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Displays sought for yearly creche exhibit
A yearly holiday season returns to Mountain Home next month as the local the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hosts this year's Christmas creche exhibit.
A non-denominational event, the three-day celebration runs from 6-9 p.m. Dec. 5 and 6 and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Dec. 7 at the Mormon stake center off Airbase Road at 790 S. Haskett Street.
The creche, or nativity, exhibit serves as an opportunity for families and individuals "to come and reflect on the true meaning of the Christmas season," event organizers said. "As you view the Nativity displays and listen to the inspired musical performances, you will be able to feel the true meaning of Christmas."
Free and open to the general public, exhibits filled the central hall in the stake center and featured several hundred Nativity scenes and other depictions of Christ's birth. The displays are privately owned by local residents and loaned to the exhibit for others to see and enjoy, organizers said.
"There are many differences among the many Christian faiths, but the one thing we all have in common is the celebration of the birth of our savoir, Jesus Christ," said Tracey Yagues, one of this year's creche coordinators.
Those interested in donating a creche for this year's exhibit are encouraged to contact coordinator Karla Baxter in advance to help in the planning process.
It's quite a process each year because some creches come with 20 to 30 pieces, and calling ahead of time helps keep things organized, according to event organizers.
Mountain Home's first creche opened in 1998 with its second following the next year. The event stopped for several years afterward when the original event organizers moved out of the local area.
In 2005, Lynn Blethen joined Julie Vogl to organize a team of hundreds of volunteers to bring the Christmas creche back. Over the years, both women were instrumental in planning, organizing and donating their time and means for the creche exhibit, organizers said. They called it a "gift of love" to the community.
It's remained a fixture in the Mountain Home community that draws people from across the Treasure Valley, organizers added.
It takes roughly four days to transform the local stake center for the yearly creche, event coordinators said. Volunteers are expected to begin working the morning of Dec. 2 and are expected to continue with the preparations up until the doors open to the public the evening of Dec. 5.
Church volunteers serve as hosts for the hundreds of people that visit each year while ensuring no one tampers with the exhibits.
During the creche, couples will also act out the roles of Mary and Joseph during the annual live Nativity scene. Although the interpretation of Jesus' birth features human actors, the Christ child is often represented by a doll to pass the rigid requirement of "no crying he makes," officials said in reference to Biblical verses regarding his birth.
The creche exhibits are handicap accessible, and no proselytizing takes place during the event. For more information about the Christmas event, call Yagues at 587-2112 or Baxter at 587-8222.