MIDDLEBURG — Approximately 45 volunteers and eight churches have joined forces for the eighth year in a row to present a live drama of the Christmas story in a rural Snyder County barn.
The first night of the drama will be Saturday.
With new props for the wise men and Roman guards, the drama — which attracted approximately 1,200 people last year — will once again include a variety of live animals and actors dressed as angels, shepherds and all the other characters one may find in account of Christmas, as written in the book of Luke in the Bible.
To keep things fresh, a few things are changed each year, but event founders, coordinators and farm owners Karl and Tanya Hertzler said the story, of course, stays the same.
“We felt a lot of children did not know the real Christmas story,” Karl said. Approximately one-third of the attendees are children younger than 10.
“It just seems natural to do this every year,” Tanya said. “Every year it gets a little bigger.”
Visitors arrive at a lighted area for parking, being assisted by parking attendants and actors. They then walk to a nearby barn, where they get on a bus that takes them down a lane to a big red barn, labeled “Bethlehem.”
After signing in with the census taker, they are guided by a Roman guard and then by the prophet Isaiah, who tells them the story as they go from scene-to-scene, from the top of the barn to the lower level. The story ends at the manger scene.
“We keep it as authentic as we can,” Karl said. “That’s our niche — to keep it primitive, as it was.”
To light each room, they use lanterns, not high-tech lighting.
Visitors will also find live animals, including goats, sheep, a miniature donkey, a miniature horse, chickens and perhaps a llama or two, as they walk around Bethlehem.
At the end of the story, the crowds will gather in the main room of the barn, where a stove will be running to keep things warm. A live choir will sing from the loft each night, and special entertainment is also scheduled, including bell ringers this Saturday, and New Life Gospel on Dec. 5 and 12. Cookies and hot chocolate will also be available.
Four churches take turns hosting this ending program: God’s Missionary Church, Beavertown; Richfield Mennonite Church; Shamokin Dam Alliance Church; and Zion United Methodist Church, Middleburg.
The live drama will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, and Dec. 5, 12, and 19. A bus will take a group of people to the barn every half hour. Approximately 70 to 90 people will be in the barn at all times.
“We’re doing it to glorify the Lord,” Tanya said. “The true spirit of Christmas is Christ.”
“There are a lot of loyal people who make this thing happen,” Karl added.
The event is free. A donation box will be on hand. Proceeds will be given to the Pregnancy Care Center and the House of Hope.
The farm is located in Middleburg, off Route 522, about two miles from the square in Middleburg. More information is available by calling the Hertzlers at 837-3192.
News
Related Photos
-
Matthew Harris / The Daily Item
Discussion
Live nativity play opens Saturday in Snyder County
- News
-
-
Judge sets May trial date for Sandusky abuse case
BELLEFONTE — A judge said today he would decide soon whether to grant former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky greater freedom — and visits from his young grandchildren — while he awaits trial on child sex-abuse charges, but prosecutors countered that Sandusky's home is not a safe place for children.
-
Lewisburg schools face cuts in personnel, programs
LEWISBURG -- Superintendent Mark DiRocco told the Lewisburg school board Thursday night that a proposed block grant system of school budget funding will run the district short of cash that will have to be made up through personnel and program cuts. Lewisburg's proposed 2012-13 budget stands at $28.6 million, with no less but also no more money coming from Harrisburg. "Even a neutral budget is problematic," DiRocco said.
-
Mom: Keller's response left her cold
LEWISBURG -- Like many people, Elise Nicol is concerned about Marcellus Shale and the industry's effects on Pennsylvania's environment. The Lewisburg mother of two cares about it enough that she sent an email to state Rep. Fred Keller, R-85 of Kreamer, asking him to oppose House Bill 1950, which passed the General Assembly on Wednesday.
-
Point Township authority concerned by sewer plant violations
NORTHUMBERLAND -- Point Township Sewer Authority members Thursday night expressed concerns about a Feb. 3 letter sent to the Northumberland Sewer Authority by the state's Department of Environmental Protection saying that the borough authority has violated the Clean Streams Act.
-
Persing truck fee idea stalls
SUNBURY -- While Pennsylvania has passed legislation allowing communities to collect impact fees in 35 counties, Northumberland County is not one of them, and business leaders and lawmakers do not think Sunbury Mayor David Persing's plan to try to do his own version of an impact fee will pass muster.
-
Barber draws a crowd
DANVILLE -- The talk can be spirited at times, ranging from hunting to sports to home repairs. "You hear all kinds of stories," Gene Koehler, of Riverside, said Thursday as he waited for a haircut at The Masters barbershop, 209 Mill St. No appointment is necessary. Customers can just walk in.
-
State board approves table games at Valley Forge casino
VALLEY FORGE — A casino resort scheduled to open this spring in the Philadelphia suburb of Valley Forge has been approved for table games.
-
Doctors telling more adults: Get out and exercise
ATLANTA — A new study shows more and more U.S. adults are being told by their doctor to get off their duffs and exercise. A government survey found nearly 33 percent of adults who saw a doctor in the previous year said they were told to exercise. That was up from about 23 percent in 2000.
-
Former Northumberland County judge and three others die in Florida crash
EVERGLADES CITY, Fla. -- A former Northumberland County judge was one of four people killed Wednesday afternoon when their car collided with a van at an intersection, according to the Naples News. The victims were identified as James J. Rosini, 66, William J. Rosini, 68, Patricia C. Rosini, 65, all of Coal Township, Pa., and Deborah A. Korbich, 59, of Elysburg, Pa.
-
Warden demotes four bosses
SUNBURY -- Northumberland County Prison Warden Roy Johnson was able to trim about $135,000 in expenses by demoting four supervisors. He said Wednesday that he found a way to cut costs without laying off any staff. "I cut out 120 hours of supervisors' pay each week, but I need to fill the correction officer positions," Johnson said.
-
DJ pumps up audience
Every Tuesday evening, Richard Grogg can be found spinning tunes at possibly the most well-attended dance in Snyder County. A resident at the Selinsgrove Center since 1988, the 57-year-old said the thing he likes most about selecting and playing music is "making people happy." "Some people come up and ask for requests," he said.
-
Agency closes adult center
PENNS CREEK -- Union and Snyder County caregivers have had to look farther and wider for another program that can offer respite because the Agency on Aging can no longer afford to provide the service. The adult daily living center at the Penns Creek Adult Resource Center was a helpful program each week to about eight adults from the area dealing with Alzheimer's and dementia. But it closed Dec. 30.
- More News Headlines
-
