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Sharon Township is one of twenty small townships in Johnson County, Iowa. It covers approximately 36 square miles with 36 sections of 640 acres each. A township with personality, it has several small rivers in the area, such as Dirty Face Creek, Picayune Creek and Old Man's Creek, names themselves which prove fascinating in terms of learning their origins. Major roads leading to Sharon Center are Highway 1, Sharon Center Road (F62) and 500th St. (the "Frytown Road"). A small township with a population of about 1300, Sharon Center is nice and small with a family feel.
Despite continuing wet conditions, Sharon Center hosted their 7th annual 4th of July Parade right on schedule. Lining the parade route were stalwart viewers, sporting not only lawn chairs, but slickers and colorful umbrellas as well. As for myself, I found my tulip umbrella from Kalona's General Store to be a lifesaver when taking pictures during the parade.
Walking about before the parade, I found Doug Cue, pastor of the Sharon Center United Methodist Church discussing the history of the 2009 t-shirt with Cheryne Yoder. Featured was a picture of the old grocery store, originally located on the southeast corner of Sharon Center. Not just a grocery store, it also hosted the first Sharon Center High School, and had an upstairs that provided entertainment with a dance hall as well.
Later speaking to Gladys Fisher, a former one room school house teacher who had taught in many schools in the area, I soon found out how much of an impact this grocery store had made to so many in the area. Gladys stated, "We would come to Sharon Center to the high school for our 7th and 8th grade exams and we were allowed to go to the grocery store which at that time was Cambells to get a treat afterwards". Robert Fisher was quick to add, "We used to come to the Sharon Garage when dad needed work done and I loved to visit the grocery store." Also sharing some memories of her days as a teacher, Gladys laughed and added "One of my former students, was your neighbor Stanley Stutzman. I was a little jealous of him though, he became a grandpa before I became a grandma!" When asked how he was as a student, Gladys grinned and said, "He was a good student and a good boy too!"
The parade began with the United States flag proudly leading the way, closely followed by a young lady on a festive scooter and a "Sharon Center" banner. There proved to be quite an assortment of entrants including antique tractors, floats, emergency vehicles blaring their way along the route, an antique car that looked right at home traveling the countryside, and The Iowa City Shriners Club to name but a few. Bringing the parade to its finish was a long line of grain wagons hitched together with Dean Miller, decked out in a brilliant yellow slicker, in his own special "wagon" braving the rain, good naturedly bringing up the rear. It was a parade filled with lighthearted fun and laughter and so much candy that I suspect every child within a 5-mile radius will be in sugar shock for the rest of the summer.
Directly after the parade the community hosted an old-fashioned potluck dinner with tables groaning with food of all kinds. Before partaking of the picnic, Pastor Doug Cue blessed the food, stating in part, "We thank you Lord for this day and for what it means. We thank you for freedom, for liberty, for good friends and for being able to share all of this today." A blessing that fit not just the theme of freedom and all Independence Day means but also clearly shows the pride and appreciation this small community has for their way of life.
Monroe Miller also took a moment before dinner to present a picture of the old Gas Station to Roger Stutsman in appreciation for all he's done for the parade and the community. Stating, "It's all because of Roger that this parade is held today. One Sunday he stood up in church and stated 'Sharon Center is going to have a 4th of July parade!' and we've had one ever since. There were a lot of hands in this, including the ladies who organized this great meal and we can't begin to thank them all but it's all because of Roger that we have this parade and we thank you Roger for all you've done."
Roger Stutsman later commented, "This is a wonderful community. We honestly thought the first year would be seven farmers on tractors and seven wives waving, but we were surprised. We had a great turnout. 350 people showed up that first year and we had 75 entrants. We've been doing this for 7 years and every year it just gets bigger and better and more fun."
And this reporter has to agree. Growing up in a farming community about the size of Sharon Center, I felt the pride of community and friendliness that sometimes a big city fails to provide, despite the size of a neighborhood or housing development. There's something about Sharon Center that makes it a place where people are welcoming and friendly, a rarity in this day and age, that has become harder and harder to find.
Sharon Center had a celebration that rain could not dim the feeling of community of those present. Thank you to Sharon Center for welcoming my son and myself into your community and for allowing us to share your celebration with you. And a special congratulations to Roger Stutsman for standing up seven years ago and by making a simple statement, setting into place, what has become a wonderful tradition for those in the Sharon Center area to celebrate Independence Day and their community as well!
