About Oldham County, KY

If you're planning a move to beautiful Oldham County soon, and you've got little ones in elementary school, The Oldham County Board of Education has provided a comprehensive list of streets with district school assignments for each. Click on the map below for a copy of this list.

Jacki and Jerry Shafer with The Shafer Team and Keller Williams Realty are relocation specialists, selling primarily in their own "back yard" of Oldham County, as well as eastern Jefferson, Trimble, Shelby and Henry Counties in Kentucky

As a handful of us stood around this morning wondering how the day would shape up, the judgment call was made: Showcase Oldham County would close at noon due to the biggest snow storm our area has seen in over a decade.

So many months of planning and preparing. When The Oldham County Chamber of Commerce made the decision to host this event in March instead of January or February, it made perfect sense. We may still be a little chilly, but SNOW? Nawwwwww....

By Friday's Kickoff Luncheon (for the vendors), the white stuff was already coming down. But most vendors came out, so at least we all got a chance to "meet and greet" other Oldham County business people, and it was a great day. But by the time we left, the road conditions were already beginning to deteriorate.

Nobody knew whether to cancel or stick with the plan. Louisville has dodged many a snow bullet before, so we were all in hopes that somehow we would be able to GO ON WITH THE SHOW(CASE).

This morning, we woke up to a whopping 14 inches. This was the view from our backyard this morning:

I was so excited about our booth. I usually just put out treats for the kids and come up with a nice prize for a lucky winner who came by to register. But this year a friend and colleague, Karen Tutt (also with Keller Williams) put her interior design creativity to work and together we fashioned a "HOME SWEET HOME" theme. She brought in a plant stand and candles. I brought in curtains, a lamp and other touches to make the booth look inviting. We worked hard, so dang it, we weren't going to let 14 inches of snow stop us! (As it turned out, Karen, sitting back on over 20 acres, couldn't get out of her driveway!)

So I decided to snap a few photos of the last of the vendors still manning their booths and thought I'd share them with you:

Ginger Chapman with Attitude Promotions, LLC spotlights her advertising promotional products.

Striking a pose with Gary Hardy of Farmers Bank of Milton.

Tina Vastine and Steve Jones chat with me about all the services Kentucky Farm Bureau have the offer.

Barry Laws of Open Range Sports talks about how his facility is much more than an indoor rifle range; you can even "HAVE A BLAST" playing paint ball!

Oldham County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Deana Epperly-Karem stopped by each of our booths this morning to thank us for braving the snow !

Disappointed, yes. All of us were. I couldn't help but feel sorry for Deana and her office manager, Tori, and everyone on the Showcase Planning Committee who had logged untold hours into this much-anticipated yearly event. I told Deana, "We'll all look back on this and laugh ... some day. Just not today."

Jacki and Jerry Shafer of The Shafer Team are "mega agents" with Keller Williams Louisville East. They specialize in residential sales in their own "back yard" of Oldham County, and nearby eastern Jefferson County as well as Henry, Shelby and Trimble Counties in Kentucky.

I consider her my best friend. She has always been there for me, and I can confide in her things I wouldn't tell anyone else. I know that I can count on her to be a shoulder to cry on, a blast to laugh with, and a prayer warrior who will knock on Heaven's door for me until God answers.

Barbara is battling cancer - for the fourth time. After visiting her doctor for a routine blood test, she found out that it's back - this time on her diaphragm.

Always upbeat, Barbara is not overly concerned. She knows she's in the palm of God's hand. You know, we all say that when times get tough, but Barbara demonstrates her faith by the very fact that she's not panicked. She's not falling apart. She's wants her life to count for God's kingdom. Whenever given the opportunity, she is open about her ten years of fighting cancer and gives God all the glory for miracle after miracle in her life.

Barbara is the "go to" person in her large family whenever there is a need, and even now, her concern is for her mother who is getting older and has health concerns.

Barbara has been taking a cancer drug called Gleevec, and interestingly, one of the side effects of the drug is that it makes your hair grow thick and lustrous. So for the past several years Barbara has been growing out this beautiful mane for "Locks of Love", a charitable organization that makes human hair wigs for financially disadvantaged children experiencing long-term hair loss after an illness and medical treatments.

Barbara with her beautiful long hair.

After the doctors told Barbara this newest drug (that we're all praying will obliterate the tumors on her diaphragm) may cause her hair to thin or fall out, she decided that NOW was the time to donate her hair. I called a Crestwood salon, Yves Hair, Body & Soles Salon and Spa, and they were thrilled to help. I told them to please let me pay for her to also be treated to a manicure (since Barbara never spends any money on herself), but when we got there they would not take my money; in fact, they insisted that Barbara come back in for a complimentary cut and style and complimentary manicure. Great folks at this salon!

So Barbara sat in the chair while the hair stylist cut off two 12-inch ponytails and shaped her hair into an adorable above-the-shoulder style.

Our local paper, The Oldham Era, recently did a story on Barbara. I'm sure it will inspire other people to consider growing out their hair and donating it to "Locks of Love" as well.

But the real story is the person of Barbara Hampton. She is such a loving and giving person, and I hope you'll join me in praying for her full recovery. God has brought her through before, and I know He can do it again. I love her so very much and can't imagine life without her.

Barbara touched the hearts of everyone in the salon that day, even the reporter from The Oldham Era doing the story. I could see it in his eyes. Barbara told him, "I wonder what God's got in store for me this time. It's a journey, and I will keep on the journey until it's over."

Jacki and Jerry Shafer with The Shafer Team and Keller Williams Louisville East specialize in home sales in Oldham, Jefferson, Trimble, Henry, and Shelby counties in Kentucky.

Oldham County seems to have weathered the housing slump pretty well. There's no doubt that Sellers have taken a bit of a hit this year, but if you compare Oldham County (located just North of Louisville, Kentucky) to much of the rest of the country, you'll see that Buyers are still buying and Sellers are still selling.

Let's look at the numbers for February 2008 and compare them to February 2007:

From February 1-29, 2008, 50 homes SOLD. Same time in 2007: 60 homes SOLD.

The average price for February, 2008 was $272,667. February 2007 saw an average price of $284,557.

The average cost per square foot in February 2008: 119.52. For February 2007: per foot cost was $120.01.

The average days on the market in February 2008: 81 days. For February 2007: 82 days.

Especially when you use the cost per square foot number, Oldham County has seen very little change. We're not seeing appreciation, in spite of the fact that Oldham County remains one of the most sought-after areas in which to live if you're relocating to the Louisville, Kentucky area. Many gurus are predicting improvement by the middle of 2008, but even the best minds can't seem to agree when this will turn around.

Seems the best resource today for getting an answer to when we'll see real improvement in the real estate marketplace might be one of these:

Jacki and Jerry Shafer with The Shafer Team and Keller Williams Realty Louisville East are "mega agents", specializing in real estate sales in their own "back yard" of Oldham County, as well as in eastern Jefferson County (Louisville), and in Henry, Trimble, and Shelby Counties in Kentucky.

Jerry and I built our first home in LaGrange, Kentucky. When we first drove out to look for land, our daughter, Heather, then only 7 years old, sounded out the words of the sign she saw as we crossed over the Jefferson/Oldham line and shouted, "I don't want to live in OLD - HAM County !" But she loved living in LaGrange, and is so happy we moved there because it's where she met - and married - her high school sweetheart.

We now live in Crestwood (still in Oldham County), but we both love to take the short drive to LaGrange whenever we get a little time off. There's so much to do in downtown LaGrange, all year round.

I love meeting a girlfriend early on Saturday mornings at the Farmer's Market. Our routine is to get a tall cup of gourmet coffee and sample the fresh fruit. The Farmer's Market has everything from wonderful fresh produce to baked goods to live music. Before our busy weekend as Realtors gets started, an hour or so Saturday morning really kick-starts my day. Farmer's Market is open Saturdays from June to September.

Our annual summer festival is held on the 3rd Saturday in July. If you've always had an urge to just get out and dance in the middle of the street, here's the place to do it! The Friday night before is a street dance with live music, and Saturay morning starts out with a 5K run/walk and the much-anticipated pancake breakfast fund-raiser, hosted by the LaGrange Rotary Club. How about a stack of chocolate-chip pancakes? The courthouse square comes to life with booths set up everywhere by non-profit organizations and local businesses showcasing the work they do right here in Oldham County. The kids will especially love the parade, and a you can wave at the new marching bands and the Grand Marshall.

Fall is beautiful in Kentucky, and the evenings are great for taking a walk. How about a "ghost walk" around Halloween? The downtown LaGrange Ghost Tours take you inside historic homes and buildings rumored to have "spirited" residents revisiting their old "haunts".

My absoluted favorite event on downtown LaGrange's calender is "Light Up LaGrange". A beautiful and fun celebration of Christmas, you'll swear you walked right into a Norman Rockwell painting! The kids get a special visit from Santa, and everyone enjoys the hot chocolate and Christmas cookies. Carolers walk up and down the sidewalks in period costume while all the shops stay open. Many of the shop owners lure you inside with free hot apple cider. It always gets me in the Christmas spirit!

Whether you're looking for antiques, a special book, or the perfect toy, downtown LaGrange's Main Street shopping will be a treat. My favorite stores are Karen's Book Barn and Java Shop, (because I love to read and I love the atmosphere of this friendly book store), The Treasured Child (because of the "child" still in me and because it's a place where you can find the remarkable and the unusual in children's toys, books, etc.) and I've got to go around the corner to a delightful store called Christmas in Kentucky (because I love the unique and the beautiful this store has to offer). And I can't leave until I visit The 1887 Corner Store (because you can find everything from furniture to collectibles - and because of that Norman Rockwell thing! You'll feel like you stepped back in time about a hundred years. Everything about this store puts me in a great mood.)

(For a more complete list of stores click here: Discover Art, Antiques and Designer Boutiques.)

Gettin' hungry? Lets stop for lunch at Norma Jean's Trackside Restaurant and watch the train roll by. (Yes, the train runs right down the middle of Main Street; hence, our motto: "LaGrange: we're right on track!). Or we can walk down to The Irish Rover Too! if you want Irish fare and atmosphere.

(For a more complete list of downtown LaGrange restaurants click here: Discover Downtown LaGrange)

And don't forget to go off the "Main" drag to discover other great shops and restaurants. You can really make a full day of fun for yourself!

And if you don't want to take a walk, just come downtown and people watch or catch up on the local gossip. The courthouse lawn is a great place to do just that!

So if you're planning a trip to Oldham County, let Jerry and me take you to lunch in LaGrange and introduce you to the shop owners and show you the many reasons we're glad to call Oldham County our home.

Jacki and Jerry are long-time residents of Oldham County. They are Mega Agents with The Shafer Team and Keller Williams Realty Louisville East. They specialize in home sales in Oldham, Jefferson and surrounding counties in Kentucky.