Champion News

CHAMPION—November 2, 2015

”….where leaf strewn country lanes meet the shiny pavement”

        A cold, wet Halloween with dense fog gave way to sunshine and mild temperatures for All Saints Day.  It all seems just right in Champion, particularly with such a glorious win by the Kansas City Royals in the World Series Sunday night.  Local rumors say the team was inspired by General Fast Pitch and it is said that radar picked up the spontaneous fireworks displays in Kansas City.

        Mrs. Beeler is the physical education teacher and counselor at Skyline School.  She has her birthday on November 3rd.  Hailey Hall is a fourth grade student at Skyline who celebrates on the 4th.  Bob Leach also celebrates on the 4th.  That will be a Wednesday, so chances are he will be with Ethel, among his friends around one of the tables at the Recreation of the Historic Emporium in downtown Champion that day.  Emerson Rose Ogelsby has her birthday on the 5th.  She has a Champion grandmother and had her picture taken with the First Ripe Tomato in Champion back in 2010, when she was 2 years old.  Mason Solomon is in the second grade.  His birthday is November 7th.  He shares his day with Sharon Upshaw.  Sharon is known as the most patient woman in Eastern Douglas County—maybe in all of Douglas County.  Old Grandfather Weltanschauung—proud grandfather of Seamus, Lizzie and Zack is dallying yet in his late 60’s as of the 8th.  Third grade student, J.D. Borders will celebrate on the 9th.  Some thought growing old would take longer.  Some are not fond of birthdays because they are shy and do not want attention, or because they do not like to be reminded that they are aging or that they never feel that they are adequately appreciated.  Many, however, are quite fond of their own birthdays and those are the ones celebrated here.  Happy days, you Champion people!

An albino squirrel.

        One of the regulars around the tables on Wednesdays in Champion is a certain gentleman who happened to have recently seen a white ground hog.  It was in a roadway and could easily have been run over, but the gentleman, though no fan of groundhogs, thought better of it and concluded that more people would have the chance to see it if it remained alive.  Actually, he thought that he might never see another one.  It was the first one he had ever seen.  That sparked a story by Elmer Banks.  Elmer and his friend, the late Larry Casey, were out together one day when they saw a snow white squirrel.  Larry said he ought to kill it.  Elmer asked, “Why?” Larry said that when you tell people you saw such a thing they never believe you.  Elmer talked him out of killing it and they went on.  Some while afterwards they were together at Plummers Junction back when the café was still open.  Larry was talking to friends, telling them about having seen this albino squirrel.  When there was doubt about the truth of the story, Larry said, “Ask Elmer.  He saw it too.”  Elmer said, “I didn’t see anything like that.”  Elmer said that Larry was so mad at him that he was not sure he would have a ride home.  The humor of the situation temporarily escaped Larry.  He was a winner of the First Ripe Tomato in Champion Contest back in 2009, and also brought to some in the community the appreciation of the purple hulled pea.

        Lannie Hinote is enjoying her new life in Alaska.  She lives down on the delta of the Yukon River just before it flows into the Bering Sea.  She says it will not be long until the river is completely frozen and they will be able to travel across it.  It looks like she has fallen into a nice bunch of people in her new situation and those people have had a Champion fall in among them.

        Foster is taking mandolin lessons.  He has just had one lesson and already knows two songs.  He is excited to be learning and looks forward to getting together with his banjo playing cousin, Dylan Watts, one of these days.  His great uncle Fast Pitch, a self-taught guitar player, was pleased to hear that Foster has taken up an instrument.  Kalyssa thinks she will be a fiddler.  She has a favorite cousin who plays the fiddle.  There is a family bluegrass band right there!  They may well be featured at the Vanzant Bluegrass Jam one day.  It happens every Thursday at the Vanzant Community Building, with a pot-luck dinner at 6:30 and then the music.  Bring your sweet potato pie and your ax and sit in.  They will let just about anybody play and it is a sweet thing to be welcomed by such a talented and generous group of people.  Norris Woods is one of the anchors of the weekly get-together.  He said that he has been reading The Champion News for years and has never seen his name once.  He must have not read it on January 12, 2015, or March 3, 2014, or August 12, 2013, or May 25, 2013, or February 18, 2013, or March 1, 2010, or September 28, 2009.  There are more references to the smiling banjo man.  Look in the search box below the archives at www.championnews.us and see that it is true.  Those archives go back to 2006.

        Karry Davis, Douglas County Clerk, kindly mailed out new Voter Identification Cards to Champions and to the other residence of Douglas County.  While there is nothing on the ballot to decide this November, important votes will be coming up and participating in the process is the only way to improve it.  An ornery provocateur from the county to the south has said on more than one occasion, “This country has went downhill ever since they gave women the vote.”  Of course, he is only saying that to pick a fight because he is scrappy and fractious by nature.  Women were not ‘given’ the right to vote.  They fought for it—a bloody, brutal, long-lasting fight.  It is a hard won privilege—a right.  Next Wednesday will be Veterans’ Day.  At the same time some politicians are bragging about their concern for the families of Veterans, they are legislating against programs that could go a measure toward meeting the promises made when the brave young people enlisted.  Read, think, and talk to friends and to people you do not know as a way to inform yourself and then cast your precious ballot every chance you get.

        Come enjoy these perfect days out on the spacious veranda at the Restoration of the Historic Emporium nestled snugly at the bottom of several autumn painted hills where leaf strewn country lanes meet the shiny pavement on the broad bonnie banks of Auld Fox Creek under the wise gaze of the Behemoth Bee Tree.  Gaze on the upward path of Lonnie Krider Memorial Avenue and hear the Battle Hymn of the Republic resounding, “His truth goes marching in!” in Champion –Looking on the Bright Side!