Champion News

During World War 1, the fighting ended on November 11, 1918, when an armistice went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Veterans’ Day is a special celebration, but we celebrate and honor our Veterans every day of the year. They make up about six percent of the civilian population currently. Thank you for your service. Active-duty service members now comprise less than one percent of all U.S. adults. Thank them too. Our Skyline School had a lovely Veterans’ Day tribute this morning. Mrs. Barker’s second grade class up in Norwood produced some fine art in celebration of the day and were given a chance to visit with the Master Sargent General himself.

Monday’s torrential rain wreaked havoc on Champion’s beautiful country roads and made creek crossings difficult and dangerous. Fox Creek jumped its banks and rose to the third step of the Recreation of the Historic Emporium and floated the pews in the church. Road crews are busy, but it will take some time to get everything back to normal. People downstream may find treasures though they might be in rough shape. Lawn chairs, picnic tables and barbeque pits among other things like propane tanks and outhouses may be sowing up in unexpected places. Champion neighbors have stepped up to help with the cleanup. We have hopes are that neighbors up and down the flooded areas will have such good neighbors.

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Though the Brushy Knob Church polling place was without electricity on Tuesday, votes were cast, and poll workers reported a good turnout. Some are happy about the results and others not so much, but knowing that it was a free and fair election is a comfort to everyone. The majority rules in America.

Sharry Lovan’s Benefit was a beautiful success. Auctioneer Billy Sexton said it best, “This community never fails to show up for somebody.” Tonight, this community showed up for a very special person. It was an honor to witness the generosity, love, and prayer poured over this woman.”

Saturday found the Manes community up north of Mountain Grove gathering to celebrate the lives of Chuck and Cathy Baldwin who lost their lives in flood waters on their way to work in the election. Family, friends and neighbors filled the Manes School gymnasium to share their stories and memories of the couple who had made their home there for more than fifty years. They will be remembered for their willingness to help anyone in need, for their commitment to the community and for their zest for life—Champions who were looking on the Bright Side.

 

It happens that there are currently 8.2 billion people in the world. Over in Edinburgh, Scotland, 5.43 million people are overnight guests there in a year’s time. 36% of them are domestic local visitors, 64% are international, 52% are repeat visitors, and 15% are taking the trip of a lifetime. The town teams with excitement. Over here in Douglas County we have our share of visitors who come for the family ties, the beauty, the quiet, the nostalgia and the calmness of a bucolic interlude from the hecticness of the world. Welcome. For those of us fortunate to live here, we sing, “There’s no place like home.”

The time has changed. We have fallen back. Just last week Halloween was everywhere. Pictures have emerged of people who were nuns last year and are now witches—tap dancing witches. The Gipsy seemed much the same in her lovely exotic regalia, while The General seemed to have taken on a look more like that of a vaquero. The Whetstoners turned into a Pink Lady, a Motorcycle hoodlum and Ms. Stands with a Fist. Meanwhile, on Halloween, Skyline preschool and kindergarten students enjoyed pumpkin activities. They estimated how many seeds might be in the pumpkin, scooped out the guts, and counted the seeds by putting them into groups of 10. 628 seeds later, they were given to Mrs. Rhonda to roast and enjoy during their party that afternoon!

Counting is important. In order to serve as an election poll worker, one must raise his or her right hand and swear to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Everyone who has served in that role comes away with confidence that the system works well. It makes for a long day, but it is an excellent experience to participate in democracy. Do it if you have the chance.

The amazing amounts of rain falling Monday night will likely have an effect on voter turnout. We hope everyone gets to exercise their franchise and it will be an interesting week waiting for the results. Another big win for the Kansas City Chiefs helped to keep minds off the election for a few minutes.

As daylight reveals the extent of the flooding and storm damage we hope for the best for our neighbors out here. A favorite Scots sailor says, “Worse things happen at sea!” Optimism is the watchword in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!