The "stars" were out in force on Saturday, December 23 for the Parkway Church School Holiday Pageant! This was a big event for the Church School and the adults who produced and appeared in it. Fellowship Hall was packed, and we were treated to a huge, well rehearsed cast (as you will see) presenting the familiar Christmas story with music, dancing and narration. In addition to the Christmas component, this inclusive production covered the celebrations of Chanukah and Kwanzaa as well. We were treated to angels and shepherds, stately processions of Kings and spirited stomps, Liturgical Dance and instrumental and choral music. I'll let the pictues tell the story of this impressive effort:
The story was developed through music and a narrator; here is Sandy Littlejohn singing "We've Come So Far" and narrator Old Joseph, portrayed by Ben Aryee.
There were "crowd scenes"!

And yes, there were angels and shepherds, leading to the joyous Nativity tableau in Bethlehem.


The Celebrations of Chanukah's Miracle of Oil and Rededication of the Temple, and Kwanzaa's Gathering of First Fruits were described through poetry and dance.
Elements of Liturgical dance, and a first rate orchestra added richness to the whole experience.

As I mentioned, the audience turn out was gratifying, and older and younger seemed to be equally captivated.

The final bow gave the "backstage" volunteers and the cast a chance to be seen all together:


It was the sort of warm event no one is in a hurry to leave. Parents congratulated their cast members and introduced themselves to other parents and grandparents. The "orchestra" drew a good bit of interest too, and one informal flute lesson was observed! Thanks to Jackie Nolan, Kinisha Nixon and Vickie Williams-Barrows for the enormous amount of time and energy they lavished on this Pageant. Hope they have caught their breath by the time next year's rehearsals begin!