Champion News

 

Autumn has arrived right on schedule. Sudden hard rains Sunday evening washed the dust off our lush green spring growth. Persimmons are about to ripen and walnut trees that have not borne fruit in years are heavy-laden and breaking limbs. Squirrels are busy gathering those ankle breakers and the Hammons people will be buying them starting October 7th. Meanwhile, deer will be feasting on the persimmons that Grannie did not pick to make a nice green persimmon pie for some unsuspecting newcomer.

Not all the 500 students attending The Future Farmers of America Greenhand Leadership Conference on Tuesday were in the Mountain Grove Pharmacy that afternoon eating ice cream, but it was standing room only. A sea of smiles and blue jackets. There were 27 chapters of the FFA represented and many of them were in the drug store. It is heartening to see the young people who are getting ready to feed the country before long. Thank you in advance!

The brand-new Skyline Firehouse got its start back in 2020 with a grant from the Central Ozarks Council of Governments and a Community Development Block Grant from the Feds and HUD. There is to be an Open House celebrating its completion starting at 4:00 p.m. Saturday the 28th. It is a big red beauty. The Skyline VFD has long needed this upgrade, and hopes are the facility will encourage new volunteers. All our first responder volunteer firefighters have worked to make this happen and have worked protecting our lives and property, some of them for decades. Thank you for your dedication and service, and Party On! Many remember all the years of the pre-pandemic Skyline Picnics. The new firehose sits about where the old bingo parlor stood. In its last years, it barely stood, but those games—bingo, ring toss, dime toss, silent auction, duck pond, archery, bounce house, cake walk, etc. made for great community fun. The cook shack was legendary for the good food and there was always topnotch entertainment down on the stage. Local merchants were generous with donations for door prizes. The picnic was much more than a fund raiser for the VFD, it was a community gathering where seldom seen friends could reunite and catch up. The stage and cook shack are still there. We will see what happens in years to come.

We remember the old days of Dale and Betty Thomas down at ‘the end of the world’ in Yates with the Pioneer Descendant’s Gathering. Those were some good times. We are enjoying more good times with the 7th annual Pioneer Heritage Festival of the Ozarks on October 4th and 5th. Sherry Bennett does an outstanding job of rounding up young musicians for the Youth Talent Show. She is right in the middle of music all over the place and is much appreciated for her efforts. Just the other night when the sheriff was struggling his way through “The Folsom Prison Blues” at the Vanzant Jam, she came to the rescue with the lyrics on her tablet. The sheriff and the road commissioner stopped in to explain the Local Use Tax that will appear on the November ballot. It’s not an additional tax, but an accounting issue that will return to Douglas County a portion of the sales taxes paid on internet purchases and Wal-Mart pickup. That money will come back to Douglas County from the state to be allocated to the general revenue fund, the county road departments and the sheriff’s office.

This is an exciting time of the year with so much going on. Baker Creek folks over by Mansfield invite you to celebrate the harvest and autumn at their farm and pioneer Village on October 6th and 7th. This has grown into an enormous event during recent years.

Prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers in each age division of the 5K Run and Walk at Skyline School on Saturday, October 5th. Free registration starts at 8, and the race starts at 9. All ages are welcome, including great-grandmothers of Skyline students. On October 1st, sixth grader Myson Loveless shares his birthday with the Prominent Champion who is annually reminded: “If you act like you are having a good time, soon you will forget you are acting, and you will really be having a good time!” That is also the big day for Champion Jana Brixey and the day we remember Pete Mullens. Mahatma Gandhi was born October 2, 1869. William Tucker Clark was born on that day in 2015. His grandpa Gary will celebrate on the 3rd as will fifth grader Evan Homer. The 4th of October is the special day for sisters Karen Fae Upshaw Krider and Linda Kaye Upshaw Johnston, special Champions. President Jimmy Carter was born October 1st, 1924. He is about to be 100 years old. He and Rosalynn were married for more than 77 years.

Bud Hutchison’s Memorial Trail ride will take out of Champion on Wednesday, October 9th. Riders who never had the chance to meet Bud will hear the great stories about him that go way back. Lots of ice cream will be enjoyed and epic yarns will be spun on the wide veranda of the Historic Emporium at the end of the trail in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!