Champion News

CHAMPION—April 20, 2009

        “Stand around on the porch at Henson’s Store on the North side of the Square to hear meadowlark chimes–the sonorous sounds of the bucolic nature of Champion where hearts are happy and they are always Looking on the Bright side!”  That was last week’s news and still an invitation because Champion is a very inviting place.

        So far it has proven true that “if it rains on Easter Sunday it will rain the next seven Sundays in a row.”  Even a gentle rain can add up and Sunday found Fox Creek suddenly quite up and roaring over the slab east of town.  It came up so quickly that it flowed backwards over the Clever Creek slab before everything leveled out.  It was very exciting.  Six Sundays from now will be the Memorial Day week-end and the proof of the old adage will have been revealed.  Gardens will be in full swing and producing already, particularly if the rain has been steady and reliable.  As Hank Longfellow suggested, Champions are learning to ‘labor and to wait.’

        Connie Landsdown, Louise’s daughter, was happily surprised on Sunday as she was leaving church.  “That girl looks like Ashley!” she said.  The girl was Ashley.  She and Brittany and Brittany’s daughter Maria had flown in from Utah as a surprise for their Mom.  Their sister Chelsea knew, but Connie was completely surprised.  Good surprises are Champion!

        The Skyline Volunteer Fire Department has been busy holding classes and getting the storm damage cleared up from Hurricane Ike.  The Annual Skyline Picnic is scheduled for the 14^th and 15^th of August.  It will be here about the time people are busy in their hay and trying to get their produce canned and frozen.  It will be a welcome diversion from all the hard work.

        Champion’s good neighbors over at Denlow are getting ready for their 23^rd Annual Denlow School Reunion which will occur on May 23^rd this year.  Preparations are under way.  While on her Easter sojourn to their rural Champion estate, Barbara Krider, of the Illinois Kriders, generously donated one of her couture armadillo handbags to the General as a centerpiece for the Denlow soirée.  The General and Barbara are mishpocheh, that is to say ‘family.’  More clearly understood, the term is most often used to mean family that is not blood kin.  Barbara is married to the brother of the wife of the sister of the General.

Barbara Krider presents an armadillo handbag to the General

        It is a close family, if spread out.  Champions know that closeness has not all that much to do with geography.  It is not yet clear if the General plans to simply display the handbag as part of the Denlow Collection, of if he will include it in the Auction that occurs at the event.  As the event approaches perhaps more details will be revealed.  It had been suggested that the famous bag would be available for view at the Champion May Day Celebration together with the other entries (photos only) of the AAF (armadillo art festival) but none of that has been confirmed.  The General can be hard to pin down when it comes to specifics.

        Because Champions are always excited about potential, a survey is being made to see if palladium, a metal in the platinum family, is a common ore to these parts.  News items from a hundred years ago frequently mention ores of various sorts—some called “Jack,” for example.  Well, palladium, mixed with a little deuterium and a little electricity produces what is called cold fusion.  It doesn’t sound like much, but it would sure put Champion on the map!  Champion is already on the map and even finally in the right spot on most GPS systems and that ought to be enough according to some who reject change of any kind.  Reckless brilliance is not enough for them.  They want to be able to repeat the crackpot scientific experiments with some degree of predictability for their outcome before they buy into enthusiasm for a potentially world changing discovery.  Champions are excited, but cautious.

        Champions are also thinking about old friends far away.  Tennessee friend Darrel Haden comes to mind.  He probably has one of the largest collections of vinyl records around.  A search of his archives might come up with a copy of “All The Goings On At The Courthouse.”  That was quite a controversial tune a few years ago.  Music’s power to inform, entertain, comfort and inspire is not lost on Professor Haden and his contributions to music appreciation are not lost on Champions!  Now Ms. Susan Boyles from over in Scotland is wowing the world with her wonderful voice.  She is singing “Cry Me A River” well enough to remind some old Champions of the beautiful Julie London.  These old guys may not really be remembering Ms. London’s voice, but the song brings her to mind.  One Champion wonders if Ms. Boyles might frequent The Forrest Café at Number Three Bristo Place in Edinburgh.  She might meet Champion Sam Moses there and they would both be lucky!

        The 25^th and the 26^th will be good days to plant anything that bears its yield above ground.  Anytime from the 24^th through the 30^th will be an excellent time to do transplanting, says Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood.  Everything is looking so healthy and vigorous.  It is a real test of patience for some Champions in frost-prone pockets of the country.  They are good at the labor part, but the waiting part is hard.  Spend some of that waiting time in correspondence with distant relatives and friends.  Number Four in the series of Champion Picture Post Cards has been flying off the shelves.  It features Charlie Lambert, Lonnie Krider and Danny Dry watching a two wheeled cart go by down on the Square.  It was the occasion of Bud Hutchison’s trail ride last Spring.  Another one of those should be happening any time now.  No doubt a big supply of those cards will be on hand when the riders come through again.

        “I have mixed emotions about this deployment,” said Spc. Chris Palmer of Joplin, now in his second year with the Guard.  “As a soldier, I’m excited about it because I’m finally fulfilling my duties as a soldier; this is what I signed up to do.  But as a family man, I really feel bad, leaving my wife and children.”

        The Missouri Army National Guard 203rd Engineer Battalion will deploy this fall to Afghanistan.  Many of the soldiers were previously deployed to Iraq in 2003.  Since that time, some have deployed with other units for third and fourth tours of duty.  Staff Sgt. Micah Roth of Joplin, now in his ninth year with the Missouri National Guard, is deploying for the third time.  He first deployed to Iraq in 2003 with the 203rd, and later in 2007 with the 35th Engineer Brigade out of Fort Leonard Wood.  This will be his first tour of duty in Afghanistan.  “I really want to go on this deployment because elements of the mission could be dangerous, and I know a lot of the soldiers who are going,” said Roth.  “I just can’t see them going without me.”  Love and Gratitude are the watch words.

        Thoughts about old friends, good surprizes, garden lore and watch words are welcome at Champion Items, Rt, 2, Box 367 Norwood, MO 65717.  Songs of any kind, sweet, silly, or sad are welcome at Champion News.  Sing, “When I was a lad and old Shep was a pup…” out there on the porch at Henson’s Emporium in Downtown Champion.  Look down the broad expanse of Lonnie Krider Memorial Drive and be glad to be Looking on the Bright Side!