Champion News

 

Kash

It was a cool Saturday morning for the Skyline Fun Run, a 5K walk/run, hosted by the Skyline Wellness Committee.  In the eleven-year-old and under category Kash Hurt came in first at 20 minutes, Alexander Bradley was second, and Blake McIntosh was third, also with good times.  They were followed by Caleb Barker who took first in his division (12-17 year old).  Second place in that division was Ray Hurt and Joseph Hastings came in third.  Deborah Barker was the only competitor in the adult division.  She was the last to finish the race, but was first in her division, crossing the line to a rousing welcome.  Several others started the race but caught a ride on the way back with the pilot UTV driven by Jim Hurt.  Doug Hutchison, Terrell Johnson, and D.J. Mastrangelo of the Skyline VFD provided traffic control for the event and joined the after race festivities for the awarding of prizes and the Krispy Kreme doughnuts.  Mr. Gray said the weather looked great for the Skyline Field Day on Tuesday afternoon.  The school year ends on Friday and summer school begins next week.  Our great little rural school is a busy, exciting place, preparing our young folks for good futures ahead and making good memories of their “good old golden rule days.”

D.J., Terrell, and Doug

Andrew Harden won the adult division in last year’s Fun Run, and in previous years as well.  He was in attendance but did not run this time for reasons of his own.  He did inform that Bud Hutchison’s Memorial Trail Ride will head up in Champion at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 17th.  Saddle up for the ride or just come to see some beautiful animals and nice people.

As to nice people, it is good to hear from Jerry that Sally is coming home.  Almost everything a person hears from Jerry is nice unless he is talking about his cousin, The General.  Jerry does not talk about his motorcycle hoodlum brother-in-law at all, though there is probably much that could be said.  He was out on the porch at the Historic Emporium Wednesday pointing out into the Square saying that it was Jerry’s car that ran over Bud right out there, but Jerry was not driving.  Is more investigation warranted?

May Day conjures up images of fair maidens weaving in and out with ribbons dancing around the May pole.  Workers of the World United on May 1, 1886, brought us the eight-hour workday and other labor benefits.  In Ireland and Scotland, it is celebrated as Beltane, halfway between the vernal equinox and the summer solstice.  Many superstitions or traditions are associated with Beltane. In Edinburgh, for example, if a young woman climbs a certain hill to wash her face in the morning dew there, she will be blessed with youthful beauty always.  Then we hear the cry, “May Day! May Day!” as a call of distress when the plane is going down in the movies.  May first is also the birthday of Skyline second grade student Holden Johnson and of retired Skyline teacher, Terri Ryan.  She enjoys retirement and being Selina’s grandmother.  Dovey Dooms has her birthday on the second of May.  Her sisters will likely celebrate with her.  One time Ava resident Brenda Lee now lives in Springfield also enjoys her birthday on the second.  Cinco de Mayo happens on Friday this year and is said to be celebrated here these days more than it is in Mexico.  Ole! The sixth is for Linda Heffern, a Champion up in Springfield.  She and her husband have just marked their 35th wedding anniversary.  The eighth is for kindergarten student, Dahlia Winter.  The ninth is for remembering Bonnie Brixey Mullens who always loved the Denlow School Reunion.  She and Pete never missed it.  We miss them.  The reunion is coming up on the Saturday of the Memorial Day weekend—always a pleasant event.

Champion Kenneth (Hovey) Hovey Henson emails to champion@championnews.us to say: “Wes Lambert can tell you a story about he and I tying a tin can to the tail of Ed Henson’s coon hound.  Making a lot of racket, goes running through the school yard, past the Champion school house, during Wednesday night prayer meeting, goes over the bluffs along Fox Creek and into Oscar Krider’s field.  Ed Henson was livid’ had to do some crafty lying to get out of that one.  Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.”  Then out on the porch at the Historic Emporium last Wednesday, Wes said it was he and Randy Henson who manufactured this mischief.  Both the doors of the school were open, and the dog ran all the way through the building during the prayer meeting.  The can got lost somewhere but the hound came back with the wire still on its tail which was swollen.  Wes said Ed was indeed mad.  Hovey did manage to get into trouble, though not for this prank.  He and one of those Proctor boys were described as rounders, along with various others, most likely Wes included.  There may be conflicting versions of this story.  The Prominent Champion remarked that animal rights groups would be up in arms over such a prank.  We can use our imaginations and not worry about it.  Overall, we figure worry is the misuse of imagination and it is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

Cardinal Indigo Buntings Rose-breasted Grosbeak

 

On Earth Day, April 22nd, Texas Champion Becky Heston shared, “If you want evidence that the world is a terrible place, watch the news and surf the web. But if you want to remember how incredible this planet is, go out into nature. Unlike social media and the news, nature has no incentive to keep us agitate, angry, and anxious.” We feel blessed to have smart friends and doubly blessed to live in such a beautiful part of the world. Sunday and Monday mornings were frosty in the low spots. The weather seems most unsettled.

Young family folks from big cities marvel at spring happening in the country. “It’s so quiet” they say, “except for the birds! How can such a little thing make such a big sound?” While marveling they lent their hands to some of the hard work that gardening requires this time of the year. Joe tilled and raked rocks and tilled again. Corinne planted beets and radishes and made a significant improvement to the Sometimes Porch Band on Wednesday, the first time they have played outside this year. She is a classically trained musician playing the big fiddle called the viola, steeped in Eastern European music, but most interested in learning the kind of stuff played around here. Before she left, she had “Ashokan Farewell” mastered. Butch Stone happened by and requested “The Eighth of January” and “Faded Love” among others. She made a list and plans to be back on the porch sometime soon.

Soon we will find out from Andrew Harden when the spring trial ride in memory of Bud Hutchison will happen. Skyline seventh grade student Juniper Wiley knows Kaleb Harden and figures she can find out from him when it will occur. She rides her horse to the Champion Store. Her birthday is coming up on the 28th. This is her first year at Skyline and she loves it. There is a lot to love about Skyline. The Tigers just had their ‘field day’ on Friday. Also, on that day the Pre-K, Kindergarten, and First grade had a good time at Rutledge Wilson Farm. The annual ‘fun run’ sponsored by the Krispy Kreme folks will happen at the end of the month. Graduation is on the horizon and summer soon to follow–all a testament to the swift passage of time.

While pausing in the middle of the road to photograph some beautiful chickens, an Old Champion happened to meet a pleasant young man by the name of Eric. He is originally from Lincoln, Nebraska and his wife is a native of Houston, Texas. They are Juniper’s friends, staying in Downtown Champion, hoping to locate permanently in the area with their two month old baby. He is operating a business Called Property Beautification Services. (417-259-1672) He does roof and gutter cleaning, power-washing, yard and garden work, and builds garden beds, trellises, and planters. It is encouraging to have young, hardworking people interested in becoming Champions. There are any number of old folks who can use the help.

Good news came from Jerry Wagner that his sister Sally is getting stronger. It will be good to see her back at the jam one of these days. Sherry Bennet has a whole CD full of ‘possum’ songs. There is another to add to the list, a favorite of the Prominent Champion, “The Possum Creeps Tonight.” It turns out that there are also several songs about pigs. One was just a poem shared by fellow Veteran, Mr. Chaffey, to The General, who summarily set it to music and then proceeded to introduce it with a flourish at the Vanzant Jam, much to the delight of the Shumate sisters and others who had already been giggling over the antics of David Richardson. Another pig-specific song was requested, but the hour was late, and we missed it. Chances are good the whole community will eventually be subjected to it. We can wait in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

Champion Goldfinches Blue Grosbeak Rose-breasted Grosbeak

A quote from an unknown source: Respect the old when you are young. Help the weak when you are strong. Confess your faults when you are wrong. Because one day you will be old, weak, and wrong. Twenty-three years from now, will the young folks be sitting around the old stove at the Historic Emporium talking about the old guys who were there on Wednesday talking about the old guys of previous generations? Wes Lambert says, “Probably not.” Then he went on to spin a yarn about some shenanigan he and Ray Hicks had pulled back in the day. (Chances are pretty good that Ray will be down from Bluegrass, Iowa for the Denlow School Reunion on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. He will be sad to know that about half the roof is off Orville’s old barn now and buzzards are roosting there.) Among the other recollections that day was a story about a ten year old girl named Mable who often rode her horse from Drury to Rockbridge and back, about a three hour trip. Her uncle sent her there for medicine for her grandfather, Henry Shannon. Uncle Harry ran the Drury Store. The General’s younger sister said, “We all loved Harry. He treated all us kids good at his store.”

Myrtle Harris was someone to remember. She loved flowers and it was impossible to get out of her presence without her, “God bless you!” She left us in 2019 just a month after her 90th birthday on April 19th. The 20th is for Wyatt Boehs. He was born in 2010 and is a bow hunter and hide tanner among his other skills. Jordan Ellingsworth is a sixth grade student at Skyline where the field day and fun run and other exciting things are going on this time of the year. His birthday is on the 23rd. Jacob Moffett‘s is on the 24th. He finds arrowheads in creeks, fields and woods and is a guy who can take down a tree with great precision—a big one next to house. We can thank his sister, Rachel Barry, for keeping Jean’s Healthway going so beautifully. The 26th is for Gary, one of dear Ruby Proctor’s sons. Juniper Wiley is a seventh grade student at Skyline. She is new to Champion, a barrel racer, archer, and musician—a welcome addition. The 30th is for Champion granddaughter, Teagan Krider. She lives up around Springfield and is a regular visitor to the old home place.

Concern that the men might be outnumbered eased as The General joined the circle at Vanzant on Thursday. To have as many women in the circle as men is unusual, six of each. The music was up to its usual musical marvelousness—magical medicine. Even those in the audience, not plucking, strumming, or bowing, get noticeable health benefits from music. Introduced as the Vice President of the Booger County Studebaker Association and Preservation Society, Bob Berry was roundly celebrated in song for having been born 77 years ago. Mary joined in the singing and the visiting and smiling.

The 18 mile trip from Champion North to Rockbridge takes about 45 minutes going by way of the monastery, taking it slow for taking pictures along the way. We know of Dogwood Hill over west of Ava, but on this beautiful Saturday, hills, glens, gulches, hollows, dales, vales, and valleys were all named Dogwood. They and the red buds and great sweeping vistas made a lovely trip. Friends gathered for a luncheon on the birthday of their friend who passed away back in the winter and thanked him for causing them to go out together on a glorious spring day. He had given himself a ‘living wake’ party a few years ago when he realized he would not be living much longer. So, his friends said if we can have a wake for a guy who is alive, we can have a birthday party for a dead guy. Friendships sweeten life.

The first hummingbird scout arrived on Cold Springs Road on April 13th. The little fellow has been back every day since. Soon filling the feeders will add to our spring and summer chores along with weeding and watering. Gardeners struggle to get things ready and struggle to hold off planting the tender tomatoes and peppers this early. May 10th is said to be the last ‘possible’ frost day here. Of all the struggles going on in the world, these are some of the good ones to endure in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

TLC stands for ‘tender loving care’ and for Theresa, Lynette, and Carol, a sweet gospel trio.  They play all around the area in nursing homes, the Senior Center, and were even featured at the Denlow School Reunion last year.  They joined the Vanzant Jam Thursday to celebrate their friend, Candi Bartsch, with old tunes they had played together in days gone by—“That Little Mountain Church House” and others.  There were sixteen in the circle that evening from all around the country, all with good memories of a good friend.  A student of David Scrivner, Candi played “Red Wing,” “Old Indiana,” “Florida Blues” and other old fiddle tunes.  Her husband, Jeff, says he will make it a point to be at the jam every Thursday going forward.  It is a good plan and good comfort for anyone needing some uplifting.  Music is good medicine.  “There stands a glass,” said Jerry Wagner.  He also said that he and Lena had been over to Seymour to see his sister Sally Prock and that she was having a good day.  To have a good day is our best hope.

Mistakes in The Champion News give us a chance to revisit a nice subject.  Beverly Coffman Emery’s birthday was April 7th, not April 6th as reported here.  The fun connected with her birthday is worth reporting twice.  At least once she was seen on the internet in a sombrero being Generally serenaded. “I’m surprised ain’t nobody shot you yet.”  Was a laughing comment from Butch Linder when this permutation of the “Champion Items” was new sixteen or so years ago, as he perceived the article to have taken a liberal bent.  He may or may not have meant it, but he is cordial these days and may appreciate his birthday, April 3rd, being mentioned, even if late.  Kim Linder Porter spilled those beans.  Check out www.championnews.us online going back to 2006 to see what other beans may have been spilt.

April 15 and 16 will be good days to plant root crops, according to the almanac.  Then the moon changes and the 20th and 21st will be good days for above the ground crops.  The 24th to the 26th will be good days for starting seed beds, planting flowers and other above the ground crops.  Asparagus is beginning to pop up.  Just ask Edie and Lee Richardson.  You can ask them most anything about gardening and bee keeping.  They are founts of knowledge and willing to share.  If you have willpower, try a trip to Sue’s Greenhouse up north of Norwood.  She seems to have acres of everything wonderful that you wanted and more acres of things you did not even know you wanted.  It is really spring.

The tornado that caused such havoc in Little Rock recently leapt over into Tennessee to tear things up there.  Fortunately, Readyville saw no serious injuries or loss of life, though there was a great deal of damage to an historic old mill and homes built in the early 1800s.  Champion daughter, Linda Watts, was visiting here when it happened.  She and her family cut their visit short to get back there to check on their business and property.  She said that though some of their workshops and vehicles were damaged, they were fortunate that the business office was spared with all their computers and records.  She also remarked that it was beautiful to see the community coming together to help get things back together.  Champion daughters are a source of much joy.  Deward’s great granddaughter Emily just enjoyed a trip to Greece.  Our Scots daughter is still in Argentina swimming with wild penguins and cormorants.  Another spent a few days here helping the old folks in the garden and the kitchen and then headed back to Atlanta to be at work on Monday morning.  Springtime company is some of what keeps Old Champions—Looking on the Bright Side!

She did not want a funeral. She wanted a party. She got one. The enormous turn-out for Trish Davis was a testament to the many lives she touched. Friends will be planting forget-me-nots for her.

A wise man from the east (Vanzant) made the wise decision to enter Champion from the west on Wednesday in lieu of fording Old Fox Creek churning high and wide. Our “Ozarks Alive!” friend, Kaitlyn McConnell, came in from that direction too. Happily, her wide circuit brings her to the Bright Side now and then. She has put 31,000 miles on her car, just a year and a half old. She says her little car is not like a horse that can get used to a rough road, so she tries to take it easy, but she gets around.

Brenda & Gloriabell got into it in the Mt. Grove Post Office on Tuesday. “Just what proof do you have that I read your newspaper?” Friends can shout at each other, frowning and grinning at the same time. “Oh, yea?” It seems to have started over the obituary of a widow woman, though details were vague. Gloriabell folded her paper with a flourish, tucked it under her arm and strode out in a huff. An innocent bystander, just trying to mail a package, let amusement drown alarm and shouted, “You’ll read about this in The Champion News!” We can appreciate a little fun at the post office or anywhere. We poked fun at Big John, John the Generator, our Rt. 72 carrier, as he pulled into Champion in his big new mail truck. It is a beauty, even under all that mud. He says he can go about anywhere.

Wanda’s little dog, Janie, turns out to be a man-magnet. She is a tiny black and white critter with a long soft coat and a winning personality. She never leaves Wanda’s side. On a recent day she caught the attention of three different men. Wanda’s lovely smile indicated that she did not seem to mind. She sits by her sister-in-law at the Vanzant jam with little Janie in between them. On the other end of that same bench sat a couple of guys from Wisconsin, neither of them named John Johnson. Applause welcomed Jerry Wagner, a seldom seen but welcome sight. He allowed that he was doing well but said his sister Sally was not. She is currently in a nursing home in Seymour. Her many friends from all around the country wish her a speedy recovery from what ails her. Jerry asked us to “pardon me if I’m sentimental.” It was sweet to see Doug and Bonnie Bean and to hear Doug sing “I’d rather be here than wherever I am.”

Tim Tamburrino said, “Started out a normal morning, then we decided to take a short drive. Of the things seen were many early redbud trees, then right in the middle of the road was a Bald Eagle, enjoying his catch.” He went on to say that upon arriving home they saw the International Space Station moving from NNW to SSE into the shadow of the Earth. They were able to confirm with tracking their observation. Redbuds are showing themselves up on WW Highway too. Soon enough we will have dogwoods. A hummingbird feeder is going out in Champion this week.

Daniel Roth of Elixir Farm hand-drew a new logo for Jean’s Healthway. It features a honeybee and echinacea, representing some of the many things relating to a health food store—agriculture, functional medicine, local economies, community, planet health, natural birth, food as medicine, etc. The store has been a boon to Ava and the whole area since 1979, and we are glad to have it still being such a bright spot on the square.

April is a beautiful month for birthdays. Champion grandson Dillon Watts has a birthday on April 12th. He has a lovely wife and baby son and plays the banjo and sings. Studebaker Bob Berry celebrates on the 14th. Mary will be sure he has a nice day. The 15th is for Dustin Cline, Champion son in law, living in Tennessee now with Staci and their two sons. Staci’s aunt Vivian Floyd, who grew up in Champion, shares the day with Dustin. That is Income Tax Day and the big day for Wyatt Lakey who is an eight grade student at Skyline. Saturday, April 15th some friends will have a one o’clock lunch at Rockbridge to remember Gary Jones on his birthday. For many reasons, they think of him as a Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

 

Warm sunny days help us dry out from last week’s torrent. They help us lift our spirits as we lift our garden tools out of the shed again. Battered daffodils still show their lovely faces to the sun, even as they are replaced by the yellow polka dots of dandelions in our lawns. Sun in our faces help dry the tears as we empathize with the storm victims out west and in the deep south, earthquake and war victims, victims of poverty and neglect the world over, and as we mourn our own hard losses. It is true that the longer we live the more people we know who are no longer living. Each loss is weight. We say to each other, “Keep your heart light,” knowing that is not easy to do. We may linger over the long list of loved ones and dear ones who have left us with memories of themselves and the part they shared in our lives. Lucky are we to have our lives still going on and to have them filled with dear ones still. “As the life of a flower, as a breath or a sigh, so the years that we live as a dream hasten by.” Laura Newell (1854-1916) wrote that old hymn and many others and was described as a very modest and unpretentious lady, who went about her daily work as cheerfully as her poems advise others to do.

Cheerfully, we acknowledge the birthday of Skyline 8th grader Jhonn Phillip Rhodes on April 1st. April 4th is for Skyline first grader, Frederick Smith. The 5th is for Madelyn’s mom, born in 1984, and the 6th is for Beverly Coffman Emory, “born to be wild!” Just ask her. Bud Hutchison was born April 8, 1935. He was a farmer and trail ride boss whose trail rides are still going on, though he went on in 2018. We miss him but still have smiles and many good stories associated with him. Skyline School’s superintendent, Donnie Luna, and special education teacher, Mrs. Mayberry, will both have their birthdays on Easter Sunday this year. Happy birthday to all of you in a beautiful time of the year to celebrate.

Back in 2002, the Herald printed weekly installments of “The Black Kettle Ride” by Cinita Brown, which had been published in 1997. Lorene Johnston cut them out of the paper and pasted them in her notebook. It took 26 pages. The story is about Tom Brown and his two newborn twin daughters as they join other pioneer families traveling by wagon train from Indiana to Missouri in 1844. The book is still available from various sources online, but the yellowing newspaper print adds something. Pasted next on the last page we find a “Thank You” from Logan and Cinita Brown for all the kind attention they received in honor of their Golden Wedding Anniversary. Lorene’s handwritten note said they were marred in 1952. Her papers are proving to be a gold mine. The Grand Old Opera, the Wagon Wheel Bluegrass Park and the Pioneer Descendants Gathering are all featured among them. Our own piles of paper accumulated over decades are calling on us to sift, separate, save and disperse. We should have done that last winter. It is spring now.

We keep some good songs in our heads as we go on about our daily work getting the garden ready. School is resuming after a break and there will be music there. Students, teachers, and staff are all working hard and learning. Merchants and farmers are doing what comes next in their busy days and we all do the best we can to stay optimistic as Champions—Looking on the Bright Side!

 

On the last night of winter a family up in Vanzant lost their home to a fire.  The Eastern Douglas County VFD, along with the Skyline VFD and the Cabool Fire Department responded to the call. The homeowners and their pets barely made it out with the clothes on their back, according to the EDC.  We will look for more information and for ways to be of help to our neighbors.

Wilbur the groundhog hails the arrival of Calendar Spring, strolling leisurely about the grounds. Apparently Atmospheric Spring arrives later in Champion.  It is cool yet.  The 28th and 29th will be good days to start seed beds, plant flowers and other above ground crops for those who plant by the signs.  Spring Cleaning advocates say cleaning can be done any time.  A pleasant employee of the Town and Country Grocery in Mt. Grove, dealing with a basket of random unsaleable things said, “I hate clutter.”  She went on to say that her house is always ‘company ready,’ a concept to ponder. Spring beckons old Champion housekeepers outside away from the clutter and the dirt and out into the soil and sunshine.

Our Champion daughter, sunning and studying in Argentina, shared a video of a trio she encountered at a local jam—a guitar playing singer, a rub board percussionist and a spoon virtuoso making some fast, exciting, melodic music.  The spoons were heirlooms passed down from his beloved grandmother.  Argentinians share their love of spoon music with Greeks, Turks, Brits, French, Canadian and Russian folk musicians, as well as with South Carolinians and Champions.  Musical spoons kept in the Historic Emporium entice a favorite retired mail carrier to join in a Wednesday jam.  ‘Soldiers’ Joy’ cannot be played too fast for her.  A fast picking banjo player said he had made a trip to Champion recently.  He had not been there for years and had good memories of Ed Henson, his smiles, and jokes.  The General says the Wednesday jam (starting around 11:00) could use a banjo.  Bring what you play and play along with Mr. Day when he brings his mountain dulcimer.

Another Champion daughter shared a video of herself back in February snow/ice sledding headfirst, whizzing down the long steep stretch of pavement that ends in Champion.  Her dad said she must have been going sixty miles an hour—too fast.  She said, “Was it exciting? Yes.  Would I do it again? No.”  She might add a chapter to “The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook,” through which she browsed while her talented Mom played the spoons.  She read about how to stop a car with no brakes and perhaps how to deal with a tarantula.

While no one seemed willing to spend the $.63 on a postage stamp, the champion@championnews.us mailbox received both criticism and suggestions in response to the invitation for those things last week.  A regular reader suggests that we include Johnny Cash’s “What is Truth” in our music selections in the website edition (www.championnews.us).  The criticism: “not enough local history appears in these articles.”  The remedy for that comes from one of the seven big binders of newspaper clippings, obituaries and notes compiled by the late Lorene Johnston.  A random selection concerns the retirement from the post office after 41 years of Cletis Upshaw.  “When Upshaw started his work on July 12, 1958, the route involved 42 miles and 150 box holders.  Today the route covers 106 miles with over 270 box holders.  Even with the mileage going up, flat tires have gone down.”  Better tires and better roads were cited as reasons for the improvement.  During his tenure, Cletis saw an almost complete turnover in customers on his route with few of the originals remaining.  The article was written in in 1999, so the route may be longer now with even more boxes and even fewer of his original customers.  We lost Cletis in 2008.  The Champion article Lorene clipped said, “A person could set his clock by Cletis and could always count on him for good humor.  He was a genuine historian and a genial, good natured person.  Champions are grateful to have had him in their lives and are glad that he knew the community held him in high esteem.”

Friends visiting Champion on Saturday came south on Cold Springs Road from 76 and reported the road to be in excellent shape. The cliffs, twists and turns, hills and low spots, deep woods and unexpected splashes of daffodils mark it as memorable. Those charming and handsome gentlemen from the Drury Shed make it passable.  Whether via a beautiful country lane or the pavement, one could hardly find a more lovely destination than Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!