Annual Creche Exhibit soliciting nativities for major Dec. 5-6 event

Preparations for the Annual Creche Exhibit, a non-denominational event sponsored by the Mountain Home Idaho Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are underway.

This year's exhibit will be held on Friday, Dec. 5, from 5-9 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Last year the exhibit featured over 600 nativities and other depictions of Christ's birth donated by citizens throughout the community. Organizers expect the numbers of items on display to grow even more this year.

All items are privately-owned and lent to the exhibit for the enjoyment of the viewing public.

Anyone wanting to donate a creche to the exhibit can do so through the Thursday prior to the exhibit opening (the day of set up).

For more information about the holiday event, contact Lynn Blethen at 587-5264.

Locally, a Creche Exhibit was first presented in 1998, then again in 1999. However, the event then became absent from this area for several years as the original organizers moved away.

In 2005 Blethen and Julie Vogl took the reigns as organizers, backed by hundreds of workers. The Creche Exhibit has since become an annual event in the community. It has drawn people from throughout the Treasure Valley to see the displays.

The event is free and all members of the community are being invited to attend. No prosyletizing takes place. The LDS church building, located at the corner of 12th North and 7th East streets, and the exhibit areas, are handicap accessible.

"This is an opportunity for families and individuals to pause in the peaceful surroundings and focus on the true reason for the Christmas Season," Blethen said. "The entire exhibit is dedicated to the remembrance of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His birth was a gift of love from God to the world."

Workers are involved in publicity, registration of display items, set-up and clean-up, and preparing musical presentations, as well as many other areas of preparation for the event.

The set-up alone takes place over a three-day period and requires hundreds of man-hours to achieve the beautiful results. Every year the display is a little different in presentation as it spreads into more rooms and areas of the building and includes an ever growing number of exhibit items. The main display area is in the church gymnasium, but a growing number of side rooms are now used, most of those rooms "themed" to different types of creche exhibits.

"Those who attend find something different about each year's exhibit," Blethen noted.

Throughout the event, volunteers serve as hosts, assuring that no harm comes to any of the display items and assisting visitors in their enjoyment of the event.

Couples also volunteer to act in the part of Mary and Joseph in a Live Nativity scene. The interpretation of Christ's birth features only human actors, often accompanied by a doll. Occasionally, however, a "true-life" baby is featured, after having passed the rigid requirement of "no crying he makes."

"The peaceful scene evokes the feeling of personally peeking into the stable of Bethlehem on that momentous night," Blethen said.

Music is also an integral part of the exhibit. Katie Gibbons organizes that part of the event.

As in years past, there will be concerts throughout the event featuring local talent. Expected this year are piano, organ, harp and vocal soloists.Some of the groups also expected to perform this year are: a youth choir, the Mountain Home High School Jazz Choir and the Handbell Choir of the First Congregational Church.

A featured event this year will be the singing of Georg Frideric Handel's "Christmas Messiah." The modified version of Handel's famous oratorio features those sections of "The Messiah" telling of Christ's birth. The entire presentation will last only 35 minutes.

Mona Jackson, a music teacher in the Mountain Home School District, is directing the choir and the performing soloists. The presentation of the "Christmas Messiah" will be held on Friday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m. There will be a section provided for hearing-impaired persons, with sign-interpretation provided by Cheryl Blake.

The tentative schedule of special performances during the exhibit is:

Friday, Dec. 5

5:15 p.m. -- Katie Gibbons (piano).

5:45 p.m. -- Ryan and Tara Reilley (piano and vocal).

6:30 p.m. -- 2nd Ward Choir and Sarah Wakefield's Violin Studio.

7 p.m. -- Community Choir performing "The Christmas Messiah."

7:45 p.m. -- Jo Phillips (piano and organ).

8:15 p.m. -- Youth Choir.

Saturday, Dec. 6

10:15 a.m. -- Lindsey Angerbauer (piano).

11 a.m. -- Children's Choir.

Noon -- Sherene Fluckiger, Penny Jensen, and Althea Fackrell (vocal).

1:30 p.m. -- Jo Phillips (piano and organ).

2:30 p.m. -- Jessica Bergstol (vocal).

3 p.m. -- Nancy and Sarah Hyde (piano, organ, and vocal).

4:30 p.m. -- First Congregational Church Handbell Choir.

5:30 p.m. -- Youth Choir.

6:15 p.m. -- MHHS Jazz Choir.

6:30 p.m. -- Dan Borgholthaus (organ).

7:15 p.m. -- Katie Gibbons (piano).