Carson City church adjusts for pandemic to bring 'Living Nativity' drive-through this weekend
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 12/07/2020 - 12:05pm
Event Date:
Repeats every day until Sun Dec 13 2020 .
December 12, 2020 - 6:30pm
December 13, 2020 - 6:30pm
It was a year of uncertainty. A year when we felt a need for something more. A need for peace. It was a year that felt similar to 2020. It was 2001.
The year that we watched the airplanes crash into the Twin Towers. The year we felt hopeless and confused and a desire to connect with people and with God. Seeing that need, the Carson City First United Methodist Church began what has become one of the most cherished Christmas traditions in Carson City.
The Living Nativity — The Road to Bethlehem — is a labor of love. It takes around 200 people each year to pull off the 2-night event. There are sets to be constructed, costumes to be organized, mended, and assigned, over 800 luminarias to be filled, animals to consider, signs to be made, and traffic to be guided.
Christie James, a member of the First United Methodist Church, has been the director of the Living Nativity since the beginning, in 2001.
She said, “Each year there is something different. We used to put up a 3 story palace for Herod, but it blew down and broke twice! Animals are always part of the event. We used to have camels but they moved to Missouri. One year the camels got away and we had to chase them down the street, shepherd’s robes flying behind. Another year, the sheep got away and we had to do the same thing.”
This year there are a few changes due to COVID. Each of the people depicting someone from the Road to Bethlehem will be social distancing when not with family members, as well as wearing a face covering. Other years community members have had the choice of the drive-thru or walking on the sidewalks. This year only the drive-thru will be offered.
Most things will look the same as in previous years. There will be a cow, donkeys, and sheep. The angels will be singing, the shepherds will be looking after their sheep, and we will follow Mary and Joseph on the Road to Bethlehem.
Not only is the Living Nativity a wonderful event to feel the true spirit of Christmas, it’s also a great way to give as the wise men gave. Many in our community are suffering, some financially. Non-perishable items are collected for FISH each year, and a truckload of food is dropped off to help feed our neighbors.
This coming weekend is when this exciting event is happening. Please join us from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 12-13. The entrance is at Division and King streets, west of Carson Street.
There will be multiple road closures and detours in the area of Division Street and Musser Street, Saturday and Sunday beginning at 5 p.m. and ending at 10 p.m.
The Living Nativity has been bringing peace to our community for 19 years. We are grateful that in this year, when most things have been canceled, the Living Nativity and the story of the birth of Jesus live on.
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- 2020
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- Chase
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- costumes
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- Division and King Streets
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- Road closures
- saturday
- singing
- social distancing
- Weekend
- Wonderful !
- Jesus
- Traffic
