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CHAMPION—July 19, 2010

          The good news in Champion is all about family and friends.  That is just the way this place is.  Cousins, brothers, sisters, children, parents, aunts and uncles and those grandparents, as well as long time dear friends, are all having a field day with visiting and feasting.  It is a great time of the year in Champion to do just that.  In the winter time a trip out into the snow for an armload of wood, or a shoulder against a brisk wind to finish up the outside work just requires pulling on a sweater or a chore coat and a visitor is happy to lend a hand.  In the summertime, the hard work better be done early in the morning, and while a visitor may have it in his heart to turn a hand to help, the oppressive humidity might suffocate that good impulse.  Some may rail about the softness of a society that cannot do without its air conditioners, but few will turn them off.  Older folks find themselves enjoying the softness of a good sofa and quiet visiting on the hot afternoons.  Naps are also nice.  Some visitors have said that they have never seen Champion so very green this time of the year.  They need to come back more often.  Champion!

          A week later finds the construction of the Replica of the Historic Emporium on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion well under way.  In spite of rain delays and a great surplus of supervision, the rest of the floor joists are in and the whole thing has been covered by quite a substantial sub-floor.  It is amazingly flat–big and flat and very square.  “All the world’s a stage,” they say, “and all the men and women merely players:  they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.”  The they in this case is that old square Willy Shakespeare.  The quote comes from his play “As You Like It.”  Champions like it fine.  There was talk of mounting an impromptu stage play on the big, flat, square stage of the sub-floor, but the timing was a little off.  By the time the General could get his rabble of players together the walls would be going up and he would just be a complication. Now if there is one thing the General is really good at, it is complications.  His music career is a prime example.  It may be that the Backyard Bluegrass will be willing to let him sit in again the Skyline Fire Department Picnic.  His last appearance on his custom made instrument with that group was captured in a series of still (silent) photographs which can be seen in color in the Champion Friends Category on the website www.championnews.us.  Look under ‘Generally Speaking.’   Those pictures do a good job of conveying the lively atmosphere of the picnic.  It’s going to be a doosie this year.  Anyone interested in volunteering to help ready the grounds, can show up Tuesday morning, July 27^th at 9 a.m. at the picnic grounds.  There will be plenty to do and an opportunity for meeting friends and neighbors.  A great colored photo of the Picnic Quilt is right on the neighborhood events page.  It is Bright and Beautiful.

          Sixty pounds of protective gear and equipment is what the soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan carry around in the same kind of intense heat that Champions are experiencing these days.  The Love and Gratitude for those who serve cannot be expressed often enough or completely enough.  World War II Veterans still remember clearly their military experiences and the friendships forged in that difficult time in their youth.  Every age finds young people bound together by the common experience of National Service.  For each group the feeling is that nobody who was not there can possibly understand exactly what it was like for them.  Veterans cross generations to help and understand each other.  They are Champions every one.

Just being able to stroll out to the garden to bring in a little picking of black-eyed peas or a few peppers is enough to wear out some old Champions. There is still time to get some good gardening done and Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood, says that starting the 25^th root crops can go in the ground again.  The 22^nd and the 23^rd will both be good days to prune to discourage growth…a nice time to get a haircut. Louise Hutchison has more welcome company coming and one of the bunch is an Iowa brother who is bringing her a sack of corn…ten dozen ears.  That is quite a lot of corn.  A Champion’s Aunt used to stand the ear of corn up on the middle part of an angel food cake pan to cut the corn off the cob.  It is not supposed to make such a mess that way.  Linda Mallernee takes eight cups of corn, a cup of water, a teaspoon of salt and a stick of butter and boils it for three minutes.  She lets it cool and freezes it, and it is said that it is the most delicious corn imaginable.  If Louise says it is good, it is good.   Louise is all smiles over the birth of another great-granddaughter.  Ryleigh Elizabeth Deal arrived on Friday the 16^th.  She has a two-year-old sister named Emily, and the family lives in West Virginia.  Louise will have pictures to share soon. 

          Take a moment out of your busy schedule to stop in at Champion.  The rare opportunity to see something substantial rise up as an example of how things just ought to be does not often come along.  Wood frame construction is exacting and quite interesting.   While many feel free to ask questions and make comments about how if they were doing it, they would have done it thus and such a way, most Champions are just standing back and enjoying the spectacle.  One of the duties of a non-participating observer is reticence.  One is reminded of an old Earnest Tubb song, “I love my gal, she’s a little bitty booger, just as cute as a bug and sweet as sugar.  I’m a gonna buy her a diamond ring, and we’ll get married in the spring.  Do you need any help?  No help wanted.  Could you use a little help?  No help wanted.  Just call on me if you need any help. Do you need any help?  I’ll handle this job all by myself!”  That July Monkey is finally there on the counter at Henson’s Store and you never saw a cuter monkey!  The silent auction is a monthly endeavor by the Skyline Picnic Society to help the fire department make its truck payment. Sing your favorite Earnest Tubb song in the Loafing Shed next to the Temporary Annex on the West Side of the Square while enjoying progress in the making.  Spin a yarn there or at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or at Champion at getgoin.net.  Change is in the air, but Champion is always the same at heart—Looking on the Bright Side.

CHAMPION—July 12, 2010

          Champion is poised for change.  It is an attribute that distinguishes the character of the place.  Poised.  Stable and steady, yet ready.   An evenly balanced place, carrying itself in equilibrium, supported by the fulsomeness of the past, near and distant, bears the wonderful weight (wait) of tradition and history.  Residents had become accustomed to the unadorned foundation of the Replica of the Historic Emporium as it baked in the sun of haying season with the promise of the finished edifice hanging heavy in the air.  A great mound of pea gravel covered the piping inside the foundation and it baked in the summer sun a while.  Then, as if suddenly, a stem wall appeared and evened out the foundation that now had a sill beam of pressure treated two-by material fastened to the jay bolts.  Now a forest’s worth of two by twelves are lined up on narrow centers—hundreds of feet of perfectly parallel floor joists are lined up just waiting for all that sub-floor stacked up under the big tarp. Things will move quickly now—except for rain delays and the like.  Poised and patient—Champion!

          Ladies of the Skyline Auxiliary, meeting in the Loafing Shed, were entertained at their last meeting by a pair of young deer who wandered out of the dense woods on the Fox Creek side of town.  The sleek young animals strolled about at the crossroads with impunity to the delight of the onlookers. However, the ladies soon got down to business with the serious planning for the Skyline VFD picnic.   A workday at the picnic grounds has been scheduled for Tuesday, the 27^th of July.  Members and volunteers will meet at 9 a.m. to ready the kitchen and to begin the work that will need to be done to the grounds to make them pleasant and comfortable for the many hundreds of people who will attend the stellar event of the summer.  Anyone interested in joining the skyline Ladies Auxiliary or who would just like to pitch in for a little old fashioned volunteering is welcome to come.

          Gardens are burgeoning and neighbors are sharing produce with each other.  Linda’s Almanac from over at The Plant Place in Norwood says that the 17^th through the 20^th will be good days for planting above-ground crops and seed beds.   The 21^st and 22^nd will both be good days to prune to discourage growth.  Eva Powell and her family enjoyed the bounty of granddaughter Emily’s garden as she cooked dinner for the bunch on Sunday.  Tennessee boys with their parents were visiting over on the Krider Farm and the merriment spilled over to much of the Champion community.  Summer-fun is Champion.  Look for Linda’s Almanac in the ‘links’ section on www.championnews.us.  There is also a beautiful picture there of the Skyline VFD Picnic quilt that will be a featured part of the fundraiser this summer.  A big colored picture of Jr. Mudd and his June Monkey can also be found there.  He surely has a sweet smile.  The Skyline Mascot Monkey of the Month for July is said to be ‘on its way.’   Champions are patient.

          Neighboring Vanzant had a grand picnic success with a huge turn-out. The politicians were out in full force pressing flesh and making their positions clear.  Every psephologist in the area will have eyes on the upcoming elections.  They will be clean and orderly—an example to the rest of the world.  All eyes were on the spectacular fireworks display as the picnic came to an end Saturday night.  Roger Wall had just finished his presentation when the sky across the road erupted in booming showers of colored light.  It went on for twenty minutes with the spiraling, whistling, crackling, sputtering and spewing effusions of brilliance and the boom, Boom, BOOM.  Those sounds were softer on Esther Wrinkels’ front porch.  She left the picnic a little early so she could be home in time to see the fireworks from there.  She gets a nice view.  She had really enjoyed the picnic and the chance to visit with many old friends as well as the chance to finally meet Taegan Krider, who was at her first picnic in the arms of her parents.  Ruby Proctor had a good time as she usually does.  She just brings a good time with her, wherever she goes.  She came to the picnic with Pete, who was still reporting on his excellent experience at the Viet Nam Memorial Wall that had been in Cabool over the 4^th of July.   Many conversations included statements to the Love and Gratitude felt for the Veterans who served during the Viet Nam era and those who serve today.  A whole new generation of Veterans will hopefully be met with the understanding and support they have earned from the Nation.

          Some Champions were mighty pleased to make the acquaintance of Mark McIntosh.  He is from Norwood and works for those nice Centurylink people.  After years of struggle and waiting, Champions are one by one getting connected to the high speed internet.  Mr. McIntosh has been in the area doing the final hook ups and everyone is happy to see him coming up the drive.

          During these ideal summer days when the temperatures are about to rise again, Champions are encouraged to spend some time in the Loafing Shed next to the Temporary Annex of the Historic Emporium on the West Side of the Square in Downtown Champion.  The opportunity to see magic happen—to witness History in the Making does not come around every day.  “Your cares and troubles are gone.  There’ll be no more from now on.  From now on Happy Days are here again.  The skies above are clear again.  So, let us sing a song of Cheer again.  Happy times, Happy nights, Happy days are here again!”  This was a popular song in 1932, about the time of the original construction of the Emporium.  Spin some yarns, make inquires, or report any kind of happy times to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or to Champion News.  A trip to the bustling burg itself is the best idea.  If you are there, you are in Champion and perforce Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—July 5, 2010

          Champion again finds itself uplifted and improved by the observance of the Nation’s Birthday.  Grand Marshall, Dustin Cline, led the parade in his slick, black, souped up show truck festooned with extra chrome, while his charming wife dazzled the crowd with her radiant smile and regal wave.  Miss Taegan Rae Krider was this year’s Champion Parade Princess and appeared in a very fetching black and white ensemble featuring a patriotic motif in Red White and Blue.  She has been enjoying the company of visiting Aunt Linda and cousin Dakota as well as other close and distant family.  Over a month old now and already a full participant in all community activities, this young lady is a Champion!  The parade route started in the church parking lot and proceeded out the Eastern Gate to the pavement, thence west past the city limits sign, reentering the square from the north.  The Loafing Shed provided comfortable viewing while dignitaries had available to them the prime location of the Emporium West Annex Veranda.  This is perhaps the most ‘green’ parade in the Nation, as there routinely is less detritus at its conclusion than at its beginnings.  Not a trace is left except the fullness of heart borne of the Love and Gratitude for the Founding Fathers and their Great Idea:  America!  That is Champion. 

          The high-speed Internet connection is almost connected in Champion.  The Centurylink people are out in the area getting everything in place to tie Champion to the rest of the world through the Ethernet.  Cool.  It will be delightful to get into the www.douglascountyherald website and rumble around.  It looks as if the Champion column and all the other correspondence columns will eventually be available there.  Another very interesting place to visit online will be the State Historical Society of Missouri website.  It is at http://shs-umsystem.edu.  Links to both these sites can be found at www.championnews.us.  That is also the place to see photos of Jr. Mudd, who won the silent auction at Henson’s Store for the Skyline Mascot Monkey of the Month for June.  The picture of July’s monkey will soon be there as well, together with a good color photo of the Skyline Picnic Quilt.  It is a real beauty!  The Ladies Auxiliary will have had it’s meeting on Tuesday the 6^th dealing with preparations for the Skyline Picnic coming up on the 13^th and 14^th of August.  The picnic season is in full swing now, so there will be many chances to meet up with friends and family while supporting local community efforts.  This is a good time of the year in this excellent part of the world.

          Esther Wrinkles said that Rege  Kelly’s 4^th of July celebration in Norwood was another great success.  She said there was a great turn-out and the music and fireworks were good.  She had a dozen for dinner at her house and spent some of the rest of the holiday fishing.  She went with Larry and Theresa to a springfed pond down by Hunter Creek.  It is a comfortable place to fish and she caught quiet a few.  Fishing is good pastime anytime. 

          That bunch of tree-huggers were together again at the Mill Pond for the Fourth.  Old acquaintances made the time to reacquaint with news of empty nesting and grandchildren and a wide variety of other topics.  It seems that there will be many people turning sixty-four this year.  “Will you still need me?   Will you still feed me when I’m sixty-four?”  Back when the Beatles wrote this song, sixty-four seemed old!  Gardening was a great topic of conversation during the afternoon.  A nasty little black flea-beetle has appeared in profusion to wreck havoc in many gardens.  Dave Miller has 500 yellow tomato plants out over in Woodpeckerville and many others elsewhere—a new variety with which he seems quite taken is called “Hillbilly Delight.”  There was also much conversation concerning the Viet Nam Memorial Wall that was brought to Cabool.  Some had been to see it and some were unwilling to go because of the deep emotion that it evokes.  Jan Liebert from over at Teeter Creek said that she receives the new public radio station from Cabool well at her place.  She said that Sandy Ray Chapin had been on the radio in marathon since the evening of the first.  He was interviewing Veterans who had come to see the wall.  As he told their stories he played the music that they were listening to while they were serving over there.  Jan said that Sandy was doing a splendid job.  This is a great radio station that some people are just now discovering.  It is KZ88.1 on the FM dial.  They play a lot of local music and focus on local events of interest.  A link to their website, www.mykz88.org can be found in the www.championnews.us site.  World affairs, philosophy and politics were fairly well hashed out among the group as a potluck feast of mammoth proportions was consumed.  The day passed sweetly, another year gone by. 

The 7^th and 8^th will both be good days to plant root crops.  The 11^th and 12^th will be first good days of the month to plant crops that bear their yield above the ground.  This is from Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood.  Gardeners are reminded that now is a good time to plant for a nice fall harvest.  Citizens are also reminded that it is important to be registered to vote by August the 3^rd for the upcoming primary elections.   It is to be noted that the complaints of nonparticipating observers bear little weight.  It has been said that the General has been having a little trouble bearing his own weight.  Champions all wish him good luck in getting the lead out and getting back to his routine mischief making and surprise hijinx.  The fun quotient slips a little when the General is not quite up to snuff. 

Amble on over to the Loafing Shed on the West Side of the Square.  It is adjacent to the Temporary Annex and offers an excellent vantage point for kibitzing the construction of the replica of the Historic Emporium.  A substantial amount of fine pea gravel now covers the water pipes inside the foundation.  It is obvious that progress is pending, just about to break out all over.  The changes will be substantial if not what one might call swift in the here and now.  Time is so subjective.  “Send me a postcard, drop me a line, stating point of view.  Indicate precisely what you mean to say, Yours sincerely, wasting away.”  There are still available plenty of those Champion Picture Postcards with views of the previous permutation of the most pleasant place around.  Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—June 28, 2010

          Relief from the oppressively hot weather is felt as completely in Champion as anywhere.  Barns are full of hay and citizens go about their business with a renewed sense of optimism.  Gardens are producing and these are exactly the days that were longed for during the long deep winter.  Champion!  Because of its central location in Douglas County, Mid-America, and the Western Hemisphere, Champion sees a good deal of company this time of the year.  Friends and family travel great distances to soak up just a little of the pastoral calm so missing in the hectic pace of the dreary elsewhere with its six lane freeways and flummoxed populace.  The hospitality of Champion is legendary.  Welcome.

          Sunday afternoon found Esther Wrinkles’ house so full she could hardly turn around.  Her 93^rd birthday was the occasion that brought her sister, Irene Dooms, and her two sons and their wives and children, and Esther’s two sons and their wives and families and Leon and Peggy Harris and numerous others—15 in all–to celebrate with her.  On the phone one of her good neighbors said Esther’s house was just rocking over there and she agreed that Esther is indeed a party animal.  Champion! 

          More birthday celebrations were going on with the Powell family.  Mrs. Eva Powell enjoyed the company of her granddaughter, Emily, and her husband, Victor, and their children, Serena and Connor on Saturday night.  Her daughter, Sondra, had just returned from a cruise to Alaska and came bearing gifts and stories of having to wear a jacket against the chill up there.  Eva had also had a nice visit with her niece, Jeannie Maddox, who came over with an armload of garden produce for her—squash, cucumbers, peppers—all the good stuff.   Birthday cards and calls are coming in and she has been promised a ‘stinky rose’ (garlic) from her Sunday pew friend. Phew!  Ms. Powell will be attending the Mt. Grove High School Alumni Parade on Saturday the 3^rd.  This will mark her 60^th high school reunion!  Congratulations.

          It was figured pretty well solid that the General would be leading that parade, but sources close to him say that he will not be out in front of the procession this year with the whistle and cymbals.  More is the pity, because even the Champion Parade Committee (CPC) had its bid in on his services for the auspicious occasion of the Hallowed 4^th of July occurring on Sunday this year.  Committee members are scrambling to compensate for what may prove to be his absence.  It is staggering.  So is he, but hopes are that soon he will have regained his composure, posture and wit.  Meanwhile Champions struggle on and will observe and solemnize the Birth of the Nation, Freedom and Patriotism with as much fervor as can be mustered in the void of this fabled bulwark.  Bullwork?

          “I’ll take mustard on mine.”  The swimming holes will be full of picnickers and celebrators on the 4^th.  Friends who meet on this annual occasion only will be pleased to catch up on each other’s news and to address the current state of world affairs.  Amid the ranting and profundities will be the standard expressions of Love and Gratitude toward those who serve and have served at the behest of the Nation.  Many are planning a trip over to Cabool to see the Viet Nam Memorial Wall that will be on display there.  The holiday marks an opportunity for fun certainly but also the opportunity for sober and somber observance and homage to those who made it possible. 

          Champions are glad to hear that Skyline Firefighter Bill Griswold is on the mend.  He fell ill while on vacation and after some serious hospitalization has made it home to recuperate in is own comfortable spot.  Greg and Tamara Griswold, Bill’s brother and his wife, are retiring to the area and have been visiting while working on getting their place here ready for occupation.  They will be welcome additions.

Milder weather has gardeners willing to be out there pulling weeds, cultivating and fertilizing.  The signs have changed again and so Friday and Saturday will both be good days to plant root crops.  Saturday marks the beginning of the “Dog Days” of Summer according to Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood.  It is also the 45^th wedding anniversary of a certain pair of absentee Champion farmers.  With some luck, Barbara’s sweetheart will be home in time to celebrate with her.  He is out of the hay and back in the bower of connubial bliss! 

          Bidding is hot in the June Mascot Monkey silent auction.  Inquires have been made by Champions friend Rebecca Quezacotl of Tejas Endeavorville. She has things to say about the tyranny of the culinary ego of small communities and clearly sees that a Picnic Society matron might well prefer making monkeys to pies.  Her view of the June monkey on-line verified to her that this particular monkey has a very sweet expression on its face.  It is expected to bring a pretty penny for the Skyline Area Volunteer Fire Department.  The proceeds from these monthly auctions go to help make the payment on the fire department’s new fire truck.  A resurgence in the popularity of the red-heel sock monkey is largely due to its appearance in a car commercial on television.  “How you like me now?” is the refrain that is repeated while the monkey is seen doing all sorts of implausible monkey stunts.  The bidding closes at 5 pm on the last day of the month.  The July monkey will be identifiable by its red, white and blue ornamentation.  Hurrah!

          “There’ll be a change in the weather, a change in the sea.  From now on there’ll be a change in me.  Why, my walk will be different, and my talk and my name.  Nothing about me gonna be the same.  I’m gonna change the way I’m living and that ain’t no shock, I’m thinking of changing the way I set my clock.”   Clocks are still set the same in Champion and while change seems slow sometimes, patience wills out and the much anticipated reincarnation of the Historic Emporium on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion will ‘er long seem to have leapt up out of the ground in all the kinds of splendor expected and unexpected.  Why, it will be like nothing changed at all in just no time.  In a dozen years hardly anyone will recall when Henson’s Store suddenly disappeared without a trace and the new improved replica appeared as if by magic.  By then young Foster will be driving.  Drive on over to Champion for a good look at magic in the making—best viewed from the Loafing Shed.  Questions, comments, yarns, songs, stories about change and observations on Champion life are welcome at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or at Champion at getgoin.net.  Look in on the place at www.championnews.us if you can’t get here in person.  If you can get here, do.  You’ll be in Champion…Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—June 21, 2010

          The first day of summer arrived in Champion with a sizzling fanfare.  The humidity mixed with above average temperatures to make the day ultra summer like. 

All the surrounding creeks are being dipped into liberally by Champions who are ‘way cool’ thereafter.  The winter of Champions’ discontent has been made glorious summer and no one complains.  There are no grim visages.  Champion is a place well worth a second look.  That is what readers of the Champion column got last week…a second look at the news from June 7^th.  

          News from the 14^th of the month includes (1) Karen Krider won the First Ripe Tomato in Champion Contest.  (2) Foster Wiseman birthday occurred on the 16^th.  He is now five years old and going to school and loving it. (3) Champion neighbors over on C Highway have sold out and moved to Tennessee.  There was a big auction at their place, which was very well attended.  Many interesting items changed hands via the auction company and many old acquaintances were renewed out under the trees on the spacious lawn.  (4) Flag Day was celebrated on the 14^th with all the customary Love and Gratitude that Veterans have coming.  It was noted that Pete Proctor will be greeting people at The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall, which will be in Cabool July 1st thru July 4th.  This is a 3/5 scale of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. and it is over 300 feet long and six feet high.  The names are all there.  (5) Rare visitors cause an improvement to almost any Champion menu.  The complete article can be found on the website at www.championnews.us.  There can also be seen photos of Miss Emerson Rose Oglesby with her Grammy’s prize-winning tomato. 

          Taegan Rae Krider’s Aunt Linda celebrates her birthday on the first day of Summer.  Next week Ms. Paula Mudd, Ms. Eva Powell, and Ms. Esther Wrinkles will all celebrate birthdays.  Ed Henson’s birthday was the 27^th of the month.  He was 95 years old when he passed away in 1998.  Still, he is well remembered and well regarded as a genuine Champion.  The stories that circulate about him and his legendary sense of humor continue to bring smiles to the many visitors to Champion who knew and loved him. 

          The haymakers are still busy at it.  They have to cut it down to put it up and hope it doesn’t get sprinkled on too many times before it gets up.  Many are reporting an excellent harvest and say that the hay is so thick it takes longer to cut and makes more bales.   It is hot, hard work and some of those farmers are getting as brown as berries.  Any given swimming hole is liable to have a haymaker or two in it at any given time. 

          Arlene Cooley says, “If you could incorporate the following into your otherwise fabulous writings……..It’s that time again!  The Cooley reunion for family and friends will be held June 26th at First Freewill Baptist Church in Mountain Grove from 10 to 3.  A potluck dinner at noon will be followed by an auction and door prizes with music provided by Darrell Cooley.”  There will definitely be some fun going on there.  Those people do an unusual amount of grinning and laughing.  Funny. 

          Last weeks news informed that the 20^th through the 24^th would be good days for planting above the ground crops and seedbeds.  Linda’s Almanac from over at The Plant Place in Norwood says that the 27^th through the 29^th will be good for planting root crops again.  Sometimes a gardener does not have the leisure to plant by the signs.   Rather, when the iron is hot, or when conditions allow, or when it can be worked into the otherwise busy schedules of the planters.  Enemies do not sneak into Champion gardens by night to plant tares among the wheat, but the blasted armadillo feels free to grub about where he will and his blundering is destructive. The effect on the garden is what a prominent archaeologist calls ‘bioturbation.’  It is a real word that means the stirring or mixing of sediment or soil by organisms, especially by burrowing or boring.  One old Champion slept out in her garden the other night.  She loaded her gun, set up her cot, hung up her mosquito net and settled in with a keen ear out for the snuffeling grunt of the wretched beastie.  She fell fast asleep and rested deeply to awaken at dawn with a little dew on her bedding and plenty of signs that the armadillo had been visiting.  Her old dog would have been an asset on that occasion because she is a light sleeper and has a wonderful nose for varmints, but gunfire and thunder send her running and it seems a shame to upset the aging family pet.   “Life gets tegious, don’t it?” is an applicable saying passed down for generations from Mother to daughter.  The word is ‘tedious’ but the saying requires the errors in spelling and grammar for effect.

          Father’s Day was another roaring success in Champion.  All the old boys were celebrated and appreciated.  The phone lines were buzzing with all the Love and Gratitude that children hoard up from one year to the next.  Foster Wiseman had his birthday party on Father’s day.  His parents, Tanna and Roger, and his sister, Kalyssa, helped him celebrate.  The party was hosted by his Grandmother Krider and attending were his paternal grandparents, Wayne and Bernice Wiseman, Great aunts and uncles, Vivian Floyd, Harley Krider, Kaye and Richard Johnston, second cousin Madelyn Ward and her parents Phoebe and Josh Ward, aunts and uncles Staci and Dustin Cline, Briaunna and Leslee Krider and their little one, Taegan, as well as others.  That birthday song was sung and everyone had a good time. 

          For a good time, head on down to Champion.  Spend a lazy afternoon over in the Loafing Shed adjacent to the Temporary Annex on the West Side of the Square.  There summertime yarns are being spun daily and summertime songs are just waiting to be sung.  Spin your Champion yarn at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or at Champion at getgoin.net.  Get a good look at the construction site where the replica of the Historic Emporium will soon be rising like Sondro Bottichelli’s 1486 painting of Venus emerging from the sea.  Champion!  Looking on the Bright Side!

The fourth annual ‘First Ripe Tomato in Champion Contest’ came to its conclusion on June 12th, 2010, when Emerson Rose Oglesby brought her Grandmother Karen Krider’s beautiful little Delicious tomato to Henson’s Store.  Contest rules require the winning tomato to have been grown in Champion and to be eaten by the judges.  The tomato was indeed judged to be ripe and it was  shared out among the various judges in attendance.  It was small but quite tasty.  This is the earliest winning date in the history of the contest and the list of prizes had not yet been announced.  For her efforts Ms. Krider will receive an antique fruit jar, two dozen canning jar flats, and six tickets (valued at $5.00) for the Skyline VFD Picnic Quilt.  She’s a Champion!

Two year old Emerson happened to be visiting with her Grammy just as the tomato reached its peak of perfection.  She and her brother, Eli, came with their folks down from Perry, MO to enjoy some time on the farm.  They both like the cows and like being out in the garden.  Champion has always been an excellent place for young people as well as Champion Tomatoes!

            The second week of June in Champion is historically warm and humid. These are the days about which Champions dreamed in early February. Crazy, spotty little showers that dampen downed hay three days in a row accompany the heat and the relativity of the humidity is extraordinary. The cool breeze wafting through the Loafing Shed in downtown Champion lures the farmers in to talk about their hay, their equipment, and the good fortune they experience as residents of this part of the world. A fly on the wall of the Loafing Shed could probably recount any number of interesting conversations—if there were walls and talking flies. Foster’s birthday is on the 16th of June, but he will wait for his party until Sunday. He is now five years old. That is pretty amazing. He is quite a nice fellow. He’ll be having a hotdog party at his Grammy’s house on Sunday afternoon. There will be lots of cousins, aunts and uncles, and friends to help him celebrate. Over in Tennessee his Aunt Linda is having a birthday on the first day of summer—a sweet way to welcome in the season.

           Champions will be getting new neighbors as Doyle and Kathy Strickland are making a move to Tennessee. The Taylor Auction people held a big sale over on their place on Sunday afternoon. There was an enormous crowd and lots of interesting things to bid on. The real estate had sold already, so it will be good to meet the new neighbors and to welcome them when they move in. Hopefully the Stricklands will be as well situated in their new spot. Meanwhile it was pleasant to see lots of familiar faces at the sale. Bill and Beverly Emory were there and Beverly was wanting to be sure that her favorite customer was suitably teased about how her big white thing and someone else’s big black thing had run into each other a while back, leaving the big black thing on it’s back with its legs in the air. That is surely enough teasing for the time being. There is an art to successful bidding at an auction of this sort. Sometimes you get a bargain, sometimes you get soaked and if you are lucky when the bidding gets up there too high someone will snatch it from you and that will be good too. The main thing is not to bid against yourself.

             The signs have changed, according to Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood, and once again those above the ground crops can be planted. From the 20th to the 24th that second planting of corn can go in together with all the other things that have been running late. There is still time for green beans and squash and cucumbers. The pressure is off of Champion now though as Karen Krider has won the First Ripe Tomato in Champion Contest. It was a perfectly spherical tomato just under three inches in diameter and gloriously bright red. “Very tasty!” said the judges and so the rest of the community can just relax and get out there and hoe the corn. Where are Lem and Ned when you need them? While Pithy Adeline has certainly been a boon to the neighborhood, being such a delight for the eye and so high spirited, she may have distracted the boys to the extent that they are fairly useless. Champions are back where they started. As far as the hard work goes, it is as if those nice barefooted boys never existed!

            Flag Day finds Champions thoughtful about Freedom and the service of all those in uniforms who have sacrificed to preserve it for the rest of us. Pete Proctor will be greeting people at The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall, which will be in Cabool July 1st thru July 4th. This is a 3/5 scale of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. and it is over 300 feet long and six feet high. The names are all there. Many thousands will come to view it. What will memorialize the current conflicts? The Vietnam era Veterans waited a long time for recognition. Hopefully, those returning now from the dangerous places in the world will be met immediately with the Love and Gratitude they have coming.

          Seldom seen dear friends and precious family move through Champion bringing excitement and nostalgia with them. In their wake the tranquility of Champion seems just a little too tranquil—too quiet for a little while. Soon the preparations for the next wave of welcome visitors will begin with the anticipation of laying eyes on those dear faces again after the passing of too much time. Champions know that the very best thing available in life is the Love of family and friends. Heart strings get plucked and out rolls a song like Dylan’s “Country Pie.” “Saddle me up a big white goose, tie me on her and turn her loose. Oh me oh my! Love that country pie!” When kinfolks come the groceries sure do get good!

          Amble on in to the Loafing Shed next to the Temporary Annex of the Historic Emporium know as Henson’s Store located on the West side of the Square. From there a view of the construction of the replica of the original on the original spot can be clearly viewed. Ten years from now visitors to Champion will say, “It seems like the store is just a little bigger than I remember it having been.” Ten years will go by in a flash. Send examples of the rapid passage of time to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO. 65717. Email favorite pie receipts to Champion at getgoin.net. Look in on the website at www.championnews.us to see a picture of Miss Emerson Rose with the First Ripe Tomato in Champion. She has a beautiful smile. She is a Champion! Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—June 7, 2010

        Charles H. Towne must have been in Champion when he wrote his poem “How softly runs the afternoon beneath the billowy clouds of June.”  James Russell Lowell said, “And what is so rare as a day in June?  Then, if ever, come perfect days.  Weather we look or whether we listen, we hear life murmur, or see it glisten.”  So it is in Champion, the bees are buzzing and the haymakers are having a hay day!

        A note comes from the General who said, “If I get a chance to practice before the next reunion, maybe I won’t torture the ukulele so much.  If you would, please add that Buzz Woods won the quilt that Shirley Brixey made and donated.”  People are still talking about what a good time they had at the Denlow School Reunion and one clever photographer took some nice pictures of the food laid out the length of the hall with every imaginable hearty dish—meatballs, lasagna, fried chicken, and ham, to name a few.  There were beautiful salads and vegetables, bread, and then deserts!  There were pies and cakes and cobblers and on and on.  The General allowed as how he has never come away from that table hungry.  It was a feast of everyone’s favorite dish!  Champion.

        The Skyline Ladies’ Auxiliary had a meeting at Henson’s Store in the spacious accommodations of the Loafing Shed.  It was the first of June and a lovely evening and the ladies got right down to business.  Minutes were read, the treasury report was tendered, and the big new business is the upcoming picnic.  Already the behind the scenes work that is required to make the Skyline VFD Picnic the highlight of the summer is well underway.  Put it on your calendar—August 13 & 14.  Esther Wrinkles turned over an incredible quilt for the fundraiser.  It is a queen sized quilt that she hand-pieced.  The pattern is called ‘Stripes and Scraps.’ It has a small nine-patch center in each block with radiating stripes that produce quite and interesting optical illusion.  The whole thing is done in pinks and blues and it is vibrant.  The lining is a solid blue—not baby blue, not dark or light or bright blue, but just exactly the right blue—maybe Perfect Champion Sky blue.  Anyway, it is good to have the quilt designated so the fundraiser can begin.  One lady said that she would have her tickets ready when the politicians come by to ask for her vote.  Since the picnic is before the election, it would be good of those who want to represent and serve the area to actually show some support of it!  There will be a great colored picture of the quilt on the www.championnews.us web site.  Perhaps there will also soon be a picture of the owner of the May Mascot Monkey of the Month.  This month a real cow-girl from Texas is the high bidder on the red-heel sock monkey that has been on display down at Henson’s Store in the Temporary Annex on the West Side of the Square.  The SAVFDA Picnic Society runs a monthly silent auction there, the proceeds of which go to help the Skyline VFD make its big old fire truck payment.  The June Monkey will soon be on the block.  This one has piercing iridescent black eyes and a countenance that promotes affection.  Its picture can soon be seen on the Champion web site.

        It turns out that not everyone has an Internet connection.  Champions across the country still use the U.S. Postal Service for all kinds of old fashioned communication.  It just cost $5.50 to send a monkey in a priority envelope to Texas.  It is a great joy to receive a note from a friend, or a birthday card.  Champion Items at Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 is a good place to spin a Champion yarn.  There are archives of all the Champion Items going back to August of 2006, so if there is one you missed or one that you remember fondly, send a note to request a reprint.  It will come on plain paper rather than newsprint.  For those with the Internet, the web site has a wonderful search engine that will let you look up anything that has been mentioned.  Of course, if you look up Foster and Kalyssa or the General, there may be too much to read.  If you just want to reread that old buzzard story, you can type in ‘buzzard’ and up it will come.  It is a strange new world.  Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place is easy to find on the web site or on the counter in The Gift Corner in Norwood.  It says that the 10^th and the 11^th will both be good days to plant root crops or to transplant.  Pithy has been planting sweet potatoes and pulling up some young tender turnips for Lem and Ned.  Such a nice girl!

        Ruby Proctor was out rambling around on Saturday with her son Gary and Kristie.  They had been to the cemetery looking around and reminiscing and on their way over to Champion to get a look at all the changes they stopped in on a friend.  It was a sweet surprise visit that just made that friend’s day.  As to the changes in Champion, Ruby has a happy heart.  She understands why it had to change and at the same time she holds on to her good memories from the past.  She moved to Champion when she was six years old and has always thought of it as her dearest home.  She knows that the changes will be good ones and that the thing that keeps Champion such a precious place will not change at all.  There is a lady with some stories to tell and a wonderful laugh.

        Memorial Day found Champions paying respects to their Military Service people, past and present.  Flag Day is coming up on June 14^th.  All eyes look to the Stars and Stripes as a representation of freedom.  Champions look to it and to those serving with Love and Gratitude.

        June’s is called The Strawberry Planting Moon.  The red rose is the flower and the birthstone for the month is the pearl.  “The liquid drops of tears that you have shed shall come again, transferred to Orient pearl,” said Richard III.  He was rudely stamped and badly motivated, but definitely an optimist.   It would be pleasant to go through life with no heartaches, no thistles in the fields, but that is not always the way it works.  Real life has ups and downs.  Down in Champion things are mostly up..Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—May 31, 2010

        Champion is enjoying the fullness of the season.  The hay harvest is truly plenteous and while the laborers are few they have some big machines and all is well.  Harley, particularly, has some pretty hay down and up.  Visitors to the community, friends and family, are all made better by their sojourn in the tranquil environs.  The place was hopping on Wednesday morning with the ground-breaking ceremony for the replica of the Historic Emporium being constructed on the North side of the Square.  Visiting dignitaries included retired city planner, Thomas VanDyke, of Houston, Texas.  The illustrious Mayor of Champion was handed a stainless steel sharp shooter shovel and he summarily scooped up a representative clot of Champion Earth while cameras clicked and whirred from every angle.  Though the photographs are unavailable for publication, the oratory was emblazoned on the psyches of all in attendance.  The reconstruction was likened to the Phoenix Rising, representing the capacity for vision.  The mythical bird is the symbol of high virtue and grace, of power and prosperity.  Progress on the project is steady and substantial.  Champion–steeped in the classics and good planning.

        The 24^th Denlow School Reunion was a wild success!  There were sixteen former students in attendance as well as a great number of friends and family and some idle passers by.  The reunion was first started by the late Lucille Shannon Ketchum, who kept it tightly organized for nineteen years.  Mary Joe Cole Denner, who recently passed away, and Evan Williams were also a part of that original organizing group.  Williams, who attended school at Denlow in 1924 or 1925, enjoyed himself at the reunion, as did Lowell Lutrelle who attended in the 1930’s.  There were four Hoppers in attendance– Marilyn, Wally, James and Ricki.  People came from far and wide and Vernon Upshaw made it out from Mountain Grove!  One of the highlights of the program was a talk given by Gene Hendrickson.  He is from Fairfax Station, Virginia.  He grew up in North Dakota where he still owns his family farm.  He was on his way back there after the reunion.  He is a Bird Colonel, a veteran of 30 years in the Marines with tours of duty in Viet Nam and Desert Storm.  He remarked that young troops do most of the fighting and have done so all the way back through the civil war and beyond.  Generation after generation young soldiers enthusiastically step up to serve their Nation and the cause of Freedom.  He and his wife, Sharon Hammons Hendrickson, had been in Denlow last fall visiting the cemetery where her great granddad, James Hammons, is buried and they were invited back for the reunion.  They had a nice visit with second cousin Bertha Wood over in Mountain Grove during their stay.  After an amazing dinner, a big bunch of the group assembled in the pavilion where Laverne Miller conducted an auction.  He was in a hurry to get it done on account of a pending obligation up in Chicago at the National Billy Goat Auction.  He has been in charge of most of the reunion auctions over the years.  He is a veteran too.  He landed in Normandy not long after D-Day and as part of the signal corps, strung wire for General Patton.  His wife, Jessie Mae Miller, contributed several crocheted pieces to the auction including a filet crochet wall hanging saying, ‘Home Sweet Home.’  She had with her a photograph of her family with her great grandparents, her mother and father, her mother’s parents and numerous brothers and sisters.  Her granddad had passed away in 1913, so the photo was pretty old.  It was made right in Denlow, but was too full of people to see much of the scenery.  Barbara Anderson was the winning bidder on a set of Champion Picture Post Cards, which had been presented, “To Denlow with affection from Sister City, Champion, May 23, 2009.”  It took a year for the General to be willing to part with them—so picturesque!  The morning’s program had also been pretty scenic as Virginia Fuller, Kaye Johnston, and Sally Prock reprised their exotic Polynesian dance to the accompaniment of Robert Upshaw’s torture of an otherwise quite nice squeezebox, which he called a ukulele.  It is his notion that once word gets out about the spicy nature of this performance, the 25^th Reunion next year will be standing room only!  Esther Wrinkles and Ruby Proctor had a chance to sit and visit a while Saturday with Virginia Jacobs and others there on the benches at the entrance to the cemetery.  Esther was pleased to meet up with her cousin Louise Holt, who made it out to Denlow on Sunday.  She is from Excelsior Springs and came down to see her sister Betty Garrett who lives in Mansfield.  While she was in the neighborhood, she attended a church meeting with Esther, and Larry and Teresa Wrinkles.  The meeting was being held by 80 year old Johnny Elmore in Houston, MO.  Irene Dooms came out to Denlow in the afternoon to visit with her sister and their cousin Louise.  They saw a lot of people that they rarely see including Wayne and Frances Southerland.  He is doing better Esther says, getting around with his walker.  So it will take some of the committee a while to rest up from this shindig, but they are already thinking about the next one.

        Champions are reminded of the First Ripe Tomato in Champion Contest.  This is the fourth year for the contest and the rules are the same:  The winning tomato must have been grown in Champion and must be shared with the judges to verify authentic ripeness.  Donna Moskaly won in 2007 on June 28^th.  Louise Hutchison won the next year on July 12^th with a Parks Whopper, and last year Larry Casey won on June 30^th.  Prizes will be announced soon.  Time is flying by and Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says June the 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th will all be good days to plant root crops.

        Memorial Day is the time to stop to think of those who breathed their last in our Nation’s cause.  It is a comforting day also, a time to gather with family and friends, a moment to enjoy the Love of those closest to our hearts.  Judy Ing, of Bastrop, Texas, was a dear Champion friend, who visited here many times over the last thirty years.  She was taken from the world in a sudden tragic accident on May 22, 2010.  Judy was a true and generous friend and the many people whose lives she touched are Grateful to have had the chance to Love her.

        Step out into the Loafing Shed on the West side of the Square in Downtown Champion for an eyeful of excitement.  Bring your family and friends down to Champion to get their spirits lifted as the Phoenix rises.  The Temporary Emporium Annex over on the West Side of the Square is full of all the pertinences to keep a Champion life sweet—from ice cream to bailing twine.  “Miss your voice, your touch on my hand, just to know that you understand, my buddy!  My buddy, Your buddy misses you!”  Send your favorite sweet sad song to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO, 65717 or to Champion at getgoin.net.  Visit the website www.championnews.us for a beautiful view of Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—May 24, 2010

        Champions are enjoying the glorious weather and though they never complain about bad weather, they are pleased to be exultant about the good.  Things are green and luscious–vibrant and growing.  Haymakers are busy at it and little houses and big ones that had been sitting out in barren yards are suddenly hiding behind the overgrowth of the roadsides and disappearing in the dense foliage.  The fresh bright days of early summer weather are the prime time moments when Champions most often take their mental picture postcards.  “Do you mean they have French Postcards over there at Henson’s Store?” inquires an erstwhile Champion.  Indeed not.  It is probable that last week this person read about the possibility of a Frenchman having been in the neighborhood spouting proverbs about plucking geese.  It is funny how just a little bit of information is a dangerous thing!  Champion Picture Postcards are still just of Champion and are still available in good supply at the Temporary Emporium Annex on the West Side of the Square in Historic Downtown Champion.

        Champion neighbors are in a fevered pitch with the approach of the 24th Annual Denlow School Reunion. It will be Saturday, 29 May 2010.  Registration will start at 10:00 a.m., program at ll:00 a.m. in the Denlow Church, and a potluck lunch at 12:30 p.m. Door prizes, a raffle for a quilt, and Generally a great time is expected to be had by all.  Anyone wishing to donate something for the afternoon auction will have to use some imagination to come up to par with the offerings of the Denow Steering Committee.  Give it a try.  Everyone is invited to attend the reunion. Wally’s brother, James Hopper, is planning on making it all the way from up by Kansas City.  Aunt Elsie’s daughter, Virginia Canada, will be there all the way from Florida.  Hopes are that Vernon Upshaw will make it all the way from Mountain Grove!  It promises to be a another Splendid Occasion.

        Champion’s own fastionista, Barbara Krider, will not be making it to the Denlow Reunion as she is off on an extensive jaunt with her mother and her daughter, Karen.  They are headed to San Francisco for a couple of fun filled weeks that will include site seeing and some overdue visits with family members.  Harley may make it to the reunion if he can get out of the hayfield.  The consensus of opinion is that he quite likes making hay. Miss Taegan Rae Krider has been visiting her Grammy in Champion and helping to make it a special bright spot.  Bidding is climbing up there on the May Mascot Monkey of the Month Silent Auction being sponsored by the Skyline VFD Ladies Auxiliary Picnic Society.  It can be seen smiling over at Henson’s Store in the Temporary Emporium Annex or on line at www.championnews.us.

        Pete Proctor writes to say, “I enjoy what you put in the paper about the Veterans.  As one myself.  I salute all men and women that are serving.  The Vietnam Wall will be in Cabool July 1st thru July 4th.  I have been asked to come down to help greet the people as they come in.  They say there could be 60,000 to 65,000 people come by The Wall. It will be open 24 hours around the clock.”  It is always good to hear from Pete and Champions join him in expressing Love and Gratitude for those who serve the Nation in and out of uniform.

        An e-note has arrived from Arlene Cooley: “If you could incorporate the following into your otherwise fabulous writings……..It’s that time again!  The Cooley reunion for family and friends will be held June 26th at First Freewill Baptist Church in Mountain Grove from 10 to 3.  A potluck dinner at noon followed by auction and door prizes with music provided by Darrell Cooley.”  Arlene is part of that rowdy bunch of Cooleys that does all the laughing and grinning. They are a happy outfit.

        Days are favorable for planting corn and hay and flowers all the way up through the 26th of the month and the 27th and 31st will both be good days for planting root crops and leafy greens and seed beds.  All this is from Linda’s Almanac from over at The Plant Place in Norwood.  The 29th is not a good day to plant, so anyone can feel free to go on over to the Denlow Reunion.  Someone said that Pithy Adeline and Lem and Ned would be there.  It has been difficult to convince one old Champion that Pithy is not a French girl who had her picture taken for the post card business.  She does not figure in any of the Champion Picture Post Cards, though she is said to cut quite a nice figure.  People say all kinds of things.

        John Lukey McCreery wrote, “There is no death!  The stars go down to rise upon some other shore, and bright in heaven’s jeweled crown, they shine for evermore.  There is no death!  The dust we tread shall change beneath the summer showers to golden grain or mellow fruit or rainbow-tinted flowers.”  Upon the sudden tragic death of a precious friend, the preciousness of all friends is revealed again.  Drop a note to Champion News or to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 with stories about dear friends.  Spend some time with some dear friends over in the Champion Loafing Shed or wherever they may be found.  Champions are reminded to keep a happy heart and to Look on the Bright Side.