Published December 27. 2017 11:13AM
The Live Bethlehem Christmas Pageant, a re-enactment of historical and Biblical events surrounding the birth of Christ, held its 39th annual performance Dec. 9 and 10 at the Rose Garden Park band shell in northwest Bethlehem. The Lehigh Valley’s first snowfall on Dec. 9 reduced the pageant’s attendance to 100 spectators, but higher temperatures and some sunshine attracted more than 300 persons to the event the next afternoon, according to pageant officials. A cast of some 100 costumed participants, live animals and musical accompaniment makes the admission-free event a family-oriented attraction. David Landis, president of the Live Bethlehem Christmas Pageant for 14 years, said he is “looking forward” to next year’s 40th anniversary. According to Landis, the pageant originated on Christmas Eve in 1978 at our Lady of Pompeii Church in South Bethlehem. “The event’s purpose is to commemorate Jesus’ birthday in a most real way,” said the Bethlehem resident.
Press Photos by Tim Gilman5045 The Chancel Choir of the Bethany United Church of Christ accompanies the Live Bethlehem Christmas Pageant’s biblical and historical birth of Christ re-enactment performance Dec. 10.
5047 Townspeople in the Live Bethlehem Christmas Pageant wear colorful outfits with long sleeves and gloves for the cold weather.
5055 Bundled up for the cold are Brooke Alpha of Fountain Hill and her daughter Amelia, wearing a knitted Christmas hat. Mrs Alpha said it was their first time attending the holiday event in northwest Bethlehem.
5057 Zachary Schellhaas of Coopersburg and his daughter Addie wear townspeople outfits, augmented with long sleeves and gloves for the cold weather. Addie, granddaughter of the pageant’s narrator William Schellhaas, was participating in the Bethlehem event for her first time.
5062 Shepherds and their animals gather at the Holy Family stable to visit the Baby Jesus.
5066 Donald Jenny of Bethlehem, as King Caspar, is accompanied by a camel from the Natural Bridge Zoo in Virginia and a pair of guards.
5070 Soldiers on horseback, assigned to guard the Wise Men, pass by the Holy Family. The horse riders are from the Blue Ridge Ranch of Nazareth.
5082 Brock Williams of Center Valley, as King Balthazar, holds the newborn Christ Child, wrapped in warm swaddling clothes. Baby Jesus is Riley Bankos, son of Lindsey Viscomi of Lehighton who plays Mary. A popular tradition of the pageant is to have one of the Wise Men take the Christ child from the stable area closer to the event attendees for a better look at the baby.
5083 Shepherds with children and animals gather as narrator William Schellhaas of Coopersburg reads the Christmas story.
5087 Margaret Cinicz of Easton gets a close look of her great-grandson Riley Bankos, as the Baby Jesus, after the Live Bethlehem Christmas Pageant performance. Lindsey Viscomi of Lehighton, mother of Riley Bankos, portrayed Mary.
5088 Amanda Helman of Bethlehem and family friend Trinity Rivera get close to a camel after the performance. The camels used by the pageant are from the Natural Bridge Zoo in Virginia which has been providing the animals to the pageant for more than 20 years.