After a year of absence, the Bennington Congregational Church will present the live Nativity Dec. 5. The location has been moved to Sawyer Memorial Park, just off Route 202, to provide room for social distancing. Volunteers from many area churches are working with other community members to bring the Christmas story to life.
At 3:30 p.m., the Bennington Recreation Committee will begin the afternoon with a small Christmas fair and petting zoo. Town organizations or clubs who wish to sell foods or other items should contact Bethany Manley Craig at the Recreation Department at bethanylcraig@yahoo.com.
The pageant begins at 4:30 p.m., with the music stage at Sawyer Park serving as the stable in Bethlehem. Audience members may watch from their cars with their windows rolled down or bring lawn chairs. Teri Hardwick will reprise the role of the Angel Gabriel, while Adeline Regis will debut as the narrator. Anne Trow is costume mistress as well as organizer-in-chief, and Molly Flower Eppig is the director. Linda Osienski is the resident artist and sheep-wrangler. Dan Trow is the sound engineer, and Alan Bissette will lead the singing of the carols. The audience is part of the play, since the action is punctuated by everyone singing the traditional carols.
After the pageant, at around 5 p.m., the Parade of Lighted Trucks, sponsored by the Recreation Committee, will begin at Sawyer Park, then proceed on Route 202 to downtown Bennington. Audience members at the Nativity play can view the parade from there, while those who could not attend the play can see the parade downtown. To enter a lighted vehicle, contact Bethany Manley Craig.