Signs of So Many GoodChristmas Times

Em Sharp

Photo by Vicky Moon

Signs of So Many Good Christmas Times

By Leonard Shapiro

For all the obvious pandemic-related reasons, sadly there will be no jolly Christmas parade in Middleburg this year. But one treasured tradition will be on display for all to savor—those whimsical wooden holiday signs lovingly designed and painted by a beloved Hill School art teacher, the late Em Sharp.

There are 26 in all suspended on light poles all around the village that go up right after Thanksgiving. A close inspection of the Santa sign hung near Thomas & Talbot’s real estate office at the corner of Washington and Madison streets reveals the painted first names of all the children attending Hill when they were originally created in the 1960s.

One of them was local businessman Jim Herbert (Class of ’66). Over the last decade, he’s voluntarily headed “Christmas in Middleburg” and organized the spectacular parade. He fondly remembers Em Photo by Debbie McLaughlin Sharp and how excited his classmates were about her holiday creations.

“She was just a wonderful teacher,” Herbert said. “And the town has been the beneficiary of something that really has become iconic.” Em Sharp’s daughter, Kate Carey, also a Hill alum, recalled her mother “thoroughly enjoyed doing them. She loved working with those big signs. They’re neat, one-of-a kind art that no other town has. When I walk down the street, I just get a big grin on my face and reflect on all those fun times, simpler times. They bring back so many good memories.” At Hill, founded in 1926, it’s always been about traditions, because as Head of School Treavor Lord noted, they “help to build a sense of community and provide students with the opportunity to be part of something greater than themselves.” In a few short years, Hill will celebrate its centennial, 100 years of serving children in an educational environment that values community and total education. Traditions throughout the school also Photo by Vicky Moon Em Sharp allow students, faculty, and staff to connect to the community.

Several years ago, Hill’s Alumni Association continued Sharp’s legacy by funding a total restoration of the signs, many showing signs of weathering wear and tear after being on display for so many years.

“Along Washington and Madison Streets they swing in December breezes,” the late Worthy Caulk, a fellow Hill teacher and Sharp’s good friend, wrote in 1983. “Good old Pooh bear with his honey pot, a cheerful toy engine, a lively jointed puppet….each as colorful and delightful as the next.”

One of the “newest” signs was created in 1988 and hangs in front of Middleburg Millwork on Madison Street. It’s an image Millwork owner Dave Ball wanted to honor one of his long-time employees.

Bud Warner, an African-American and Ball’s right-hand man for 26 years, died in the fall of 1988. According to the Loudoun Times-Mirror, Ball “talked it over with Em Sharp…and together they came up with a great idea…. Putting a carpentry tool in his hand didn’t seem quite right…Bud was also a talented musician, so she placed a guitar in his hands.”

A few years earlier, Worthy Caulk asked Sharp to pick her favorite sign.

“Maybe I like the old man with the goose in front of the (now Atlantic Union) bank,” she said. “’Christmas is coming…the geese are getting fat… please put a penny in an old man’s hat.’ I enjoy looking at them. I enjoy doing them. It keeps me from doing housework.”

The more things change the more important traditions become. Thanks to Em Sharp, this holiday tradition lives on.