People of Hicksville: Sharon Holzapple

Sharon Holzapple, who is responsible for accounts payable at the Hicksville Public Library's business office, has lived in the hamlet for 51 years. She took a few minutes to talk about life in Hicksville then and now:

Q: What was it like growing up in Hicksville?

Holzapple: Not as busy. It was like small-town living. I remember Broadway before they widened it and Newbridge Road before they widened it.

Q: What was school like back then?

Holzapple: There were all the little different grade schools. Junior high was grades 7, 8 and 9 and then high school was 10, 11, and 12. My graduating class was 1,200 kids. Now it’s around 300 and they say they’re overcrowded.

Q: How has Hicksville changed in your time here?

Holzapple: Culturally it’s changed. It went from the mom-and-pop stores to now it’s all over the world. We had the original movie theater, it was a single-screen movie theater that we all went to. Then it was an Indian movie theater, and now it’s a school and a church.

Q: Is there anything you’d like to see restored that has changed?

Holzapple: I would like the mom-and-pop stores back. You just got personalized service and they knew you and you knew them. Like the 5 and 10, there’s no 5 and 10s anymore. Hicksville is really a commuter town now. I really miss that hometown feeling.

This week, for the second installment of our “Town Focus” series, community journalist T.C. McCarthy will be embedded in the hamlet of Hicksville. Have a suggestion about someone he should meet or a place he should visit? We want to hear from you about how to get the full Hicksville experience. Reach out through Twitter, email or in the comments below.