BY LOIS SIEHL

JYMSYL@EMBARQMAIL.COM

Years before the launching of the Johnstown Area Festival of the Nativity at the First Presbyterian Church in Johnstown, I had seen an article in the United Methodist Church publication, “Church and Home.”

The story detailed a Nativity Festival taking place in a church in Tarrytown, N.Y.

The Tarrytown group had enlisted items from the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

For nearly two years, thoughts buzzed around in my head about the possibilities of a similar event in Johnstown.

Being young and naive, I called the Met.

“No,” they would not lend things to Johnstown. Next, I phoned the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh with similar results. Then, I called the Greensburg Museum of Art.

“Yes,” they would lend us “things,” but we would need a “zillion” dollars of insurance on items borrowed, and we would need 24-hour surveillance in addition to museum-temperature assurance. So, I turned my dream in another direction: “We can do it ourselves.”

And, so we did.

We borrowed apple crates from Boyer Orchards in New Paris, Bedford County, to set up nativity displays. Crèches began to come out of the woodwork.

An oversized white crèche that survived the ’77 flood was loaned to us from First Lutheran Church. A whimsical spool crèche, handcrafted by the Rev. J. Howard Wright, arrived from Grove Avenue United Methodist Church. Nativity banners were created by Mary Ann Berkstresser of St. Benedict’s Roman Catholic Church. A figure of the Madonna, commemorating 1,000 years of Christianity in the Province of Georgia in the Soviet Union, was shared by Presbyterian World Church representatives from a conference in Moscow.

Crèches of all nations and of all varieties of materials came pouring into the church – cross stitched, leaded glass, wood and stuffed dolls.

In the sanctuary, an 11-foot-high “free form” sculpture of the Holy Family was the focal point. The sculpture was draped in lace and blue fabric and was flanked by a wall of white poinsettias.

I took my idea before the session at First Presbyterian, and the members thought the project was a terribly big bite. But my brother, Jim Cuppett, who was pastor at that time, quipped: “Heck, we don’t want to be known as the “pancake church” forever.” First Presbyterian was well-known as the site of the Kiwanis Club’s annual flapjack fundraiser.

Now that we had everyone seeking and making crèches, we turned efforts into scheduling three days of programming, which was near maddening.

Here’s how it went: “I’ll get back to you,” or “I’ll have to check with the school board,” or “I’ll have to check if the date suits the choir.”

Finally, the program was set. We had the Penn Wood Players, the Greater Johnstown, Richland and Westmont Hilltop high school choruses, St. Mary’s Antiochian Choir, the Johnstown Reed Band, the Johnstown Community Chorus and the First Presbyterian choir and bell choir. In addition, there were 20 instrumental and vocal soloists.

After all the display materials were gathered, the enormity of the task settled in.

I took vacation days from the Highland Library, where I was librarian, for the set-up. This took about nine days.

Vi Mateer was my right arm. She always knew what I needed and when I needed it.

A few of those days found us still in the church at midnight. When all the decorations were in place, Bob Blough would come bearing fresh evergreens to add finishing touches.

As I recall, there have been several helpers who have been there from the beginning. Those who readily come to mind are Isabel Cruse, Janet Braude, Paul Gerlach, Kent Roach, Zowalla Thiel, Ruth Fisher and Leah Williams.

Visitors were always amazed that there were no offering plates anywhere. Refreshments in keeping with the breads of the First Christmas were free. Nothing was sold. The festival was, and still is, a gift – a spiritual gift for all.

“Christmas hath a beauty lovelier than the world can show,” a verse by Christina Rossetti, was the theme and entire emphasis of that first Festival of the Nativity 25 years ago.

It was meant to be a quiet time, a time to rest from the stress of the secular Christmas ... a time to allow the spirit of Christ to visit one’s soul.

It was my calling to introduce and direct the festival for its first three years. Now, I must give homage to those who so lovingly carried on this singular and monumental effort – the tradition of the Johnstown Festival of the Nativity.



Lois Siehl of Schellsburg, formerly of Richland Township, is the wife of retired Tribune-Democrat news and sports writer Jim Siehl.