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Nativity Festival Returns To Area, Featuring Sculptor’s 16-Piece Nativity
The Community Festival of Nativities returns to Rockbridge County this holiday season, Dec. 6-8, after a nine-year hiatus. The festival will feature over 400 unique nativity displays. A digital presentation of the nativity story interpreted by artists throughout the centuries will be screened continuously.
Once again, the event is hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “The last Nativity Festival was so wellembraced by the community that we thought it was time to bring it back,” said the festival chair Michele Huntsman.
The three-day display will culminate with a concert of beloved Christmas music on the evening of Dec. 8. The concert will be coordinated by Dr. Mark Taylor, former conductor of the Rockbridge Symphony Orchestra who has returned to the area after a few years away.
The centerpiece of this exhibit is a nativity sculpture by Blacksburg sculptor Lawrence R. Bechtel, known for his detailed, true-to-life characters and his dedication to storytelling through art.
Bechtel only took up figurative sculpture after retiring from Virginia Tech’s English Department in 2009. However, with several prominent public commissions to his credit, his artistic career has since flourished. This nativity scene was originally created for the Blacksburg Presbyterian Church.
Bechtel’s research on nativities revealed that artists throughout the centuries created deeply personal interpretations of the biblical story, guided by their own poetic sensibilities. “I needed to be sure I could bring something fresh to this work,” Bechtel said. “I wanted to take these figures, these icons, and let them live again as people like us.”
The 16-piece nativity pieces showcase his storytelling abilities, including a 14½-inch imposing wingless angel, an ox named Axle, Dante the donkey, incredulous shepherds, and even the innkeeper’s wife. Bechtel has imagined backstories for these “local” characters, providing names and imbuing them with personalities to reflect the diverse people who undoubtedly surrounded Christ at his birth. For instance, his sculpture of Joseph shows him raising his arm to heaven in gratitude for the heavenly birth.
Bechtel even included an anachronistic figure in his nativity: the prophet Isaiah, who, though he lived centuries before Christ’s birth, proclaimed, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Art historian Rudolf Berliner noted, “The crèche serves the religious purpose of impressing the imagination of the beholder as if he were witnessing the very Nativity.” In essence, a nativity is meant to put viewers in the event.
Numerous national and international crèche organizations host hundreds of nativity exhibits each year. These events bring neighbors together to share and celebrate their personal family nativities, reflecting diverse cultural and national backgrounds. One notable example is a church group in Palo Alto, Calif., displaying hundreds of nativities for 37 years, attracting over 10,000 attendees annually.
“People enjoy seeing nativities displayed together,” said Peggy Goodsell, exhibit designer. “Each set, whether elaborate or simple, makes its own contribution. Seeing them all together is very moving.”
Community members are encouraged to contribute their own nativity scenes to the Lexington exhibit and share their stories. “It’s not just about the displays,” Huntsman said, “it’s an opportunity to embrace the season and join together.”
To contribute a nativity, contact Huntsman at jmhuntsman@ yahoo.com or Sherri Wheeler at Sherriwheeler56@ yahoo.com. Nativity owners can place it on the exhibit table themselves to minimize handling. Security will always be in place to protect the items.
The Community Festival of Nativities will take place Friday, Dec. 6, from 4 to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 7-8, from 2 to 8 p.m.
Bechtel will be available to answer questions about his sculpture during Sunday hours.
The Community Christmas Concert will take place Sunday, Dec. 8, at 6 p.m.
All events will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 1340 Thornhill Road south of Lexington.
For more information, visit facebook.com/Lexington. Nativity or email Community. [email protected].
