Champion News

 

Travelers to distant places are blessed with the option of not being engaged with the rancorous politics of their homeland, having their minds made up already. Yet, the tragedies unfolding in the wake of the terrible hurricanes cannot be ignored. We will learn of heroic efforts of ordinary people and of the heartbreaking loss of so many. Loss comes with life. We have all experienced loss to some degree. Champions are feeling it now with the passing of a dear friend and neighbor.

Champions in Skyline R-2 School’s 5K Run/Walk were Kash Hurt, Ava Hurt, and Elaina Homer in first, second and third place in the 11 and under division. In the 12-17 division Ray Hurt took first and Evan Homer second. Rowdy Woods was first place in the adult division. Rowdy, a Skyline alumnus, during his first year of high school attended the Fun Run and was overheard offering encouragement to eighth graders saying they were going to love high school. Encouragement is a gift! Thanks, Rowdy. More fun will happen at Skyline’s Fall Carnival happening Friday October 11th. It will start with dinner at 5:00 and activities at 6:00 with food, games a bounce house and prizes. Come support one of the two little rural schools left in Douglas County. This sterling little outfit is preparing the leaders of tomorrow—those people who will be running the government, the banks, the hospitals and all the important things that make America tick!

Bud Hutchison’s Memorial Trail Ride happens Wednesday, heading up in Champion about 10:00 a.m. They will make a wide loop and return to the wide veranda in the afternoon for refreshment and good stories. Perhaps someone will recall the one about Bud backing his mare up to the church building and flanking her. She kicked the building with both hid feet during the church service. There are many stories about that good man. Those of us who only wish we could saddle up and ride look forward to the report and hope that it is a joyful amble with no bad dogs and plenty of water for the hot, dry trail.

Visiting Texans were delighted with the Pioneer Heritage Festival saying, “The jam session was delightful and the lunch fare delicious. Vendors were sharing demonstrations of their craft and wares for purchase at each stall. Who doesn’t need a pretty shawl made right while you watch the maker create other things? And the brooms – I want one of each!” We will challenge those Texans or anyone to answer this riddle: “If Hanna’s daughter is my daughter’s mother, what am I to Hanna?” Send your answer to The Champion News, Rt. 72 Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 and expect a prize for the earliest post marked correct answer. Not that we know what it is. That is why we are asking you. The prize will be some little treasure from Scotland to be awarded sometime in November.

Bluegrass promoter, Timothy Tamburino and his faithful companion, Sarah, passed through Champion last week, pausing for a little while to hear the Sometime Porch band. They were on their way to an adventure that has taken them all the way to New Mexico. The General reports that Thursday’s jam at Vanzant was great. He said there were listeners from Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida. Meanwhile, over here in Scotland jams happen often. Many music venues in Edinburg have ‘open sessions’ where patrons are welcomed and encouraged to share a song or a poem. Many have house instruments, guitars and pianos, just for the use of any aspiring musician or one who used to be or one who is away from home. Music seems to be the universal language. We remember the great Kris Kristofferson who said, “Tell the truth. Sing with passion. Work with laughter. Love with heart. ‘Cause that’s all that matters in the end.” In the truest sense a Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

 

HOBA fun started on Thursday over in West Plains and the jamming went on until after midnight. The festival went on through the weekend with Tacie and the Sunshine Band reporting that their first time attending was awesome. “The festival grounds and the atmosphere are wonderful! We enjoyed visiting with old friends and meeting so many new ones. Thanks to the HOBA gang for having us out.” The Greenland Station Bluegrass Band echoed the sentiment. “We got to join an incredible lineup of bands in a beautiful venue with a fantastic audience.”

Friday’s fun at the open house event for the Skyline Area Volunteer Fire Department included a special appreciation award from Danny Maggard and Brian McFarland with the Douglas County EMA Office. For members who were not able to attend, the internet is full of photos and videos of the event. The splendid new building was full of fire department members enjoying each other’s company, some great food and the satisfaction of knowing our vital volunteers are working in a much-improved facility. There is space for training and hopes are that some of the many new folks to the area will join in the good work of protecting the whole community.

Carol Green the “C” in the lovely trio called “TLC” has her birthday on the 6th of October. Betty Dye, past president of the Ladies Auxiliary, celebrates her birthday on the 7th. Theresa Toast, who gives us important information during bad weather, shares her birthday with Skyline kindergarten student Preslee Trujillo. Champion grandniece, Madelyn Ward celebrates on the 10th. The 11th is for newcomer Steve Conner, and the 12th is for Janet Chapin and the late Evelyn Woods Carol who used to live on Cold Springs Road. Champion Leslie Krider, Skyline fifth grader Evan Homer and third grader Tinsleigh Miller all party on the 14th. Up on C Highway, Joe Moskaly will be partying on the 15th. Happy birthday to all of you.

It happens that both Colorado and Georgia have Douglas Counties. To get to the one in Georgia one might leave the HOBA festival and wind down through Arkansas, then try to skirt Memphis to get on some rough roads in Mississippi. Do this in some moderate to torrential rain with various vehicles hydroplaning off into deep ditches. Cross over into Alabama for beautiful road conditions. The road surfaces are wonderfully smooth and the right of ways perfectly manicured. The welcome center in Georgia is enormous and well appointed. A brochure in the entryway there details the many features of Douglas County including a Butterfly Trail. It may be that Colorado’s Douglas County has a butterfly trail as well. That calls for another adventure. This adventure, all the way to Atlanta, has Booger County residents hesitant to wear their KC Chiefs gear, their team having recently trounced the Falcons. Chief’s fans are delighted that the team is undefeated so far. It is a dangerous hard-hitting game with frequent injuries. With luck players can recover quickly.

How the country will recover from the ‘biblical’ devastation of Helene is to be seen. Often in the past we have observed that catastrophic events draw people together and bring out the most compassionate and helpful parts of us. Our hearts go out to all those suffering and we do not take for granted our good fortune in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!