The First Annual Chapin/Irmo/Dutch Fork Nativity Festival

Six weeks ago, it was announced that there would be a Community Nativity Festival in our church building. We had been to one of these in Pleasant View.  It was wonderful, and we were looking forward to tonight with much anticipation.  We were not disappointed!

They also had a children's room where the kids could play, hands-on, with the nativities - and even make their own nativities out of craft paper and Popsicle sticks.  They could also dress up as Mary, Joseph, shepherds, wise men and angels and stage their own, live nativities.

There were a ton of traditional nativities at the festival - some very simple and some very ornate.  I took pictures of the ones I saw that were different and appealed to me.  I may post more at a later date.  But aren't they wonderful?  I wish I had taken a picture of the cultural hall.  It was spectacular.  The chapel, too, was decorated with poinsettias and a Christmas tree.  Sister Barlow said it was extremely well done - especially for a first year.  She said that the Corvallis exhibit was pretty rocky for the first 10 years, and they almost cancelled it.  But now it is one of the longest running nativity displays anywhere in the country.

Jack just read this morning that Pleasant View's display has grown so much they moved it out of the Stake Center and into the County Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall.  That's wonderful!