Large crowd enjoys a live nativity

Kayne Pyatt, for the Gazette
Posted 12/20/22

For the very first time, the Kemmerer Interfaith Community hosted a live nativity on Sunday, Dec. 18 at the Kemmerer Event Center. Over 300 people came to view the reenactment of the birth of the baby Jesus and hear Christmas carols sung by members from different church congregations.

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Large crowd enjoys a live nativity

Posted

For the very first time, the Kemmerer Interfaith Community hosted a live nativity on Sunday, Dec. 18 at the Kemmerer Event Center.  Over 300 people came to view the reenactment of the birth of the baby Jesus and hear Christmas carols sung by members from different church congregations.

The idea for the event originated with Kaylee Steiner who has been a resident in Kemmerer for over four years. Kaylee and her husband Trevor,a Physician Assistant, have lived in many different states over ten years and she wanted to do something that would pull people of different faiths together for the holiday.  Steiner formed a committee of volunteers from different faiths and in three weeks the event was organized.

“We did a sign-up genius online to recruit decorations and food bank donations and the community delivered big time,” Steiner said. “We even had forty dozen cookies to serve at the event donated by members of the community. We couldn’t have done it without the help of all the volunteers from many different faiths.”

The Kemmerer Event Center was decorated with a variety of donated Christmas décor and a setting with a stable of live animals and the manger scene with Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus. 

Brad and Catherine Grandy with their baby boy and Dillon and Sierra Dummer with their twin boy and girl took turns over the two hours, portraying Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus.

The animals for the event were loaned from community members-two sheep and the enclosure were from Marie McClaren; miniature ponies from Anna and David Ellis; and two donkeys from Jen Hershberger.

Food items along with $204.25 in cash donated during the event were later delivered to the local food bank housed in the basement of the Episcopal Church.

Joining Steiner in planning the event were community volunteers Johnna Garcia, Celeste Mori, Dinah James, Rita Haws, Lois Hicks, Carey-Lea Dimitry, and Carrie Runnion.

“I couldn’t have done this without every single one of them,” Steiner said. “They all made a huge difference. The Interfaith Community would like to keep this going and find other ways to stay connected.  We are so grateful to this community for their participation and support.”