Champion News

CHAMPION—March 9, 2015

From the West Side of Town

        Snow has morphed to mud and daffodils are emerging as a harbinger of spring.  Flocks of folks were out Saturday night at the Skyline VFD Chili Supper enjoying a chance to socialize after long periods of being shut in.  The dinner was tasty, wholesome, home-made food produced and served by some hardworking ladies and the pie table was a delight to see.  Among the top items at the silent auction was a window from the Old Champion Store.  Someone will have a piece of history to hang on a wall.  Steve Moody called that morning, whispering through his laryngitis that he did not think he could MC after all.  On very short notice, Van Kelley stepped up and did an excellent job.  He is accustomed to public speaking.  Whetstone kicked off the evening with their usual flair.  It is clear that they like what they are doing and it is contagious.  After a kind person used a chain to pull the Lead Hill Players out of the mud, this trio from Mansfield provided a great set.  They have an eclectic repertory.  Next year they will know where to park.  Backyard Bluegrass closed out the evening with their great sound.  The band is bigger than it has been at various times in the past and, as always, they really ‘bring it home.’  When the last guests had left, Skyline firefighters and Auxiliary members went about restoring the school to its good condition, ready to receive those little learners on Monday morning.  Once again, it was a successful event benefiting the Skyline VFD which benefits the community in many ways.  Thanks to all who attended and to those who worked so hard to make it happen.

        Conversations were memorable at the chili supper.  Fred Follis likes The Champion News because of the big words like “electricity” and “mayonnaise.”  The Erstwhile Barber was there without his sweetheart.  After fifty years, she was probably ready for an evening off.  Most likely she was resting after having had a lovely party in town earlier in the day being celebrated by hosts of family and friends.  In fifteen years they will have been married as long as Wayne and Francis Sutherland.  There was a great picture of them in the Springfield newspaper last week.  Sixty-five years married is an accomplishment. Congratulations all around.  There were plenty of mud stories going around and gardens being plotted already.  (Linda’s Almanac from up at The Plant Place in Norwood is up on the www.championnews.us website and up on the back bulletin board at Henson’s Grocery and Gas.)  The General was his usual gregarious self.  He has decided to throw his coo-coo clock away.  He had been bitten by the spring cleaning bug and had spent time as the snow was melting trying to secure the loan of a back hoe or skid steer for a couple of hours so he could clean the thing.  He said it would take a couple of days with a shovel.  His friend, Gary Hutchison, had posted on line that he had had his clock cleaned one time.  “The bell rang once and it did not take that long.”

        Champion’s old friend, Eulalia Jasmin, has resurfaced after being who knows where doing who knows what for a number of years.  She has submitted this thoughtful OP-ED piece to The Champion News, hopefully the first of many:  “How do you stay optimistic as you become more informed?  Things are deteriorating rapidly in the world.  The ice caps are melting and people do not believe it.  The same behavior that was considered high treason ten years ago is now applauded and encouraged.  People who love and respect each other often hold exact opposite views with equal fervor.  It is not just Johnny Cash’s Lonely Voice of Youth crying, ‘What is truth?’  Almost everyone has a solid concept of it and it can vary profoundly from person to person.  Little snippets of fact can be cherry picked and couched in language and context that absorbs virtue so the whole statement then becomes ‘fact’–a manipulated truth.  In all the confusion, here are some suggestions to cope with the problem of informed optimism:  Consider the source.  A person might rely on a trusted voice.  Often it is his own voice that is most trusted and the more times he hears himself say something the truer it becomes.  The friend who said, ‘Just because you like what you hear does not mean it is true’ had a point.  Choose those voices carefully and be mindful of motive.  Or, adopt a stance of militant ignorance.  Simply tune out all incoming information or any information that is uncomfortable to hear.  Close your eyes, stick your fingers in your ears, and sing, ‘La, la, la, la, la’ until the bearer of information goes away or gives up.  So far, the best suggestion has been to throw on a cloak of interested indifference.  Approach new data with an air of detached amusement, free of emotion.  If there is something that can be changed for the better by some action that you can take and you are so inclined, give it your best effort.  Passion is good, after all, but for the sake of your peace of mind endeavor to practice moderation to the extent that you are able.  Fanaticism of any sort is considered vulgar in polite society.  Moreover, it can lead to the emptiness of disillusionment.  Informed optimism must be a Champion attribute.  Respectfully submitted, E.J.”

        The snow and ice, rain and mud has not kept regulars away from the meeting room of the Historic Emporium over on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion.  Lee Ray dodged snowflakes Wednesday to propagate his image in the Village as the Wise One.  His prophesy of another big snow at the end of the month has caused him to slide precipitously down the popularity scale and he will have to do some slick talking to redeem himself.  He is probably up for it.  They hardly come any slicker.  He will likely be on probation until the time of the prophesy has passed and his good standing will stand in the balance.  Standing dead on a sunny southern slope is a favorite kind of firewood, especially stacked neatly in the wood shed.  Any number have vowed to be better prepared for next winter with more firewood, more food in the larder, and more projects to fend off the doldrums.  They will have a new set of strings for their instruments and will work up old favorites like, “Grab your coat and get your hat.  Leave your worries on the doorstep.  Life can be so sweet on the sunny side of the street.  If I never had a cent, I’d be rich as Rockefeller with gold dust at my feet on the sunny side of the street” in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!