picnic on the 12th and 13th will be well underway. This picnic is always a sterling event with music, food, games, raffles, and hobnobbing with old friends and new ones. Chances are good that various candidates for political offices will be in attendance. The test for earning one Champion’s vote up and down the ballot is, “Would he pull you out of a mud hole?”

Wednesday was a red-letter day in Champion. The General’s famed peanut butter ice cream was met with rave reviews. Charlie not only proffered a scrumptious frozen strawberry delight, but she was also one of the instigators of the Champion Pet Parade. A somewhat reluctant forty-pound plus boxer followed her on the parade route through the store. A young Arkansawyer traced the route with a lovely white chicken in arms. Neither the goose nor donkey appeared. Out on the porch, the band played on, joined by a big family of good singers and Kaitlyn McConnell with Mike O’Brien who had popped in to peruse cookbooks and soak up the cultural ambiance. Kaitlyn wrote, “These stops are always meaningful for me; as you sit around the wood stove in winter or on the porch when the sun smiles, you feel like you’re part of another world. I know there are stresses of life in Champion, but they seem a little farther away.”

One of the area’s chief prognosticators says that on the Fourth of July the creeks will all be down. He is not saying they will be dry but that they will be flowing big to overflowing. Saturday night’s thunderstorm dumped about four inches on Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

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