By Kimberly Flack
When was the last time you saw handcrafted artifacts from over 40 countries in one room? The Community Festival of Nativities offers just that with a bonus Christmas spin. With over 800 nativities, local musicians, a children’s scavenger hunt, and new this year: custom calligraphy for attendees and live nativity paintings in-progress, you don’t want to miss this unique Peoria event.
Entrance is free, and with multiple churches sponsoring the event, it is perhaps the largest 100-percent volunteer ecumenical event of the season in Central Illinois. The Festival takes place Nov 29 to Dec 2 at 3700 W. Reservoir Blvd. in Peoria. This year’s exhibit is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the All Saints Greek Orthodox Church, and the St. Vincent de Paul Parish.
Live musicians will perform daily and personalized calligraphy for attendees will be available by special guest artist Julia Fish Thompson. Nativity artwork-in-progress by local artists promise to lend a unique perspective to viewers and provide a soul-satisfying start to the Christmas season.
The Festival was organized three years ago by Dunlap resident Shelly Crespo, aiming to increase religious unity over the hallmark Christian holiday: Christmas. Crespo enlisted her neighbors, and they all began the outreach process to garner support from community members. The response has been enormous, with individuals lending decorating items, nativities, talents, and more. Local businesses have even joined the efforts to provide services from tablecloth steam cleaning to cut back on volunteer man-hours to refreshments for volunteers.
“Any activity that fosters friendships and cultivates understanding is good for Peoria,” Crespo said. “The Community Festival of Nativities allows people to attend while honoring their own personal traditions and commitment to Jesus Christ,” she said.
Father James Pallardy of St. Vincent de Paul is also looking forward to the religious emphasis the Nativity Festival lends to the Peoria scene and the opportunity for Christians to unite in the organization and presentation of the Nativity.
“Santa and the commercialized aspect has really become dominant in the Christmas season, but exhibiting the Nativity, especially in such a large and unifying format through the Festival really keeps us aware that we’re all really celebrating the birth of our Lord,” Pallardy said.
Last year’s exhibit boasted nativities made from a variety of mediums, from rubber bands and chocolate to coal mined in Wales and cornhusks from Peru.
Julia Ghantous of the All Saints Greek Orthodox Church, who serves on the Nativity Committee, says the variety amongst nativities will be unlike most people have ever witnessed.
“You will not see one crèche like the other,” says Ghantous. “Some of them are very elaborate; some of them are very simple. Some of them depict the event through animals and with different mediums. Some will be out of paper and others out of bone china.”
This year you can take a close look at one of the largest Italian handcrafted Nativity Scenes ever made. The 1000-piece Bethlehem Nativity scene will be the spotlight of this year’s exhibit.
Participants can also watch live artists paint a nativity scene and have their name hand-lettered in Calligraphy by Festival guest artist Julia Fish Thompson, who also made a custom piece featuring this year’s Festival theme: “Hallelujah!”
“This is so much more than just another Christmas walk-through,” Crespo said. “This is an event where people can come spend 15 minutes or 3 hours and be completely overwhelmed by the true spirit of Christmas.”
Scott Johnson, Peoria Stake President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was thrilled with last year’s community response from volunteers and attendees from Galesburg to Bloomington and is eager to see what this year’s Festival brings.
“We were very fortunate that so many from the community were willing to place their nativities on display. The benefits came to those who volunteered and attended as they viewed the nativities and contemplated their beauty and deeper meaning,” said Johnson.
The Festival of Nativities hours are Thursday from 5pm to 9pm, Fri to Sat from 10am to 9pm, and Sunday from noon to 9pm. Please visit www.CommunityFestivalofNativities.com for more information on how to loan your nativity or volunteer.