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Shown here are six thornless black berries grown by Louise and Wilburn Hutchison of Champion. The plants are a sight to see! The look like a wall of berries. The paperwork that came with the plants when Louise bought them indicates that they are easy care and also produce prolific large fruits on ‘thornless’ plants. The Triple Crown variety bears early and the Chester is a late bearing variety. These are just fantastic to see. Berries ripen in July and the plants will bear the second season. These berries are Champions!

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CHAMPION—July 14, 2008

        “Good neighboring” is one of Champion’s best calling cards.  Champions know that you have to be one to have one and the community is blessed with excellent neighbors.  All around neighbors are having reunions, picnics and get-togethers.  They just turn off the TV and go see one another.  The Porter family recently had a reunion over not too far from Ava.  Bernie Porter was quite an interesting fellow.  He loved children and his place and his wife and story telling and music.  He could pick the banjo and sing one of the most bloody and gory versions of ‘The Export Girl’ ever and then convince a child that his bandana had a squirrel trapped in it.  There was a note in the Looking Backwards section of the paper that after many years someone had found a turtle that had Bernie Porter’s initials on it, put there sometime in the early twenties! (Turtles are neighbors too!)  Other good neighbor reports come from Norwood where the 4^th of July celebration was a glorious success.  The food, music, and fireworks were excellent and Reg Kelley kept the party going in his lively way.  He called Esther Wrinkles up to show off the beautiful Rose Star Quilt that will be part of the Skyline Picnic fundraiser.  He likes to tease Esther and to pull jokes on his neighbors and they are happy to put up with his good humor.  The Vanzant Picnic was also reported to be just wonderful!  It was packed with many old friends seeing each other for the first time in a year and in some cases much Ruby Proctor was there, they say, and looking good!  She always looks good.  It is that smile she wears and anyone who knows her is familiar with a certain twinkle in her eye.  The General was conspicuously absent from the festivities, but with good reason.  Sharon Upshaw has been in Cox Hospital for a few days and will be there for a few more days.  All of Champion send best wishes to her for a quick and good recovery.

        A couple of weeks ago at the Thursday music at Plumber’s Junction, Champion Elmer Banks mentioned a young couple from Kentucky who are building a straw bale house over on C highway.  They are at the location of the East Dogwood School.  They are Mark and Gabriel.  She is from Kentucky but has been in the Ozarks for twenty years.  They are happy to be here and are very interested in local history, particularly of the East Dogwood School.  A chat with Hoovie’s cousin over the hill reveals that they are in the location of the new East Dogwood School that was built by the WPA in 1937.  It replaced the old East Dogwood School, which was located on the other side of C Highway and down the hill to the west.  That building was still standing as of 5 to 10 years ago and was being used to store hay.  The little cook shack that was used when school was in session at the new East Dogwood School is still standing and is being used currently as the living quarters of Mark and Gabriel while they build their house.  It looks like the foundation is complete and that it is substantial and well made.  It will be exciting to see a new kind of building going up there even as they continue to preserve the past.  The couple is most genial and it is nice to have the chance to welcome some new neighbors.  Pictures and detailed history of the New East Dogwood School can be viewed at Henson’s Store in a book compiled some years ago by Mrs. Marion Conradi.

        Big news in Champion!  The First Ripe Tomato in Champion Contest is Won!  Louise Hutchison, with Wilburn at her side, brought two beauties into Henson’s Store on Saturday.  One of the tomatoes was cut and divided among storekeepers and customers and was pronounced “Ripe!” and delicious.  Louise was delighted with her prizes.  In addition to the Blue Antique Ball Fruit Jar for her collection, she received 6 tickets for the Rose Star Quilt that will be given away in a drawing at the Skyline Picnic on August 9^th, and two dozen canning jar flats, one each regular and wide-mouthed.  Pictures were taken and hearty congratulations were extended.  Well done, Louise!  A number of other Champions reported having had ripe tomatoes but for one reason or another chose not to enter them in the contest.  Some were just cherry tomatoes–too small to share and some were worm eaten or had the blossom end rot.  In the case of Grace’s daughter, she has them all year so it is no big deal to her!

        Staff Sergeant Ronald Blystone, 34, was hit by small arms fire during a dismounted patrol in Baghdad on June 26, 2008.  He was from Springfield.  His survivors are Champion neighbors.  He was based out of Ft. Hood, Texas.  Recently it was announced that all of the soldier and family assistance programs at Fort Hood have been consolidated into one facility.  A soldier can get help with the paperwork associated with disability issues, job training, employment counseling, emotional counseling and other services.  It is good to see the Regular Army stepping up to address these problems.  The National Guard Members who have served also need these kinds of attentions as well as the Love and Gratitude of the Nation.

        Congratulations to radio personality Rush Limbaugh!  He has lots of fans in this part of the world.  The New York Times reported that he has just been awarded another contract.  He will be making $34,000,000.00 (thirty four million) per year for the next eight years and will receive a signing bonus of one hundred million dollars from Clear Channel broadcasting.  Some are glad to learn that he has been successful in overcoming his addiction to prescription pain-killers.  Some detractors say that there sure enough is a lot of money in fomenting fear and bigotry.  It takes all kinds and Champions are always glad to see people living up to their potential!

        This is one of those super years for wild berries!  Jelly and Jam makers are going to busy for a while and Champion will be an even sweeter place!  There will be pies and cobblers all winter off the summer’s bounty.  Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says that the 18^th and 19^th will be good days for planting beets, carrots, and the like.  The 22^nd and 23^rd will be good for root crops and also for any vine crops like cucumbers and for setting strawberry plants. “Saddle me up a big white goose.  Tie me on her and turn her loose!  Oh, Me!  Oh My!  Love that Country Pie!”  That’s a Bob Dylan song.  A Native Champion who could use some of those disease fighting endorphins that are released by singing was talking about how his Mom used to make a Huckleberry Pie and how his Dad sang a funny song about it:

        Anyone with words to the Huckleberry Pie song are encouraged to send them in the mail to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367 Norwood, MO 65717.  E-mail them to Champion News.  Teach that song to the storekeeper at Henson’s Store on the musical corner of the Square in Downtown Champion.  She will be sure it gets to the right Champion.  Visit the new Champion web-site at http://www.championnews.us and read all the Champion News since August, 2006.  The website was designed and is being administered by the talented computer geekette, Carol Cleveland, of Champion.  Now there is yet another way that Champions can Look on the Bright Side!

About high noon on Saturday, July 12th, the call was put out that there was a Ripe Tomato in Champion! Locals rushed to the scene at Henson’s Store to find Louise and Wilburn Hutchison with two baseball sized tomatoes–bright red ripe ones! The tomatoes the variety Parks Whopper that are one of Louise’s favorites. One of them was divied up among the judges one of whom provided salt. It was agreed the tomato is Ripe!
Louise’s Grand Prize included a quart sized blue Ball fruit jar. It could be an antique. Additionally she received Six tickets (worth $5.00!) for the drawing for the Rose Star Quilt to be given away at the Skyline Picnic on August 9th. Finally, she received two dozen canning jar flats, a dozen each reglular and wide mouth. Last year the prize was awarded to Louise’s neighbor Donna Moskaly on June 28th. Everyone will agree that things are running a little late this year. Louise will be late in getting her Certificate of Achievement. She doesn’t really need it….she’s got Ripe Tomatoes!

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CHAMPION—July 4, 2008

        Champions find that enjoyment of family and friends is one of the definitions of a happy life.  Happiness derived from a life of activity governed by reason is said to be the best kind of happiness.  The reason some are happy is because their grandchildren live close and they spend time together doing ordinary things.  It is reasonable to think that making memories is an everyday chore that can be approached with the same kind of diligence as gathering the eggs or watering the garden.  To reason is to exercise the ability to think, form judgments, and draw conclusions.  Champions have concluded that grandchildren are some of the best family and friends!

        Upwards of fifty-odd old friends gathered on the Fourth of July at their traditional spot on the creek.  The air was full of laughter, yarn spinning, good memories, good food and fun.  Olivia is just now three and can whistle already!  Elizabeth is a watermelon lover and doesn’t care if it runs down her belly an into her Grandmother’s lap.  Her big brother, Seamus, is a tall drink of water!  He is a busy guy like a lot of fellows his age.  His cousin, Zach, has blue lips!  It may be that they were just temporarily blue on account of the frigid water and his unwillingness to leave it.  There was a lot of that going around among the younger set.

        A year ago some Champions were experiencing some dreadful heartache connected with an underhanded real estate deal.  A year later the Conservation Department’s liaison, Nancy Bates, has been instrumental in assuaging some of the anguish by pointing out the beauty of the land as it is now, sans forest canopy.  Native flowers and grasses are flourishing there and the wildlife has a new habitat to inhabit.  Perspective is tricky.  It is every bit as tricky as the nefarious business mogul bereft of principles.

        Some of the Patriotic fervor expressed over the holiday had to do with the beautiful Constitution of the United States.  Favorite amendments include the First–Freedom of religion, speech, press, petition, and assembly, and the Second—The right to keep and bear arms.  Others were mentioned fondly and someone registered fear that the current administration had stated early on that it would not leave office while the Nation is still at War.  The 22^nd Amendment to the Constitution limits the president to two terms.  So once again the Constitution is a Champion Friend!  Another Champion friend and neighbor is Sally Miller.  She will take her citizenship test on July 17^th.  It is hoped that the red tape will be finished in time for her to get to cast her first ballot ever in the next election!  She is very excited.  Sally lives over between Champion and Ava.  She is a gifted artist and currently has a show of her stained glass at the Waverly House in Springfield.  That is just behind the Red Lobster and near Aunt Martha’s Pancake House.  The show will be up through the end of the month and it is reported to be wonderful!  A little fresh blood in the mix makes America a better place!  The perspective of an intelligent person who has never had the right to vote is a sobering one.  Champions stay grateful!

        Shell shock is what they later called battle fatigue and now it is post traumatic stress disorder.  A Veteran was heard to remark on the Forth that the Viet Nam era Veterans were not so much disillusioned by the cold reception that they received upon their return as they were by the realization that their sacrifices served no real purpose.  It was suggested that the Service People returning from the current conflicts are in similar and dire situations with even less support from the Veteran’s Administration.  Love and Gratitude is the starting place for the compassion and understanding that will be required of all Citizens in the future when it comes to Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

        It was interesting to read the July 6^th, 1933 article in the paper that included the Champion School having burned 75 years ago.  There are any number of Champions who remember the event and more who just remember hearing about it.  No cause was ever determined for the fire but the building was insured and an Ava contractor by the name of Henley was given the job of rebuilding.  Otis Krider was a member of the school board who negotiated the contract, which included the stipulation that the building would be made of entirely clear lumber—no knots.  Interested parties monitored the work to be sure it was done according to the agreement and a number of boards had to be replaced.  The building is sound yet and sees much good use.  School was held there until the late 1950’s.

        Another interesting item from that 1933 article: “To struggle together, to endure hardships together, to be brave together in the face of a hostile world—isn’t that the very essence of young love?”  Yes, it is indeed and it is also the very essence of old and enduring love.  There is no magic date off in the indefinite future when everything will be ok.  In Champion, as everywhere, days have to be lived one at a time.  A true companion is a gift.

        Mr. and Mrs. Hoovie (Kenneth Henson) were in the neighborhood for his 50^th high school reunion in Mountain Grove and stopped in at the old home place.  It is still known as the Ezra Henson place though they have been gone for a long time.  Ezra and Sylvia moved to the place in 1941 from Iowa.  Kenneth and his brothers Randy and Royce and sister Eva all attended school at Champion.  Sylvia used to write the Champion Items.  Kenneth had some pictures and some vivid memories as well as some good information to share about the house—a pleasant surprise.  They went on over the hill to visit with their dear cousin Marion.  Kenneth doesn’t ever announce his visits in advance, so hopefully she was home and receiving!

        The Flag raising ceremony at Champion was a inspiring event on the Forth of July.  It was attended by various locals and visiting Dignitaries.  While the parade was longer than usual, it was noted that not a shred of confetti or spent firecracker was left behind.  Champions are an ecological bunch of Patriots!  Stars and Stripes Forever!

        “Garden” is a comforting sounding word.  It is evocative of plenty and of rest and home—an altogether nice word.  Some Champions find that other people’s gardens are always much more beautiful than their own.  Those are the people who need to stay home in order to be satisfied.  Linda’s Almanac from The Plant Place over in Norwood says that the 11^th through the 14^th will be a good time to plant anything that bears yield above the ground.  If there were songs that fought pests and disease out of gardens Champion would be even more musical than it is already!  “Shoo fly, don’t bother me!”  A good garden song out of Texas says, “There’s just two things that money can’t buy and that’s True Love and Home Grown Tomatoes.”  It’s getting down to the wire with the First Ripe Tomato In Champion Contest.  The Excitement is palpable!

        Report activities of old friends or odd friends to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367 Norwood, MO 65717.  Define the essence of new or old love at Champion News.  Release those excellent spirit lifting and disease fighting endorphins in song on the porch at Henson’s store in Historic Downtown Champion and Look on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—June 30, 2008

        In Champion Independence Day is a serious matter.  The federal holiday commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.  Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain and the tyranny of King George is highly prized.  The patriotic fervor of Champion balances nicely with temperate reticence of the community.  On every day of the year Champions celebrate Independence with orderly lives and indifference to the whims of the rest of the Nation and World.  Behind the pervasive laughter and good humor of the place is the deep thoughtfulness of a Grateful citizenry.  It can be said of Champions that they ”throw a tidy parade and participate consistently in their government at the ballot box.”  Huzza!  America!

        Good news comes from Champion’s Tennessee friend Darrell Haden, who says that “Old Man River” is twenty miles distant from him at Hickman, Kentucky.  He says he won’t be able to take the ferry to Missouri, but it sounds like he is high and dry.  Faye Twitty’s news from the Quad Cities Area in Iowa is much more grim.  Her poignant descriptions of families loosing homes and livelihoods is heart wrenching.  Champions have close ties with that area and wish them a speedy recovery.

        A number of current and former Champion residents attended the Thursday night music at Plumber’s Junction on the 26^th.  The musicians were:  Sue Murphy–vocals and mandolin, Norris Woods–vocals and banjo, Jerry Wagner—vocals, yodels and fiddle, Frank Mings—mandolin, and guitar players—Buzz Woods, Robert Upshaw, and Jeff Barch, who also played the French harp.  On any given Thursday evening around six these folks can be found there playing a lot of standard country and old time music.  Other musicians frequently sit in and the onlookers always have a good time.  Onlookers this week included Phil and Jan Blazius.  Jan is a good-looking Texas woman married to this guy from Connecticut and they have settled up on V Highway.  It seems like they like these parts.  They are neighbors with Elmer and Frances Banks and shared a table with them for the evening.  Elmer was talking about when he first met Frances.  He was working on rebuilding an old historic rock wall somewhere back east and she was a hod carrier.  He encouraged her in the use of a stone ax and she straightway broke off a piece of granite that smashed her big toe absolutely flat.  He must have been very consoling, because they are still together and it has been some little while now.  During the evening several stopped by to visit with Esther Wrinkles who was celebrating her birthday early.  She received gifts of music CDs and pickled beets as well as a lot of good wishes.  River Stillwood shared some of her tasty homemade ice cream.  The General says it is the ‘best I ever tasted.’  That is saying something, since he is reported to be a Champion Ice Cream Master himself!

        Sunday was a happy birthday for long time Champion, Mrs. Eva Powell.  Visits, cards and phone calls from children and grand children marked the day.  Dinner out and plans for more fun were in the offing as those Nettleton sisters go on a tare.  Champions wish her many happy returns!  More of those kinds of returns are wished for the Old Guy who says,  “Don’t pick it up until you know where you’re going to put it down.”  He’ll be sixty nine on the first!

        Donald & Rita Krider really were surprised at their 50^th wedding anniversary celebration on the weekend of the 21^st of June.  Somehow no cats were let out of any bags and the surprise was complete!  The party was held a week after their anniversary which they now share with Staci and Dustin Cline.  The heavy rains did not have any damaging effects on party-goer Vivian Floyd from Rogersville.  She did come home to a surprise, however, and said, “It’s for the birds!”  As for the Clines, Dustin said he’d just as soon watch cars go by in Champion as in Durango, Colorado.  The railroad there seems to be about the only advantage it has over Champion.  How lovely it would be to go up to Norwood and get on the train and head out for distant places to see family and friends or just to have wonderful adventures.  Poplar Bluff is the nearest port of train call and The Black River by the train station may well be out of banks!

        Little Wild Flowers, common and rare, are benefiting from the climate.  Just a stroll down a country lane or a familiar wooded path brings delight to the flower lover and berry picker.  The dozens of varieties of flowering plants that can be seen in Champion just add to the long list of positive attributes of the place.  It is a real garden spot.  Linda’s almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says that the 3^rd through the 5^th will be most favorable for corn, okra, beans, peppers, eggplant and other above-ground crops.  The 6^th through the 10^th will be a barren period—good for destroying weeds.  Robin Chotzinoff’s book, “People With Dirty Hands,” came as a gift from a Texas Champion and has proven to be a great read.  Interesting gardeners of all descriptions from all over the country share their methods and observations.  Any of them would fit right in Champion.

        A US Service Person died in Iraq for every day of the month in June this year.  Champions join the rest of the Nation in extending Love and Gratitude to them and to their survivors.  Supporting the troops who come home is as important as supporting those who are still over there.

        The Skyline Auxiliary’s meeting on July 1^st is slated to be a productive gathering.  Members will have the chance to view the Rose Star Quilt and to report on their ticket sales.  Details of Picnic preparations will be hashed out fully.  “It is auspicious” say some that the Skyline Annual Picnic will start on 08-08-08 this year!  August 8^th and 9^th will be some entertaining and busy days around Skyline.  Excitement is building and The Annual Picnic will doubtlessly prove to be another smashing success!

        “When we sing instead of speak, we have intonation, melody line, and crescendo, which gives us a broader vocabulary to express ourselves,” says Suzanne Hanser, chair of the music therapy department at Berklee College of Music.  “Because singing is visceral (relating to, or affecting, our bodies), it can’t help but effect change.”  It is proven that singing reduces stress and pain.  Studies have linked singing with a lower heart rate, decreased blood pressure, and reduced stress, according to Patricia Preston-Roberts, a board–certified music therapist in New York City.  Some Champions report that the song, “Be kind to your web-footed friends, for a duck may be somebody’s mother!” is sung to the tune of “Stars and Stripes Forever!”  Cool!

        Harley’s haying is done for the time being.  His wonderful singing voice will be missed, but it is time for him to go home for a while.  Barbara can hear him sing, “The barefoot boy with his shoes on came running down the street, with his pants all full of pockets and his shoes all full of feet.  He was born when he was a baby and he died when he got old and that’s how in the world the Old Folks tell that it ain’t gonna rain no more!”

Reports of fervor, fun, family and friends are all welcome at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  E-mail words to that song to Champion News.  Sing that song or any other on the porch at Henson’s Store.  This charming mercantile is on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion where Champions are ever singing, “Look on the Bright Side!”

CHAMPION—June 23, 2008

        The Longest Day of the Year was celebrated in style in Champion this year.  Raymond and Esther Howard have become great grandparents again!  Vanessa and Danny Howard are the parents of Noah Sebastian Howard who arrived on June 21^st weighing in at well over eight pounds.  They live over in Strafford but have Champion great-grandparents.  Champions are hoping that Raymond and Esther can come home again one of these days for a visit.  They always liven the place up so.  Linda Watts, who lives over in Tennessee, was home visiting family in Champion on the First Day of Summer and celebrated her presidential birthday.  She is officially old enough to run the country now and people who are acquainted with her figure she could do a good job of it.  While her background could certainly stand the scrutiny, she is not inclined to enter the race.  She has other fish to fry, or bake or broil.  She really enjoys being back on the farm and her folks are always glad to see her.  Dakota has been a big help during his stay but will soon go back across the big river to Tennessee with his Mom.

        In Champion Father’s Day sort of slipped by this year without much fan-fair.  There were phone calls, cards and general expressions of Love and Gratitude to the Old Boy for all his selfless service as the backbone of the family and the community and the Nation.  Perhaps an entry in the upcoming 4^th of July parade will feature The Founding Fathers.  They could give free advice and wisdom to onlookers:  “Always whittle away from you.”  “Don’t spit into the wind.”  “Be sure the switch is in the ‘off’ position before you plug in your power tools.”  “If you trade your liberty for security, you will have neither.”  “If truth is once deserted, unity and peace will not last long.”  “That metal button on top of your hat will conduct electricity.”  “Know where you are going to put it down before you pick it up.”  Sound advice and wisdom are always available in Champion.

        It may be that Father’s Day got lost in the hoopla around the first wedding in Champion in more than twenty years!  The Fiftieth Wedding anniversary of Donald and Rita Krider, got lost in that same hoopla.  They were honored in a surprise celebration over this last weekend.  Their anniversary was on the 14^th of June, a date that they now share with Staci and Dustin Cline.  Harley, who has been down on the farm for a while now, went with sister Vivian Floyd and niece Diane Strickland back to Illinois for the party.  They had a good time and made it back home safely.  Vivian lives in Rogersville and it is hoped that the wet weather is sparing her any damage.  Diane lives over in West Plains.  She has just completed her RN degree!  Congratulations to all the above including great grand parents, birthday celebrators, Fathers, anniversary markers, newlyweds, and Nurses–Champions all!

        The Tyranny of Green is what some call the fast growing lawn that requires such frequent mowing.  Haymakers have different ideas about it and so as usual, some are happy and some are not.  It’s like that pretty much everywhere.  Tomatoes are growing and will ripen someday!  It was the 27^th of June, a Wednesday afternoon, when Donna Moskaly came sashaying down to Henson’s Store last year with Joe at her side and her luscious prize winning tomato in her hand.  Excitement is rising!  Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says that the 26^th, 27^th, and 28^th will be poor planting days…Good for general farm work.  The 28^th will be a perfect day for wishing Champion Esther Wrinkles Happy Birthday.  The 29^th and 30^th will be good for planting root crops.  Some folks are still just now getting things in the ground.  Says one, “The frost is going to get that stuff!”  But the optimistic old gardener thinks, “Maybe not.”  Rather than rule out the possibility of something good happening, the Old Dear is willing to put a little effort into something that might just as easily be a fool’s errand or a bountiful harvest.  “Well, if you don’t plant it, for sure it won’t grow!”  Another old girl with dirty hands figured that she would just enjoy working at it whenever she can get to it and just never mind what all is not getting done.  It is amazing what can be accomplished with a happy heart.  There is also a little comfort in knowing it can’t all be done.  It is a matter of perspective.  “Well, I look at it like this!” croaks the old Champion who then squints one of his rhumey old eyes shut and cocks his head to one side, grinning like he has a gold tooth, which he does not.  Very funny.

        On July 30, 2006 a young man wrote from Iraq, “I am 19 years old now. In the last three years, four months, and eleven days, 149 19 year olds have been killed in Iraq.  I turned nineteen on May 8th, 2006.  Two days before that, on May 6th, Lance Corporal Leon Deraps, U.S. Marine Corps, 1st Marine Logistics Group, died in an Improvised Explosive Device attack in Fallujah.  He was from St. Louis, MO.  He was 19 years old.  He was a Boy Scout who won 35 Merit Badges and was his Senior Prom King in High School.  Remember, he was 19 years old.”

        The Skyline Area VFD Ladies’ Auxiliary will have a meeting on July 1^st.  Louise Hutchison has asked that Esther Wrinkles bring the Rose Star Quilt to the meeting to be sure that all the members get a chance to see it.  Bonnie and Pete Mullins from over in Wichita, Kansas have bought a lot of tickets for the quilt.  Hopefully they will be able to get over for the picnic in August.  What would it be like without some of Bonnie’s wonderful pies?  Pete and Bonnie have for years been most supportive of the Skyline Fire Department.  They are the kind of folks that keep things fun and keep the important things going.

        Report important accomplishments to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  Report Champion birthdays or share some good advice or wisdom at Champion News.  Sit out on the porch at Henson’s Store on the North side of the square and release some of those healthy, disease fighting endorphins singing:  “The night was dark and stormy, the old cow she was blind.  She backed right up to the barbed wire fence and scratched her never-you-mind!  Oh! It ain’t gonna rain no more no more.  It ain’t gonna rain no more!  How in the world can the Old Folks tell that it ain’t a gonna rain no more?”  They can tell because they are Champions and they are a looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—June 16, 2008

        Champion is still all smiles over the beautiful wedding that took place on Saturday in the little church just South of the Square.  Lonnie Krider and Karen Faye Upshaw married there almost forty years ago.  A little later Richard Johnston and Linda Kaye Upshaw married there.  Next came Larry Wrinkles and Theresa (Sartor) Reese in 1987, and now Dustin Cline has married Staci Krider in the same place.  All these previous marriages have ‘stuck’ and there is every reason to believe that this young couple will have a long and happy life together.  All of Champion wishes them every success.

        Family and friends kept a tight rein on the General for the wedding.  At the last minute it was happily discovered that someone had hid both his kilt and his accordion and so the parade that left Champion and wound its way all the way to Skyline for the wedding reception turned out to be both dignified and pleasant.  The couple arrived at the reception in style driving a beautiful 1940 model Ford convertible—very elegant.  The bride’s cousins had prepared a lovely table for the cake and punch.  The General was at all times monitored when he approached the punch bowl, as his family is keenly aware of his nature.

        Foster Wiseman made quite an excellent ring bearer.  He and his distant but close cousin Madelyn Ward were key players in the ceremony and performed their duties with precision and humor.  Foster celebrates his third birthday on the 17^th of June and his dad is reminded that he will be ready to drive in twelve or thirteen short years!  Rodger quails at the thought!

        Tennessee boys and Illinois girls who are regular visitors to Champion will catalogue this event as one of their special childhood memories for future reflection.  Dakota was aiming to stay on the farm for a few days to help out with the hard work that goes on this time of the year.  He is taller than his parents now!

        The Skyline Ladies’ Auxiliary had its meeting on Tuesday evening the 10^th of June.  They are getting ready for the August Picnic already.  The meeting was held in the home of the recently elected president, Betty Dye, and was well attended.  It was agreed that the next meeting will be held Tuesday evening, July 1^st, to seriously get the ball rolling.  It was revealed that tickets for the Rose Star Quilt are being sold in California, Kansas, Tennessee, Illinois and Texas.  No doubt some are going to Iowa too.  It seems that a quilt has been won by a ticket holder from that state!  Louise Hutchison sold that winning ticket.  She was having a bout of bronchitis which kept her from the meeting.  The Auxiliary all joined in extending hopes that she makes a speedy recovery.

        Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says that 20^th -21^st will be good days to plant late beets, potatoes, onions, carrots and other root crops.  The 22^nd –23^rd will be poor days for planting.  Kill plant pests, spray, fertilize, do general farm work then. The 24^th-25^th will be a favorable time for planting late root crops, also good for vine crops and to set strawberry plants.  The heavy rains in June have made hay-making awkward but gardens are generally flourishing.  Esther Wrinkles reports having some trouble with aphids on some of her tomato plants.  Several are having the same difficulty with the pesky little bugs.  People spray them with a variety of things that range from Malethion to Ivory Liquid.  Tomato plants are being carefully watched in Champion.  Betty Thomas from over in Yates wants to enter the First Ripe Tomato In Champion Contest.  No ruling has been made as to her eligibility, but she hasn’t turned up with a ripe tomato to share either!  She and Dale are getting geared up for the Pioneer Days already.  That doesn’t occur until October so between now and then they will be seen out supporting all the local communities with their summer picnics and festivals.  They are good neighbors.  (Mrs. Wrinkles has a good neighbor who slips around behind her back to mow her yard when she’s not home.  Imagine!)

        Forty-four American servicemen have died there so far this year.  4101 have died in Iraq since the war was declared there.  Americans find ways to express their Love and Gratitude to those serving and to the survivors of those who perish in the dangerous places of the world.

        A few dry days have been a real gift to Champion.  Haymakers are busy.  Many have friends and family who live in parts of the country that are flooding or are recovering from floods.  When the ground is saturated it doesn’t take much rain to make for a dangerous situation.  Champions are grateful for the rising water table, but they keep a weather eye out as well.  Champion’s Tennessee friend, Darrell Haden, lives just a little way from the Mississippi River and as the run-off from the big rains moves down the river it is hoped that he and his family stay safe and dry.  “Oh! The night was dark and stormy.  The air was full of sleet.  The old man stepped out in the yard and his shoes were full of feet!”

        Any cures or treatments for aphids on tomatoes will be welcomed at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  E-mail verses to “It a’int a gonna rain no more, no more” to Champion News.  Sing it right out loud on the porch at Henson’s Store in glorious downtown Champion where it is understood that singing has a positive effect on health but not much effect on the weather.  Still, in Champion, rain or shine, they are always looking on the bright side!

Staci Elaine Krider and Dustin Michael Cline exchanged marriage vows Saturday night, June 14th at the Champion Church of Christ. Donald Powell performed the ceremony in the presence of many of the couple’s family members and friends. Staci’s sisters, Linda Watts of Murphysborough, TN, and Tanna Wiseman of Marshfield, MO, were her attendants. Dustin’s brothers, Todd and Jeremiah, stood up for him. Foster Wiseman and Madelyn Ward served as ring bearer and flower girl. The bride was given in marriage by her parents, Lonnie and Faye Krider. The couple drove a 1940 Ford convertible from the Church at Champion to the Skyline School where the reception was held. Staci’s cousin, Elizabeth Johnston, made the delicious three-tiered cake and provided many of the decorations. The enthusiastic crowd of well-wishers included Dustin’s parents, Cindy and Delmar Cline, his maternal grandmother and both his paternal grand parents, Charlie and Erma Cline. They joined many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends in giving the newlyweds a grand send off with sparklers and fireworks. The couple will make their home in Seymour. Mrs. Cline will resume teaching at Skyline in the fall and Mr. Cline will continue operating his Republic business, Cline Collision.

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CHAMPION—June 9, 2008

        When the excitement reaches a fevered pitch in Champion, Champions just let out a little sigh and think about those blissful quiet days when nothing much happens at all.  Those kinds of days will be rolling around again soon enough and in the meantime enjoying the here and now is one of the very definitions of a Champion.  It is the mark of an exceptional person who knows when things are good and acknowledges it at the very moment.  It is kind of sad to think, “we were so happy back then and didn’t know it.”  Sometimes people can even get so caught up in taking pictures that they let the real beauty of the moment slide by.  If a person forgets to take his camera to the creek, then he doesn’t have to worry about dropping it in the water, or losing it, and he just has to rely on his memory to replay the joys of the day the way people always have.

        Imagine the General wearing a kilt and leading a bridal procession through Champion while playing an accordion.  That is reported to be his current plan!  He is so excited about the upcoming wedding of his niece that he is about to drive family and friends to distraction!  The hope is that his antics will not prove so extreme that the attention is taken from the lovely bride.  She is the very portrait of calm repose.  No roguery however avuncular will rumple her placid poise.  The bridegroom, however, is apt to be adversely influenced by her Illinois uncle who attributes his own long-term marital successes to having worn white sox to his wedding.  He indicates that just wearing them is not enough.  They must figure significantly in the wedding pictures.  Some of the groom’s kin may show up armed for a little pre-nuptial coyote hunting and, as is the case with any large gathering, the unknowns are rife with possibility.  It will be a day to remember, one full of promise and optimism colored overall with the love and good wishes of family and friends.

        Linda’s granddaughter, Danielle, from Kansas City has been over in Norwood tending the store for her Grandmother.  While Linda has been busy working with the plants and helping people find things, Danielle and her distant cousin have been minding the shop, waiting on customers and keeping things orderly.  It is a rare situation that is not improved significantly by the presence of a granddaughter or great niece.  This week Linda’s almanac says that the 13^th to the 15^th will be favorable for planting peas, beans, tomatoes and other fall crops bearing aboveground.  Sow grains and forage crops.  Plant flowers.  The 16^th and 17^th will be extra good for planting fall lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, collards and other leafy vegetables.  All above ground crops planted now will do well.  Plant seedbeds also.  It is nice to have such a long period of time when conditions are just right for a favorite activity.  If the weather will cooperate, Champions will have to tell everybody how good the gardening has been.  It is a luxury to be able to wait for the weather to be good to do what one wants to do.  Farmers have things that have to be done no matter what the weather.  Then there are so many things in agriculture that are weather dependent like cutting hay.  There are so many berries on the black berry bushes that people are holding their breath in hopes of getting just the right rain.  This may be the blackberry crop of the century in Champion.  Young visitors were too early for a lot of the berries that will be ripening in these parts, but they harvested a variety of other things including some yearling ticks.  Sophia and Penelope are back in Texas now with just a little itching to remind them of the good times on the farm.

        Some have only blooms, while some have real tomatoes.  The rules for the First Ripe Tomato in Champion Contest are simple:  The tomato must have been grown in Champion; must be shared with judges (anyone present at Henson’s Store) and ideally will have its picture taken with the winning gardener for publication.  There is no second place prize.  The winner will receive acclaim, admiration, a blue antique fruit jar, $5.00 worth of tickets to win the coveted Rose Star Quilt hand pieced by Esther Wrinkles which will be given away at the Skyline Picnic on the 9^th of August, and two dozen canning jar flats—a dozen each regular and wide mouth.  The decision of the judges will be final and the tomato will be eaten on the spot.  Any contestant unwilling to share his tomato will be disqualified.

        After five years in Iraq, the U.S. military has suffered over 33,000 casualties, more that 29,000 wounded and 4,000 dead, and it remains engulfed by three converging currents that constitute the Iraq War—the underlying military conflict, the battle for political control, and grinding civil strife.  The Pentagon has diagnosed roughly 40,000 troops with post traumatic stress disorder since 2003.  Love and Gratitude for their service is the requisite start for healing.

        One time a Champion was standing beside a famous person who said something that some found quite objectionable.  It turned out that the Champion then had to convince people that knowing the famous person who said the objectionable thing did not mean that he also subscribed to the thought.  Then people said that the Champion was distancing himself from his associate and indicated that there was something wrong with that.  It is a good thing that Champions know how to think for themselves.  A pleasant letter came from Tennessee Champion friend, Darrell Haden, who was talking about Vernon Dalhart.  He was very influential in getting country music up and going in the mid-1920’s.  Prof. Haden said, “Probably one of the chief reasons Dalhart is not so well known as (Jimmy) Rodgers and the Carters is the fact that Texan Dalhart trained first to sing grand opera, which he did from 1910 until about 1916.”  This is the guy who made the “Wreck of the Old ‘97” popular.  It is a great thing that as people progress through life, they grow and change and learn to appreciate new things.  How dreary it would be to be stuck with only the thoughts and attitudes one held in the bloom of his formative youth!

        It is unknown if there are more endorphins released in a person who sings grand opera than a person who sings “Sadie’s Got Her New Dress On,” which is one of Young Foster’s favorite songs.  It is known that those endorphins help the immune system fight off disease and depression.  Champions are encouraged to sing at every opportunity (where song is appropriate, General Upshaw!)

        Acknowledge good things at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  E-mail secrets for marital success to Champion News.  Release some endorphins on the porch at Henson’s Store in downtown Champion where the beautiful brides are always looking on the bright side!

         Dalene Schober of Mountain Grove, MO recently received the saddle that she won as a result of being the High Point Winner in the 2007 Missouri First Division Standings of the Better Barrel Races Association.  It was awarded to her at the 2007 BBR World Finals held at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds on April 23^rd to the 27^th this year.

        Dalene Mallernee Schober began riding horses at age six was riding in competitions by the time she was eight.  Over the years, she has won trophies, saddles, and cash prizes.  Her Mother, Sharon Mallernee Sikes, says that Dalene has won enough ribbons to make a quilt, which she plans to make for her one of these days.  Right now, however, her Mother is busy with her own farm and staying available to fill in for Dalene when she goes to the various barrel racing events around the country.  Dalene and her husband, Jim Schober, have an operation south of Mountain Grove where they start young horses into riding and train barrel horses. Jim is a team roper and is partner in producing the Rope the Ozarks team roping series. Dalene refers to her Mother as her Number One Barn Hand and says that her mother is always willing to feed horses, rake hay or do whatever needs doing.  She is quick to give her Mother the credit for her successes.  She also expresses her gratitude to God for her ability and the resources she has had available to her.  Having great clients and good horses to ride has been a gift.

        Dalene grew up on Cold Springs Road in central Douglas County, one of three daughters of Dale and Sharon Mallernee.  Her sisters are Teresa Blakey of Goodhope, and Lora Mallernee who lives a few miles down the road from their Mother.  Dalene received her degree in Elementary and Middle School Education from Evangel University last May and while she enjoys teaching, she’s content at this time to continue her horse training business.  Find more information at www.schoberbarrelhorses.com.

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