Champion News

Bob Clark

Friends of Clarence R. (Bob) Clark applaud the unanimous ruling of the jury in convicting William R. Wolfe Jr. of first-degree murder of their friend on September 21, 2020. The long-awaited trial began on July 22 and concluded midday on the 25th. Guilty on all ten counts. Bob Clark was 84 years old when he was slain by a person he had helped many times over the years. Bob was a genial, good-hearted, interesting person who lived in Brushy Knob for close to fifty years. A friend writes, “Four years waiting, justice served at last. Bob Clark was a seasoned bridge player—a participant in our rotating neighborhood klatch. He was formidable when he played as your opponent and a godsend when he played as your partner. He always knew who had the aces! A kind and generous man, we miss him immensely.” When sentencing happens on October 8h, at 9:00 am, his many friends will have a chance to express to the court the positive part he played in their lives.

One of the great pieces of news coming out of the Ozark Empire Fair happening this week was that our Champion friend, Kaitlyn McConnell, won a blue ribbon for her cornmeal pie. The recipe came from a cookbook produced by the Eddie Mae Herron Center in Pocahontas, Arkansas, one of the many cookbooks Kaitlyn has referenced for her Ozarks Pie Project. She has featured Champion frequently in the nine years she has been posting “Ozarks Alive,” and is always a welcome visitor.

In the old days, school started on the first Monday after Labor Day. It starts earlier these days. Sparky Clark Shannon has been out of school for decades. His birthday is on August 3rd. Right around there somewhere is the big day for an old boy called R.D. and for his good neighbor, Connie’s younger brother. August 5th will be the birthday of Skyline School third grader Genesis Castillo. Caleb Harden is now a Skyline alumnus off to the ninth grade somewhere. His birthday is also on the 5th. Jaxton Harley will have the sixth for this big day. He will be a fifth grader at Skyline. Gina Hollingshad who went to school in Dora then taught third grade there, will have her birthday on the 6th. She is the pretty part of Whetstone which can be seen on stage at 10:00 Friday morning at the Mountain Grove Senior Center. It’s always a great show, followed by a great lunch in the big hall with lots of interesting people. Gina will be celebrated big time at the Vanzant Jam on Thursday. Champions hear good reports of the Ava Senior Center jam too. The barber shop has been a mainstay for musicians for a long time. It is nice to be in a part of the world where music plays such an important role. It is good for us.

The Olympics are another big show this week. Though parts of the opening ceremony seemed to have been widely misinterpreted by many folks here, once it was explained it just became part of the fun with big blue Bacchus. It was a depiction of a raucous party held by the Greeks in Greece where the Olympics started, and not the much-loved Italian painting. Death defying, high flying, scantily clad, dedicated athletes do what seems to be impossible. The work they do to be the best in the world at what they do makes them Champions—Looking on the Bright Side!

 

Wednesday morning’s sudden predawn two-and-a-half-inch rain filled Clever Creek to a rushing torrent.  Spots in Cold Springs Road that had been washed out in a previous one hour long four-inch rain were washed out again only more so.  People traveling by the pavement gathered at the Historic Emporium and had a good visit.  Later in the day the creeks subsided, but by Saturday old Champions headed north to 76 were pleased to have all-wheel drive.  Wolf Pen Hollow was a challenge.  Cowgirl Blaine Denlow lives up that way.  She was busy busting mutton on the weekend.  She has some good gear that kept her from getting hurt, but it made it hard to get up after she hit the ground—hard to move with all that protection.  For a cheering section, she has in her family a couple of dazzling great grandmothers and a host of friends and neighbors.  She will be starting school in just a few weeks.  Summertime is slipping away.  Our wonderful Skyline R-2 School will have an open house on August 15th ahead of the first day of school on August 19th.  Little rural schools are a big part of the history and character of this part of the world.  How lucky we are to have this one.  Eli Johnstone was a kindergarten student last year.  His birthday was July 18th.  Eugene Elliot will be a seventh grader.  He shares his birthday is on July 30 with kindergarten student Rayven Castillo.  Skylines’ music teacher Cheyenne McIntosh will celebrate on July 29th.  We sing the praises of Cheyenne and of music education, the benefits of which are many.

Another great musician, Sharry Lovan just celebrated her birthday on the 21st.  She does a lot of good work with the Heart of the Ozarks Bluegrass Association.  Another great bluegrasser, James Woodrow Orchard, would have celebrated his 88th birthday that day.  Young Wade Day has the 27th for his big day and Reba Bishop will celebrate on the 28th.  Karen Ross had her 55th birthday in Champion some years ago when she was our much-appreciated mail carrier.

Other much-appreciated mail carriers, John and Brittiany made funnel cakes at the Vanzant Picnic.  John was particularly fetching in his fancy apron.  Check the picnic out on your computer at www.championnews.us.  Unfortunately, there are no photos of John in his apron.  The picnic was another epic success.  Eastern Douglas County Volunteer Fire Department volunteers gifted the community with a couple of beautiful evenings full of great music, good food, games, and community fellowship.  About two-thirds of all the fire departments in the Nation are volunteer fire departments.  The EDCVFD and the Skyline Area Volunteer Fire Department serve us well.  Thank you.  The Skyline Firehouse is getting closer to finished.  It is a big red building with three big doors next door to the Skyline School.

The good recent rains have made the whole area verdant and lovely.  Gardens are brimming over.  In these turbulent times, with so much of the world suffering, we here have much for which to be thankful.  Felix the Farmer writes in to say he is doing fine and that he hopes our garden is doing good.  He drew pictures of watermelon, corn, tomatoes and carrots.  He has probably already learned how to braid garlic.  One lazy old gardener did not even plant any garlic last fall, figuring to (hoping to) make a trade for some with a friend.  Eavvie Hector Sharrock out in west Texas once said, “We’ve plucked and shelled, peeled and sliced With sweat dripping from our knife.  Our freezer’s full ad so’s our jars.  Not much is left but garden tares.”  The tares are not the weeds that almost jump out of the ground into the hands of grateful gardeners in these unseasonably mild wet days in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side.