Todd County Standard - Kentucky Press Association

SHARON GROVE
IT’S THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE THE PLACE
BY ELIZABETH JOHNSON
TODD COUNTY STANDARD
It’s about five miles from
nowhere and not far enough.
It is that rural seclusion of
Sharon Grove in the east part
of Todd County that has kept
Doug Heltsley around for 60
years.
In his time he’s seen the
feed mill, the post office and
the school shut its doors and
stores coming and going.
“It’s like everything else,”
said Heltsley. “It’s going
downhill, but it’s still here.”
Larry Shemwell, who has
called Sharon Grove home for
55 years, recognizes those
changes, but finds another to
be just as evident.
“The biggest change has
been the people,” said
Shemwell. “People have
moved from all over the country
to Todd County, Kentucky.
I’ve lived here my whole life
and there are a lot of them I
don’t know who live right
around me.”
Heltsley, who used to farm
himself, said agriculture is the
lifeblood of the north Todd
community. Farmers raising
corn, beans, wheat, tobacco
and cows fill the roads with
pick-up trucks and farm
machinery.
“It’s not a major metropolis
by any means,” said
Shemwell. “It’s been a farming
community as long as I
can remember.”
Other traffic is made up of
those commuting to and from
their factory jobs and those
who have found themselves
off the beaten path.
As the future of economic
and population
Hwy. 106 Market is the place to be in Sharon Grove.
The Sharon Grove Park is a good place for family fun.
growth is ambiguous,
Shemwell said he hopes for
one thing in a community
where faith is an essential
part of life.
“The only thing I hope
does happen is our churches
grow,” said Shemwell.
“There are several churches
around here. I hope they
grow and people get right.”
Sharon Grove’s hot spot
is that of the Highway 106
Market with a gas pump
outside and several shelves of
snacks and necessities inside.
It’s there where a passer-by
can see the character of the
small community.
It has become the sitting
place with the closing of the
other businesses in town. Men
filter in and out for breakfast
and lunch, gathering around
the two tables to talk weather,
sports and anything else that
comes to mind.
“This table right here is
known as the table of knowledge,”
said Heltsley, patting
its wooden surface with a
laugh. “If you want to know it,
you’ll hear it. If you don’t hear
the straight of it, you’ll hear a
lie about it.”
For Heltsley, the people
make the place.
“It’s the heart of the community,”
he said. “It’s just nice
people around.”
Todd County Standard DISCOVER TODD COUNTY 21